Words of Comfort -- Ray Comfort's Blog

Hitler, God & the Bible

2012-02-08T22:53:00.001-08:00

Owing to pressing commitments for radio interviews for his new book, Ray won’t be posting until Monday 13th.

“A must read for everybody. A big eye-opener. I heavily recommend it.” Rita Cosby
Review:

“So eager was I to read this book (I’m a major Ray Comfort fan), that I read it over dinner one evening, turning pages with one hand while using a fork at a local Bavarian restaurant with the other. Comfort, a keen observer of worldview in the teeming masses that bob and weave through our culture, has not only penned what I feel is an extraordinary book … but he also hints that this is the first in a series! And that sums it up quite well. With Hitler, God & the Bible, Ray Comfort has launched what I hope will be a hugely successful series. This is a book without weakness. From the superb, succinct research and writing, to the elegant production values of this slim volume, readers have received a real gift. Hitler, God & the Bible is already on pace to become my Book of the Year.”

Available here.

It Takes Two

2012-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

It’s important to understand that temptation isn’t sin. If your eyes fall upon a woman and in a split second you are tempted to lust but turn away, you haven‘t sinned. Jesus was tempted to sin, but didn’t. Not once. And He is our example. We are to imitate Him, and the key to His victory over sin was that He feared God (see Hebrews 5:7). Do you fear God? If you are not sure, you will find the answer in what you do with lust. Spurgeon said,

“We cannot help the birds flying over our heads, but we may keep them from building their nests in our hair. Vain thoughts will knock at the door, but we must not open to them. Though sinful thoughts rise, they must not reign. He who turns a morsel over and over in his mouth does so because he likes the flavor, and he who meditates upon evil loves it and is ripe to commit it.”

It takes two to tango. Bathsheba needs your cooperation or there’s no tango. Notice that Scripture addresses where the dance starts—“Do not lust after her beauty in your heart.” It’s in the human heart that the spark starts the fire. It is the eye that gives access to the heart and to your precious soul. Again, Jesus warned that it would be better to be blind than to let lust find its murderous way into your heart and take you to Hell (see Matthew 5:27-30). He said to pluck out your eye if it causes you to sin sexually, and these sobering words of warning give us insight into how wicked and serious this sin is in there eyes of God.

To be continued...

Make no Provisions

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Like David, sinners are idolaters. The only image of God to which they bow, is the one of their own making, and that congenial god isn’t to be feared. It is a “dumb idol” and therefore it has no sense of justice and no moral dictate. It doesn’t say, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28).

Jesus is quoting the Seventh Commandment, and in doing so He tells us that the Law is “spiritual,” reminding us that God “requires truth in the inwards parts.” Our Creator sees the thought-life and tells us that every time we lust, we commit adultery in the heart. Think then of the serious nature of looking with lust. Every time we do it, we are committing adultery. We are sinning as much as King David sinned when he took another man’s wife and slept her.

That should scare the daylights out of us and help us to guide our sin-loving eyes. That should help us to rid our minds of our own concept of what God is like. If we see our Creator as He is revealed in Scripture, we should tremble and fall on our faces in fear. That’s what it means to bow to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. The moment you surrendered to Him as Lord, you said “Not my will, but yours be done.” That means you only look at, touch, hear, and think about that which is pleasing to Him: ^“But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:14).

To be continued...

Do Not Lust After her Beauty

2012-02-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

When addressing the subject of lust in Proverbs 6:20, the Bible speaks of “the law of your mother.” This is a direct reference to the moral Law of God (the Ten Commandments). Whatever you do, don’t make the mistake of forsaking that Law. “Bind” the Commandments upon your heart (memorize them). We live in a generation that hates the Ten Commandments. They have cut ties with them because they consider them to be a bind. The Law to them is the ultimate wet blanket that forbids lust, fornication, adultery, pornography, lying and stealing (see Romans 8:7). It is the party-pooper that prohibits the joy of sinful pleasure, and the more a nation gives itself to moral darkness, the more it will hate the light of God’s moral Law:

“When you roam, they will lead you; when you sleep, they will keep you; and when you awake, they will speak with you. For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light; reproofs of instruction are the way of life, to keep you from the evil woman, from the flattering tongue of a seductress. Do not lust after her beauty in your heart, nor let her allure you with her eyelids” (Proverbs 6:22-25).

But when the Christian “roams,” the Ten Commandments will lead him. When he sleeps, they will keep him. When he is awake, they speak to him. This is because the Commandment truly is a lamp, and the Law is a light. The world is willfully ignorant of the truth and therefore they live in a moral obscurity. They have no idea that a perfectly holy God will bring to light every secret thing, and they will never depart from their sins until they have a healthy fear of God.

It is the Law that puts the fear of the Lord into sinners. It can do what it did for Israel when God accompanied the giving of the Ten Commandments with terrifying thunder and lightning.

To be continued...

