“My soul cleaveth unto the dust: quicken thou me according to thy word’ (Psalm 119:25). “There can be little doubt that the psalmist was in the grip of deep depression. He was flat on his face in the dust. He had come to the end of himself and his own resources. At this point our society would advise us to see a psychiatrist, seek professional help. ... The psalmist makes a different suggestion. He says to the Lord, ‘Quicken Thou me.’ He was going to air his problems all right, but he was going to take them to the Lord. He was going to seek a counselor--the counsel of the Word of God. There are very few problems in this life that cannot be solved by a thorough-going, honest exposure of one’s life to the Scriptures. To do that is the greatest therapy in the world. The psalmist asked God to ‘quicken him,’ that is, to put new life into him. What he needed was a stiff dose of Scripture, taken with a mixture of faith, every day. Try it. Read your Bible consistently. Say with Samuel, ‘Speak, Lord, Thy servant heareth.’ The Bible is a book of people and principles. Sooner or later, God will confront us in the pages of His Book with the basic cause of our problem and with His inspired, infallible solution to that problem. The psalmist had discovered the best way of all to handle depression. But we must be prepared. The Bible will not hedge or redefine sin. It will put its finger unerringly on the sin question, frequently at the root of other problems of life” (John Phillips).

(Friday Church News Notes, August 7, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

Matthew 6:33
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

From time to time we hear about scientific studies showing that Christians live longer and healthier lives than unbelievers. We also hear of studies proving that prayer really does work. One recent report, consisting of 1,500 different medical studies, showed that "people who are more religious and pray more have better mental and physical health."

Dr. Harold Koenig, director of Duke's Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health, said, "Studies have shown prayer can prevent people from getting sick, and when they do get sick, prayer can help them get better faster." Former atheist Tom Knox agrees: "Over the past thirty years a growing and largely unnoticed body of scientific work shows religious belief is medically, socially, and psychologically beneficial."

Though Creation Moments believes in the efficacy of prayer and the power of God to heal, we must urge caution when hearing about medical studies like these. For one thing, you can evidently believe in any "God" to enjoy the health benefits. For another, the report doesn't mention that people of faith tend to avoid risky and unhealthy behaviors. Or that the mind itself exerts a powerful force on the body.

But most important, studies like these encourage people to seek God for the wrong reasons. Good health and a long life must never be the primary motivating factors for turning to God. Seek the only true God – the God of the Bible – through repentance and by putting your trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.

Notes: "1,500 Medical Studies Declare Healing Power of Prayer Undeniable," ChristianHeadlines.com, 4/6/15.
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

Exodus 10:4
"Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast:"

Lots of people today are skeptical that the ten plagues of Egypt described in the book of Exodus really took place. Today we'll tell you about a prominent Egyptian columnist who believes that the book of Exodus is historically true even though he has no love of the Hebrew Scriptures.

Columnist Ahmad Al­Gamal recently wrote in an Egyptian daily newspaper: "We demand that the State of Israel pay compensation for the ten plagues that our forefathers in Egypt suffered thousands of years ago as a result of the curses of the Jewish forefathers." He added that Egypt should be compensated because "during forty years of wandering in the desert, the Children of Israel enjoyed our goods, which they stole before abandoning us." 
    
The columnist's article was so outrageous, it was picked up by the Israeli press who acknowledged as historical fact everything that Al-Gamal had written. But they retorted that Egypt should first compensate Israel for keeping their Jewish forefathers in bondage for centuries and for killing all male Jewish babies just prior to the Exodus!

While today's story may bring a smile to your face, let it remind you that God is still in the business of freeing people from the bondage and penalty of sin. Through faith in Jesus Christ, you can be freed from this bondage and experience God's forgiveness. If you have not experienced such freedom for yourself, I urge you to repent of your sins and put your trust in Jesus this very minute.

