The story goes like this… An atheist sues the government claiming that their faith has no holiday celebrating what they believe.  The judge says that is not the case because atheists have a holiday that is on the calendar every year.  Puzzled, the atheist’s lawyer asks for clarification.  The judge replies, April Fool’s day is the “Atheists national holiday”!  Why?  Psalms 32:1, “The fool says in his heart, there is no god.”  Easter, also on April 1st, 2018, rises above the lesser day of pranks like the best steak rises above cheap, garbage filled hot-dogs.

Easter burst on the world-scene magnifying God’s love and leading humanity back on a clear path to Him.  Whereas April Fool’s day is another historical trick whose actual origin is doubtful.  Like atheism itself, grounded in evolutionary faith, interesting stories abound around the day but not much foundational truth.

One story has “All Fools Day” going back to 1582 when the French changed from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian.  The New Year began sometime during the last week of March and people who failed to make the switch to January 1st earned the jeers and jokes of the well-informed.   Another story says that the day replaces, Hilaria, a Roman celebration for spring and the end of winter.  The celebration boasted both get-ups and gags.  Weather fans suggest that it has something to do with the capricious weather during that time of the year which often fools us with snow overnight and fifty-one degrees by the end of the day! 

Like the evolutionary thinking, none of this is verified, and comes from the creative mind of man.  Regardless, the contrast of choices in worldviews this year couldn’t be clearer while at the time being immensely symbolic and relevant for our lives today.  Celebrate the most documented, studied, verified and life-changing event in history and faith, the death and resurrection of Jesus or join the fools.  The great evangelist and creationist Henry Morris said, “Indeed a wise person will ‘hearken’ unto good counsel and thus someday ‘inherit glory’.”

Easter is the celebration of a prophecy fulfilled, i.e. trusted and verified.  Its foundation is Genesis which tells us the need for a Savior, and is the bedrock of the gospel message.  That’s why creation and the cross go hand in glove.  Unfortunately, many who call themselves Christians have one foot in both worldviews.  Many “Christians” have been taught secular worldviews that use humanistic religion taught as science.  They don’t realize that the same peddlers of millions of evolutionary years also say humanism is not compatible with the gospel!
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Easter is the day to stop being a fool and kneel at the foot of the cross.  I say kneel because we need to acknowledge Him as Lord and repent of our sins.  No matter who you are, what you’ve done or believed in the past, Jesus is there to meet you.  As the Bible says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near”. (Isaiah 55:6)

The spirit of Christmas is the Spirit of Christ living among us today, and the celebration of “THE” gift which is the only gift which can keep on giving, the love and the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ.

If you listen, really listen, to some of the best “religious” Christmas songs ever written they speak directly to the reason for Jesus being born and our need for a savior.  O Holy Night is such a song.  It begins…

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.  Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees!
 
It’s easy for us to get caught up in family, gifts and having a fun respite from work.  And there is nothing wrong with any of those things, I certainly love spending time with my family, both mine and my wife’s.  And one of my “love languages” is gifts so I love to give and receive thoughtful presents.

But what I want more than anything this Christmas, is the gift of each and every one of my friends and family coming to know Christ as their Lord and Savior, and for the ones who do know Him to have an even deeper and more profound relationship with Him.

Sharing Christ and affirming His Word is something that I, and most Christians, can get better at doing.  But there can be more to sharing Jesus than just wishing someone a “Merry Christmas”.  We need to also defend the truth of His deity and the authenticity of the biblical text.  Remember, Jesus is the Word.  All of the Word!

Truth of Genesis, and other biblical creation organizations, spend much time trying to help people see that perspective.  Through building on the foundation of the Gospel, Genesis, we hope that Christ may be glorified as Creator, Redeemer, Lord and Savior.  The goal is to show that real science and biblical interpretation confirm the accuracy of God’ word and therefore the Gospel of Christ.  As the song says,

Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
 
I’m greatly encouraged by people like Karen who is a friend of our ministry.  She takes the opportunity of Christmas to give out apologetic or Christ affirming gifts and notes to people she knows.  This year Karen gave out the DVD “God vs. Evolution”.  By giving out faith affirming material, and learning how to defend the truth ourselves, we can help people reduce some of the barriers the secular world has attempted to build between people and the life giving message Jesus’ birth.