Bathsheba on Billboards

2012-02-03T02:29:00.000-08:00

As someone who desires to reach the lost, you have enlisted as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. You have been recruited for warfare, not to idly eye this sinful world. If you have any inkling to, you can be sure the enemy will have a Bathsheba in your sights. You will see her on billboards, in movies, magazine covers, and television advertisements. She wants to find her way into your thoughts and into your dreams. If you are bored, depressed, or plagued with lustful thoughts, then make sure you get rid of every avenue to her door, because with a click of your mouse you can commit adultery in your heart (see Matthew 5:27-28).

Jesus said that if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off, and then cast it from you; that’s how terribly serious sin is. Hands are pretty handy, so it would be better and easier to get rid of the mouse and cut off Internet access. If you don’t make a move in that direction, you are a standing target for the enemy. So go onto the streets (the highways and byways) and share the gospel with someone who is on their way to Hell, and doesn’t know it. Compel them to come into the kingdom of God.

There’s no room for idle thoughts if you are keeping your mind in the battle for the lost. I want to eat more if I’m doing nothing. If I find myself idle, I find myself standing in front of an open refrigerator. But if I keep myself busy doing something, I hardly think about food. If I pack my garden with healthy plants, there will be no room for weeds. We must fill our minds with the Word of God, prayerfully cultivate a healthy fear of the Lord, and keep busy with a passion for the lost rather than for our neighbor’s wife or daughter.

Dealing with Bathsheba

2012-02-02T03:37:00.000-08:00

King David should have been busy in battle, but he was instead idly gazing at where he shouldn’t have been looking. The devil has a use for idle eyes, and it wasn’t long before David was eyeing his neighbor’s wife. The Scriptures tell us that lust brings forth sin, and it certainly did with David. His neighborly coveting lead to adultery, murder, theft and hypocrisy, and it all had its roots in the subtle sin of “idolatry.” In order to accommodate our sins idolatry convinces us that God is either blind, sinful, or that He doesn’t exist.

Whenever a professing Christian tells me that he has a problem with pornography, I immediately think of idolatry. His image of what God is like is erroneous. What does he think God is doing while he is looking at pornography? If asked if he would ever look at porn in a worship service, he would probably say that he wouldn’t. He thinks that the Almighty--the ever-present and all-seeing God is confined to a building we wrongly call a “church.” This error is often perpetuated by worship leaders who talk about “entering” the presence of God for worship, when we are always in His presence. He’s there in the bedroom as lust-filled eyes feed upon porn. He’s there in the corridors of the human mind, as unclean images are displayed on the screen of the imagination.

These are days in which it is common for men to have “accountability partners” when it comes to the issue of lust. It means that we confide in a Christian brother and let him know how we are doing in our moral battles. We become accountable to him. The problem with that is that if I am going to secretly commit adultery in my heart through lust, I’m not going to have a problem when it comes to lying to someone about my moral state. It is far more sensible to make God our accountability partner. He’s the One we should be accountable to now, because He’s the One we will be accountable to on Judgment Day. The Scriptures tell us “Surely his salvation is near them that fear him…” (Psalm 85:9). It’s the fear of God that is missing when we feel at liberty to gaze at Bathsheba. To be continued…

Dealing with Goliath

2012-02-01T04:12:00.001-08:00

If you have a passion to reach the unsaved with the gospel, you are going to confront Goliath. This is the giant the Bible calls “the spirit of fear” that will come against you and taunt you the moment you decide to reach out to the lost. When it’s a one-to-one encounter or you are preparing to preach open air to a crowd, you will hear his tormenting voice telling you that what you are about to do will result in you being torn limb from limb and fed to the birds.
I have a friend who was a Navy Seal who told me that he felt less fear sky-diving for the first time, than he felt the first time he stepped onto a box to do his first open air preaching. This sort of fear certainly has “torment,” and the only way to overcome it is to do what David did. He slung Goliath a straight-forward mind-impressing message that he wasn’t going to be deterred, and then he cut of his head. That silenced his big and loud mouth.
Take a lesson from Scripture--deal with your fears once and for all, and then never listen to them again. Instead, listen to the Word of God and its warning of what will happen to the unsaved. If any son or daughter of Adam dies in his or her sins, they will be justly damned in a terrible place called Hell. We should let such a thought torment our conscience until we open our mouths and speak boldly, as we ought to speak. We have a sobering task to do and with the help of God, we will do it.

The Message

2012-01-31T09:36:00.001-08:00

The Apostle Paul followed in the steps of Jesus by using the moral Law to bring the knowledge of sin (see Romans 3:19,20). When a rich young man ran to Jesus and asked how he could find everlasting life, Jesus didn’t speak of a wonderful plan, or even of God’s love or the cross. He firstly reproved the man’s understanding of the word "good," then He gave the man five of the Ten Commandments (see Mark 10:17-21) so that He would know how the nature of God’s goodness. He had to be confronted with his crimes against His Creator.

So if you want to be faithful to the Word of God and to the Great commission to “preach the gospel to every creature,” don’t change the message. Don’t adjust it because you want to make it more palatable to the sinner or because you are afraid of rejection. Don’t change it because you want to follow in the footsteps of modern preachers, because they are not going in the right direction. Modern methods have wreaked havoc within the Church—filling it with tares among the wheat, resulting in a Church that looks little like the God-fearing, fiery, fearless, evangelistic Church of the Book of Acts, who faced death rather than compromise the message.