Notes: "Egypt Demands Compensation for 10 Plagues, Israel Today, 4/11/14. http://www.memri.org/report/en/print7892.htm.
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

In the brouhaha surrounding the public statements about an engaged homosexual couple participating in the music program at Hillsong New York City, Brian Houston of Hillsong Sydney said, “We are a gay welcoming church but we are not a church that affirms a gay lifestyle.” He said that Hillsong allows homosexuals to be members of its churches but not to serve in leadership positions. What does this mean, though, and how does it work? How can a church welcome homosexuals without affirming a gay lifestyle? On one hand, “old fashioned” Bible-believing churches have been doing this for 2,000 years, but this “old” model is definitely not where Hillsong wants to go. According to the Bible, the welcoming without affirming is done by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to all sinners, welcoming all to repent and believe, and receiving as members those who do. It is very simple. This is what we see in the church at Corinth. The members had formerly been fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, abusers of themselves with mankind, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners, but they had been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). This is the example put forth in Scripture, but this “old” model presents a problem for emerging churches in that it requires plainly identifying homosexuality as something that is sinful that must be repented of, whereas this is no longer culturally acceptable. Today’s homosexuals are proud of their homosexuality. They believe that God accepts them as they are, and if He doesn’t, He’s the loser. They don’t want merely to be welcomed to hear the gospel, and they will not accept merely being welcomed. They demand to be affirmed in their lifestyle, and in truth, Hillsong is doing both by allowing homosexuals to be members without repenting of the sin of homosexuality and without a new birth experience that radically changes their thinking and their lifestyle.

(Friday Church News Notes, August 7, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

Psalm 90:10
"The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away."

What do the billionaires who founded such tech companies as PayPal, Google, Facebook, eBay, Napster and Netscape all have in common? They are all searching for the fountain of youth, hoping to extend the human lifespan to 150 years or much longer.

As an article in the Washington Post points out, these billionaires are all funding projects aimed at "engineering microscopic nanobots that can fix your body from the inside out, figuring out how to reprogram the DNA you were born with, and exploring ways to digitize your brain based on the theory that your mind could live long after your body expires."

But even if it were possible to add thirty, sixty or a hundred years to our lives, would this be a good thing? According to a 2013 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, 51 percent said they believed treatments to slow, stop or reverse aging would have a negative impact on society. And 58 percent said treatments that would allow people to live decades longer would be "fundamentally unnatural."

Well, it seems unnatural to us today that people once lived for hundreds of years. But that's what the Bible tells us. While Psalm 90:10 also informs us that we may be able to live to the age of seventy or eighty, in the end, each one of us will die. And after death, the judgment. Are you ready for that? Do you want to know that your sins have been forgiven? If not, put your trust in Christ Jesus today!

Notes: Ariana Eunjung Cha, "Tech titans' latest project: Defy death," Washington Post, 4/4/15.
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

