Daily Devotional – November 30

Geology

What is the tallest mountain in the world? This record actually belongs to Mauna Kea in Hawaii that rises 30,610 feet from the bottom of the sea…and a staggering 56,447 feet from its underground mountain roots.1 Mt. Everest is only 29,029 feet. Whereas Mt. Everest is made primarily of sedimentary rock, Mauna Kea is entirely composed of volcanic lava. Both mountains were formed during or shortly after Noah’s Flood.

Skeptics of a biblical timeline point to the enormous size of the Hawaiian Island volcanoes, measure how slowly volcanoes are growing today, and state as a fact that the Earth must be millions of years old for such large volcanic mountain chains to have formed. What they fail to realize is that during the Flood of Noah, “all the fountains of the deep broke up” (Genesis 7:11) causing copious amounts of lava to pour forth. The rate of volcanic activity today can be compared to a leaky faucet slowly dripping water while during the Flood of Noah, the lava would have been like a torrent of water coming from a fire hose. During the Flood, lava was pouring forth to form Mauna Kea and could easily have been flowing at 1000 times the rate we see today. Although no one knows when the peak first broke through the surface of the Pacific Ocean, there is no reason to believe it could not have been during or subsequent to the Flood of Noah’s day about 4400 years ago.

Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak.…

~ Isaiah 41:1

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

~ Proverbs 3:5-6

“Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.”

~ Dr. Seuss (1904 – 1991), beloved children’s book author

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – November 29

Biology

You probably know that God created many birds and mammals with incredible parenting skills. But you may be amazed at the effort a tiny amphibian living in the remote forests of Central America takes to ensure its offspring’s survival. Many frog species simply lay their eggs in water and leave the scene. Not so with the strawberry poison dart frog. She lays her eggs on the damp rainforest floor instead of in a pond like most frogs. The father stays vigilant over the fertilized eggs keeping them moist. When a tadpole hatches, it wriggles onto the mother’s back. She hops away, usually looking for the rain-filled part of the bromeliad plant, which holds pools of water. Here she leaves her tadpole in the plant’s pool of water and goes back to fetch her other tadpoles, giving each a piggyback ride to a different pool of water. Daily, she will visit 3-9 tadpoles and feeds each one an unfertilized egg. She cares for her tadpoles, in this manner, for six to eight weeks until they become frogs and can hop out.

How does the tadpole know to hop onto the mom’s back? How does the mom know to give him a piggyback ride to a pool of water? How does the mom remember each place to visit? How does she know to feed them an unfertilized egg? Most frogs just lay their eggs and hop away. If the strawberry poison dart frog had hopped away like other frogs, there would be no more strawberry poison dart frogs; this behavior and all its parts had to happen the first time! God designed this just to show us how creative He could be.

Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.

~ Psalm 150:6

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – November 28

Biology

When winter comes, some animals hibernate while others migrate, but have you heard of the Arctic Springtail’s method of surviving the winter? Arctic Springtails are tiny little insects less than 2/10th of an inch long. They spend their spring and summer living in the mossy areas of the Arctic. Once it starts becoming chilly, they start to darken in color and lose massive amounts of water until they shrivel up - looking like a dried, crumpled leaf. They spend the winter dehydrated and dormant. This is called cryoprotective dehydration and is also used by the Antarctic nematode and the Antarctic midge larvae. When the spring warmth returns, the Arctic Springtail rehydrates itself and crawls away as if nothing happened.

Evolutionists believe that the Springtails’ ability to dry out and later rehydrate themselves happened over millions of years. Yet, this simply cannot be true because the Springtails, nematodes, and midge larvae all had to get it right the first time in order to survive the first brutal Arctic winter. God provided this unique hibernation ability from the very beginning.

O Lord, how great are thy works!

~ Psalm 92:5a

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – November 27

Geology

The apostle Peter tells us that at a time, which he calls “The last days,” scoffers will laugh at the Genesis Flood account (2Peter 3:3,6). I think we are there! What evidence is there for a worldwide flood? One evidence comes from observing sedimentary rock layers. Sedimentary rock layers cover ¾ of the world’s continents. Try this simple experiment to see how rapidly sedimentary layers can form. (I am using food, but two different sizes of sand grains will work just as well.)

