More Evidence for Global Flood

The London Metro reports today (so it's probably a story that's been around for a few days!) ...

A huge landslide under water produced the longest ever flow of sand and mud. The flow travelled 1,500km before it stopped off the coast of north-west Africa.

A researcher from Bristol University is quoted as saying, "The volume of sediment transported is difficult to comprehend. It was one of the largest movements of material ever to occur on our planet."

They say this happened 60,000 years ago. I think it happened more recently - during the flood described in Genesis.

Avoiding Worry 2 - Realise Its Futility

This continues an earlier post in which I started to outline some ways to avoid being crippled by worry.

2. Realise its futility

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? (Matthew 6:27)

This is a really powerful argument if we can persuade our minds to recognize it.

Worry is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it gets you nowhere. (Glenn Turner)

It only seems as if you are doing something when you're worrying. (Lucy Maud Montgomery)

A hundredweight of worry will not pay an ounce of debt. (George Herbert)

Worry is completely useless. It doesn’t help at all. It doesn’t bring any pleasure and doesn’t help to make the problem - if there really is one - any smaller.

The Mary Rose and the Flood

This morning on the Today programme there was an item about the 25^th anniversary of the raising of the Mary Rose from Portsmouth Sound, where it had sunk in 1545.

During the interview, John Humprhrys expressed surprise at the beautiful condition of some 19,000 objects found on the ship, including longbows, domestic equipment, jerkins, nit combs, bowls, shoes, plates, shoes and leather wrist guards. "Why is it all in such good condition? ... You'd have expected it all to have rotted wouldn't you, after all this immensely long time?"

The maritime archaeologist, Alexzandra Hildred, explained, "The view is that sediment went in through the open gun ports very quickly and sealed it ... sealing the objects below and completely excluding oxygen so they didn't disappear ... that's why she was preserved - covered in mud."

In other words, if the objects had not quickly been covered in mud they would not have survived so long. This is common sense.

On the other hand, most palaeontologists would have us believe that the wealth of striking fossils we find today - some retaining well-preserved soft tissue, including blood vessels - were gradually covered over hundreds or thousand of years as they rested on the sea bed, millions of years ago. This is plainly rubbish. Even after a few weeks or months, the carcasses would have completely rotted and the bones dispersed. Even if buried, such tissues would not be preserved for so long.

Only a moderately recent cataclysmic and world-wide event, such as the flood described in Genesis, can explain the excellent preservation of so many animal remains in so many parts of the world.

Avoiding Worry 1 - Realise It's a Sin

Worry is something that affects all sorts of people for all sorts of reasons. Many people throughout history have recognized its power to damage us psychologically, to drain us emotionally, and to prevent us enjoying life as we should.

As a rule, what is out of sight disturbs men's minds more seriously than what they see. Julius Caesar

Grief has limits, whereas apprehension has none. For we grieve only for what we know has happened, but we fear all that possibly may happen. Pliny the Younger

It is not the cares of today, but the cares of tomorrow, that weigh a man down. George MacDonald

Oh the nerves, the nerves; the mysteries of this machine called man! Oh the little that unhinges it, poor creatures that we are! Charles Dickens

You can’t change the past, but you ruin a perfectly good present by worrying about the future. Anon

I've developed a new philosophy ... I only dread one day at a time. Charlie Brown (Charles Schulz)

Worry is something that can seem overwhelming and that we can feel powerless against. We cannot sleep. Our thoughts go round and round, always thinking about the same thing. ...

As Christians we know that we shouldn’t feel like this but can be completely unprepared for the onslaught when it comes. We find we can’t just laugh it off.

We need a biblical perspective to deal with worry when we feel so overwhelmed.

Here are some thoughts that I hope will be of some help - not only at that point, but also to help avoid worry before it begins to tighten its grip.

1. Realise it is a sin

When I first heard and thought about this, it came as a real eye opener. I suppose I had previously thought that it was just part of some people’s characters, mine included, which we could do nothing about. But Jesus says, Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. (Matthew 6:25) God has commanded us not to worry - and disobeying God’s commands is sin.

Another way of looking at this is to see that, if you’re worrying, it’s probably a sign to yourself that you’re not trusting God completely. But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and [the crucial point] everything that does not come from faith is sin. (Romans 14:23)

If you’re worrying because you’re discontented with what God has provided then you’re in danger of falling into even further sins, like envy and greed, and even further heartache. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. (1 Timothy 6:9-10)

Now, we know what to do about sin!

First of all, of course, we need to repent, and ask God to forgive us our sin, on the basis of what Christ has done.

Then we need to remember that God always provides a way of escape from temptation - we need to look for that. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. (1 Corinthians 10:13) Perhaps this will mean turning our minds to other things, doing something different in our daily routine, meeting with other believers, helping somebody. Whatever is needed, we need to do this as soon as we can. If we can nip the sin in the bud it will be much easier to deal with.

To be continued ...

