Comment on Hope? Slim to none by Lydian.
This is a sad, sad day for the Adventist church and what it really stands for. But, in reality, it shouldn’t come as a great surprise. We have been plainly told that at the end of time a great “shaking” will occur and that many will be shaken out–that some of our “brightest lights” will go out, that some we have loved and trusted will “walk with us no more.” Then, we are told to “look up, for (our) redemption draweth nigh.” It is a sad–but glorious–time in which to be living!
Of course, we need to do everything we can to draw those who are slipping away back to the wonderful message God, in His great mercy, has given us. But we also have to be realistic and accept the sad fact that the majority will not listen. I, personally, thank God for the hard work Shane and Sean have done. It may seem as though it hasn’t done much good as far as LSU (and apparently some of our other schools) is concerned but it has surely awakened many of us to take “another look” at where WE stand in this conflict. Are WE “standing on the Rock” ourselves or are we wandering down other “strange pathways?”
The story is told of a little boy who lived during the Great Depression. Money was very tight then and you could buy a quart of milk (fresh from free roaming, healthy cows) for 15 cents and a loaf of homemade bread for ten cents.(This was in the days before everything you bought was taxed. I lived back then so I know.)
I never met him and never heard his name so I just call him “Little Lad.” According to the story, when he went to the tiny grocery store with his mother one day on the corner down the street (which was nothing like your modern grocery store) he spied the most wonderful thing he had ever seen in his short life. It was a SILVER WHISTLE! It even had a silver chain which you could wear around your neck so you wouldn’t lose it! It cost ten cents–a ten cents he didn’t have and Mother didn’t have it to spare for a whistle as much as she wanted to do it, They needed bread instead of a whistle!
The weeks went by and then it was Little Lad’s birthday. Mother and Father talked it over and decided to give him 10 cents for his birthday. They told him he could spend it for anything he wanted–knowing full well what it would be spent for! But first they pointed out to him all the things he needed. Then Mother took him to the store and in minutes the beloved whistle was around his neck and in his arms was the little stand it had rested on all these many weeks.
He blew it on the way home, he blew it after he got home and for the next several days he blew it so much the family was sick and tired of it but no one said a word. Then one morning he woke up, picked up his whistle and blew–but something was wrong! Instead of the lovely whistle sound he loved–it “growled!” He looked it all over and could see nothing wrong so he blew again–the same “growl.” He panicked–then he thought of Father. He would take it to him for Father could fix anything!
Father, who was expecting this, carefully looked it over–then looked at his young son. “Laddie, he said, “I’m so sorry but your whistle cannot be fixed.” Then he had Little Lad look through the mouth piece. There were red specks that covered the inside of the whistle. “Those red specks are rust, son. Every time you blew your whistle a little bit of moisture went into your whistle and caused it to rust. No one can do anything to fix it. I am so sorry, but your whistle will never blow again.”
For several minutes Little Lad hid his face in Father’s shirt and wept bitterly. Finally he raised his head and said, “Father, Father, I guess-I-paid-too-much-for- my-whistle!”
Friends, Satan has millions of “:silver whistles” out there for every “avenue to our souls.” The way we think, the things we read or watch on TV, the things we eat, the things we wear, the things we listen to, the things we touch, the things we spend our money on–and any other aspect of our lives. Satan’s “silver whistles” are constantly being waved before our eyes. We may be staunch Creationists but that alone will not insure us a place in heaven. It must be total surrender in every aspect of our lives! Have I reached that point in my life? FAR FROM IT! And the Holy Spirit has been saying loud and clear to me–PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH, Lydian! (As my Grandma use to say, “The pot can’t call the kettle black, dear!”)
Some day, I think sooner than we expect, the heavens are going to be “rolled back like a scroll” and the small little cloud will be seen. When it reaches us (it will be a huge cloud then) which group will we be in–those who will joyfully welcome His approach or among the ones who bow their heads in shame and say, “Father, Father, I-guess-I-paid-too-much-for-my-“whistle!”
I know I have a LOT necessary work to do in my life! How about you?
Table of Contents
Lydian Also Commented
Hope? Slim to none
Dear Ken,
I haven’t felt much like laughing these days but your Dead People really set me off–and I still laugh whenever I read it. Have shared it with family and we all laugh. I know you didn’t do it on purpose but it was a great “lifter upper” for me. I’m adding it to the “posts I save.”
Lydian
Hope? Slim to none
Would someone please explain to me where the seven-day week came from? The only reason for it that I know of is Genesis 1. That these were literal, 24 hour days is shown by God saying “the evening and the morning were the 1st day, the evening and the morning were the 2nd day–and so on.
As I recall there have been a few attempts to change the number of days in the weekly cycle but all have failed.
Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Hope? Slim to none
Dear Ken,
Thank you so much for taking the time to send me the article on bird migration. I only wish I had the “scientific mind” to fully understanding their reasoning–but, unfortunately, I don’t.
I grew up in a time when evolution was a non-issue– at least in my church and our educational system–so never gave it a second thought until this LSU situation was called to my attention a year or so ago. Frankly, I’m thankful that was the case because it gave me the chance to develop an unshakeable, strong faith in my Bible and my God. (Not that I am such a great Bible student because I’m not. It has only been the past few years while my grand children were growing up that I “woke up” and really started to try to understand prophecy and the great significance it had in truly “knowing” God and His plans and purposes for me and for our truly “little” world. )
No, Ken, we are NOT the biggest and most advanced planet in the universe even tho we seem to think we are. But we ARE the one planet that rebelled against our Creator and bringing us back “Home” is the most important item on God’s agenda. He could have just wiped us out and started all over again, you know, but instead He loved us so much He was willing to go to any length to bring us “Home” again. Such love is simply beyond my comprehension!