According to the New York Times for October 17, 2014, a homosexual couple, Josh Canfield and Reed Kelly, sing in choirs at Hillsong New York City, and Canfield is a volunteer choir leader. Canfield and Kelly were billed as the “Broadway Boyfriends” on the reality show Survivor: San Juan del Sur.” In a December 16, 2014, interview with Playbill, Canfield described how that he “came out of the closet” at Hillsong. He also speaks of his “engagement” to Kelly. He said, “I became truthful with my church. I’m a part of Hillsong NYC. I’m one of their choir directors. I also sing on their Worship team. They’ve been amazing as well. Nothing has changed there now that I'm completely out and with Reed. He sings in the choir as well.” After this was recently re-reported by a blog operated by Geoffrey Grider, Brian Houston of Hillsong Sydney issued a statement that marriage is only for “heterosexual couples.” But in truth Hillsong is trying to face both ways on this issue, as so many others are. Last year the senior pastor of Hillsong NYC, Canfield and Kelly’s pastor, told CNN, “We have a lot of gay men and women in our church and I pray we always do” (“Hillsong New York Pastor Carl Lentz,” Christian Today, June 6, 2014). In the same interview, Laura Lentz, Carl’s wife and Hillsong NYC co-pastor, said, “It’s not our place to tell anyone how they should live, it’s--that’s their journey.” There’s where Hillsong really stands on moral issues, and Laura is brave enough to say so plainly. Carl Lentz said, “I am still waiting for someone to show me the quote where Jesus addressed it on the record in front of people.”
   Perhaps I can help him out here. What Jesus did say in regard to homosexuality was three things.
   First, Jesus exalted the law of Moses as God’s holy law. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:17-19). The law of Moses that Jesus exalted as God’s holy law says, “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination” (Leviticus 18:22).
   Second, Jesus limited marriage to one man and one woman as in the beginning of creation (Matthew 19:3-9). This completely destroys the biblical legitimacy of “same-sex marriage.”
   Third, Jesus said that His Spirit would lead the apostles into all truth (John 16:13). We find this canon of Spirit-taught truth in the New Testament Scriptures, where we find the strongest statement against homosexuality in the entire Bible in Romans 1:24-28. To separate the authority of the Gospels from the authority of the Apostolic Epistles is rank heresy, for we are told that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Obviously Jesus left no room for homosexual Christianity and “same sex marriage,” and His teaching on this was very public, Mr. Lentz. The Hillsong churches are so “culturally relevant” that they are traitors to the truth of God’s Word, yet their music is influencing large numbers of Baptists and fundamentalists. When asked by a reporter why Hillsong is so successful, Brian Houston of Hillsong Sydney replied, “We are scratching people where they are itching” (“The Lord’s Profits,” Sydney Morning Herald, January 30, 2003). That is right out of 2 Timothy 4:3, which is a warning of apostasy. It describes people who itch for a new kind of Christianity, and it describes heaps of preachers who will scratch this illicit itch. “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.” That describes Hillsong to a “T.”

(Friday Church News Notes, August 7, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

2 Peter 3:5
"For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:"

If I were to come out and say that "neo-Darwinism is effectively dead despite its persistence as textbook orthodoxy", you can be sure that evolutionists would be all over me. If I went on to say that our knowledge of genetics is now sufficient to reject evolution's slow, gradual selection of small mutational changes, you can bet evolutionists would hurl insults at me, using words I would not be permitted to repeat on this radio station.

But if one of the world's top evolutionists were to write what I just said, he would get away with it. Especially when this eminent evolutionist's name is Stephen Jay Gould. Before his death in 2002, this Harvard professor and Humanist of the Year utterly rejected slow, gradual evolution powered by mutations.

Now think about this for a moment. Gould and his esteemed colleague Niles Eldredge rejected the same neo-Darwinism that creationists reject! Both of these respected evolutionists knew that neo-Darwinism was an emperor with no clothes, so they came up with the punctuated equilibrium theory of evolution. According to Gould and Eldredge, evolution happens by way of sudden, major changes, resulting in the appearance of "hopeful monsters."

Mutations produce only minor variations, said Gould. Experiments that start with flies end up with flies. So he asked: "How can such processes change a gnat or rhinoceros into something fundamentally different?"

They can't! Nevertheless, evolutionists will continue to believe in slow, gradual evolution, not because of any evidence but because their godless worldview demands it.

Notes: G. Parker, Creation: Facts of Life, pp. 104-106. S.J. Gould, "The Return of Hopeful Monsters", Natural History, June/July 1977. S.J. Gould, "Is a New General Theory of Evolution Emerging?", Paleobiology, Winter 1980.
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

