Meteorology, Oceanography and the Bible. Wandering Planets. Do a Little. Goat Cheese. Update.

 

For "Scripture Sunday": 

Meteorology, Oceanography and the Bible

"The Bible is not a science book, but it includes many fascinating scientific facts. Consider these four facts about meteorology and oceanography.

The Bible focuses on teaching us God’s plan for our lives and the best way to live. However, when we study the Bible, we also find plenty of scientific tidbits that can strengthen our faith in its authenticity.

Consider these Bible facts about the wind and sea, recorded long before they were common knowledge:

1. Air has weight.

Job 28:25: “To establish a weight for the wind.”

The Bible claims that wind or air has a measurable weight. Yet people have not always known this. Our bodies are so accustomed to atmospheric pressure that we don’t think of the air as “weighing us down.”

According to NOVA, the idea that air has physical properties such as weight was first proposed by Isaac Beeckman in 1618; even then he was staunchly opposed by his contemporaries.

However, over the next centuries, scientists confirmed that there is indeed a “weight of the wind.” A column of air stretching from sea level to the top of the atmosphere just one square inch in cross-section weighs about 14.7 pounds! (A similar column of air one square centimeter in cross-section has a mass of about 1.03 kilograms.)

That is, air is matter made up of individual bits (molecules) that each have mass and weight. The temperature and weights of these molecules control the density of an air mass. Its density, in turn, determines the pressure of the air mass and how it will interact with other air masses at weather fronts.

In other words, our modern understanding of meteorology is based on this central fact described long ago in the Bible!

2. Water can evaporate, condense, precipitate and collect in an endless cycle.

Several scriptures make clear that water continually circulates between earth’s surface and earth’s atmosphere. The water cycle remains a crucial model for many modern fields including meteorology, oceanography and geology.Job 36:27-28: “For He draws up drops of water, which distill as rain from the mist, which the clouds drop down and pour abundantly on man” (see also Job 26:8 and Ecclesiastes 1:7)."  by Heather Cole           More at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/is-the-bible-true/how-do-we-know-the-bible-is-true/meteorology-oceanography-and-the-bible/

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From me: It says in Isaiah 40:22, which was written in the 8th century Before Christ: "God sits above the circle of the earth. The people below seem like grasshoppers to him! He spreads out the heavens like a curtain and makes his tent from them." (NIV) 

If they had studied their Bible, the ancient people would have known that the earth wasn't flat!!

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Wandering Planets

AN AMAZING FACT:  "A rogue planet is a planetary object that has been moved from its system and is no longer bound by the gravitational forces of a star. Some astronomers actually believe there might be twice as many Jupiter-sized rogue planets as there are stars.

The concept and understanding of planets have developed throughout history and have expanded to include worlds not only in our solar system, but also in hundreds of other solar systems. Trying to define what a “planet” is has led to much scientific controversy.

The five classical planets visible to the naked eye have been known since ancient times. They have had a large impact on mythology, religious cosmology, and ancient astronomy. Thousands of years ago astronomers noticed how certain lights moved across the sky in relation to the other stars. Ancient Greeks called these lights “wandering stars.” The Greek word planetoi means “wanderers,” from which today’s word “planet” was derived.

In the short New Testament book of Jude, the writer warns of false teachers who were leading Christians astray. They might have preached about freedom and grace, but their lives showed that they didn’t really believe in Jesus Christ. They were immoral and destructive. Jude describes them like this: “They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever” (Jude 12, 13).

Perhaps the writer of Jude understood astronomy better than his fellow astronomers back then. Maybe his description of wandering stars (rogue planets) actually captures well these planetary objects not tied to an orbit around a star. We too can find ourselves as wandering stars when we try to exist in our own spheres of orbit. We would find more meaning and purpose in life if we allowed ourselves to be pulled in by the Spirit into an orbiting relationship with the Son of Righteousness."

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Do a Little

"We humans seem to be able to reason that the little we might do will not amount to much—so why bother?