But there were two sentences in the article I did understand (at least somewhat!) and here they are:
“The lack of knowledge of the molecular basis of migration is currently not only limiting our insight into the proximate control of migration, but also into its evolution.”
And:
“Despite extensive research over decades, the molecular, physiological and endocrinological mechanisms underlying the regulation of migratory movements remain largely unknown.”
From my point of view, the answer is “In the beginning, GOD….”. I accept the fact that this does take faith’ Ken, but doesn’t belief in evolution also take faith? It seems to me that some things I have heard as “proven facts” are some times later proven untrue by archaeology.
Who knows–some day maybe God will see fit to reveal the remains of Noah’s Ark–altho I am in no way saying that this will happen. There are many things that will always need to be believed by faith alone–based entirely on what God has seen fit to reveal to us and I have no problem with that.
Ken, prophecy is the ‘solid rock” on which I build my unshakable faith in the Bible. I’ll talk more about that in my next contribution.
Recent Comments by Lydian
A New Endowment Program for Adventist Education
So here I sit–a “very old lady”–totally confused and not having a clue as to whether to donate or not–or where to donate if I should.
As things stand now I think I will just continue putting my own little amount to my current “missionary out reach” of buying “Steps to Christ” and “Who Do You Think You Are?” and passing them on to the clerks in the stores where I shop or other people I meet that I think would like them.
If and when you folks decide on what, how and where to help in this very worthy project let me know and I’ll do what I can then.
A New Endowment Program for Adventist Education
I just noticed that there is such a program in place in northern California but I would want one that is nation wide. After all, if our kids aren’t already in danger here in the southern union also (as well the rest of the US) it’s most likely only a short matter of time till they will be.
A New Endowment Program for Adventist Education
I am far from a wealthy person who could and gladly would donate large sums of money to such a program but I could and would gladly donate some if such assurances were solidly in place. I’m sure there are many “old folks” like me “out there” who feel the same way. (Is there already such a program in place? If so please post all needed information.)
The God of the Gaps
While browsing my rather voluminous file of articles to “save” I ran across this jewel—I think it is worth saving and thinking about–especially the last statement by Darwin himself:
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Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
While Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is a relatively young archetype, the evolutionary worldview itself is as old as antiquity. Ancient Greek philosophers such as Anaximander postulated the development of life from non-life and the evolutionary descent of man from animal. Charles Darwin simply brought something new to the old philosophy — a plausible mechanism called “natural selection.” Natural selection acts to preserve and accumulate minor advantageous genetic mutations. Suppose a member of a species developed a functional advantage (it grew wings and learned to fly). Its offspring would inherit that advantage and pass it on to their offspring. The inferior (disadvantaged) members of the same species would gradually die out, leaving only the superior (advantaged) members of the species. Natural selection is the preservation of a functional advantage that enables a species to compete better in the wild. Natural selection is the naturalistic equivalent to domestic breeding. Over the centuries, human breeders have produced dramatic changes in domestic animal populations by selecting individuals to breed. Breeders eliminate undesirable traits gradually over time. Similarly, natural selection eliminates inferior species gradually over time.
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Darwin’s Theory of Evolution – Slowly But Surely…
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is a slow gradual process. Darwin wrote, “…Natural selection acts only by taking advantage of slight successive variations; she can never take a great and sudden leap, but must advance by short and sure, though slow steps.” [1] Thus, Darwin conceded that, “If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down.” [2] Such a complex organ would be known as an “irreducibly complex system”. An irreducibly complex system is one composed of multiple parts, all of which are necessary for the system to function. If even one part is missing, the entire system will fail to function. Every individual part is integral. [3] Thus, such a system could not have evolved slowly, piece by piece. The common mousetrap is an everyday non-biological example of irreducible complexity. It is composed of five basic parts: a catch (to hold the bait), a powerful spring, a thin rod called “the hammer,” a holding bar to secure the hammer in place, and a platform to mount the trap. If any one of these parts is missing, the mechanism will not work. Each individual part is integral. The mousetrap is irreducibly complex. [4]
Darwin’s Theory of Evolution is a theory in crisis in light of the tremendous advances we’ve made in molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics over the past fifty years. We now know that there are in fact tens of thousands of irreducibly complex systems on the cellular level. Specified complexity pervades the microscopic biological world. Molecular biologist
Michael Denton wrote, “Although the tiniest bacterial cells are incredibly small, weighing less than 10-12 grams, each is in effect a veritable micro-miniaturized factory containing thousands of exquisitely designed pieces of intricate molecular machinery, made up altogether of one hundred thousand million atoms, far more complicated than any machinery built by man and absolutely without parallel in the non-living world.” [5]
And we don’t need a microscope to observe irreducible complexity. The eye, the ear and the heart are all examples of irreducible complexity, though they were not recognized as such in Darwin’s day. Nevertheless, Darwin confessed, “To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree.” [6]
Footnotes:
1. Charles Darwin, “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life,” 1859, p. 162.
2. Ibid. p. 158.
3. Michael Behe, “Darwin’s Black Box,” 1996.
4. “Unlocking the Mystery of Life,” documentary by Illustra Media, 2002.
5. Michael Denton, “Evolution: A Theory in Crisis,” 1986, p. 250.
6. Charles Darwin, “On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life,” 1859, p. 155.
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I don’t think Sean could have said it better himself!
Walla Walla University: The Collegian Debates Evolution vs. Creation
Sean, I guess I “bit off more than I can chew” when I subscribed to some of your other options.
All I can handle is the ^way it used to be”–like this column still is. Please put me back to this mode of information and I will be very happy. Thanks.
