Rube Goldberg Flukes

Today's Creation Moment: Rube Goldberg Flukes

Genesis 3:17b

"...cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life...."

The lancet fluke is a parasite that accomplishes its life cycle in a most complicated, Rube Goldberg, manner.

Mature lancet flukes live in cows and other grazing animals. Their eggs are spread in the manure left by the animal. Snails, which naturally eat the manure, eat the eggs. Once in the snail's intestines, the eggs hatch. The flukes make their way to the outside of the snail. Meanwhile, the irritated snail tries to get rid of the flukes by imprisoning them in balls of slime, which it leaves behind in the grass. A foraging ant is likely to find the ball, filled with hundreds of flukes. When the ant eats it, the flukes leave the ant's intestinal tract, finally settling as a cluster of nerves that control the ant's mandibles. The ant seems perfectly normal until the sun begins to set. Then the ant, under the control of the flukes, climbs a blade of grass, and the mandible clamps shut on the end. There the ant waits to be consumed by a grazer, where the lancet life cycle begins all over. Even stranger, if the ant isn't eaten by the time the sun returns, the ant returns to normal life, until the next sunset.

Although parasites are part of the curse of sin, the lancet fluke is still a testimony to God's incredible creativity.

Copyright © 2016 by Creation Moments, Inc.

The "One-and-a-Half-Feet" Orchid

Today's Creation Moment: The "One-and-a-Half-Feet" Orchid
"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever."

The star orchid is an amazing flower that really shouldn't even exist. You see, its pollen is located at the bottom of a long and narrow spike – or spur – that extends behind the flower. That's also where the nectar is. So how long is that spur? The last part of the orchid's scientific name gives us the answer – a whopping one and a half feet!

That these orchids even exist means there must be a pollinator that can reach into that long spur. And indeed there is. Meet the hawk moth. The proboscis – or tongue – of this moth is over 10 inches long. By getting close enough to the orchid, the moth can reach the pollen with its long tongue. When Charles Darwin received a specimen of the star orchid in 1862, he deduced that a pollinator with a tongue as long as the spur must exist. Though some people thought he was crazy, the orchid moth was discovered 41 years later. According to evolutionists, the hawk moth "proved Darwin's theory regarding co-evolution or how plants and pollinators can influence each other's evolution."

But we would ask these people, how could the orchid survive if it arrived on the scene long before the moth? And if the moth arrived first, why would it bother to evolve such a long tongue? No, there's a more reasonable answer. They arrived at about the same time, made for each other by their all-wise Creator.

Copyright © 2016 by Creation Moments, Inc.

Sea Cucumber Man

Today's Creation Moment: The Sea Cucumber Man

Genesis 1:26a
"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: 
and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea..." 

Here's an idea for those who create superhero comic books and movies. Introducing the amazing Sea Cucumber Man-able to turn his skin into a hardened shield that can stop bullets cold!
Actually, this isn't entirely a joke. Someday scientists may be able to develop a material that would allow soldiers to wear comfortable and flexible bulletproof vests that can harden instantaneously when they are in combat situations.

The idea for such a thing comes from the sea cucumber. According to the book Bulletproof Feathers, the sea cucumber can crawl between narrow spaces when the whiskers of its skin are soft, but "in defensive mode, surrounding cells release molecules that cause the whiskers to bind together, forming a rigid shield."

By mimicking one of God's amazing creatures, scientists have already developed a polymeric substance that works like the sea cucumber's skin. This substance has been used to develop adaptive microelectrodes for brain implants to help doctors treat Parkinson's disease, stroke and spinal cord injuries. As the book points out, the implant is stiff when inserted into the brain and then becomes soft once it interacts with brain fluids.
  
Unfortunately, the book's author gives credit to nature for inspiring such cutting-edge technology and not to the God who created the natural world. That's the problem with too many scientists nowadays. They copy what God has created, but then they fail to give credit where credit is due!

creationmoments.com

Smart Squirrels

Today's Creation Moment: Smart Squirrels

Matthew 7:11

"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?"

