Today marks the nineteenth anniversary of one of the top-five deadliest events in American History: the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Those of us old enough to remember where we were when we heard the news are probably also able to remember the great American spirit that it fueled and the wave of compassion and concern that swept our nation as a result. I remember, too, the messages pouring in from other nations of the world, offering their deep condolences and heartfelt sympathy. At that time—and for a little while after—the value of a man was understood. The value of a man was cherished. The value of a man was precious.

But why? After all, the prevailing wisdom of textbook science would say that we all originated from stardust and that human beings are the result of millions of years of evolution, the result of random, chance combinations of chemicals, just slightly more evolved than apes and other animals. If that is true, man has no intrinsic value. Man has no soul. But what if the sentiment that followed the tragedy of those terrorist attacks was actually evidence of Romans 1:20, a Fun Fact I introduced to you several weeks ago? In Romans 1:20, Paul tells us that everyone, in their heart of hearts, knows there is a God.

If Romans 1:20 is true, then it would logically flow that we know we also answer to God. And we know we were made by God. In fact, we were made in a very special way and for a very special purpose by God. Check out my Genesis 2:7 Fun Fact:
After God spoke everything else into existence, how does the Bible describe the uniqueness of man?
Genesis 2:7 says that “the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being” (NKJV).

Do you know that scientists estimate there are over one billion stars in our Milky Way Galaxy alone, and that there are over one billion galaxies in the universe, each with its own collection of millions to trillions of stars? No human could ever count them.

All throughout the Word of God we see references to stars and their importance in creation. In Job 38, God paints a picture of the morning stars singing while He was creating. In Genesis 15, God used the stars as a comparison to the number of offspring Abraham would have. Of course, we know from Matthew 2 about the very bright star that marked the place where the baby was born. And the psalmist tells us in several locations that the stars praise the Lord (e.g., Psalm 19:1, Psalm 148:3).

But the best thing we know about the stars is that God has numbered them and knows each of them by name! (Psalm 147:4, Isaiah 40:26) Yet, even then, with all the detail and explanation of the Creation account in Genesis 1, the creation of this myriad of celestial beings is summed up in five words: “He made the stars also” (Genesis 1:16 KJV).
In Psalm 8, when David stood in awe of creation and the work of God’s fingers, he said, “What is man, that You are mindful of him?” (v. 4 ) God spoke the stars into existence, but later formed man, “crowned him with glory and honor” (v. 5), and gave him dominion over all creation (v. 6 NKJV).

We were made for a very special purpose: for the glory of God. (Isaiah 43:7)

This is something, as a young adult, I dismissed for a time in my life. I was taken in by the culture of the day. I was convinced that I was just a cog in a wheel. How could my actions bear any impact on the world? And how could a busy God be noticing whether I followed His Word or not? I forgot the value of a man (or a woman). I forgot my value. And I used that as a license to do what I wanted, to justify sin, and to rationalize my own version of morality.

Here we are in 2020, and we look around and see a mess. We see the world trying to define the value of a man: some too low and some too high. The world is telling people that their happiness in this life is all that matters, and their value does not extend beyond the grave, so live it up! Do what makes you happy! Be true to yourself and be whomever, whatever, whichever you want to be. Oddly enough, in this message, the world is also promoting the value of a man to be equal to or higher than God. You get to determine what makes you happy. You get to determine not just your actions and character, but even your DNA. Choose your own ethnicity. Choose your own gender. Choose your own age. Choose your own value.

But guess what?! God didn’t just create Adam in His own image and then let nature take its course. Down through the ages, every human being that has ever been conceived has been known by God. Has been created by God. Has been loved by God. God made you, He formed you in your mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13), and even before the foundations of the world, He knew you (Ephesians 1:4). All human beings are equally made in the image of God, and, as such, they have dignity and deserve respect. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them” (NASB).

It is a treacherous time we are living in, but one thing we can still be certain of is what Paul tells us in Philippians 1:6: “He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (NASB). In fact, Isaiah compares us to potter’s clay (64:8). With God as our Potter we have two options: we can remember our value to our Maker and submit ourselves to Him, pliable and moldable on the Master’s wheel. Or, we can be unyielding, hardened in heart, deceived by the world into choosing our own destinies but ultimately crumble under the Master’s hand.