As you sing hymns this Christmas season, think about what Jesus really did by coming to earth on Christmas day.  He brought the light of truth into a dark and dying world as “THE” perfect gift. 

Make it a point at Christmas and throughout the year to build up people’s faith and the authority of scripture.  Give some gifts and send some notes of encouragement that do just that.

O Holy Night concludes with:

With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
 
Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year from Truth of Genesis!
 

In all my years of celebrating Thanksgiving I had never heard of Sarah Joseph Hale.  Does that name sound familiar to you?

She is most known for being the author of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” which was also part of the first recording on Thomas Edison’s invention of the phonograph.

But she is also probably the person most responsible for Thanksgiving being a federal holiday.
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Her series of editorials influenced President Lincoln to back legislation making Thanksgiving a national day of remembrance in 1863.  It was the culmination of 17 years of work pleading with five U.S. presidents before providence took hold in the middle of the civil war.

For the Christian, Lincoln’s action is the perfect example of giving thanks even during difficult times.  And the Civil War was one of the darkest hours in American history.  We are reminded in Thessalonians, “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

This is important for me because I have a tendency to thank God only during times of plenty or opportunity.  But His grace and mercy abound in my life at all times, and Jesus’ sacrifice is an eternal gift.  I’ve already experienced the thing most desired in every human heart, real love and real peace.

If you’re a Christian, remembering this and letting its truth be something that we’re thankful for daily is part of our call.  If you’re not a Christian, it is part of the promise that God makes available to all who seek Him.

Lincoln “urged his countrymen to be mindful of their many blessings that are ‘the gracious gifts of the Most High God’ who ought to be thanked ‘with one heart and one voice, by the whole American People’.”1
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As Christians today we should be urgently sharing the truth of the gospel, upholding the authority of scripture and giving thanks daily for our personal relationship with our Lord Jesus above our material blessings.
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Sarah Joseph Hale and President Lincoln were instrumental in establishing Thanksgiving on our calendar each year.  Let’s not forget God’s Word calls us to give thanks in times of famine and in times of feast.    
 
References: 1. http://www.icr.org/article/thanksgiving-heritage
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/recon/jb_recon_phongrph_2.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_(United_States)
http://www.icr.org/article/9023
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Josepha_Hale
 

 The Protestant Reformation: What does this mean to us today?

October 31st, 2017, marked the 500th Anniversary of the recognition of the Protestant Reformation. In 1517, Dr. Martin Luther (a Roman Catholic monk) challenged the Catholic Church, in regards to doctrine and salvation, by nailing a declaration to the door of Wittenberg Church.

​Martin Luther and other Reformers addressed four questions: *How is a person saved? Where does religious authority lie? What is the church? What is the essence of Christian living? The Reformers answered these questions with five points that would separate biblical doctrine of the Protestants and the Roman Catholics. These five points are:

1. Scripture Alone: The Bible is the only authority for all matters of faith and practice (emphasis mine).
2. Salvation by Grace Alone: Salvation is proof of God’s undeserved favor and that we are rescued by faith alone, not by works.
3. Salvation by Faith Alone: We are justified by faith in Christ alone.
4. In Christ Alone: Salvation is found in Jesus Christ alone; no one and nothing else can save.
5. For the Glory of God Alone: Salvation is of God and has been accomplished by God for His glory alone.

How does the Reformation affect us today as Creationists? The Protestant Reformation returned us to the Bible as the only spiritual authority. It reminds us that we must stand against any doctrine of faith that takes us away from the Bible as our spiritual authority.

As a nation, we have allowed the religion of Evolution in our schools, in our homes, in our churches, and given it authority over our children. As followers of Christ, we need to realize that Evolution and the Bible do not agree. They are two polarizing faiths; you cannot believe in both and be intellectually and biblically consistent.

I thank the Lord for the Reformers’ strength and resolve (even to the point of death) so that we can stand on the Bible as our Scriptural authority today. Please join us and others as we encourage the Body of Christ to return to the Bible as their only spiritual authority regarding the origins of creation. Join us in prayer for another reformation.  One that will free the church from Evolution’s deception and its influence over the Body of Christ, so that we can then disciple others with the truth of Scripture.

Reformation is just as important for us today as it was for Martin Luther over 500 years ago.  Just as we need to continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit and press into our Lord; we need to continue to prune dead man-made philosophies and beliefs from the church.  May God bless us to continue the good work that Luther started until THAT DAY!