Squirrels often seem to run about without any purpose. However, a naturalist in the State of Maine recently discovered that the squirrel's activities are well planned and efficient.
It was a cold January day when the naturalist was watching a red squirrel who seemed to be nibbling on a sugar maple. Then the squirrel would run to a tree where some of the sap had leaked out and lap at it with his tongue. The naturalist knew that conventional wisdom said it was too early to tap trees for sugar. He also knew that the sap from the trees is 98 percent water and could not provide enough energy to keep the squirrel going in cold weather. Becoming more curious, he decided to study the squirrels' activity in detail.
He discovered that the red squirrels were systematically tapping the sugar maples with a peculiar bite into the tree. Each bite went through the outer and inner bark and into the xylem where the sap runs. The squirrels were then allowing the running sap to dry until the sugar content was more than 55 percent. Not only were squirrels tapping just the maples, they only tapped them when the weather was right for the sap to run. The mad running up and down the trees actually followed a careful daily schedule of tree visitations that could include over 70 trees!
Could it be that humans learned from squirrels to tap sugar maples? Whatever the answer to that question, we know that it was the Creator Himself Who taught the squirrel the processing and use of this sugary winter treat.

www.creationmoments.com

Squirrels

Today's Creation Moment: Squirrels
Genesis 1:31
And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Even though you may think of squirrels as pesky creatures (sometimes they can be), they're actually a really neat creature. Squirrels are about 8-20" long and can weigh from .33-1.5 lbs. In the wild, squirrels live for about 6 years. Did you know there are over 100 species of tree squirrels? They inhabit all of the world's continents except for Antarctica. As indicated by their name, tree squirrels are arboreal, and they often make their homes either in tree cavities or leaf nests, which are constructed of leaves, twigs, bark, and other nesting materials. All tree squirrels rely on mast (the dry fruit from woody plants and trees)-especially acorns and other nuts-for food.  Some of the squirrel's favorite foods include walnuts, sunflower seeds, fruits, and berries.  In warmer months when food is more abundant, squirrels cache (hoard) food like nuts for the winter. They'll dig small holes in the ground to bury their food, and  sometimes they'll use abandoned burrows, to hide their stash for a later date.  In an effort to deceive other animals and protect their real food caches, squirrels will pretend to bury food periodically, digging empty holes and covering them up with leaves.
Although squirrels store food in different locations, they don't always remember where they buried it. Unrecovered nuts and seeds give way to germinating trees.
Squirrels are diurnal, which means they are mainly active during the day. They don't hibernate but will usually spend long hours in their nests during the cold winter months.
Squirrels are extremely vocal-they bark, chatter, scream, and purr to communicate with one another. They also communicate through body language, by moving their tails and stomping their feet.
A squirrel's teeth never stop growing, so they must continually chew and gnaw to keep their teeth filed down.
God designed squirrels with one unique tail. They use their fluffy tails to balance when traveling through treetops and electrical lines. A squirrel's tail can also serve as a parachute to ease falls-squirrels can fall from heights of up to 100 feet without injuring themselves. Truly the squirrel is an amazing part of God's creation. 

Thanks daddy for suggesting a creation moment about squirrels. Do you have an animal in mind that you'd like to know more about? Leave a comment below!  :-) 

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I wanted to let you all know that Dairy Queen is giving away a free small Oreo Frappe per customer from 2-5 on Tuesday, September 6th.  Click here to find a participating Dairy Queen near you. 

Have fun!  :D 

Creation Moments: A Serpent Can Point to Christ

John 3:14

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up...."

The Tiger Keelback snake has a bite that delivers slow-acting venom and prevents the victim's blood from clotting. An adult human could bleed to death from a bite, but it takes a while for the snake to deliver a lethal dose.

When threatened, the average Keelback will raise its head and display its colorful swollen neck. Should the attacker bite the snake near its head, it will get a mouth full of a much stronger poison from glands in its neck. Where does that poison come from? For years scientists have debated whether the Keelback produces its own poison, or does it get the poison from some other creature that it ate?

Now research has revealed that the Keelback actually does store the poison of a poisonous toad that it eats. Moreover, it seems to know that it has this poison stored. For example, on an island where there are some Keelbacks but no toads, these Keelbacks when threatened do not display their neck to an attacker. Rather, they flee from their attacker.