So, if you profess to be a follower of Christ, do what Jesus did. Take courage and open up the divine Law before you preach the mercy of the cross. It is the Law that makes the cross make sense. Who is going to want mercy if they aren’t shown their sin? There are some, however, who are of the belief that sinners are well-aware of their sin and don’t need the Law. But such a belief is diametrically opposed to Scripture, which says that there are “none” who understand (see Romans 3:11). Opening up the Commandments as Jesus did on the Sermon on the Mount was the way of Wesley, Spurgeon, Whitefield and all the faithful men of God, who knew the great biblical truth that we must diagnose the disease of sin before we prescribe the cure of the gospel.

You are the man!

2012-01-30T05:44:00.001-08:00

But Nathan instead told the king of a man who stole another man’s lamb, and then killed it. When David became self-righteous and indignant, Nathan said, “You are the man! Why have you despised the Commandment of the Lord?” That’s what caused David to cry out that he had sinned against God, and plead for mercy (see Psalm 51). Speaking of some “wonderful plan” would not have, and could not have produced such a response.
We are to be like Nathan. We are to ignore our fears and we are not trifle with the message with which we have been entrusted: “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:1-2).
The Amplified Bible says of verse 2: “We refuse to deal craftily (to practice trickery and cunning) or to adulterate or handle dishonestly the Word of God, but we state the truth openly (clearly and candidly).” Yet many of us have handled the Word of God deceitfully. Even though every son and daughter of Adam is a criminal in God’s sight--with a multitude of serious crimes against Heaven, our message has become “God has a wonderful plan for your life.” It has been adulterated, with sin being merely addressed with a blanket of “all have sinned,” when we should be following in Nathan’s steps and instead personalizing it with “You are the man…Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord?” The word “commandment” is a direct reference to the Ten Commandments, and David certainly had despised them. He coveted his neighbor’s wife, stole her, lived a lie, committed adultery, committed murder, dishonored his parents, and skittled the remaining four Commandments that make reference to our relationship to God.
Sin is never simple, and it always involves transgression of the moral Law (see 1 John 3:4). Sin is extremely serious, is personal, and its personal nature must be addressed if there is to be personal responsibility and a personal response. This is what Paul did in Romans chapter two. When confronting sinners, he didn’t speak of a wonderful plan, but instead spoke of God’s Law and then he personalized sin with, “You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? For ‘the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,’ as it is written” (Romans 2:21-24). He was saying, like Nathan, “You are the man.” To be continued.

Read the Bible in a year

2012-01-27T09:29:00.000-08:00

We have decided to keep the daily Bible reading available. See below sidebar.

Nathan

2012-01-27T06:22:00.001-08:00

Adjective: Courageous

There are only a few men of God of whom the Bible is silent when it comes to their sins, or even their weaknesses. No doubt they had them, but they are hidden from us. Perhaps Nathan (like Moses, Jeremiah, Gideon, Elijah and others) complained to God when he was told that his irksome task was to tell a king that he was a murdering adulterer, and that God had seen his sin. Perhaps Nathan thought about how David had already committed murder, how he didn’t hesitate to remove the head of Goliath, and how with one nod of the king’s head, Nathan’s could be removed.

But we are not told of any such discourse between God and the prophet. And even if he did whine in prayer, Nathan was faithful to the task God set before him. David had committed the serious crime of not only taking another man’s wife, but of murdering him to cover up his offense, and he had to be confronted with his sin. So what did Nathan do? Did he change this punitive message with which God had entrusted him? Did he instead come before the king and say,

“David, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life; but there is something that is stopping you enjoying this wonderful plan. It’s your sin. Nevertheless, ‘All men have sinned and come short of the glory of God’.”

Why would he do that? David was a criminal and he had to be confronted with the crimes he had committed against God. To speak of some “wonderful plan” to a criminal would be ridiculous and extremely inappropriate. It would be like a prosecuting attorney suddenly talking about a wonderful plan to Charles Manson or some other mass murderer, and ignoring or diluting his crimes. Such a scenario would be unthinkable. And yet that’s the message of much of modern evangelism.

To be continued.

Adam

2012-01-26T08:45:00.001-08:00

Adjective: Perfect

It is because of Adam that we have life. God used him as our first father. Adam was made in the image of God, and with the help of his God-given helpmate, they reproduced after their own kind. But it’s also because of Adam’s disobedience that we have what the Bible calls “corruption” throughout the entire creation. Everything miserable traces itself back to Adam and his rebellion.

However, his life gives us a very important evangelistic lesson. Adam’s transgression shows us that sin is something to be looked upon with the utmost solemnity. We say that God is holy, just, and good; that’s He’s morally perfect, but somehow those words don’t carry much depth in our dull and fallen minds. But in criminal court, we can see how “good” a judge is by how seriously he deals with a devious criminal. If he gives him a very light sentence, then the judge thinks lightly of crime; but if he gives him multiple life-sentences, we can see how serious the crime is in the judge’s eyes.

