Recently I was listening to a recorded teaching by Dwight Pryor (jcstudies.org). In the course of the teaching, Dwight mentioned that “Greeks” (Gentiles, western thinkers) study the Word of God for understanding – Jews study the Word to revere. In fact, many ancient rabbis taught that the highest form of worship was to study the Word with the intent to obey. This is not new to me, but it got me thinking again about my own study of God’s Word. Why am I reading the...
Read MoreTeam Time – Staff Highlights
During our team time a couple of weeks ago, each team shared some highlights of their year. Some expressed appreciation for having a newly completed office facility (come by if you haven’t already, and come again if you have) that is comfortable and will be utilized for our expanding local and tourist outreach. Brian & Aimee had several big changes this year, including: buying their first house, having a second child, as well as conducting a 2.5 month...
Read MorePut on Your Own Mask First
On a recent flight, the flight attendant went through the “safety talk.” You know the part about “If there is a sudden loss of cabin pressure, oxygen masks will drop from the compartment above you. Pull down on the bag, secure the mask over your nose and mouth, and breathe normally. . . . If you are travelling with a small child or someone who needs assistance, secure your own mask first, before helping them.” Wait a minute! Secure your own mask first? How...
Read MoreCreative Ideas for Children’s Ministry
We had a very full schedule on our recent speaking trip to the northwest, with lots of opportunities to share the truth about Creation and God’s Word with children, teens, and adults. In all, we did 44 presentations at 22 locations in 2 weeks… Wow! These included churches, creation groups, a university, Christian schools, homeschool groups, and public school kids. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind, but we are privileged to come alongside so many others who are reaching...
Read MoreInterview Questions for Young Creation Evangelists
One of our goals at AOI is to not only spread the gospel as we teach the creation message, but also to train and equip others to go and do the same. We want to encourage those who God is calling to teach creation, whether formally or informally, and when possible, help them connect with local Creation teaching ministries – or even start one of their own! With that in mind, we would like to share this interview with California high school senior Caleb. Caleb is the...
Read MoreBlindsided by Grace
I love surprises. In fact, one of the things I love about my husband is his enthusiasm for staging a good surprise. But lately I’ve been contemplating the idea that maybe there are some surprises that I should be “outgrowing.” How does the concept of surprise figure into growing spiritual maturity? Often I am astounded at the grace of God, mercifully protecting, teaching and blessing me beyond my wildest expectations. I could, in fact, say that His grace comes by...
Read MoreDinosaur Track Field Trip
Last month I had an opportunity to give some creation presentations at a church in Gateway, Colorado relating to dinosaurs and evidence for the Flood. Afterwards, we took an excursion to a dinosaur trackway which is found on a sandstone layer in the mountains between Gateway, Colorado and Moab, Utah. The question that was posed to me, as a geologist, was how they were made and then preserved. The first thing I jokingly told them is that the dinosaur must have weighed...
Read More“Being a Dad Who Leads” Book Review
I am now officially a father of a sweet little boy and my wife and I are loving it. He is so precious to us. We have been so blessed by the generosity of others. Normally at baby showers, you get great stuff for the baby or for the mommy, but a couple of friends gave me, the daddy, a thoughtful gift. They gave me a book entitled, “Being a Dad Who Leads” by John MacArthur. I was somewhat familiar with the author and pastor and so I was excited to dig into it, even...
Read MoreHorn Creek Creation Adventure Report
Mary Jo & I recently enjoyed conducting a family camp at Horn Creek Camp near Westcliffe, Colorado. It was our first year doing a Creation Adventure at this camp and everything went great. Families enjoyed the facilities including their lodge rooms, excellent meals, and the meeting room for our presentations. The activities were as intense or as laid back as each family desired. From the comments we received, everyone benefitted from, and enjoyed, the Creation...
Read MoreOur New Baby!
We have been anxiously awaiting the birth of our first baby. We did everything we thought that we could do to prepare for him or her (we didn’t know), as well as trying desperately to think through every decision so we could make the best and most God-glorifying decision. And we were doing good…we thought, but even with the best intentions, there is a fuzzy-line between trusting God and wanting it to go our way. We even developed our “birth plan” to be as natural,...
Read MoreControl and Provision
Just recently, we were blessed by a wonderful gift of money from a family member. We were excited as it added a buffer, some breathing room, as we look towards added expenses with our baby on the way. The next day, we had to go to the DMV to register our cars in Colorado for the first time since moving here. The DMV, for many, is known for long wait times and over-complicated “simple” transactions. We got there, took our number and waited. We only had to wait for a...
Read MoreMicroscopic Structure of Tears
I was alerted to a photographic study, which I managed to find on the web, regarding the microscopic structure of dried human tears. Rose-Lynn Fisher, the photographer, wondered if various tear types dry into different patterns. It appears at first glance that tears of joy yield a different pattern from tears from onions, tears from grief, or just normal tears which continually lubricate the eye. Although I had never considered that one teardrop might differ from...
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