It is not only evangelicals who believe that the public “judging” of preachers is a great sin. Many independent Baptists believe something very similar. While they believe that it is legitimate to "criticize" some Christian leaders, such as the Pope and Joel Osteen and perhaps Rick Warren, it is not right in their eyes to “criticize” fellow independent Baptists. Private warning is OK, but not public. A lot of people have told me that they love my Bible study materials such as the Way of Life Encyclopedia, the Advanced Bible Studies, the One Year Discipleship Course, An Unshakeable Faith, and Bible Times and Ancient Kingdoms, but they are offended by my “criticism” of “good men.” They think that it is unnecessary and divisive, and they have urged me to leave off the latter and devote myself to the former. The Lord knows I would like to follow this counsel, because what I love to do most is teach the Bible. There is one “little” problem, though, and that is that I am instructed by God’s Word not only to teach, but also to reprove, rebuke, exhort, and nowhere am I told to limit the ministry of reproof to a select group of preachers and churches. Forty-three years ago, before I knew anything about independent Baptists, the Lord saved me and soon thereafter he called me to preach His Word. Through Proverbs 6:23, He called me to preach “reproofs of instruction.” As a Biblicist rather than a pragmatist, I refuse to limit my ministry of reproof, since God’s Word nowhere limits it. In my experience, though, if it comes to taking a stand for God’s Word against one’s preacher heroes, in a great many cases, the Word of God gets second place, and those who commit this sin have a hundred ways to justify it. “It’s just not the way we do things, Brother Cloud.”

(Friday Church News Notes, August 7, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

There is a cardinal sin among evangelicals, and that is the sin of “judgmentalism.” You can hold a wide variety of heresies and be a lover of the world or a homosexual and continue to be accepted, but being “judgmental” is a different story. Mark Driscoll, former pastor of the Mars Hill megachurch in Seattle, was guilty of this sin. He boasted about his “cultural liberalism” with its secular rock forums and New Year’s Eve dance parties complete with champaign, and that was not a problem. He mocked the Bible’s doctrine of an imminent Rapture, and that was not a problem. What was a problem was when he judged homosexuals and feminists and even went so far as to judge some of his fellow preachers and name them by names. He even publicly criticized Joel Osteen, the smiley face pastor of America’s largest church. All is well, now, though because Mark has repented in tears and publicly apologized. Like Jack Van Impe did in the 1980s, Mark has repented of judgmentalism. He did this during his interview with Brian Houston which was broadcast during the recent Hillsong Sydney Conference (attended by youth from at least one independent Baptist church). Houston told Driscoll that he has “a huge personal problem with people ... criticizing other pastors even though we are different on some issues.” Driscoll replied that his position on publicly criticizing fellow pastors “has evolved” and he has made efforts to reconcile with a number of the pastors he “offended” in his former ministry, including Osteen (“Driscoll Says the Lord Convicted Him of ‘Sin against’ Joel Osteen,” The Christian Post, Jul. 29, 2015). Driscoll went on to say, “I appreciate this opportunity to publicly apologize to [Osteen]. When anyone dies they’re going to stand and give an account. It won’t be to Mark Driscoll.” Now that the “judgmental” issue has been dealt with, I am guessing that Driscoll will begin to get speaking invitations again and will return to some leadership position in the near future. The statements by Brian Houston and Mark Driscoll display a great misunderstanding of biblical judgment. For a preacher to warn about a heretic and compromiser is not a personal judgment; it is the judgment of God’s Word. It is not a case of a preacher taking the place of God; it is the case of a preacher obeying God by reproving and exposing error so that his flock will not be misled and devoured by wolves. Biblical judgment is the Apostle Paul warning about Phygellus, Hermogenes, Hymenaeus, Philetus, Demas and Alexander (2 Tim. 1:15; 2:16-18; 4:10, 14). This was done in an epistle to Timothy, which was an epistle that was also read in all of the churches as part of the canon of New Testament Scripture. That’s the right kind of “judgmentalism.” It is godly “judgmentalism” that cares more about obeying God than pleasing man. It is compassionate “judgmentalism” that cares more for the well-being of the flock than the feelings of the wolves. And it is a “judgmentalism” that every pastor should be engaged in and will come to deeply regret if he is not so engaged.