*Excerpts from GotQuestions.org “What was the Protestant Reformation?”
 

​Labor Day, the “unofficial end of summer,” is a day given to workers to honor their work and give them a day of rest.  As it approached this year it began to remind me a lot of the Sabbath, the designated last day of the week that God gave us to rest from our six days of work.  

​Like much of scripture, people have lost the honor and respect for the Sabbath.  How many people today tell you that they can’t do something because “it’s the Sabbath?”   Can you recall anyone doing that? 

One of the beautiful things about my wife is that she is a God honoring woman.  A few years ago she started to study the Sabbath and asked why we didn’t follow it closely as a family.  Of course we remembered in the Bible where it says “the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”  That’s the normal justification for ignoring the day of rest.  

Matthew Henry, famous for his Biblical commentaries, pointed out that: “God never intended it to be an imposition on us, and therefore we must not make it so to ourselves.”  So should we now work seven days a week?

As with many things, we take the freedom that Christ gave us too far.  The Sabbath was given to us by God directly as a commandment to observe not as an imposition as Henry indicated.    Instead, it’s a guide for healthy living and a reminder to draw close to and seek Him out.  It doesn’t have to be the same day of the week for everyone but it’s a good idea for everyone to pick a day to rest.  That is the example that God gave us, to develop a habit of refreshing our minds and bodies and drawing closer to Him.

Of course, if we are in Christ, He is our rest.  We are not under the law but the principals of the Sabbath remain.  During the Exodus many of the Jews didn’t take the opportunity to draw closer to God even though He was right there with them. 

They found that the farther you get from the best that the Lord has for you; the worse off your situation, and heart, becomes.  When the Holy Spirit spoke of their disobedience and not following His rest (pursuing after God and not idols) He said: “’They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways’.  As I swore in my wrath, ‘they shall not enter my rest’”.

A major focus of this ministry is to acknowledge God as Creator.  Emphasizing His act of creation is one of the reasons he rested in Exodus 31:16-17:  “Therefore the people of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, observing the Sabbath throughout their generations, as a covenant forever. It is a sign forever between me and the people of Israel that in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’”  Have you ever considered that the example that the Lord gave to rest was done before the Law was given?

​God certainly didn’t need to rest on the seventh day.  The Lord Jesus didn’t need to take the Sabbath off before He rose.  But he did.  Even the One who told us not to be legalistic set the example by following it.  The Sabbath is still holy, but also still made for us.  As Henry said, “…receive and embrace it as a privilege and a benefit, not as a task and a drudgery.”  So how are you doing with it?  Got Sabbath?

   Recently our son had to have blood work done.  He says needles and spiders are his greatest fears.  Because this was going to be such a challenge for him to get through we offered a reward to look forward to after the task was complete.  For over a year he has been wanting to see the 1993 movie "Jurassic Park."  It's an intense show so we wanted to wait until he could handle the adventure.
   Our son bravely completed his medical work and we watched the movie the same afternoon, to his absolute delight!  Since he has grown up hearing about the Creationist viewpoint he knew there would be points in the movie that would contradict what he's been taught.  The movie talks about dinosaurs living billions of years ago, before man.  The Creationist view says that dinosaurs lived at the same time as the first humans, and were created on Day 6 by God.
   When the movie mentioned dinosaurs evolving from birds he knew the opposing theory.  Creationists say that dogs are created as dogs, birds are created as birds, and dinosaurs created as dinosaurs.  Genetic variability exists in DNA code, and creates species within a "kind," however nothing has ever been proven to evolve from one kind of animal to another.  
   These aspects of the movie didn't keep us from allowing our son to watch it, however if you are trying to help a young child learn about Creationism (that God created the Earth in six, literal days, with the information He gives us from the Bible being a true account) it's important to point out the differences of philosophy when you come across them.  The more you know about both models (Creation and Evolution) the more you will recognize how often the Evolution Model is taught as fact to children through many sources, even a Science Fiction movie, such as Jurassic Park. 
If you want to know more about the scientific reasons why evolution is impossible read the book Evolution Impossible or Refuting Evolution or watch the DVD set Rocks Cry Out.

​An amazing event will take place on August 21st 2017, a total solar eclipse,  It will be view-able in the continental United States along a 70-mile-wide path from Oregon to South Carolina.
 