So, we can get a tiny glimpse of God’s goodness and love of justice by seeing how He dealt with one transgressor of His moral Law. Adam’s one seemingly insignificant sin ushered in pain, insanity, suicide, cancer (and thousands of deadly other diseases), killer tornadoes, devastating hurricanes, massive floods, frightening tsunamis, man-eating tigers and sharks, poisonous snake and spiders, alcoholism, starvation, wife-beating, drug addiction, demonic-possession, loneliness, fear, hatred, rape, abortion, blasphemy, murder, torture, wars, theft, racial prejudice, genocide, pedophilia, aging, death, Hell and damnation in the Lake of Fire. And I have just skimmed over the tip of the top of the iceberg of human misery--all because of one man’s transgression of God’s moral demands. Such is the frightening holiness of God. No wonder Isaiah cried “Woe is me, I’m undone!” when he found himself in His presence!

Sin is so terribly serious that it calls for the lightning of His wrath, and if He wasn’t “rich in mercy” we would be instantly struck down the moment we merely entertained the thought of sin—The Psalmist said, “He shall take them away as with a whirlwind, as in His living and burning wrath” (Psalm 58:9). Every time a sinner sins, he stores up God’s wrath that will, like a bursting dam of Eternal Justice, fall upon him on the Day of Judgment.

How soberly should we then preach the message with which Almighty God has entrusted us, never diluting the hennas nature of sin or the surety of judgment. We should never be afraid of the world’s scorn. To even entertain the fear of feeble man (that the Bible refers to as a worm), is to reveal a lack of the fear of Almighty God.

“Wherefore knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men” (2 Corinthians 5:11).

The Joy of Root Canals

2012-01-25T08:57:00.000-08:00

I was enjoying some cereal when I heard a distasteful “crunch.” At first I thought that the makers had accidentally included tiny stones in the cereal, but then I found that one of my fillings had decided that it had done enough time, and was leaving. I called my dentist and told him the good news.

This was my second visit to this particular dentist, so I decided it was time to cheer him up by putting a plastic cockroach onto my tongue. After the usual “Open wide” he jumped back and excitedly said that it was the first time anyone had ever done that. Then he told me about a panicking woman who had put superglue on her gums in an effort to hold in her false teeth.

After looking at the gaping cavity in my mouth, he pointed out that I needed a root-canal. To back up his words he showed me my x-ray, and said, “I can’t understand it. You should be in great pain right now. I guess the nerves are dead.” My teeth are so sensitive that it sets them on edge just to see people chewing ice. Yet there was no pain from this Grand Canyon. I could suck cold air into the cavity and smile as I did so.

Such is the key to fulfilling the daunting job of evangelism. We are dead to the pain that comes with the irksome duty because we died with Christ on the cross. We are no longer our own. We have been bought with a price for the supreme purpose of taking the message of everlasting life to a lost and dying world. When it comes to evangelism there are more important issues than me and my well-being.

For many years a friend named Scotty picked me up each Saturday, and drove me to Huntington Beach, California to preach the gospel in the open air. It was about a 30-minute drive each way and we always filled in the time by talking about the things of God. On one of these drives I said, “Tell me an adjective that comes to mind when I say this name: David.”

He told me what came to mind, and then I named another 40 or so biblical characters and we used an adjective to describe each one. It was so interesting that it changed the direction of this blog. But we aren’t simply going to look at biblical characters. We will look at their virtues and their vices as related to the irksome task of evangelism.

Before we begin to “school” ourselves, let’s define our task so that we can see what’s involved. Evangelism is telling a Hell-bound world how to find everlasting life. If I didn’t bother to tell them how to escape death, I personally believe that I would be a Judas to the cause of Christ. I would be like a doctor who by neglect of duty lets his patients die, or a lifeguard who deliberately let people drown. Or more applicably, I would be like a firefighter who let people burn when he had it in his power to save them from the flames. I would be the worst of hypocrites because I would profess to have the love of God in me, and yet my inaction proved me to be cold-hearted, and selfish. I would be the “wicked and slothful servant” of whom Jesus spoke.

But you’re not like that, because you are reading this blog. So let’s let these men and women of Scripture speak to us and help us to “train ourselves to deal personally with the unconverted”…until it becomes easier.

To be continued…

A Special Note

2012-01-24T16:06:00.001-08:00

A Special Note: Nothing consumes me like the subject of evangelism, and it’s my passion to see the Church of the 21^st Century looking and acting like the Church of the 1^st Century. Every corner they turned, they preached the message of everlasting life. They cared for nothing but the salvation of the lost. The contemporary Church is concerned more with itself than with the lost. So from now on this blog will be an on-going attempt to equip Christians to effectively share their faith. I hope you find it helpful.

***

Evangelism: As Exciting as a Root Canal

It was Charles Spurgeon who said that evangelism was an “irksome task.” If something is irksome it’s“annoying; irritating; tiresome.” The evangelistic burden is a stone in the shoe that won’t let us relax and enjoy our Christian walk. It means embracing a lifestyle that demands the awkwardness of having to talk to people about a subject that makes both parties feel uncomfortable. The message of the Bible is a big heavy and wet blanket on the world’s sinful pleasures. It therefore elicits rejection, mockery, can destroy lifelong friendships, and make your own family turn on you. Jesus warned that you could even be killed by people who think that they are doing God a favor, when they kill you.