If you have forgotten your value to the Lord, today is a good day to remember it. He has not forgotten. Psalm 103:14-18 is a good place to be reminded:
     For He Himself knows our frame;
     He is mindful that we are but dust.
     As for man, his days are like grass;
     As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
     When the wind has passed over it, it is no more.
     And its place acknowledges it no longer.
     But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,
     And His righteousness to children’s children,
     To those who keep His covenant
     And remember His precepts to do them (NASB).
 
Don’t just take my word for it! Visit YouFormedMe.com/bibleVerses/genesis27.html to read, watch, and listen to supporting research and commentary from scientists, doctors, theologians, and more!
This blog is from a special series of “Creation Fun Facts” by Terri Kammerzell, starting from June 10, 2020. Read the introduction at TruthOfGenesis.com/blogs/building-a-biblical-defense-of-creation.

Wait. I haven’t written this article yet. Wait. Don’t read it yet. … Okay, now you can! Are you a procrastinator? I know I tend to be. And sometimes I feel like I have good reasons or excuses to be, but then I’m reminded that being a procrastinator is nothing unique. Whether for good reasons or not, it is the way of many. In fact, I have three proverbs on a sticky note on my computer:

• Procrastination is the thief of time.
• The road of by-and-by leads to the house of never.
• The way to hell is paved with good intentions.

And I often recall one that a friend of mine told me years ago: “If it wasn’t for the last minute, I’d never get anything done.”

Well, if you can relate to any of these statements—or if you feel convicted by any of them—this Sunday’s “weird holiday” will be an assurance to you that you are not alone! It’s called “Fight Procrastination Day,” and I thought it would be a good opportunity to introduce you to my Fun Fact about the specialness of the human brain.

What is special about the human brain?
Consisting of billions of neurons that connect with each other via trillions of synapses, just one human brain is far more complex and designed much better than all the computers in the world combined.

Boy, that’s a lot of syllables! Let’s break down that first half. Neurons are the cells in your brain that control the flow of information you take in from the world around you and the flow of information that you send out to your muscles and more for how to respond. You have billions (nine zeroes) of them! Synapses are like the wires that connect the neurons with each other and with other types of cells. You have trillions (twelve zeroes) of them!

Now then, if I took you to a computer store and we browsed the latest and greatest models of PCs and Macs, you’d be pretty impressed with some of the marvelous features: the high-speed processors, the large-capacity hard drives, the super-quality video cards, and the impressive built-in memories. Especially if we did a little historical comparison to computers of the past such as the Eniac, a Tandy, or a Commodore 64. What if I stood there in that store and tried to convince you that those original machines not only came to exist as a random chance accident of a combination of chemical elements, but that every computer from that time until now slowly evolved on its own into a newer and better machine? Pretty silly, huh? We know that behind all the computers—from the very first to the ones we have today—there were engineers and other smarty-pants people who were designing them. In fact, many of them were implementing something called “biomimicry,” which is a way that humans model patterns in nature when designing materials and structures. Many of the world’s computers have been modeled after the brain, which even to this day is still more complex and designed much better than all the computers in the world combined. How silly would it be for someone to try to convince us that that computer—the true “supercomputer”—had no Designer?

Well, I don’t buy that, and hopefully you can use your brain to realize your brain isn’t the result of random chance combinations and millions of years of evolution. But what else are you going to use your brain for today? More intentionally, how are you going to use your mind today? Do you realize there is a difference between the two? Your brain is a part of your physical body, but your mind is a part of your soul and spirit. Did you know you can use your mind to control and repair your brain? Some time you might like to do a little research into the study of neuroplasticity. I’ve only read a little about it myself and am even less of an expert about the topic than I am about any topic, so I’ll just encourage you to do your own research.

But here’s something I do know: God gave us instructions all throughout His Word for how to use our minds! For example, when we consider the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, how many of them directly instruct us how to behave with our minds? The first is “You shall have no other gods before Me” (v. 3 NKJV). Considering something to be a “god” comes from the mind. When we worship, we worship with our minds. Commandment number four says to “remember the Sabbath day” (v. 8). And Commandment number ten tells us, “You shall not covet . . .” (v. 17). Coveting is an action of the mind, isn’t it?

In the New Testament we see countless exhortations about what to do with our minds as well. Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 not to “be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (NKJV). Again, he says in Ephesians to “be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (4:23 NKJV). James warns us not to be “double-minded” (James 1:7-8). And Peter tells us to be “sober-minded” in 1 Peter 5:8 (ESV).