It’s an opportunity to give glory to God for the provision of the moon and get a better understanding of the purpose of this “simple” celestial body.

As the Psalmist says, “The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.  Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.”   So, what is this eclipse telling us or reminding us about the moon as it relates to the Lord.

First of all, the size and position of the moon is critically important for an eclipse to happen.  Of the approximately one hundred moons in our solar system ours is the only one known to be capable of a perfect total solar eclipse.  The reason for this is that the moon is 400 times smaller than the sun but it is also 400 times closer to the earth.  This ratio allows for the moon to completely block the sun and look as if it is the same size.  Secular scientists would have us believe that this is some terrific accident. 

God created the sun, moon and stars on the fourth day of creation.  The moon has a number of critical roles that it plays in day to day life here on earth.  One of the most important is the tidal action that the moon helps cause each and every day.  While the sun plays a role in the tide, about two thirds of the gravitational pull that causes tidal action comes from the moon.  Twice a day the moon causes a “high” tide.  These occur when it is on the near side of the earth and when it is on the far side of the earth. 

The tides, and to some degree wind, help provide our ocean currents.  The value of the tides can’t be over-emphasized.  They cleanse our shores, break down waste coming off the land and reinvigorate the water with oxygen.  Without them sea life would stagnate and eventually die.  Over 70% of our world is covered with water the majority of oxygen producing plants are actually in the sea.  So, without the tides provided by the moon to keep our oceans healthy we would literally be fighting to breathe!  Thank God for designing a wonderful system to deliver oxygen the next time you sing the popular praise song lyrics, “This is the air I breathe...”

While the visible effect of the moon’s gravity is in the water, it also effects the land and air.  The crust of the earth actually rises from one to two inches as the moon passes!  There is a similar effect of tidal action in the upper atmosphere.

One of the aims of secularists is to steal God’s glory and rob Him of the title Creator.  However, the scripture says, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.  … Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!  For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm”.
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Of course, one of the major purposes of the moon is to mark the seasons as stated in Genesis 1:14. Not only does it help us mark spring, summer, autumn and winter but also determines the date of Easter every year.  To determine Easter, you determine the first day of spring, find the next full moon and then Easter will be the first Sunday afterwards.  
 
Did you know that without the moon the seasons would be chaotic and severe at best?  The moon literally helps to keep everything from going sideways on earth.  It helps keep the earth’s tilt at the perfect 23 ½ degrees.  Without it the earth tilt could fluctuate between zero and 90 degrees.  According to Our Created Moon by Don DeYoung, who I credit for the fascinating information in this blog,” …an earth tilt substantially greater than 23.5 degrees could lead to a permanent freezing of the oceans and the end of all life.”  Maybe we should just give glory to God for placing us in just the right solar system with just the right sun and a perfectly placed moon.
 
Lastly, the moon and Jupiter also have a purpose in protecting the earth.  There are 150 mile-wide craters on the unseen or far side of the moon which shows a great number of impacts left behind by space objects.  The visible or near side has the Maria or seas (these are the dark spots) which are left behind by basalt layers but the unseen or far side has taken the majority of the collisions.  I mention Jupiter because of its mass and massive gravitational pull which acts as a guard against many unwanted visitors to our solar system.
 
In any case, the eclipse may cause you to feel an uncertainty and sense of trepidation that you may never have experienced before.  Remember, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  An eclipse is a dramatic pause that reminds us, “the heavens declare the glory of God” and remind us of His provision.   And whether you are reading this before or after the American solar eclipse of 2017, it is a good time to take a moment and worship the creator…not the creation.

At the end of May, my family took a trip to the Ark Encounter which is located in Williamstown, Kentucky.  We were headed to South Carolina for an end of the school year vacation, and had been wanting to see this life-sized reconstruction of Noah’s ark.  I like to gather the most information that I can before a trip like this, and so I went to the Ark Encounter’s website to get more details to plan our day.  Their website was helpful, but I had some general questions like would I get cold inside?  How long would it take to get through?  Where could we stay overnight?  Here are my top ten tips for making your trip to visit this new attraction easier!

10.  ARRIVE EARLY  We arrived right at opening time, pulling into their parking lot at nine a.m..  They have good parking attendants that helped us find a spot, and directed us to the ticket booth.  There were long lines and a bus loading to take people to the Ark by the time we walked over. 
 