(Friday Church News Notes, August 7, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

“Raindrop imprints can also tell us the location of the pre-Flood/ Flood boundary. They have been reported in the Precambrian from the Uinta Mountains, India, Norway, and South Africa. Some of these locations have multiple stratigraphic levels of raindrop imprints. The latter site was in the late Archean Ventersdorp Supergroup. Some creationists have questioned whether Precambrian raindrop imprints really are raindrop imprints. However, the size distribution of Archean raindrop imprints in South Africa has recently been favourably compared to raindrop imprints today and from experiments of falling water drops of known sizes and fall velocities. So, it is likely that these Archean examples are really raindrop imprints. Since rain did not fall at least until after man was created, as clearly stated in Genesis 2:5-6, and possibly until the Flood, raindrop imprints indicate that the sediments were laid down either between Creation Week and the Flood or during the Flood. ... The raindrop imprints can be explained the same way as dinosaur tracks, eggs, and scavenged bone beds can be explained, early in the Flood. This is by the BEDS (Briefly Exposed Diluvial Sediments) hypothesis in which rapid sedimentation followed by a drop in local sea level can expose flat bedding planes for brief periods. Precambrian sedimentary rocks are normally thousands of metres thick, so it makes sense that they can be briefly exposed after heavy deposition. Raindrop imprints have to be rapidly buried in order to be preserved, which would have happened during the corresponding rise in local sea level. Multiple levels can be explained by this mechanism repeating several times.”

“Raindrop imprints and the location of the pre-Flood/Flood boundary,” Creation magazine, Aug. 2013

Isaiah 44:24b
"I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;"

Number eleven in Science News magazine's 25 top stories of the year 2014 was the discovery of thousands of microbe varieties lurking in the rivers and lakes beneath Antarctica's massive ice sheet.

Though research teams from Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States have been looking for life under Antarctica's ice since 1999, it was the US team that eventually found and identified genetic traces of nearly four thousand microbial species or species groups.

According to a member of the US team, "The abundance of bacteria and single-celled organisms called archaea was a surprise." Project scientist Bruce Christner said that the number of microbes they discovered was comparable to what you would expect to find in a typical surface lake or ocean.

At this point I must say that creationists have always expected to find many signs of life under the ice sheets of Antarctica. After all, creationists know that Antarctica had a more temperate climate before the worldwide flood of Noah's time.

But to project scientist Bruce Christner, the abundance of life under Antarctica's ice is proof of something else. He thinks it bolsters the idea that life exists elsewhere in the solar system such as under Mars' polar ice caps or in a subsurface ocean on Jupiter's frozen moon Europa!

Will scientists never stop this foolishness? When they fail to find life on Mars and Europa, will they finally admit that the Earth alone was created by God to support life? Not likely!

Notes: "Life thrives under Antarctica," Science News, 12/27/14, p. 23.
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

If a young person does not have a love for Christ and an earnest desire to please Him, no list of rules will protect him. He will find a way to do what he really wants to do, and if he cannot do it now, he will do it as soon as he is on his own. Two things are missing in the lives of many young people who grow up in Bible-believing churches. The first thing that is missing is salvation. I know this by experience. I grew up in a Baptist church and went through the motions of getting saved around age 10 or 11, but I wasn’t saved. I had no inner motive to do right. I had no personal love for the Bible. As a result, I broke my parents’ rules and snuck around and found a way to do what I wanted to do, and as soon as I could, I left home and “followed my heart.” The missing element in my life was repentance toward God (Acts 20:21), and this is what is missing in the lives and hearts of many young people. I “believed in Jesus,” but I did not surrender to God’s authority. That is the essence of repentance. The sinner has rebelled against God and broken His law, and he must repent of this. Repentance is a change of direction in the heart. Two great biblical examples are the Prodigal Son (Lk. 15:17-19) and the idolaters at Thessalonica (1 Th. 1:9). Parents and church leaders need to look for clear evidence of salvation. These are a life-changing conversion experience (Jn. 3:3; Mat. 18:3), love for God’s Word (Jn. 8:47), love of righteousness (1 Jn. 2:3-4), and divine chastisement (Heb. 12:6-8). Salvation is not difficult. It means to come to Jesus, but when you turn to Jesus you have your back to the old life. The second thing that is often missing is surrender to God’s perfect will (Romans 12:1-2). This is a choice that each believer must make, and it is a choice that is made because of the mercies of God. Because of all that He has done for us, we should be motivated to surrender our lives to His service. The goal of parents and church leaders must be to lead young people to true salvation and surrender and to make disciples of them.