So who in his right mind should have anything to do with this irksome task? To answer that important question, let’s look at Charles Spurgeon’s full quote:

"We must school and train ourselves to deal personally with the unconverted. We must not excuse ourselves, but force ourselves to the irksome task until it becomes easy."

Is he kidding--“Until it becomes easy”? If I may be so bold as to change the Prince of Preacher’s words slightly, it may be helpful. I know that there are certain things I can do to make the task easier, but it never becomes easy for most of us. Spurgeon had a way with words that few of us have, but that’s not an excuse to excuse ourselves from the task.

To be continued.

Life of Joseph

2012-01-23T08:03:00.001-08:00

Comfort Food
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 38, Psalm 41-43, Matthew 25

The life of Joseph is amazing. While it’s important to see that the story is a “type” of the life of the Savior, it has many practical lessons for us--from Jacob favoring one son above his others, to the power of jealousy and its predictable progression to murder. But what is thrilling about Joseph was his ability to patiently suffer while innocent, and then to forgive. Potiphar’s lusty wife destroyed his reputation and had Joseph thrown into prison, but there is no word of him angrily getting back to her after he was exalted politically. Perhaps he never had to, because she destroyed her marriage by running off with another slave. God knows. Then there’s the butler and baker episode, where Joseph was left to rot in prison, and the wonderfully forgiving attitude he had towards his nasty brothers, after he revealed himself to them. So take the time to study the life of Joseph, and watch not only for the parallels to our redemption in Christ, but for all the life’s lessons we can learn--and in doing so, save ourselves some pain.

Dessert
Copying the Healing Power of the Body
The body’s capacity of healing itself of scrapes and cuts can be invaluable if applied to polymers composites used to build aircraft fuselage. “Self-healing plastics” is the name of a composite material in development by scientists. These plastics are made from hollow fibers and filled with epoxy resin that is released when the fibers are damaged with cracks or stresses.

“Care more for a grain of faith than a ton of excitement.” ― Charles H. Spurgeon

A Can of Paint

2012-01-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

Comfort Food
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 37, Psalm 39-40, Matthew 24

A family recently made the mistake of putting a large bucket of paint on the back seat of their car, instead of putting it in the trunk. They were then involved in an accident, spraying the inside of the vehicle and its passengers with paint. It was reported that the ambulance driver wouldn't let the female paramedic out of the ambulance because she couldn't stop laughing -- he said it wasn't professional.
Most people think that sin only affects themselves, but it often affects a whole family. When a man is caught in adultery, he not only destroys the trust of his wife, but he betrays his children, and he dishonors his name. Such was the way with King David when he lusted after his neighbor's wife, took her to himself, and then committed adultery. The two secretly tangoed, and then the sin was swept under the carpet. But the woman became pregnant and his adultery exploded like a can of paint in a car accident. He ending up taking the husband's life, taking his wife, destroying their marriage, resulting in the death of the baby, the dishonor of his name, and the downfall of his kingdom. Such is the eventual destructive nature of sin. If it doesn't get you in this life, it will get you in the next. Turn from sin (trust in the Savior), and then stay away from it.

Dessert
Copying the Hummingbird
"A technical milestone never before achieved: controlled precision hovering and fast-forward flight of a two wing, flapping wing aircraft that carries its own energy source, and uses only the flapping wings for propulsion and control has been achieved by AeroVironment. The milestone was part of the Phase II contract awarded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to AV to design and build a flying prototype 'hummingbird-like' aircraft for the Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) program. The final concept demonstrator is called the 'Nano Hummingbird' and is capable of climbing and descending vertically, flying sideways left and right, flying forward and backward, as well as rotating clockwise and counter-clockwise, under remote control and carrying a video camera payload. During the demonstration the Nano Hummingbird flew in and out of a building through a normal-size doorway."

Source: McFarland, M. W. (ed.), The Papers of Wilbur and Orville Wright, Vol. 1: 1899-1905, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1953.

"When you see a man with a great deal of religion displayed in his shop window, you may depend upon it he keeps a very small stock of it within." ― Charles H. Spurgeon

Tossed in the Trash

2012-01-21T10:55:00.001-08:00

Comfort Food
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 36, Psalm 38, Matthew 23

The Associate Press today reported that in Los Angeles “One of the world’s smallest surviving babies was discharged Friday from the hospital where she spent nearly five months in an incubator — but not before getting the Hollywood treatment.” This tiny person was born at 9 1/2 ounces, less than a can of soda. “Wearing a pink knit hat and wrapped in a pink princess blanket, Melinda Star Guido was greeted by a mob of television cameras and news photographers outside the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.” The world is celebrating the survival of the second smallest baby ever born in the U.S. But not too many are asking, “What’s wrong with this picture?” This is the age at which babies are legally killed through abortion, and yet there’s festivity and wonder that this child survived. That’s like the Nazi’s celebrating because a Jew survived the horror of their concentration camp. The only reason this baby wasn’t torn limb from limb while in the womb, was because her mother wanted her to live. Had she seen her as an inconvenience, a mere signing of a form, and Melinda would have been tossed in the trash, and not cradled in an incubator. Please, help us to change hearts and minds about the horror of legalized abortion. See 180movie.com then pass it on.