9.  BUY TICKETS IN ADVANCE   While there were lines (about 5 family units long) at each of the many windows, the window to process tickets that were pre-purchased had a much shorter line. 
 
8.  DRESS IN LAYERS  I wondered what the temperature would be like in the Ark.  The weather outside on the day we were there was beautiful (mid 70’s by afternoon).  The inside of the ark felt comfortable to me, like the outdoor temperature.  I had dressed in a zip-up sweatshirt and a t-shirt.  In the morning I was glad to have the two layers, and by the afternoon I had the sweatshirt tied around my waist.
 
7.  EAT AT EMZARA’S  I LOVE a good meal.  On vacation we tend to stay in places that have kitchens, to save on money, and eat in instead of dining out.  We only had a few meals out on our ten day trip, and the buffet lunch at Emzara’s was one of them.  I had read many reviews on Trip Advisor saying this restaurant’s buffet, that is a few hundred feet from the Ark itself, was fantastic and they were right!  Lunch is $12.99 for adults, $9.99 for 60+, $5.99 for 5-12 yr., and under 5 free.  There is a combination price where lunch and dinner are $19.99 for adults, $16.99 for 60+, and $9.99 for 5-12 yr. olds.  If you think you'll stay long enough to eat twice this is the way to go!
 
6.  PLAN FOR 6 HOURS  By the time we got to the Ark itself (after paying for our tickets, taking the bus to the Ark, and then doing a short video for this website) it was 10:00 a.m..  We went through the first and second floors by 12:45 p.m..  Then we stopped to eat lunch. We went to the gift shop for about a half hour after lunch, and then finished the day by 3:30 after touring the third floor.  This was a little over six hours.  I wouldn’t say we sped through, but I also wouldn’t say we hit everything.  By the third floor we were a little tired, and my son and I skipped a few exhibits because they were crowded. 
 
5.  FEEL FREE TO SKIP THE PICTURE ON THE WAY IN  When you first enter the ark you go up a long ramp.  At the top they have two professional photographers taking pictures of the groups that enter (family units, big groups, singles, etc.).  We did not want to pay for a picture taken by them so we just walked to the front of the line, and walked past the photographers when they were stopped for a second.  It would have slowed us down, probably another twenty minutes, to stand in line and wait for a picture we didn’t want as there were about 15-20 groups of people in front of us.
 
4.  SNACKS ARE AVAILABLE ON DIFFERENT LEVELS OF THE ARK  We brought in our own water bottles, but there are snacks on the Ark.  Our 12 year old son got two things on the second floor snack stand.  It was good to see they offer healthy things like hummus and crackers, or yogurt.  (Although our son chose potato chips!) The prices are, as you would probably expect, high.
 
3.  PREPARE FOR CROWDS  I asked the lady checking out my wares at the Gift Shop if they were particularly busy the day we were there.  It was Memorial Day weekend, and it just seemed like everywhere we went in the complex there was a crowd.  She replied, “Oh no, this is not busy at all.  We’re expecting a much bigger crowd tomorrow.”  If our day was a normal, or light traffic, day it was still crowded by my standards.  I personally don’t love crowds, but the Ark’s busyness didn’t bother me at all.  However, I didn’t like having to fight the crowds at each exhibit, and you would have to move at the pace everyone else was moving in the exhibits because they would get tightly packed. 
 
2.  ENJOY THE MOVIES  We all really enjoyed the movies on the second and third floors.  The creators of the films tied the two together in theme, so it made it even more enjoyable to laugh at the characters and see them developed in each story line.  There are long, wooden benches to sit on to see the movies, and you can come and go as you like with the films playing on a continuous loop. 
 
1.  DOING ONE WAS ENOUGH  One of the biggest questions we had was could we do both the Ark Encounter and the Creation Museum in one day?  Dave and I had been to the Creation Museum, but our 12 year old has not.  We considered trying to fit them both in on the same day.  I am REALLY glad we didn’t.  There is so much information at each of the two places, plus they are not right next to each other (under an hour’s drive).  One was enough!
 
Overall, we loved our experience at the Ark Encounter.  I think we all would say it was not only one of the best days of our vacation, but also of our summer!  We hope everyone has the chance to go, at least once.  If you have been to the Ark Encounter would you let us know in the comment section?   If you have any tips to add to our list please let us know!