"Evangelical Christian airmen at Lackland Air Force Base are facing severe threats and retribution for their religious beliefs and some personnel have been ordered to publicly express their position on gay marriage. 'There is an atmosphere of intimidation at Lackland Air Force Base,' said Steve Branson, the pastor of Village Parkway Baptist Church in San Antonio. 'Gay commanders and officers are pushing their agenda on the airmen. There is a culture of fear in the military and it's gone to a new level with the issue of homosexuality.' Branson tells me at least 80 airmen attended a private meeting at the church where he heard them voice their concerns about religious hostilities at the Air Force base. It was a standing-room only crowd. 'The religious persecution is happening,' the pastor said. 'It's getting bigger every day. Gay and lesbian airmen can talk about their lifestyle, but the rest have to stay completely quiet about what they believe.’... One airman was told that even thinking that homosexuality is a sin is discriminatory. 'A commander told him; don’t you understand discrimination--that your thought process is discrimination?'... Branson said he's getting email and letters from military personnel across the country--telling him their stories of religious persecution--and asking for help. Gen. Jerry Boykin (ret.) told me he's not surprised to hear about the assault on religious liberty within the Armed Forces. 'It reinforces what we've been saying,' Boykin told me. 'There is an orchestrated attack on Christians in the military and at this stage the Air Force is the worst.'"

(Fox News, Sept. 30, 2013)

Genesis 1:2b
“And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

Today, let’s talk about the tremendous power in water.

Perhaps the first thing that you think of when the power of water is mentioned is the way it has cut and eroded the rocks of the Earth. But I am thinking of a power much more subtle than that. Some of the most impressive power of water is seen when it powers one of the water engines that God has created.

You see, there are certain substances, like the jelly mass in which frogs’ eggs are suspended, which are hungry to absorb immense amounts of water. After a short amount of time in the water, a swollen mass of frog eggs may be larger than the mother frog from which they came. And this engine does its most impressive work when it is enclosed so that it cannot easily expand as it absorbs water. The resulting pressures have been measured at thousands of times higher than atmospheric pressure. In practical application, a small number of dry bean seeds, accidentally left under a concrete sidewalk, will, when they get wet, swell with such power that they will break the concrete!

God uses seemingly simple and powerless things to do incredible feats. His Word, even though it takes the same form as human words, creates worlds and galaxies. But more amazingly, and more powerfully, it changes human hearts and minds!

Notes: Steven Vogel. Life’s Devices: “The Physical World of Animals and Plants.” Princeton University Press, 1988, p. 254.
Photo: Courtesy of Tarquin. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

Senate, House to vote on debt, shutdown deal;
Quake destroys Philippine churches;
New Jersey gets a new senator tonight;
Kangaroo caught in airport pharmacy.

More talks over budget and debt limit;
Arrest in LAX Explosions;
BART talks continue;
Shutdown leaves fishing boats in drydock.

In a sermon on Sunday, October 6, Gary Hall of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. said: "We must now have the courage to take the final step and call homophobia and heterosexism what they are. They are sin. Homophobia is a sin. Heterosexism is a sin. ... if we are faithful in proclaiming and living [the gospel], today's generation of LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans-sexual] youth will thrive and grow and take their places around this table, with Jesus, as we bless, forgive, heal, and love the world" ("National Cathedral Leader," CNSNews, Oct. 7, 2013). The apostle Peter prophesied of apostate Christian leaders as follows: "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow THEIR PERNICIOUS WAYS; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. ... For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell ... And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person ... And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly. ... The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished" (2 Pet. 2:1-9).

Photo: Rev. Gary Hall, dean of the Washington National Cathedral (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)
Friday Church News Notes, October 11, 2013, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143)

Isaiah 16:2
“For it shall be, that, as a wandering bird cast out of the nest, so the daughters of Moab shall be at the fords of Arnon.”

Sure, we know that birds usually take very good care of the material needs of their young. But there is much more to it than that, as Scripture suggests – and science now confirms.

It used to be thought that all animal behavior was by instinct. After all, many scientists said, animals are so much lower on the evolutionary scale than human beings. Now scientists have learned that at least some birds, and most likely most birds, teach their distinctive song to their youngsters. In one recent study, young cowbirds were paired with song-less female cowbirds from another part of the country where the cowbird song is distinctly different. Before long, the young cowbirds had totally reworked their songs to match the area of the country from which the females came, even though the females had never uttered one note! Further research showed that the females taught the new singing style to the males using only motion and touching – very sophisticated communication indeed!