Dessert
Copying the Night Vision of Bees and Beetles
“The nocturnal vision of insects has led biology professor Eric Warrant at Lund University in Sweden to an exciting collaboration with the automaker Toyota. The collaborative project aims to develop a new type of color camera that, in the future, will help people drive cars more safely when it's dark outside.”
Warrant said, "For instance, there's a lot to be learned from nocturnally active dung beetles that live in cow dung." The professor and his team at the department of biology, Lund University, are interested in the function of eyes of various animal, especially in terms of their ability to see in the dark. Beetles, bees and moths have compound eyes with multiple lenses that work and these work together to make a single image in the animal's eye...” [Source]

“That very church which the world likes best is sure to be that which God abhors.” ― Charles H. Spurgeon

The Dew of Heaven

2012-01-20T07:44:00.001-08:00

Comfort Food
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 34-35, Psalm 37, Matthew 22

One of the greatest falsehoods perpetuated from modern pulpits has that sin isn’t pleasurable, or that you can’t find happiness without Jesus. Those who preach such things either don’t know their Bibles or they are living in a cave; a very dark cave. The Scriptures tell us that in these days, people will be lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God (see 2 Timothy 3:4). Moses chose to suffer with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season (see Hebrews 11:25). Sin can make you happy; very happy. Jeremiah lamented, “Why are they all so happy who deal treacherously” (Jeremiah 12:1). Lying can make people happy. So can theft. Adultery has made many people very happy. They had their cake and ate it. Pornography makes millions happy every day. If it doesn’t, why is the industry deliriously successful? They belt out movies as if there is no eternity. Even in a bad economy they make big money, and their customers are so pleased with what they see, like a drunken alcoholic, they come back for more. But those who love God deny themselves sinful pleasures, not to gain merit-points but because they are forgiven by the grace of God. The dew of Heaven has revealed the spider-web of sin, and they know better than to become entangled in that which promises death and certain damnation.

Dessert
Copying the Moth’s Eye
“Anti-reflective surfaces of fly and moth eyes are formed from directional ridges which maximize the absorption of light. Moth eye structures have already been harnessed for large-scale commercialization, using lithographic techniques to print the surface pattern onto windows. The surface structures can be reproduced much more accurately using electron beam etching and have been used more recently in smaller, solid plastics and lenses…. This is able to capture light arriving at the surface from different angles. Consequently it has been used on the surfaces of solar panels, providing a 10 per cent increase in energy capture by reducing the reflected portion of sunlight.” [Source]

“Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life. Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not found a friend.” ― Charles H. Spurgeon

Square One

2012-01-19T08:05:00.001-08:00

Comfort Food
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 32—33, Psalm 36, Matthew 21

The Bible tells us that we can find comfort through the Scriptures, and those who love the Word of God sure do. Psalms especially not only address our problems, but they give us insight into the hearts and actions of the ungodly, of the fate of those who remain in sin, and the future of those who love God. Psalm 36 is one such consoling Psalm. It immediately puts its finger on why the world is in such a terrible mess: “There is no fear of God before their eyes” (verse 1). The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the world hasn’t even got to Square One. And so the ungodly man “flatters himself in his own eyes” (verse 2). But God is merciful and holds back His anger, because He’s not willing that sinners perish. He has no pleasure in the death of the wicked. In the meanwhile we trust under the shadow of His wings, and look forward to the day in which we will drink of the river of His pleasures, forevermore. For with Him is the fountain of life, and in His light we shall see light (verses 8-9).

Dessert
Architecture Copies Nature
“What Cities Look Like When Architecture Imitates Nature: The world may finally be ready for Zaha Hadid. An Iraq-born deconstructivist architect based in London, Hadid has been making waves with controversial and futuristic architectural concepts for over 20 years. Many of her ideas never made it past the drawing board, because the designs were just too…well, different. Now, she’s gaining steam, and has projects going all over the world. She was recently commissioned to design an Aquatics Centre in London for the 2012 Summer Olympics, a Performing Arts Center in Abu Dhabi, and the spaceship-like Innovation Tower for the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her buildings are oddly shaped (compared to traditional architecture), but definitely have a very organic feel…” [Source]

“Men will allow God to be everywhere but on his throne.” Charles H. Spurgeon

Instant Life's Lesson

2012-01-18T07:02:00.001-08:00

Comfort Food
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 31, Psalm 35, Matthew 20

In Genesis 31:32, Jacob made a rash vow. He said that whoever it was that had his father-in-law’s idols would die. Little did he know that his own beloved wife had hidden them in the “furniture” of her camel. Fortunately for Jacob, his father-in-law didn’t find his idols and nothing came of the vow. Japheth was another man who made a crazy vow. He said that he would sacrifice whatever came out of his house to meet him when he got home that day. His beloved daughter came out to meet him.
The Bible tells us that Scripture was written for our learning, and we can learn a great deal about what not to do from those who made tragic mistakes in life. We can learn from Adam to Noah, from Esau to Judas, to Solomon to Peter. For those who know their Bibles, each name can be matched up to an instructional word or phrase. What name comes to mind when you ask yourself, Who was it that despised his birthright? Who was disobedient? Who gave himself to foreign women? Who was impetuous? Who loved money more than God? Who was deceived by alcohol?
May we know the Scriptures like the back of our hand, so that with the mere mention of a biblical name we have an instant life’s lesson, and avoid the pitfalls of daily living.