Learning from Them

I believe that there is a lot to learn from many in the charismatic movement: their desire to worship God with enthusiasm, using contemporary language; their concern to demonstrate real, practical love to others; and their emphasis on evangelism. I may cringe at some of the methods used, but blanket criticism is not helpful — particularly when I know that so often my worship is cold, my desire to see others saved is non-existent and my love for others superficial.

Regarding one aspect of worship, Exiled Preacher has posted a thoughtful and helpful reflection on "why Reformed believers should not balk at singing hymns by charismatic authors".

He concludes:

I am not happy with much of what goes on under the "charismatic" umbrella. But I recognise that there are genuine godly believers in that movement, men and women who love the gospel. Some are even Calvinistic in their theology. If that is the case, the Spirit is at work in their hearts and lives. He has given these friends the gifts and graces that have produced some wonderful new hymns. If "all things are mine" as a member of the body of Christ, then these hymns are mine to sing just as much as those of Isaac Watts and Vernon Higham.

Teaser 5

What is the next digit in this sequence?

   1, 1, 1, 1, 5, 1, 7, 2, 3, 5

Hint

There's a corresponding sequence: 12, 6, 4, 3, 12, 2, 12, 3, 4, 6

Answer

   11

Explanation

Start with 1/12 (one-twelfth), and then keep adding 1/12. You end up with the sequence 1/12, 2/12, 3/12, 4/12, …. Next reduce each term to its simplest form. This results in: 1/12, 1/6, 1/4, 1/3, 5/12, 1/2, 7/12, …. The numerators from these fractions give you the original sequence.

Day Out in Leicester

I have managed to buy a couple of rail tickets that I cannot use. Doh!

If anyone would like them, please let me know. The details are:

6 October 2007
London St Pancras - Leicester 08:55 (arriving 10:04)
MML Advance D (can't change date or time)
Original price £9.00

6 October 2007
Leicester - London St Pancras 15:56 (arriving 17:17)
MML Advance C (can't change date or time)
Original price £7.00

Polar Clock Screen Saver

A while ago (Clever Clocks) I stumbled across the imaginative and strangely relaxing Polar Clock.

I'm glad to see that it's now available as a screen saver. Download it from Pixel Breaker.

Some Things I Dislike About France

1	The state of public toilets
2	The dearth of post boxes
3	The abundance of "calvaries": roadside crucifixes
4	Few evangelical churches
5	Shops shutting for 2 hours at lunch-time
6	Having to pay for medical treatment
7	Very public urinals
8	Inadequate direction signs on roads

Some Things I Like About France

1	Well-maintained, quiet roads
2	Lots of cycle tracks
3	Street markets selling local, seasonal produce
4	Good, inexpensive wine
5	Frequent (although basic) motorway stopping places
6	Supermarkets
7	Baguettes
8	Cheap(er) petrol
9	Free car parks at tourist attractions
10	Camp sites with individual, hedged pitches
11	The plethora of boulangeries
12	Patisseries (and their contents!)

Manchester Earthquake

There are reports today that there was a small earthquake in Manchester this morning, measuring 2.2 on the Richter scale (2.2 ML).

This is not uncommon. The British Geological Survey—which operates a network of seismograph monitoring stations around the UK—says that it locates between 300 and 400 earthquakes per year above 1.5 ML. In a typical year, 40 events will have magnitudes greater than 2.0 ML and about 20 are felt by local residents.

This map, from the BGS, shows seismic activity in the Manchester area since 1777:

The BGS web site includes an interactive map that you can use to explore historical earthquake data.

French English

It's been a while!

Seen on top of a water tower in Sallertaine, France ...

English Channel Flood

Nature reports (The megaflood that made Britain an island) that a team from Imperial College London have found strong evidence at the bottom of the English Channel that a major flood separated the British Isles from continental Europe.

Their survey reveals several distinctive features typical of large-scale flood flows, the team reports in Nature today. The straight shape of the wide underwater valley, a floor grooved and gouged as if by flowing water and tumbling rock, and streamlined 'islands' of raised sea-floor between deeper channels ...

They attribute this to an isolated incident: the breaking of a chalk ridge that dammed a huge lake to the North and East of Calais.

It would seem just as likely that this was just one part of the global catastrophe described in Genesis 6-8.

An Historic Post!

A scene in my office. I couldn't find the box for insignificant post.

The Bible, The Pope and the Church

How glad I am that my eternal state does not depend on membership of some man-made organisation!

According to CBS News, Mr Joseph Ratzinger, aka Pope Benedict XVI, ...

... has reasserted the universal primacy of the Roman Catholic Church, approving a document released Tuesday that says Orthodox churches were defective and that other Christian denominations were not true churches. ...

"Christ 'established here on earth' only one Church," the document said. The other communities "cannot be called 'churches' in the proper sense" because they do not have apostolic succession — the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ's original apostles.

He is surely either supremely arrogant or supremely misguided.