To our way of thinking, unless our actions bring about a great change, they are useless. How often have we walked by a piece of paper or rubbish that someone dropped and we ourselves do not bend to pick it up because there is more rubbish to be seen? It seems like an endless task. What we may not notice is that in our inner man, changes take place. We can become careless in many little things as our values slowly change.

Jesus explained that when He observed a person being faithful in something small (like picking up a piece of paper and putting it in the trash bin), He knew that the person would be faithful with larger responsibilities (Luke:19:17). Jesus was looking at what was going on within the mind of the person—not on the little act that took place. For all of us, it is the inner man that we are developing by doing a little."  From: http://www.ucg.org/this-is-the-way/do-little/

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For your info:

Is Goat Cheese Good for You?

"Goat cheese contains less lactose than cheese made from cow’s milk, so it is typically well tolerated by those with lactose intolerance.

If you have an allergy to milk protein, you may be able to tolerate cheese made from goat’s milk because it’s formed with shorter amino acid protein chains than cow’s milk.

Goat’s milk has a chemical structure that’s similar to that of breast milk, and it has smaller fat globules than cow’s milk, which tend to make goat cheese easier to digest than cow’s milk cheese (even for people with a sensitive stomach)

Goat cheese has fewer calories and sodium per serving, and more vitamin D, vitamin K, thiamine, and niacin than cheddar.

The goat cheese you select should be made from high-quality milk, ideally raw organic milk from pastured animals; since goats are “browsers,” they also need access to natural “browse” (or woody plants, such as shrubs) from which to eat leaves.  Complete article at: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/09/28/goat-cheese-benefits.aspx

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Update:

Jay cleaned the pine needles off the roofs, so we raked them up and that meant another burn pile. Jay and I are still spasmodically working on the storeroom extension.  Ray's back has been really bothering him and he has been laying on his couch most of the time.  This morning he went to the Emergency Room and they gave him some shots and meds.

It was time for my six month check up at the cardiologist.  A lady did a sonogram of my heart and and the doctor says it is in better shape now than when I got out of the hospital after the bypass surgery.  He ordered another blood test for my thyroid to see if I really need that thyroid medicine. He said that one's numbers can fluctuate, and it might have been unusually high when I had the previous test.   The med is difficult to take, as you can't take it with four hours of having calcium.  It gave me insomnia, when I took it, and that was also when my left leg started to swell up.  Another medicine did that to me too. 

The foster dog, Baby Girl, and foster cat, Nala, are still here and not adopted yet.  Fortunately, this big 52 lb dog is obedient and easy to live with.  The cat thinks that this is her forever home, but at my age they both need to have new homes now, and not upon my demise when they are older.

Yesterday, I went to church by myself, as Jay and Ray weren't well, and it was great to be around such positive people. The readings were from Psalms 61,62,63, and 65.  Then Deut.11:26-chapter 18, Brother Les got carried away and read more than he was supposed to! 

The Teaching was about the Feasts as we are right in the middle of two of God's Holy Feast Days.  These links explain it better than I can.  See: http://www.ucg.org/booklet/gods-holy-day-plan-promise-hope-all-mankind/gods-festivals-new-testament/ 

and  http://www.ucg.org/gods-holy-day-plan/ 

and http://lifehopeandtruth.com/life/plan-of-salvation/feast-of-trumpets/

The First Resurrection at the Last Trumpet

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."  More at: http://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/blog/the-first-resurrection-at-the-last-trumpet/

 

The potluck was great as usual.  The week before, a visiting member from the church at Cisco had brought a big box of hard pears, so I took a few home with me.  They would only soften up when cooked, like in a pie or whatever.  I don't eat pastries, so I found a recipe for braised celery and pears, and it was tasty.  The pastor and his wife brought a brisket, and it was so tender.  We had the usual salads, lasagna, veggies and desserts, even a cake saying "Happy Feast Day".