(Friday Church News Notes, July 31, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

Proverbs 17:26
"Also to punish the just is not good, nor to strike princes for equity."

When a scientist dares to doubt Darwin in this day and age, the science establishment goes into attack mode. It will stop at nothing to silence anyone who dares to doubt their beloved Darwin. If you think I'm exaggerating, you need to read Dr. Jerry Bergman's thought-provoking and disturbing book, Slaughter of the Dissidents.
        
In this book – the first volume in a planned three-book set – Bergman describes the experiences of several scientists who paid a high price for doubting Darwin. In the book's preface, the author summarizes the tactics used by Darwinists to punish Darwin doubters, starting with ridicule and derogatory comments.

But it gets worse, much worse. Darwin doubters are often denied admission into graduate programs. They are denied degrees. They are denied promotions or they are demoted. They will be denied tenure even if they qualify in every way. Some have been fired from their jobs. They have even received death threats.

Dr. Bergman notes that the stress associated with these various types of persecution have "often produced financial, family and other problems often ending in divorce, moving to different cities and/or states, adverse effects on children, and even suicide."

Creation Moments is also aware of many, many Darwin-doubting scientists who have not gone public with their beliefs and who live in constant fear that they will be discovered and punished. Pray for them, won't you? And pray that the science establishment would stop their hateful slaughter of the dissidents.

Notes: Jerry Bergman, Ph.D., Slaughter of the Dissidents Volume 1, pp. 4-6 (Leafcutter Press, 2012, Second Edition).
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

Lou Lenart, an American fighter pilot who led Israel's air attack against the Egyptians and thus saved Tel Aviv, died on July 20 at age 94 ("Lou Lenart," The Times of Israel, Jul. 21, 2015). Lenart was born into a Jewish family in Hungary, and when he was 10 they moved to the United States. After serving as a Marine pilot in World War II, he volunteered to help smuggle war surplus planes into Israel in early 1948 in preparation for the War of Independence. Two weeks after the nation declared its independence on May 14, a large Egyptian force advanced to within 16 miles of Tel Aviv. Israel decided to gamble its entire "air force" of four Czech planes in an attempt to halt the attack. Caught unawares, having been assured the Israelis had no warplanes, the Egyptians retreated. It was one of the many miraculous things that happened during that and subsequent wars. 

(Friday Church News Notes, July 31, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

2 Corinthians 10:12
"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise."

Darwinists and climate-change alarmists are frequently heard to say that their respective topics are  a matter of "settled science." They use this term to silence critics. But is this how science is supposed to work? The late Dr. Michael Crichton, best known as the author of Jurassic Park, didn't think so.

In a lecture he gave at CalTech in 2003, Crichton said, "I regard consensus science as an extremely pernicious development that ought to be stopped cold in its tracks. Historically, the claim of consensus has been the first refuge of scoundrels; it is a way to avoid debate by claiming that the matter is already settled. Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you're being had."

Dr. Crichton wasn't done. "Let's be clear: the work of science has nothing whatever to do with consensus. Consensus is the business of politics. Science, on the contrary, requires only one investigator who happens to be right, which means that he or she has results that are verifiable by reference to the real world. In science consensus is irrelevant. What is relevant is reproducible results. The greatest scientists in history are great precisely because they broke with the consensus.

"There is no such thing as consensus science," he added. "If it's consensus, it isn't science. If it's science, it isn't consensus. Period."