Clearly, it is pride that leads man to say that the Word of his Creator is in error. But pride does not only belong to the unbeliever – it’s part of the old Adam in all of us. That is why we need the constant instruction of our heavenly Father Who Himself teaches us with more than human words!

Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

House Republicans float new budget plan;
Libyan pleads not guilty to terrorism charges in New York;
Former San Diego mayor in court;
Airlines using slimmer seats to pack in more passengers.

"Writing about the speech given by George Wood, Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, to hundreds of Mormons, including Jeffrey Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, Brigham Young University's newspaper said that 'God is playing a role in all religions and Christians are more united than they sometimes think.' The question is, united around what? Around which God? The eternal Christ that Christians worship, or the created being whose brother is Lucifer [that Mormons worship]? The report gives the appearance that the AOG Superintendent is joining hands to find common ground with top Mormon leaders at BYU. The report said, 'Wood spoke of an experience he had two years earlier with Elder Holland at a conference in Utah. In response to a question from Wood, Elder Holland expressed that his greatest worry about the young generation was that they would grow coarse to the values and principles taught by Jesus Christ. "His response immediately bonded my heart to him," Wood said. "Any Assembly of God preacher could say the same thing. We just absolutely share that in common. ... The whole aspect of the Christian faith, and my personal faith, rests upon whether or not Jesus Christ rose again from the dead," Wood said' (BYU newspaper). ... Yes, Mormonism does teach that Jesus rose from the dead, but it's important to understand that Mormonism and Christianity are two vastly different faiths, even though Mormons do study the Bible."

("BYU Newspaper Reports Interfaith Discussion," Stand Up for the Truth, Oct. 2013)

Senate leaders near deal;
Quake hits Philippines;
BART trains keep running;
Youth ranch operator sought.

Three Americans--two of them Jews--won the 2013 Nobel Prize in medicine this week. James Rothman, Randy Schekman, and Thomas Suedhof won the prize for research into the amazing "vesicle traffic" which carries "cargo" within the living cell. Rothman is a professor at Yale University, Schekman, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and Suedhof, a professor at Stanford University. Of the 800 Nobel prizes that have been awarded since 1901, roughly 20% have gone to Jews, though they comprise less than 0.2% of the world's population.







(Friday Church News Notes, October 11, 2013, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143)

Job 12:7-9
“But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?”

The 1988 fires in Yellowstone National Park were the worst ever recorded there. But researchers who studied the fires and their effects now say that it is normal for such huge fires to occur every couple of centuries in Yellowstone. And while fires burned about 20 percent of the park, less than 1 percent was so devastated by fire that the soil was made lifeless. Further, periodic fires speed the release of nutrients to the soil that are trapped in dead wood. Many plants actually depend on fires to shock them out of an unproductive dormant period.

The lodgepole pine makes up 77 percent of Yellowstone’s forests and actually has its own fire insurance. The pine produces two kinds of seed bearing cones. One cone releases its seeds normally. But the other cone is coated with a strong resin that keeps the cone sealed shut. These cones may remain sealed shut on the tree for decades until a fire burns off the resin and causes the core to release its seeds. After a fire, there are up to 20 seeds for every square foot of forest lying on the ground, ready to sprout in the newly enriched soil!

The wisdom and love of the Creator is seen once again in providing for the lodgepole pine tree with an amazing fire insurance system.

Notes: Richard Monastersky. “After the Flames.” Science News, vol. 134, p. 330.
Photo: 10 years after the 1988 Yellowstone fires, Lodgepole pine forests reestablish themselves amongst still standing dead trees.
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

President Obama cites progress on budget talks;
New images of suspect in disappearance of Maddie McCann;
Three American professors win Nobel for Economics;
Man with muscular dystrophy finishes marathon.

"A divinity school in Tennessee recently installed an openly homosexual clergywoman as the school's new dean. Vanderbilt Divinity School (VDS), located in Nashville, Tennessee, has developed a reputation for progressive policies and teachings. An article last week in Nashville Scene described the institution as a 'liberal oasis' and 'a bastion of the religious left' where scholars tend to 'challenge rather than uphold orthodoxy.' The school's 'Commitments' page states that the institution 'is committed to the faith that brought the church into being,' but advocates 'a critical and open examination of the Hebraic and Christian traditions.' In particular, VDS is devoted to 'confronting the homophobia that prevails throughout much of the church and society.’... In keeping with these beliefs, the school has officially appointed Emilie Townes as the 16th dean of the school. Not only is Townes an ordained American Baptist clergywoman, but she is also an overt homosexual. A news article on the VDS website described her as 'a pioneering scholar in the field of womanist theology.' During her official convocation ceremony, the Temple Church Choir of Nashville opened with a Michael Jackson song."