Blend together the following recipe for “Russian Tea”:

• 2 cups orange-flavored drink mix (e.g. Tang)
• 1½ cup sugar • 1 cup instant tea powder
• 1 (3 oz.) pack lemonade mix (or 2 packs of lemon Kool-aid)
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground cloves
• Mix well.

Now, slowly pour the mixture through a funnel into a tall, clear glass. What you should observe is layering as the mixture separates. Multiple thin layers result as the falling materials sort themselves. Evolutionists would have us believe that layers form slowly over time, yet in this demonstration (which can also be done with different sized grains of sand), we see that layers actually form rapidly. The same thing can happen over huge regions as water sorts sediment into distinct horizontal layers.

So make yourself a cup of Russian Tea (2 Tbs. or more of the mixture to a cup of water, heated), sit back, look at your layers, and know that God’s Word is true. There was a world-wide Genesis Flood that produced the sedimentary rock layers that cover 75% of the world’s continents.

Fifteen cubits [22 feet] upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.

~ Genesis 7:20

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – November 26

Microbiology

DNA found in dinosaur bones! The DNA molecule is one of the most fragile and easily fragmented of all organic structures, yet that is what has been found in dinosaur bones. Since Dr. Mary Schweitzer first reported finding soft tissue in dinosaur bones in 20001, so many fossils have been documented to contain soft protein and other undecayed biological material that it has become routine. Recently undecayed DNA sequences were found within soft dinosaur tissue!1 This is the “final nail” in the coffin of the belief that these fossils laid in the ground for millions of years.

Studies have been done to see how long DNA would exist if held at certain temperatures. For example, if the DNA were held at 77oF, it could survive for 22,000 years; after that, no measurable genetic sequence would be left. Here are the results of the study:

77 degrees Fahrenheit – 22,000 years

59 degrees Fahrenheit – 131,000 years

41 degrees Fahrenheit – 882,000 years

23 degrees Fahrenheit – 6.8 million years

Notice for DNA to survive for millions of years, the temperature had to be below freezing. Fossils trapped in rock layers do not experience subfreezing temperatures for millions of years! Also notice, the millions of years mentioned are only 1/10th of the time as compared to the evolutionary idea of dinosaurs dying out 65 million years ago. Dinosaur fossils and the rock layers they are trapped in are not that old. These dinosaurs were caught in the Flood of Noah’s day some 4400 years ago. It is no surprise then that small amounts of the DNA structure could occasionally be found in these dinosaur fossils. DNA in dinosaur bones shouts, “It’s a young Earth!”

Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook?… Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron. His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.

~Job 41: 1, 19-21

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – November 25

Cosmology

What about the Big Bang Theory? The Big Bang Theory says there was absolutely nothing, and then all the energy and matter in the universe appeared as a single point that suddenly explosively expanded. This created hydrogen gas that was flung out and spread throughout the universe. Then, clouds of hydrogen gas pulled themselves together, forming stars. From the stars, the planets were flung out, and you and I were made. Question - Where did the energy come from? How did it get so compressed to form a single point? What caused the explosion? Do explosions make order and design? (Explosions just make big messes.) And what was before the Big Bang? Evolutionists say there was nothing. Do I get something from nothing?

It takes more faith to believe in the Big Bang Theory than to believe there is a God. God clearly told us that He was the One who made the heavens and the Earth – God made them from nothing.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

~ Genesis 1:1

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – November 24

Biology

It is often asked how freshwater fish could survive the Flood of Noah’s day when the whole Earth was covered with salt water. We do not know for certain what the salt content was of the Genesis floodwaters; they probably were salty but not as salty as today. One way freshwater fish could have survived in salty water was through the formation of a halocline (or density gradient) within the water layers. Very salty water poured into fresh water can form layers that remain separated indefinitely. The floodwaters could have formed a density gradient with fresh water on top and salt water in a layer below. For example, in 1993, the Great Mississippi Flood flowed into the Gulf of Mexico producing a layer of freshwater that was traceable all the way from the Mississippi River delta to the Florida Keys and a thousand miles up the East Coast.

Another possibility for survival was revealed in an experiment that was done in the 1970s by biologist Arthur Jones for his doctoral research. He hypothesized that “all, or at least most, fish kinds that survived the Flood must be able to survive both sea water and fresh, and much mixing of the two.” In this particular experiment he used a kind of fish called cichlids. His research found that freshwater cichlids not only survived for over two years in pure sea water, but they also “lived and reproduced normally.” Another fish that can survive in both fresh and salty waters is salmon. God created life with the ability to adapt to different environmental situations.

Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and everything that moveth therein.

~ Psalm 69:34

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – November 23

Design

How did the seahorse get its square tail? That’s right; a seahorse has a unique tail - it is square, not round. Almost all animal tails have circular or oval cross-sections, but not the seahorse! This square cross-section tail allows the seahorse to grip better than if it had curved sections. When examining the tail, notice how it is made up of about 36 square segments that become smaller in size along the tail length.

A 3D printer duplicated the tail, and when the tail was submitted to crushing tests, it was found to provide better crush resistance than a cylindrical tail. Today’s scientists are doing more research on the seahorse tail in order to develop new robotic systems. Scientists are just copying the Master Designer, God!

Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised….

~ Psalm 96:3-4

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – November 22

Geology

You may have watched CSI (Crime Scene Investigation) shows on TV. These detectives use various clues left at the scene of a crime to reconstruct an event, which they were not present to witness. The same can be done at the scene of the greatest catastrophe in Earth history – the worldwide Flood. But the “crime scene” of this event is the entire Earth! How the evidence is interpreted depends on your starting philosophical viewpoint. If you are trained to believe in enormous periods of time in Earth history, evidence that supports the worldwide extent of Noah’s Flood is missed or denied. The Tapeats Sandstone deposit, as found in the Grand Canyon, is a perfect example.

This sedimentary rock layer was deposited right at the bottom rock record, on top of a scoured and often tilted layer of the Earth’s foundational rock layers. Tapeats Sandstone is a bed of sand that has been cemented together. It shows a distinct pattern of waves and cross bedding - which indicates the direction and speed with which the water deposited this sand. A clue used to identify the Tapeats Sandstone is its chemical composition. This rock layer contains a specific amount of the mineral feldspar and more potassium than any other common sandstone layers, such as the overlying Coconino Sandstone. The final clue that can be used to identify this very specific sandstone layer is its fossil content. The Tapeats Sandstone often contains an extinct creature called the trilobite, while sandstone layers further up (which would have formed later in the worldwide Flood) often contain amphibian or reptile fossils (because these creatures would have been more mobile and able to survive into the later stages of the Flood.)

The reason a scientist can reconstruct the “crime scene” of Noah’s Flood and know it was worldwide in extent is because of the characteristics of the Tapeats Sandstone- its chemical composition and fossil content. This extensive rock layer extends across entire continents (often given different names at different locations) from the Grand Canyon, AZ (Tapeats Sandstone); Chippewa Falls, WI (Mt. Simon Sandstone); Libya, North Africa (Sauk Sandstone); and Timna, Israel (Amudei Sandstone). All are identical - indicating that they are all the same deposit, laid down at the same time, by the same event. Only a world-covering Flood could explain such evidence.

And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.

~ Luke 19:40

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.

Daily Devotional – November 21

Biology

Have you considered the camel’s ability to go days without water, suffer extreme dehydration, and then drink up to 40 gallons at one time? It’s all in their red blood cell design.

Camels have red blood cells that are shaped flat, oval, and much smaller than human red blood cells. Human red blood cells are round. When humans become dehydrated, our blood becomes “sluggish” as the blood cells get stuck; a 5% water loss can result in serious medical problems. For humans, a 12 % water loss can result in death by dehydration; but not so for a camel, with its smaller, flatter, oval-shaped red blood cells. Even as the camel’s water level drops, its blood just keeps ‘a flowin’. A camel can lose up to 40 % of its water and still survive.

The camel also has an enormous ability to store water in its body. Some camels have been documented to drink 40 gallons at one time. If we drink too much water at one sitting (~ ½ gallon or 2 ½ liters), our red blood cells start to swell and can actually burst. The camel’s red blood cells are able to expand up to 240% without rupturing while most animals’ red blood cells are only able to expand up to 150%. How did the camel know it needed to have this type of red blood cell to survive harsh conditions? How would this cell evolve? The red blood cells of a camel were obviously designed by God in order for the camel to survive and thrive in dry desert environments.

The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

~ Isaiah 43:20

Source: "Pearls in Paradise" by authors Bruce Malone and Jule Von Vett

References for this devotional.