Creation Moments only wishes that more scientists would heed the words of evolutionist Michael Crichton. So the next time someone starts talking about consensus, share today's message with them, won't you?

Photo: Author, physician, screenwriter and film director Michael Crichton (1942-2008) speaking at Harvard in 2002. Courtesy of Jon Chase photo/Harvard News Office. (CC-BY-SA 3.0).
Notes: http://stephenschneider.stanford.edu/Publications/PDF_Papers/Crichton2003.pdf. "Aliens Cause Global Warming," Caltech Michelin Lecture, 1/17/03. Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

A 2014 policy by Kentucky’s Department of Juvenile Justice forbids counselors from calling homosexuality “sinful,” and a long-time volunteer prison minister has been barred for refusing to sign a statement agreeing to the policy. David Wells’ status as a counselor was revoked on July 7 by the Warren County Regional Juvenile Detention Center. He has more than 10 years experience working as a volunteer under the prison ministry of Pleasant View Baptist Church, McQuady, Kentucky. DJJ Policy 912 on “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity” says that staff and volunteers “shall not refer to juveniles by using derogatory language in a manner that conveys bias towards or hatred of the LGBTQI community. DJJ staff, volunteers, interns, and contractors shall not imply or tell LGBTQI juveniles that they are abnormal, deviant, sinful, or that they can or should change their sexual orientation or gender identity.” Liberty Council, which is representing Mr. Wells, has demanded that he be reinstated and that the state of Kentucky stop imposing a religious test on volunteer pastor counselors. Liberty Council’s Mat Staver says that by equating the teaching of biblical morality with “derogatory,” “biased,” and “hateful” speech, “DJJ policy creates an unconstitutional, religious litmus test for DJJ access” (“Kentucky Juvenile Department Bans Biblical Counseling,” Liberty Council, Jul. 24, 2015). Staver says, further, “Many juveniles are in DJJ custody because of sexual crimes. David Wells must be able to discuss what the Bible says about matters of sexuality with the juveniles he is trying to help. To remove the Bible from a pastor’s hands is like removing a scalpel from a surgeon’s hands. Without it, they cannot provide healing.”

(Friday Church News Notes, July 31, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

Matthew 13:4
"And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:"

What would you think if I told you that there is a seed that is shaped like a corkscrew and that it can literally plant itself in the soil! The seed of the redstem filaree is indeed a wonder to behold, especially when you see it in time-lapse photography!

As the seed dries, it changes shape and launches itself from the parent plant by a spring-type mechanism. As it falls, its corkscrew-shaped tail starts it spinning so it lands farther away from the parent plant. Once it lands, the seed pokes its head into the soil. Then its whole length starts turning in a counter-clockwise direction. With each revolution, it bores itself deeper and deeper into the soil. If the seed encounters an obstacle, it simply reverses direction, backs out and finds a better path!

All right, evolutionists, answer this question: Which came first – the seed's corkscrew shape or its "knowledge" of how to turn in the right direction until it has planted itself in the soil at the right depth? Can't answer that? Then perhaps you should ask a creationist for the answer.

Notes: http://theawesomer.com/the-self-planting-seed/313970/. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erodium_cicutarium. "The mechanics of explosive dispersal and self-burial in the seeds of the filaree, Erodium cicutarium (Geraniaceae)". Journal of Experimental Biology 214 (4): 521–529. doi:10.1242/jeb.050567. Photo: Courtesy of Didier Descouens. (CC-BY-SA 4.0 INTERNATIONAL). Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