("Outspoken Lesbian Minister Promoted," Christian News, Oct. 7, 2013)

Psalm 7:1
“O LORD my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me...”

Everyone and, it seems, nearly everything in the creation, wants to be safe. If threatened, we want to have protection.

Many of the methods used for self-protection in the animal world show a great deal of creativity and intelligence. For example, the blister beetle oozes a chemical that effectively deters ants and other predators that might disturb it. The beetle’s entire body serves as a trigger for this self-protection mechanism. As soon as any body part - say a leg – is disturbed, that part of the body begins to ooze the nasty chemical, driving off the predator.

It is surely true that appeal is in the eye of the beholder, for the male blister beetle uses this same chemical to attract female blister beetles! The ornatrix moth employs the same chemical to attract female moths. In fact, many of the chemical tricks used by man for self-protection were first used by insects and other animals. Again, man learns from the way the Creator has designed things.

But the threats against us human beings are much greater. Sin, death and the devil are very real forces in our lives, and without the protection of Jesus Christ, they would continue to be constant dangers into eternity. But thank God that He has provided protection from all the dangers we face through the work of His Son, Jesus Christ!

Notes: Jane E. Brody. “Bug Lover Explores Nature’s Subtle Chemistry.” The New York Times, Jan. 10, 1989, p. C1.
Photo: ©entomart.
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

No resolution on government shutdown;
Crowd removes WWII Memorial barriers;
Indian stampede kills dozens;
Beware the noble false widow spider.

Communist China's slave masters have employed two million people to monitor its citizen's Internet usage. "In a bid to prevent social unrest and limit criticism of the ruling Communist party ... the 'web police' are employed by the government's propaganda arm, as well as by commercial sites, the Beijing News said" ("China Pays," France24.com, Oct. 5, 2013). In recent years the government has blocked U.S. social media sites Facebook and Twitter, and in recent months censoring of domestic social media sites has been increased. Hundreds have been arrested for spreading "rumors" online. The China Supreme Court ruled that Internet users can face three years in prison for publishing "slanderous" information that is viewed more than 5,000 times or forwarded more than 500 times. The citizens of China are free -- free to do whatever the government allows them to do, that is. This is the direction that the Western nations are traveling, and it is a glimpse into the future when a global government will monitor every aspect of people's lives.

(Friday Church News Notes, October 11, 2013, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143)

U.S. government shutdown continues;
IMF concerned about U.S. government shutdown;
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reaches partial agreement with Afghanistan;
Andean women participate in bicycle race.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was defiant in his speech to the United Nations on October 1. He quoted the Bible five times, and proclaimed his faith that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would establish Israel in her land according to His promises. He cited the Persian king Cyrus's edict for Israel to return to the land and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, and called upon Iran, the modern incarnation of Persia, to stop fighting against Israel. Netanyahu said that "presidents of Iran have come and gone, and (yet) we re-established our sovereign state in our ancestral homeland, the land of Israel" ("Netanyahu prophetically correct at UN, "Israel Today, Oct. 3, 2013). Israel's Prime Minister boldly exposed Iran's terrorism and denounced it as a "rogue regime." He said that if necessary, Israel would stand alone in dealing with Iran's nuclear threat. He quoted from Deuteronomy 33, which promises that the eternal God is Israel's refuge, that Israel will dwell in safety alone, and that Israel's enemies will be found to be liars. Netanyahu concluded by saying, "The people of Israel have come home never to be uprooted again." He quoted Amos' prophecy of the restoration of Israel to the land (Amos 9:14-15), but what Netanyahu does not understand is that Israel is back in the land today in an apostate condition and that she is still under God's judgment for rejecting her own Messiah. The Messianic prophecies will not be fulfilled until Israel receives the Messiah. The glory of God left Israel before the destruction of the First Temple and it has never returned. After Israel accepts the Antichrist's lying peace program and rebuilds her temple, she will again be scattered during the Tribulation. Netanyahu quoted from Jesus in his speech (calling Iran's leader a "wolf in sheep's clothing"), but if Netanyahu believed in Jesus as the Messiah he would understand these things, for Jesus prophesied of Israel's history in the clearest of terms in Matthew 24. "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains. ... For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Mat. 24:15-16, 21).

(Friday Church News Notes, October 11, 2013, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143)

Republican senators meet with Obama over budget;
Senate hearing on government shutdown;
Nobel Peace Prize announced;
Porsche exhibit set to open in North Carolina.

"Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with his hand" (Psa. 37:24).

What a beautiful picture of God's care! He is so near that He is holding the saint in His hand. Imagine the God of the universe deigning to hold the fallen creatures that He has redeemed so that He might lead them and protect them! Jesus taught that the believer is doubly safe, being both in His hand and in the Father's hand (John 10:27-30). This is indescribably safe!















(Friday Church News Notes, October 4, 2013, www.wayoflife.org [email protected], 866-295-4143)

Job 38:28-29
“Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew? Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?”

Reptiles are cold-blooded and like to live in warm places. However, there are exceptions to every rule. Turtles are reptiles but live in places like the northern United States where temperatures drop far below freezing.

Some creatures hibernate while others burrow deeply into the ground to survive the cold winters, but research has shown that at least some turtles actually freeze during the winter. Studies on the painted turtle, common in the northern United States, show that this species can survive being frozen. The turtles can actually be in water that freezes solid. As long as less than about 54 percent of the water in their bodies freezes solid, they can thaw out and survive quite nicely. How does the turtle get away with this?

First of all, blood sugar levels in the turtles nearly triple when they are frozen, and there is a sharp increase in certain amino acids which act as antifreeze. In addition, glycerol, another antifreeze, triples. Researchers point out that while these changes supply some answers, they don’t completely explain the turtle’s survival.

Scientists are trying to find out just how painted turtles live through being frozen. They hope to learn how to preserve human organs longer for later transplantation. In effect, they are trying to find out how God enables the painted turtle to survive freezing so they can copy His method.

Notes: “These Turtles Freeze, But that’s Okay.” Science News, vol. 134, p. 382.
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com

GOP offers short-term debt ceiling deal;
Train slams truck in Texas;
Castro may have died of autoerotic asphyxiation;
Dalmatian chicken supports Alabama firehouse.

Libyan PM freed after abduction;
Obama to meet Republicans;
Health care exchange poll;
Roller coaster stuck.

Al Gore is the public face of the "man-made global warming" myth. In spite of scientific evidence to the contrary, he holds the myth with religious fervor. In a recent interview at the Social Good Summit, he said that if action isn't taken on global warming, "What's at risk is the survival of civilization as we know it" (Breitbart, Sept. 30, 2013). Gore was the U.S. Vice President under Bill Clinton (1993-2001), and like Clinton he was then a longtime member of a Southern Baptist church (Mt. Vernon Baptist Church in Arlington, VA). In a 2002 interview with Newsweek, Gore said, "I am a Christian. I am a Protestant. I am a Baptist," though he now says the SBC is too "fundamentalist." He grew up in a missionary Baptist church in Elmwood, Tennessee. But Gore's Christianity is typical of "evangelical" Christianity today in that he rejects a "literal" interpretation of the Bible and picks and chooses what he will believe from the pages of Scripture. If he believed the Bible, he would preach the gospel of Jesus Christ instead of the gospel of global warming and would warn about the sure coming judgment of God instead of a mythical destruction of civilization because of harm to the environment.


(Friday Church News Notes, October 4, 2013, www.wayoflife.org, [email protected], 866-295-4143)

Job 35:10-11
“But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night; who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?”

It has long been known that an African bird known as the honeyguide leads badgers to bees’ nests, where the badger tears the nest apart to eat the honey. The badger always leaves more than enough for the honeyguide.

Now it has been learned that the honeyguide has a similar relationship with the Boran people of Kenya. When the bird has found a bees’ nest, it will alert the Boran, bidding them to follow it to the honey site. On the other hand, if the Boran want to know where honey is, they know how to whistle and call for a honeyguide.

The honeyguide also calls to the people so that they know which way to go. When the Boran reach the honey, they always make sure that they leave some for the honeyguide. Researchers also reported that they saw honeyguides scouting out bees’ nests at night so that they had good sites to lead the Boran to the next day.

While the honeyguide does get its reward of honey in return for its help, the intelligence of the honeyguide in establishing these relationships with human beings is impressive. But while the honeyguide can help teach us that the creation is the work of an intelligent Creator, it cannot teach us how to have a relationship with Him. For that we must go to the Bible.

Notes: “Honey Hunters Follow Bird to Reach Bees.” Science News, vol. 135, p. 172.
Photo: Lesser honeyguide in Mapungubwe.. Courtesy of Derek Keats. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
Creation Moments, Inc., P.O. Box 839, Foley, MN 56329 www.creationmoments.com