There are many, many more examples, but this brings us to the most important one for this week: In 1 Corinthians 10:5, Paul exhorts us to “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (NKJV). Every thought. Not the thoughts you’ll have in an hour or in a day. But every thought. That means the thoughts you are having right now. Don’t let them wander. Don’t let them stray. Don’t let them go to waste. Use them! Take them captive and focus them on obeying Christ. Be productive.

God designed us each with a supercomputer built right into our bodies which enables our minds to obey Him, serve Him, and glorify Him. So, what are you waiting for? Go get to it—don’t delay!

Don’t just take my word for it! Visit YouFormedMe.com/humanBody/brain.html to read, watch, and listen to supporting research and commentary from scientists, doctors, theologians, and more!
This blog is from a special series of “Creation Fun Facts” by Terri Kammerzell, starting from June 10, 2020. Read the introduction at TruthOfGenesis.com/blogs/building-a-biblical-defense-of-creation.

Whether you’ve heard of it before or not, this Sunday is the annual “National Mustard Day.” If you didn’t know, don’t feel badly; after all, it’s considered as a “food holiday that might get overlooked.” Yet, there are people all over the country who will celebrate by using their favorite variety of the yellow condiment at lunch and dinner, and perhaps even invite their friends over for a mustard-tasting party. If mustard is your favorite condiment, you might like to know the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, is taking their annual parade online for 2020, so you can get in on the uber-celebrating too!

Reading about this “holiday” reminded me of an object lesson I once did with my homeschool drama class. It was in the spring semester of 2014 when I directed a Kathie Hill musical called “AmeriKids,” which was the story of the founding of the United States of America. The object lesson was that when we have faith even the size of a mustard seed, great things can happen. (Matthew 17:30; Luke 17:5-6) In this context, we know our founding fathers had a dream and, in faith, planted a seed that has flourished into a great nation. At the start of the semester, I brought a single mustard seed to class and planted it in a pot of soil in front of my students. Every week I carted that little plant to and from class, and every week my students and I marveled at its progress. On the night of our musical I carried that leafy green plant on the stage and introduced it and the musical. The audience was as impressed as we were. But in the gospels, we find that the Lord Himself tells us that the kingdom of heaven is like the mustard seed because even though it’s smaller than the other seeds, it can grow to be larger than the other plants. (Matthew 13:31-32; Mark 4:30-32; Luke 13:16-19). Isn’t that amazing? Even without a spoken word, we can see in God’s created nature signs and symbols of both His love and His kingdom.

And what about the rocks? Isaiah tells us, “You will indeed go out with joy and be peacefully guided; the mountains and the hills will break into singing before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands” (55:12 HCSB). And Jesus Himself told the Pharisees in Luke 19 that even if the disciples stopped singing His praise the “stones would cry out!” (v. 40 HCSB) Indeed, God has created our world in such a way that if we never read a word of His Word, we could see Him revealed in nature.

At no time in my life was this truth more real to me than later that year. In May we did our musical, and in June my son and I were given an opportunity to travel to Europe and to do some sightseeing. We visited some long-time missionary friends in southern Austria who took us on a day trip to Slovenia and Italy. Just inside the Slovenian border we stopped and walked around a site of a former concentration camp. While the somber reality that we were walking on a ground that once was the foundation of horrible atrocities was gripping, across the street was a metal sculpture by Boris Kobe depicting a prisoner with his arms raised to the heavens, crying out for relief. But on that day what accosted my emotions the most were the giant tree-covered stone mountains that encompassed that little valley. I remembered the verses from Isaiah and Luke and thought not so much about the prisoners but about their captors. Even if those men had never heard the truth of God’s love for all from John 3:16, or the definition of sin from James 4:17, or the wages of sin from Romans 6:23, even so—they had God’s majestic creation surrounding them, crying in chorus with those prisoners, telling them that God is real and that God is in control of this world.

Paul tells us this same thing in Romans 1. In fact, through the ages, philosophers have offered a picture of Paul’s passage of verses 18-23 as humans having been created with a “God-shaped vacuum.” How true this is! God made us for the purpose of knowing and worshiping Him. As humans we crave and desire to do that, and the created world around us points our attention to the Creator Who can fill that vacuum. So that brings us to our first Bible verse Fun Fact:

According to Paul, why is no man excused from knowing God?
In Romans 1:20, Paul says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse” (NKJV).

Nobody is without excuse. Nobody. God has given us all the ability to know Him.