“Two American colleges that identify as Mennonite institutions have announced changes to their hiring policy to now allow the employment of homosexuals who have ‘wed’ their partners. Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) in Harrisonburg, Virginia and Goshen College in Goshen, Indiana announced the alterations on Monday, while claiming to still hold to the biblical principles as Christian schools. EMU’s decision followed a two-year ‘listening process’ to ‘review current hiring policies and practices with respect to individuals in same-sex relationships.’ ... On Monday, Board Chair Kay Brenneman Nussbaum and President Lauren Swartzendruber stated that they believed the compromise was satisfactory. ‘[EMU] is grounded in Mennonite/Anabaptist values, and we believe people in same-sex covenanted relationships are valued members of our learning community with equal rights to standard benefits,’ Nussbaum remarked in a statement. ... Goshen College made similar statements, remarking that there is a ‘diversity’ of opinions on whether or not biblical law prohibits sexuality between those of the same gender. ‘As an institution rooted in the Anabaptist tradition, we reaffirm our strong relationship to Mennonite Church USA, and recognize the diversity of interpretation of Scripture on this issue within our denomination and the broader Christian church, a diversity reflected within the board of directors and on our campus as well,’ said President James Brenneman.”

“Two Mennonite Colleges,” Christian News Network, Jul. 22, 2015

Proverbs 11:28
"He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch."

Alchemy is considered to have played a significant role in the development of early modern science. The history of alchemy is filled with fascinating stories about the precursor of chemistry and includes the names of such famous scientists as Robert Boyle and Roger Bacon. But perhaps no tale is more fascinating than the true story of glass-maker and alchemist Hennig Brand.

Name doesn't ring a bell? In the early years of the seventeenth century, Brand thought he could transform a very common substance into gold because, like gold, it was yellow in color. That substance was urine. After getting permission to collect urine from a whole camp full of German soldiers, his experiments finally paid off, but not in the way he had hoped.

Brand produced a mysterious substance that had never been seen before. The stuff glowed in the dark when exposed to oxygen, and it would also burst into flame. So he called it "cold fire" or "liquid gold".

Today the substance Brand discovered is known as phosphorus. Its name comes from the Greek word phosphoros, meaning "light bearing" or "luminous." Though Brand's "liquid gold" didn't make him a wealthy man, his discovery eventually led to such things as matches and phosphorus-based fertilizers.

Alchemists are still with us today. We now call them evolutionists. They are trying to transform ape-like creatures into humans. But as far as we are concerned, they would have a much better chance transforming common metals into gold!

Painting: "The Alchemist in Search of the Philosopher's Stone" by Joseph Wright depicted Hennig Brand discovering phosphorus.
Notes: Richard Duncan, Elements of Faith, Volume 1, pp. 34-35 (Master Books, 2008). 
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

Archaeologists are claiming that “Israel is where the chicken business was invented.” Sometime between 200-400 BC, the raising and eating of chicken began in the town of Maresha in central Israel. When the occupying Romans discovered chicken, the practice spread throughout the empire (“Sorry colonel, Israel had real original recipe chicken,” The Times of Israel, July 21, 2015). This is according to the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at Haifa University. Doctoral student Lee Perry-Gal says, “After the Romans exported what they saw at Maresha, chicken became a culinary craze throughout the Empire.” The researchers found thousands of bones of chickens with knife marks indicating they were prepared for consumption. The Maresha chickens weren’t barbecued, but were either baked, boiled, or fried, since there is no sign of burning on the bones.

(Friday Church News Notes, July 31, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)

NASA has announced that its Kepler mission has found a “near-earth-size planet in the ‘habitable zone’ around a sun-like star” (“Astronomers Thrilled,” BreakingChristianNews.com, Jul. 24, 2015). This brings the total of “earth-like” planets discovered so far to 4,696. The newest one, Kepler-452, is 1,400 light years away in the constellation Cygnus and is said to “bring science one step closer to finding an Earth 2.0.” Because of their rebellion to the Almighty Creator, these brilliant scientists are engaging in nonsense based on assumptions and just-so stories. Their search for “Earth 2.0” assumes that the universe and biological life are the product of evolution, but there is zero scientific evidence that the complex universe sprang from nothing or that life sprang from non-life or that the myriad of complicated life forms evolved from one “simple” one.

(Friday Church News Notes, July 31, 2015, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143)