Dessert
Copying Algae
“But in the nano-sized realm, copying sometimes isn’t good enough. Lithography can’t always accurately mimic Nature’s elaborate architecture, or if it can, commercial scale manufacture is too expensive. Scientists are now realizing that Nature needn’t just inspire new designs: cells can actually be hijacked to grow natural structures for us. To begin with, we have borrowed Nature’s ready-made templates. Viruses have been harvested as building blocks to create iridescent films, while diatoms – single-celled algae – have been chemically converted into lace-like structures of nanocomposite materials.” [Source]

“The Lord's mercy often rides to the door of our heart upon the black horse of affliction.” ― Charles H. Spurgeon

Sound-man

2012-01-17T09:31:00.001-08:00

Comfort Food
It’s been rightly said that no one is listening to you, until you make a mistake. Try it. You will become the centre of attention. This is never more evident than with the sound-man at a church service. As far as the congregation is concerned, he doesn’t exist until something goes wrong. A dead microphone or high-pitch squeal from an amplifier, and suddenly everyone’s head turns to the cause of the problem—the incompetent sound-man. Few take into account that a thousand church services ran without a hitch or high-pitch. All that matters is that moment of annoyance and someone on whom the blame can be pinned. Such is the contempt produced by familiarity.
As far as the world is concerned, God doesn’t is totally irrelevant (or doesn’t exist) until something goes wrong. Accidents, earthquakes, famines, draughts, hurricanes, and 101 other disasters that hit humanity tend to make many look to the heavens and question God’s competence. It’s a wonder more sound-men don’t throw up their hands and quit. Does God ever do that? I think there may be biblical precedent—from Noah’s flood, to Israel in the wilderness, to Ananias and Sapphira.

Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 30, Psalm 34, Matthew 19

Dessert
Copying the Elephant’s Trunk to make an Arm
“Though it looks more like Dr. Octopus' mechanical tentacles from ‘Spiderman, a flexible, robotic arm recently developed by German automation company Festo was actually fashioned after an elephant's trunk…In designing the Bionic Handling Assistant, Festo took a page from nature's playbook rather than go with the metal skeletal bars and tubes that comprise conventional robotic arms. ‘Biomimicry, as this design and engineering aesthetic is called, draws inspiration from the biomechanical systems that the process of evolution has honed for millions of years, often resulting in startling insights over manmade artificial solutions.”
[Source]

“Have your heart right with Christ, and he will visit you often, and so turn weekdays into Sundays, meals into sacraments, homes into temples, and earth into heaven.” ― Charles H. Spurgeon

Miracles

2012-01-16T09:09:00.001-08:00

Comfort Food
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 28-29, Psalm 33, Matthew 18

According to the secular media miracles happen regularly. An ocean-liner sinks, and days later someone is pulled to safety. This is hailed as a “miracle.” While the media usually keeps the mentioning of God to the minimum, they do know that miracle stories lift ratings. They are heart-warming to viewers. But the truth is, we don’t know when God intervenes in the lives of human beings. He does the miraculous, but He’s not always in the miracle-mode. The first eleven disciples were murdered for their faith. They no doubt prayed for miraculous deliverance, but it didn’t happen. So why would anyone want to be a Christian--if God lets His own be killed? Here’s a good reason--all who repent and trust in Jesus have His immutable promise of immortality. On top of that, He transforms sin-loving sinners so that they love what is right and hate what is wrong. So, if you are looking for a miracle, there’s the big one. Death is overcome through the new birth, and the door of everlasting life is thrust open by the grace of Almighty God. Christianity begins and ends with a miracle. C. S. Lewis said, “Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important.”

Dessert
Copying Lotus Leaves
The surface of lotus leaves have
bumps that make the water to bead and pick up contaminates. Scientists have developed chemicals to treat the surface of plastic and metals to cause the same effect, in which water rolls off and takes the contaminates with it. This effect has many applications that have made windshield wipers and car wax obsolete. Companies as General Electric are developing coatings for commercial products as well.

