A Diet of Oil

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A Diet of Oil

April 22, 2024 • Ian Taylor

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II Corinthians 12:9

"And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

While scientists often talk about how it takes millions of years to form oil and gas deposits, they say little about the fact that oil and natural gas are forming today in the ocean's sediments. The sediments of the Gulf of Mexico are wellknown examples of the rapid natural formation of petroleum deposits. In addition, oil and natural gas are seeping from petroleum deposits under the floor of the Gulf of Mexico.

But even more amazing is the discovery that there are sea creatures who actually use crude oil and natural gas for food. Scientists have known that some microbes digest oil. But they have discovered new species of worms, clams, mussels and crabs who cluster around petroleum and natural gas seepages on the floor of the Gulf. So far they have found 30 cites off the coast of Louisiana and Texas where these strange creatures have set up communities around seepages.

While doing this deep water research, scientists also discovered lakes under the ocean! They found patches of water much saltier and, therefore, much heavier than sea water resting on the sea floor like undersea lakes. They report that the saltier water lakes actually have ripples on their surfaces, just like a lake on dry land.

Despite claims made by some scientists, we humans are still only in the early stages of finding everything there is to find in the creation. Discoveries like this can show us that we are a long, long way from even beginning to understand how things in the creation actually work.

Prayer: Father; You humble man because our out-of-control pride needs a better grasp of reality. Help me to see that without Your Son, my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, I have nothing to boast about. Let my boasting be in Him. Amen.

REF: Ocean depths harbor an ecosystem of creatures who dine on oil, natural gas.Star Tribune (Minneapolis), Dec. 31, 1989. p. 15A. Image: Oil spill clean up NOAA (PD)

Science and Miracles

May 9, 2024 • Ian Taylor

Luke 1:37 "For with God nothing shall be impossible." Do you realize that the Bible's own arguments have been stolen by evolutionary scientists in their attempt to prove that there are no such things as miracles? It's past time that Christians reclaim those arguments in order to deflate the doubt that has been created. Evolutionists say that since the world is an orderly place with predictable physical laws, we know that miracles can't happen. And they're right on everything but their conclusion. It is because the world is an orderly place with predictable physical laws that miracles are important. The Bible clearly teaches that the world follows orderly laws. For example, Genesis 1:11 tells us that plants reproduce in an orderly, predictable pattern – after their kind. In Genesis 1:14 we read about how the stars move across the sky in an orderly pattern so that we can tell what season it is. And if the world was not an orderly, predictable place, we couldn't tell if something was a miracle or not. In a world where things happen willynilly, miracles would have no meaning. It is only in a predictable world that science can study where miracles can be what the New Testament calls them – signs. So the very reason evolutionists use to deny the existence of miracles is really the only reason we have to accept the possibility – and the reality – of the Creator's miraculous working in His creation! Prayer: Father, ours is an age of doubt. Forgive me for the times I have been intimidated by the arguments of unbelieving scientists. Help me to see through their poor arguments and uphold Your truth before men. Amen. Notes: Bartz, Paul A. 1990. “The Bible teaches a predictable world – but not naturalism.” Bible Science Newsletter, Mar. p. 10. Painting: “Elijah Resuscitating the Son of the Widow of Zarephath” by Louis Hersent (1777-1862) (PD) © 2024 Creation Moments. All rights reserved.

Where Is the Garden of Eden?

May 7, 2024 • Ian Taylor

Genesis 2:8 "And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed." One mystery that has intrigued humans for thousands of years is the location of the Garden of Eden. Even Sunday school children stare at maps and carefully read Genesis 2:814, trying to locate it. But when we wonder where the Garden of Eden was, there are other passages in the Bible that we need to consider. Genesis 3:2324 makes it very clear that God closed the Garden to humans – meaning no one could ever go back. But there is even more important information in Scripture on the location of the Garden. Genesis 7:11 says that "all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened." These words about the breaking up of all the fountains of the deep suggest violent and widespread volcanic action. The geological record says that such violent action was indeed widespread. And very clearly the opening of the windows of heaven describes much more than just heavy rain. In the Genesis Flood, the entire Earth's surface underwent violent reshaping. We find evidence of this in fossils that are found today on mountaintops. We know that some of these creatures lived five miles below the ocean's surface! You can find rivers on maps today with the same names as those mentioned in Genesis. But the fact is, those rivers on our maps today are only named after their preFlood counterparts. God closed Eden to sinful humanity and violently reshaped the Earth's surface in the Flood. The only way back to God is through Jesus Christ. Prayer: Lord, help me to abandon all hope of finding You by my own efforts and instead trust only in what Jesus Christ has already completed for me on Calvary. Help me to teach others to do the same. In His Name. Amen. Image: Painting – The Garden of Eden by Thomas Cole (PD) © 2024 Creation Moments. All rights reserved.

The Ultimate Engineer

May 6, 2024 • Ian Taylor

Job 38:4, 36 "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?" Did you ever wonder why, while there are lots of round and cylindrical living things, there are almost no square plants or animals? Why isn't there any animal that has a skeleton made out of metal? And while there are so many ways for living things to move about, why do almost none of them have wheels? We make lots of square things, use metal frames in the things we build, and use wheels on lots of moving things. But these features don't offer good solutions to the problems most living things have to deal with in life. Wheels are useless for going through the jungle, climbing trees, flying or burrowing. In engineering language, all living things show a high degree of design sophistication. For example, the skeletons of all mammals have a ratio of 30% shock-absorbing collagen to 70% calcium phosphate for strength. This ratio provides the very best balance for holding up a mammal's weight during locomotion. Engineers also know that in order to get the best flow of a liquid – such as blood – a pipe's cubed radius must equal the sum of the cubed radii of each of its branches. And this is exactly the relationship found in all living and fossilized creatures, from sponges to humans! The impressive engineering found in all living things – and even in the oldest fossils – offers elegant testimony to the Creator's wisdom and power! None of us should be shy about recognizing Him when we are with others. Prayer: Father, I thank You that You have not left the world without witness to Your great wisdom and power. Make me a better witness to You and what You have done for me through Your Son. In His Name. Amen. Ref: Wickelgren, Ingrid. 1989. "The mechanics of natural success." Science News, v. 135, June 17. p. 376. Image: A composite of the skeletons of a Human and a Horse arranged into a lifelike pose, at an exhibit in the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/australian_museum, Sydney, Australia. (PD) © 2024 Creation Moments. All rights reserved.