But what does the Bible say about the church? I found this good summary on CARM (slightly altered):

The Church is the "body of believers". It is comprised of those who have been saved and redeemed by the true and living God, based upon the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus upon the cross.

Inclusion in the body of Christ is not by membership in a denomination, nor by baptism, nor or by dedication. It is not received by ritual, or by ceremony, or by natural birth. It is received by faith. Therefore since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1; For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:8.

The invisible church is the church made up of true believers. The visible church consists of those who say they are Christian but may or may not be truly saved.

Being a member of a church on earth guarantees nothing. Being a member of the body of Christ guarantees salvation.

The true Christian church is comprised only of those who have been redeemed by Christ who died on the cross and rose again. They are justified by faith in Christ. They are not saved by false teachers, false gods, false gospels, by their works, or by their works combined with the grace of God.

They are saved by grace through faith and that through Jesus alone: Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved, Acts 4:12.

Dorothy Sayers on Wilful Ignorance

The only letter I ever want to address to 'average people' is one that says - I do not care whether you believe in Christianity or not, but I do resent your being so ignorant, lazy, and unintelligent. Why don't you take the trouble to find out what is Christianity and what isn't? Why, when you can bestir yourself to mug up technical terms about electricity, won't you do as much for theology before you begin to argue about it? ... You would be ashamed to know as little about internal combustion as you do about the Nicene Creed.

Quoted in One Eternal Day: Dorothy L. Sayers on doctrinal ignorance

Shame on the BMA

The number of abortions carried out in England and Wales has been steadily increasing from the moment it was legalised 40 years ago.

In 1968, the first year after abortion was legalised, just over 22,000 terminations were carried out. In 2006 the figure was a staggering 193,700. (Source: http://www.dh.gov.uk/)

The vast majority of abortions - almost 97% - are because of "injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman" - a broad category which covers almost every cause of an unwanted pregnancy.

And what does the BMA call for in response? To relax the rules even further and to make access to abortion even easier.

They should be ashamed of themselves.

Drawer Your Own Conclusions

From the London Metro, 21 June 2007. (Sorry about the poor image quality.)

De-Junking DNA

It is becoming more and more apparent that so-called "junk DNA" is not junk after all.

Like so-called vestigial organs, some atheists have claimed that large portions of the human DNA is an evolutionary artefact that serves no present-day purpose.

According to a recent BBC News article, new research, part of the Encyclopaedia of DNA Elements (Encode) study, suggests "genes, so called junk DNA and other elements, together weave an intricate control network".

The researchers focussed on 1% of the human genome sequence, carrying out 80 different types of experiments that generated more than 600 million data points.

The surprising results, explained Tim Hubbard from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, "transform our view of the genome fabric".

Previously, genome activity was thought of in terms of the 22,000 genes that make proteins - the functional building blocks in our cells - along with patches of DNA that control, or regulate, the genes.

The other 97% or so of the genome was said to be made up of "junk" DNA - so called because it had no known biological function.

However, junk DNA may soon need a new moniker.

Dr Hubbard said: "We are now seeing the majority of the rest of the genome is active to some extent."

He explained that the study had found junk DNA was being transcribed, or copied, into RNA - an active molecule that relays information from DNA to the cellular machinery.

He added: This is a remarkable finding, since most prior research suggested only a fraction of the genome was transcribed."

Once again we see evidence that we are "fearfully and wonderfully made". I don't hold out much hope, though, that mainstream biologists will at last start to acknowledge the hand of the superb designer in what they are studying.

Working with GetOpenFileName

In Excel 2003 VBA, you can use GetOpenFileName to display the standard Open dialog box. If you set the MultiSelect parameter to True it is supposed to return an array of file names from the user. It returns False if the dialog is cancelled.

One standard way of calling this function is along the following lines:

Dim fileNameList
Dim fileNum As Integer

fileNameList = Application.GetOpenFilename( _
      "Text Files (*.txt), *.txt", _
      1, "Select One Or More Files To Open", , True)

If fileNameList <> False Then
  For fileNum = 1 To UBound(fileNameList)
    Call ProcessFile(fileNameList(fileNum))
  Next fileNum
End If

However — even when MultiSelect is True — GetOpenFileName doesn’t always correctly return a variant array; sometimes it returns just a single file name. This causes a Type Mismatch error on the subsequent call to UBound.

The following alternative code can be used as a workaround. It tests whether the function has returned a string or an array and acts appropriately:

Dim fileNameList
Dim fileName As String
Dim fileNum As Integer

fileNameList = Application.GetOpenFilename( _
      "Text Files (*.txt), *.txt", _
      1, "Select One Or More Files To Open", , True)

If fileNameList <> False Then
  If TypeName(fileNameList) = "String" Then
    fileName = fileNameList
    Call ProcessFile(fileName)
  ElseIf TypeName(fileNameList) = "Variant()" Then
    For fileNum = 1 To UBound(fileNameList)
      fileName = fileNameList(fileNum)
      Call ProcessFile(fileName)
    Next fileNum
  End If
End If