God has used many ingenious designs in His creation, knowing that some would recognize this and, by doing so, acknowledge His existence, power and glory. His desire is always that we might be driven to His Word to learn of the salvation He has prepared for us in Jesus Christ.

creationmoments.com

On a side note, Sarah left for college today. If you think of her, please pray for her. 

Creation Moment Month Begins

A cheery hello to you all!
As some of you may remember from previous years, September is Creation Moment month which means I'll be sharing a creation moment with you almost every day. I hope you enjoy reading them, and if you have an animal, plant, etc. in mind you would like to learn about, please leave a comment and I'll see if I can find an article.

Genesis 1:22

"And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth."

 

 

Which came first – the chicken or the egg? Well, I'm happy to report that this age-old dilemma has finally been solved. It was the chicken that came first – something that creationists have known all along. After all, the Bible tells us that God created every winged fowl and gave them the ability to reproduce after their kind.

Though atheistic evolutionists don't look for answers in the Bible, they have now come to the same conclusion as those of us who do take the Bible seriously. According to a news item in the U.K.'s DailyMail, "Researchers found that the formation of egg shells relies on a protein found only in a chicken's ovaries. Therefore, an egg can exist only if it has been inside a chicken."

The article adds that the OC-17 protein acts as a catalyst to speed up the development of the shell. This hard shell is essential to house the yolk and its protective fluids while the chick develops inside.

Professor John Harding, an evolutionist from Sheffield University's Department of Engineering Materials, predictably left God out of the picture when he said, "Nature has found innovative solutions that work for all kinds of problems in materials science and technology – we can learn a lot from them."

Professor Harding, the only reason why we find innovative solutions in nature for all kinds of problems is because nature itself reflects the creative genius of its Creator!

creationmoments.com

If you'd like to see the post I wrote about chickens, click here.

Have a good and godly day! :-)

'Tis the Season for Alligator Hunting

Hey Ya'll!!
I apologize for the sporadic posting.  There's been many exciting things happening, one of which I'm about to tell you. Enjoy.
A man in our church, Robert, has a youtube channel, and my sister has been viewing his videos for a while. He has videos of him hog hunting, deer hunting, and alligator hunting. My sister really wanted to go alligator hunting, and he offered to take us. My mother filled out the form for a hunting permit online, and not long after that, two tags arrived in the mail, along with all the paperwork. Two tags = 2 gators. How exciting is that!
On August 15th, my parents, Sarah, and I drove to a lake 90 miles north of where we live and met Robert and his wife. (In case you were wondering where Lauren and Deborah were, they stayed with our neighbor.) We loaded up in the boat and set out to catch our first gator. WPTV Channel News 5 joined us to record the first catch of the season. At 5:00, the season officially opened. {{Now the real fun begins. ;) }}
After casting the bait and waiting a while, a gator finally came up and swallowed it. Sarah started reeling in the line. Robert hit it with a harpoon once it was pulled up beside the boat, but that doesn't kill it. Sarah then killed it with a bang stick, and the 8 foot gator was pulled into the boat. She tagged the gator right away and it was officially hers. :) {{Cheers for Sarah!!!}} Sarah was even asked by the news reporters if she would do an interview with them once we drove back to the dock. If you'd like to view a video, click on this link.

 The fat 8 foot male alligator Sarah caught.

  On Friday, August 19, Daddy, Sarah, Lauren and I met up with Robert and his nephew to go catch another gator. And this time, we determined it was going to be a bigger one than 8'. :D

Sure enough, we ended up snagging a 10'8" gator!  This time I killed it with the bang stick. Well, I should say I shot it with the bang stick, but the gator wasn't fully dead when we dragged him into the boat.

After arriving at the dock, we set the gator up to take some pictures. We even put it back in the water to take some cool photos. 

And so ended the exciting adventure of our gator hunting. Would I do it again? Oh yes. Most definitely. (And Sarah would too. :)

 

Have you ever gone gator hunting? For that matter, have you ever gone hunting of any kind? I'd love to hear about your adventures.  :-) Leave a comment below!

Psalms 1:1-6

Howdy ya'll!

