Monday, March 16, 2009

The Cell That Defies Evolution

What cell could defy the teachings of evolution? Even though a cell phone is an evolving piece of technology, it won't work. A cell of people who are part of a larger group won't work either. While there are several different kinds of cells there is only one that will defy evolution and that is the human cell.

The human body is a marvel to say the very least. Within each human exists somewhere between 10 and 75 trillion cells. These are the only numbers I've seen recently that dwarf the recent stimulus package from Washington! The actual number of cells is dependent on a person's size and age. Of these trillions of cells there are two hundred identified variations like nerve cells, red and white blood cells. There are cells that fight infection as well as cells that help us forget things.

Each one of these trillions of cells contains--what has been estimated to be--one billion compounds. When you take a snapshot of the whole person we're talking about something like 75 sextillion compounds!!! I can't even begin to imagine a number of that magnitude! To make it even more staggering there are approxmately five million different kinds of proteins in those compounds. These proteins know where they are going and exactly what they are to do once they have reached their destination.

Within each cell is a nucleus that contains 23 pairs of complex chromosomes that are know as DNA. These chromosomes contain 100,000 genes that can be broken down into six billion chemical bases of which there are four kinds. They appear in every person in various combinations that tell the body all that it needs to know about development, physical characteristics, eating, surviving and reproducing.

This brief information about the cell is like touching the tip of the iceberg! What is important to understand is that anything this complex with millions of functions going on at the same time could not have possibly have had the time to develop in six or eight or ten billion years of evolutionary existence! It is statistically impossible for the human cell to be the result of random selection. To say otherwise would mean that it would be possible to put a Random House Dictionary of the English Language in a paper shredder, dump the pieces off the Empire State Building and when it all hit the ground it would somehow find itself once again a bound large dictionary!

In these confused days of change and confusion it's nice to know that this information was all known before the microscope was even invented. Listen to the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 139: verses 13-14 when he wrote "For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works." It is vital to know in these uncertain times that God loves you and He uniqually designed you! Did you know that in 1860 Charles Darwin said that he had no intention to "write atheistically." It makes you wonder if those who teach atheistic evolution today are not more interested in convincing people that there is no God rather than actually expecting us to believe that the cell just happened!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Empty Repititious Rhetoric

Words form the basis of how we communicate. There was a time (not that long ago) when speaking properly with well chosen words was as important as legible hand writing. Our founding fathers were very careful in the choice of words they used not only for the constitution but also for their own writings.

Now in our post-modern age of non-responsible behavior it has become acceptable to not only use profanity but also a constant dribble of catch phrases that are neither truthful or accurate. It is impossible to listen to the news without hearing a politician or media personality say "the fact of the matter is," "the American people want" "or the American people have spoken." Of course any request for them to back up their claim with facts is quickly dodged.

Recently President Obama made a statement while introducing his stem cell reversal decision that illustrates this tactic. He said: "But after much discussion, debate and reflection, the proper course has become clear. The majority of Americans, from across the political spectrum and from all backgrounds and beliefs, have come to a consensus that we should pursue this research – that the potential it offers is great, and with proper guidelines and strict oversight, the perils can be avoided." His statement was not only inaccurate, it was a lie! What majority is he talking about and where did he pull these statistics from? When a person's philosophy is "the end the justifies the means" they will say anything to realize their goal.

There is abundant medical evidence that shows adult stem cells are much more effective than those of an embryo. The question that should be asked is why would so many on the left push
this agenda and be willing to misrepresent both the American people and scientific evidence? The answer is simple. There is tremendous profit to be made for those who will be involved in harvesting stem cells from embryos.

There was a time in the history of our country (and not that long ago) when a man's word was his bond. Sadly those days are past as words have lost their importance, integrity and meaning.

Words are powerful. When Alexander Graham Bell said "Mr. Watson, come here, I want you" the telephone was invented and history was made. Neil Armstrong's words became forever embedded in our culture when he stepped on to the moon and said, "one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind." On November 19th, 1863 Abraham Lincoln said "four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." Almost two years later a Senator made this comment about those words, "the world noted at once what he said, and will never cease to remember it.The battle itself was less important than the speech."

Perhaps the greatest display of the power of words is found in John 3:16 where we read, "for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." With those words came the greatest promise to man that has ever been made!

Words are important because they have the unique abiblity to either build up or tear down an individual or a nation. Perhaps that's why the Bible places such importance on words. In Matthew 12:36 Jesus said, "But I said unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account therof in the day of judgment." When you review your vocabulary what kind of words do you use to express your thoughts and feelings?

There is great power and potential in words as illustrated by the following: "There are 800,000 in the English language, 300,000 are technical terms. The average person knows 10,000 words and uses 5,000 in everyday speech. A journalist knows approximately 15,000 and uses around 10,000." If these statistics are correct than those of us who are not journalists need to learn more words!!

The Tallest Man I Ever Knew –Part II







Imagine, if you can, a man so big that he wore a size 10 hat, a size 64 suit, a size 20 shoe on the right and a 21 on the left. He had a 22 inch neck, a 50 inch chest, a 49 inch waist and hands that were 19 inches long. That was Max Palmer! No matter how many times I ate a meal with him or took him somewhere I never ceased to be amazed at his size.

At 17 Max was the tallest basketball player on any high school team. He literally towered above everyone. One would think that Max was the most popular kid in school and headed for superstardom.

Beginning in grade 6 his years in school were not always easy because he was different. Being different meant never fitting in and always being teased. That early treatment by many who knew him caused him to become a heavy drinker. By his early twenties Max was in and out of trouble including jail.

By the early 1950’s Max’s size opened doors in Hollywood as he appeared in several movies. He was always a little scary when people would first see him but for the movies he needed to be “real scary.” With a little make-up he would easily become the malevolent giant or a huge killer ape!

After Hollwood, professional wrestling and several years as a bouncer in a night-club in Kansas City Max ended up in the hospital with some serious health issues. It was only after hearing how much God loved a giant that Max made the most important decision of his life when he accepted Jesus as his personal savior. He was a changed man after that. For the first time in his life he had purpose and direction. He spent several years traveling the country sharing his story in churches and schools. As “Goliath for Christ” he used to tell audiences “I used to play the piano, but I hardly pick one up anymore!”

In 1986 Max went in the hospital for his annual physical and while there contracted staff infection. Within a short period of time the infection was throughout his body and to the surpise of all his friends, Max died. His funeral was a memorable one. A backhoe lowered the grand piano case containing Max’s body into the ground.

I often remember those years of knowing him and recall the huge amount of food he ate every two hours, the look on someone’s face when they first saw the giant, his sense of humor as he scared people and his love for the Lord.

I think one of the reasons that he and I became friends is that we were opposites. He was at least two and a half feet taller than I am. We could not have been more different and yet it was our differences that connected us. Like Max, though, I had been teased during Junior and Senior High School. Like Max I felt that being short made me a freak. And like Max I found peace and acceptance in Christ. As much as Max learned to accept his size I learned that being short has great benefits. I always tell the short jokes first and make friends easily with little kids. Through the years I’ve had the privilege of telling a number of teenagers who was trying to deal with being short or being very tall, that God does love them and that they are specifically designed to be exactly who they are. What a blessing it has been to see a teen wounded by teasing to finally be able to accept themselves. In Jeremiah God said “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you.” Knowing that God made you the way He wanted you can help you face the teasing and the ridicule that the world loves to throw out.

Max was unique and so are you!