“The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted.” Charles H. Spurgeon

Who You Know

2012-01-15T07:27:00.001-08:00

Comfort Food
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 27, Psalm 32, Matthew 17

I regularly preach open air each Saturday at Huntington Beach, in Southern California, and crossed swords with a Jehovah’s Witness recently. This man was tall, eloquent, and certain that he was right and that the entire Christian Church was wrong about the way of salvation. Jehovah’s Witnesses don’t believe in the eternality of Hell, the existence of Heaven as the place of departed believers, and the deity of Jesus Christ (among other things). For a J.W. salvation isn’t a free gift, and yet that is the clear teaching of the Bible (see Romans 6:23, Ephesians 2:8-9). All who repent and trust alone in Jesus pass from death to life, something about which my contentious heckler disagreed. Even their twisted New World Translation is clear that eternal life isn’t what you know, but Who you know. It’s so simple a child can understand it: “And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:11-13). Jesus Christ is the source of life, and if you know Him, you are saved. [Fortunately, we caught the hot discourse on camera and hope to have it for you in the near future].

Dessert
Copying Grass
“During the 50s and 60s, the Ford
Foundation was studying ways to improve the physical fitness of young people. At the same time, the Chemstrand Company, a subsidiary of Monsanto Industries, were developing new synthetic fibers for use as tough carpeting. Chemstrand was encouraged to try to make the perfect urban sports surface for schools by the Ford Foundation. From 1962 to 1966, Chemstrand worked on creating new sports surfaces. The surfaces were tested for foot traction and cushioning, weather drainage, flammability and wear resistance. In 1964, the Creative Products Group installed a synthetic turf called Chemgrass at the Moses Brown School in Providence Rhode Island. This was the first large-scale installation of a synthetic turf.”
Source: http://inventors.about.com/od/astartinventions/a/astroturf.htm

“You say, 'If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.' You make a mistake. If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled.” ― Charles H. Spurgeon

The Thrill of the Bungee Jump

2012-01-14T08:35:00.001-08:00

Comfort Food
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 25-26, Psalm 31, Matthew 16

I watched a video clip of a bungee jumper recently, whose cord looped around his neck. He was more than likely already dead when his friends were calling for him to take the noose off his neck and to lift his knees. This came hard on the heels of a shallow-thinking woman who jumped off a bridge in South Africa. When the cord broke, the company lamented that they had had 150,000 jumps without incident. I would think one was about due. I hope more people watch the clips of cords snapping, and that more will check out the statistics of how many people die when jumping from high places (base-jumping and sky-diving). It may put some sense into them. If you’re a Christian and you are tempted to jump, instead of catering to your thrill-seeking ego, think of someone else other than yourself. Think of those who love you and those for whom you are responsible. This injudicious world doesn’t know any better. You should. Think of the more than 150,000 people who die every 24 hours, and if you want a thrill, get up on a soapbox and tell dying sinners how to find everlasting life. That will kill your ego.

Dessert
Copying Whale Fins

The humpback whale’s flippers have inspired the development of WhalePower turbine blades, providing agility in the water. Their bumps, called tubercles, allow many applications in turbines, irrigation pumps, ventilation fans and hydroelectric turbines. Smooth surface fins are less effective than the humpback’s bumpy fins. The bumps provide 32% less drag and an increase of 8% in their lift through air or water. Wind power can become 20% more efficient with such blades.

“Nothing teaches us about the preciousness of the Creator as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else.” ― Charles H. Spurgeon

Wearing A Cross

2012-01-13T08:10:00.000-08:00

Comfort Food

Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 25, Psalm 30, Matthew 15

A friend and I went open air preaching recently at a localcollege (we have special permission not only to preach, but to film for our TVprogram--from the school’s Chief of Police). While my friend Tony waspreaching, someone politely introduced himself and asked, “Do you think Jesuswould have done this?” I said, “He did. Haven’t you read the gospels?”He was quick to say, “No He didn’t! He just drew people to Himself.” Isaid, “Okay, Tony will be finished in a moment, so you can get up on thesoapbox and show us how you do it. We will sit at your feet and learn.” Heresponded, “Oh, I don’t do it that way. I just wear a cross.” I asked, “Do you speakto people about the reality of Hell, and how they need a Savior?” He said thathe didn’t, so I told him that I liked the way Tony did it, better than the waythat he didn’t do it. It was no surprise to find that he hadn’t read hisBible for three weeks, and it was easy to understand why he believed as he did. If I was ignorant of the Holy Scripture and if I didn’t care about peoplegoing to Hell, I would probably confine my evangelism to wearing a cross. Butinstead I must carry one.

Dessert

Copying Grass

“During the 50s and 60s, the Ford Foundation was studyingways to improve the physical fitness of young people. At the same time, theChemstrand Company, a subsidiary of Monsanto Industries, were developing newsynthetic fibers for use as tough carpeting. Chemstrand was encouraged totry to make the perfect urban sports surface for schools by the FordFoundation. From 1962 to 1966, Chemstrand worked on creating new sportssurfaces. The surfaces were tested for foot traction and cushioning, weatherdrainage, flammability and wear resistance. In 1964, the CreativeProducts Group installed a synthetic turf called Chemgrass at the Moses BrownSchool in Providence Rhode Island. This was the first large-scale installationof a synthetic turf.” (Source)

“Have you no wish for others to besaved? Then you're not saved yourself, be sure of that!” ― Charles H. Spurgeon