August 1st-5th, Sarah and I went with our church youth group to the Wilds Camp in North Carolina. 
Will Galkin was the speaker for this year, and he preached some amazing messages.
The last message was especially good. It was on Psalms chapter 1.
Psalms 1:1-6
Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Every time someone talks, they give counsel and you give counsel. Be careful to not walk in the counsel of the ungodly. Don't stand in the sinner's way.  If you do, there will be consequences. The future consequences of sin always outweigh the moment of pleasure, so don't walk in the way of the ungodly.
How do you get spiritual happiness? Well, there must be a separation of evil and a saturation of the Word. You should delight in it.  What you delight in is what you seek. And what you delight in is what you'll speak. A person who delights in God's Word will pursue it. A person who delights in God's Word will speak it.
Verse 2 says "But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night." The word meditate is like murmur. Meditate day and night on the Word. You can enjoy Christ. He's sweet! There's nothing that can take the place of God. A person who wants God will make time for God. Do you want God? If so, you will make time to spend with Him. You'll make time to pray, meditate and read the Word.
What is spiritual happiness? Spiritual happiness is the ability to bear fruit. Vs. 3
It could be that the people who have the most access to God are the ones that don't know and read it. KNOW Jesus through the Bible. LOVE Jesus. Say no to sin and yes to Christ.
God knows the way of the righteous and will preserve them. But the way of the ungodly will perish.

May you all have a good and godly week!
Yours truly on the Victory side,
Ashley

Safe in the Arms of Jesus

Safe in the Arms of Jesus:

By: Fanny Crosby

Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on His gentle breast,

There by His love o'ershaded, sweetly my soul shall rest.

Hark! 'tis the voice of angels, borne in a song to me. 

Over the fields of glory, over the jasper sea.

Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe from corroding care,

Safe from the world's temptations, sin cannot harm me there. 

Free from the blight of sorrow, free from my doubts and fear;

Only a few more trials, only a few more tears!

Jesus, my heart's dear Refuge, Jesus has died for me;

Firm on the Rock of Ages, ever my trust shall be. 

Here let me wait with patience, wait till the night is o'er;

Wait till I see the morning break on the golden shore. 

On March 5, 1858, Fanny Crosby married Alexander Van Alsteine. A year later, a child was born to them, though no one knows if it was a boy or a girl. Fanny never spoke about it except in her oral biography, "God gave us a tender babe," and "soon the angels came down and took our infant up to God and His throne." The child's death seemed to have devastated Fanny and she privately bore the sadness all her life. 

~~

Years later, on April 30, 1868, musician Howard Doane knocked on the front door of Fanny's apartment in Manhattan. "I have exactly forty minutes," he said, "before I must meet a train for Cincinnati. I have a tune for you. See if it says anything to you. Perhaps you can commit it to memory and then compose a poem to match it." He then hummed the tune.  Fanny clapped her hands and said, "Why, that says, 'Safe in the arms of Jesus!" She retreated to the other room of her tiny apartment, knelt on the floor, and asked God to give her the words quickly. Within half an hour, she had composed the poem in her mind and dictated it to Doane, who dashed off to catch his train. During her lifetime, "Safe in the Arms of Jesus" was among the most widely sung of Fanny's hymns, and she considered it in a class by itself. She said it was written for the bereaved, especially for mothers who had lost children. Often when comforting a grief-stricken mother, she would say, "Remember, my dear, your darling cherub is safe in the arms of Jesus." Rev. John Hall of New York's Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church told Fanny that her hymn had given more "peace and satisfaction to mothers who have lost their children than any other hymn I have ever known."

Two little girls were playing in a corner of the nursery with their dolls, and singing as they played, '' Safe in the arms of Jesus, safe on his gentle breast." Their mother was writing, only stopping now and then to listen to the little ones' talk, unobserved by them. 

"Sister, how do you know that you are safe? " asked Nellie, the youngest.
"Because I am holding Jesus with both my hands —tight !" was the reply. "Ah, that is not safe," said Nellie. "Suppose Satan came along and cut your two hands off!" 

The sister looked much troubled for a few moments, dropped her doll and thought deeply. Suddenly her face shone with joy, and she cried out, "Oh! I forgot! I forgot! Jesus is holding me with his two hands, and Satan can't cut his hands off; so I am safe!"

Thank you, Mrs. Smith, for suggesting this song.  :) 

I hope all you dear friends have a good and godly week. 
Yours warmly on the Victory side, 
Ashley 
John 10:28-29
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.