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The statement that sin is never logical seems obvious enough. If an action is contrary to God's commands we would expect the outcome to less than good. Yet how many times when observing sinful behavior in others do we hear the words, "how could you do that; what were you thinking"?  When one child takes another's favorite toy knowing it will cause trouble, we ask, "Why did he do that?" as if the answer were a mystery. The implication is that if the child had been thinking logically or wisely he would not have taken the toy.  In this case it is easy to see that the child was acting selfishly and not obeying God.  This is not really a knowledge issue but one of disobedience and selfishness. However, when it comes to the behavior of adults it seems that logical, biblical behavior is expected. So we ask the question, "What was the person thinking?"

In a recent post I raised the question about God's involvement with the oil spill in the Gulf. There are at least two perspectives from which to consider this question. The first perspective is to consider if God is actively involved and if he is, to what extent. The second perspective is to consider whether the human agents that are part of this spill could have benefited from considering relevant biblical principles. A related issue is how to follow the direction of Deuteronomy 6:4-7 in talking about the spill with your family.

Oil is gushing from a damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico. British Petroleum (BP) has thus far failed to cap the oil flowing into the Gulf. The U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring the situation. In an address from the Oval Office the President said that he is upset and wants the problem solved. In the meantime fish, birds, and other wildlife are being coated with an oily film. This film is also beginning to cover beaches and wetlands all along the Gulf Coast. Tourism and fishing, vital to this region, are also threatened. The finger pointing is increasing. Questions abound on the economic, political, and ecological fronts. What is to be done about the oil?

The 2010 Winter Olympic Games are in their final week. The performances have once again been tributes to the skill and dedication of those who participate in the games. The sacrifice has been huge. As the numerous NBC personal vignettes testify, many of these athletes have given their whole lives to reach for Olympic glory. It is a heady goal to be acknowledged as the best in the world--to win the gold medal. For many at the games, it is enough just participate in the Olympics, to compete with the best, even if they don't win the gold. The glory of the Olympics compels these athletes as well. But there is a problem with pursuing Olympic glory. In the pursuit of medals there is the danger of making this pursuit the most important goal in life. You see, the Living God has demanded of man that He be most important in our lives. It is the pursuit of God's glory that is to dominate human life. That is what people were designed to be: pursuers of the glory of God. Romans 1:21-32 addresses this very issue.

A second snowstorm within three days has brought the mid-Atlantic region of the United States to a halt. This region contains the nation's centers for finance, business, and government. In some instances, even snow plows have been kept off the roads because conditions are too dangerous for plowing. So far, Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Philadelphia have had record amounts snowfalls. The news media have provided extensive coverage of the disruptions caused by the snow. Questions are being asked of politicians and meteorologists about the significance of these back-to-back storms. But one question is not being asked, and that is the most important question of all. Does God have your attention?

Snow is blanketing the East Coast this weekend in record amounts. Hundreds of thousands of homes are without power. Work will be disrupted for companies, small businesses, schools, and even the government. Thirty inches of snow simply cannot be ignored. Once again, the power of man quickly pales in comparison to the power of God. The scientific explanation of how snow occurs is not complex. The right combination of moisture, temperature, and a low pressure system will result in snow. However, small deviations in any of these three variables can result in ice or rain instead of snow. The convergence of just the right factors results in major storms like the one occurring now. For some this is a random convergence, occurring with all the certainty of a roll of the dice. But for those who believe in the God of the Bible, weather is not random at all. The Book of Job makes this statement:

This headline is from a recent edition of the London Daily Mail online. The rest of the headline reads: Scientists create sperm and eggs from stem cells. Here are a few quotes from this article:

The U.S. government-funded research also offers the prospect of a 'miracle pill' which staves off the menopause, allowing women to wait longer to have a child.

Scientists at Stanford University in California found the right cocktail of chemicals and vitamins to coax the cells into becoming eggs and sperm. 

The American team used stem cells taken from embryos in the first days of life but
hope to repeat the process with slivers of skin. The skin cells would first be exposed to a mixture which wound back their biological clocks to embryonic stem cell state, before being transformed into sperm or eggs.

The double success, published in the journal Nature, raises the prospect of men and women one day 'growing' their own sperm and eggs for use in in vitro fertilization treatments.

Today is September 11, 2009.  "Are you safe?" seems like a good question to consider on the 8^th anniversary of the Al Qaeda attack. I remember the morning of September 11, 2001. I left the house early to follow my son to the mechanic's shop where he was to have some work done on his car. I was listening to the radio as we drove through the countryside. The local talk station was playing on my car radio.  About half way to the mechanic's, the morning talk show host interrupted his discussion of some local topic to report that apparently a small plane had just flown into one of the towers of the World Trade Center in New York. The host was more amused than alarmed at that point.  However, a few minutes later his tone was much more than alarmed. As reports began to spread through the various network wire services, an unsettling picture emerged of an unknown number of planes crashing into an unknown number of locations. My son and I returned home to view our first TV images of the attack.  Within minutes of our arrival, the second tower of the World Trade Center collapsed.  We also heard reports of a bomb or a plane hitting the Pentagon. Numerous other unconfirmed reports were still being assessed. It was time to ask - are we safe?