In the world of creation science and apologetics, this passage pops up a lot. Of course, Darwinian evolution has become so commonplace, and the “accepted science” of the public schools in our country. But as I mentioned briefly in my July 17 post about the incompatibility of the Big Bang and the Bible, the idea of Darwinian evolution is simply that: an idea. It is not scientific fact and doesn’t even fulfill the requirements of being called a scientific theory. We will discuss this more with future Fun Facts, but this week I want to remind you that when it comes down to it, evolution—as a scientific model—was developed to try to find a way to explain origins without a Creator, without a God to Whom each one of us is accountable.

But what does God’s Word say? It says everyone--everyone—knows God exists. And verses 21-22 say, “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools” (NKJV).

Faith the size of a mustard seed is all it takes to fill the God-shaped vacuum you have in your heart, and then you can sing along with the rocks. Don’t forget to mention that to your friends this Sunday as you’re topping your hot dogs, mixing your egg salad, or seasoning your tofu with your favorite yellow condiment!
 
Don’t just take my word for it! Visit YouFormedMe.com/bibleVerses/romans120.html to read, watch, and listen to supporting research and commentary from scientists, doctors, theologians, and more!
This blog is from a special series of “Creation Fun Facts” by Terri Kammerzell, starting from June 10, 2020. Read the introduction at TruthOfGenesis.com/blogs/building-a-biblical-defense-of-creation.

     OK, I’ll admit it. I’m a romantic when it comes to Christmas. It gives me such joy to hear Christmas songs about Jesus on secular radio and in the stores. I find myself singing Christmas songs all day long. “O Come Let Us Adore Him,” “O Holy Night,” “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,”…all the traditional songs. One of my favorites is more contemporary. It’s “Immanuel” by Michael Card. The lyrics, the musical arrangement and his voice; to me it’s the perfect Christmas song.

     When we think of the Christmas story, we remember Jesus as the baby in the manger. We can quite easily forget that this is the same Jesus that spoke Creation into existence. His perfect Creation was ruined by our sin and he willingly chose to become our Savior. Such perfect love. The Word of God, the Great Creator, humbling himself to become human; the Word made flesh for us.
​
     Christmas time makes it easier to share with others the birth of Jesus. And to talk about why we need a Savior in the first place.  As you prepare for parties, guests, presents and holiday foods, take a few moments to read the Christmas message in Luke 1:26 through Luke 2:40. Then turn to John 1:1-17. Jesus the baby and Jesus the Word made flesh. Immanuel, God with us.
 
     Merry Christmas from all of us here at Truth of Genesis!

“Coffee,” “be you,” “be good to people,” “good vibes” read the shabby chic signs on the wall in the coffee shop where I sit. Attractive little things on the outside, but why be good to people? Why have good vibes? And isn’t it obvious that a person should be himself? Without truth behind words, they quickly lose their meaning. These phrases evoke emotions but dig no deeper than the surface and leave emptiness inside. Instead of finding fulfillment in truth, people grasp at food, sex, material belongings, and “spiritual” experiences in a desperate attempt to feel full. 

There must be something to fill that hole. There must be something so pure, so powerful, so satisfying that we will long for nothing else. Truth that conquers the lies of the world. But what if there was no hope of such? What if there was no knowledge of truth? Would I want to live in such a world? No, I think I would rather die. Where can thirst-quenching water and satisfying food be found?
  
The Bible makes 139 references to the word “truth.” I’d say that’s a good foundation. Some may quote the verse, “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” in John 8:32. But many may skip over the knowing part and just see the freedom promised. But if we back up, just one verse, we clearly see where the truth comes from. “So, Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.’”
  
First, Jesus said. We must believe in Him. Later in the book of John we read, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” The way, the truth, and the life. That is the complete package. For those wandering aimlessly, He is the way; for those hopelessly seeking, He is the truth; for those desperate to find meaning, He is life.
  
Second, we must abide in Him. In this place of intimacy, we find sustenance. We abide in him through knowing him through his word. In this world today, we have taken God and His Word out of schools, out of public places, and sometimes even out of our churches. If we have refused to accept the truth of Christ, it is no wonder we are in the jumbled mess we are in today.
  
His creation still cries out his name, but do we as Christians? Do Christians forget their citizenship in heaven and instead also get trapped seeking fulfillment on this earth? 1 Peter 4:17 says, “For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”  We will be judged when Christ comes again. Let us live in the light of revealed truth. Let us not be afraid to stand firm and to share the truth in this broken world.  ​​