Where Did All The Dinosaurs Go?

March 23, 2010

Or rather what caused them to go away would be a better question.  A new report published today about a panel of 41 scientists from around the world says that a 9-mile wide asteroid was the cause of the extinction that took place 65 millions years ago.  You can read the article posted in a yahoo blog here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100304/sc_nm/us_dinosaurs_asteroid

As a 6 day creationist who doubts the earth is any more than 12,000 years old I just simply have to ask, “Where were you when you saw that asteroid hit?”  They say that science is based on observation and last time I checked the oldest people who are still living were only about 116 years old.  Maybe they found a stone tablet with a sentence scratched in it by a dinosaur; “Big Asteroid coming, 9 miles wide, we are all gonna die…..” (mocking the monty python and the Holy Grail scene where they explore the cave and read the writing on the wall)

It’s amazing to me that the theory of Evolution is still given as much weight as it is given even after the decades of research and non-existant proof that has yet to be found.  I know that we don’t know it all yet, and that goes for both sides evolution and creation, I don’t think we will ever know it all.  The Bible says in Deuteronomy 29:29 “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.”  Plain and simple this says that there are some things that we will never know or understand in our life, but that those things are for only God to know.

 I am tired of the scientific community making new claims and findings that they infer from the smallest bit of evidence or an educated guess about live thousands of years ago.  They make the news for a day and then are gone into the forgotten library of tapes and archives never to be thought up again, until a liberal college professor assigns a paper on evolution.  To this date there have been no transitional fossils (fossils that show evolution in process for example changing from a lizard to a bird) found, Darwin himself made comment that in order for evolution to be true there would have to be transitional fossils.

The Nebraska Man Drawing

Similarly, the ape-man discoveries of Neanderthal man have been found to be rare examples of people with back and spine problems  like rickets disease for example.  The other findings such as Java man, Piltdown man, Peking Man, Nebraska man, and Lucy, all turned out to have similar stories or have found to be fake.  My favorite story was Nebraska Man found in 1922, that was believed to be undeniable proof by paleontologist was all derived on a single solitary tooth!   Drawings were made of this supposed link to the past.  However, findings didn’t turn out good because some time later Harold Cook found another identical tooth, but this one happened to be attached to the skull of an extinct wild pig!!

It was just a little over 500 years ago that people thought the world was flat, and Christopher Columbus was sailing off to his death in search of a new world.  Just 60+ years ago the Nazi government got together and thought it was OK to slaughter millions of Jews.  These are just some examples of science and “the majority” of where they were wrong, I have no doubt that there will be more claims and events  like these in the future also.

One of the reasons I believe that man has such a hard time giving up on the theory of evolution is that it is simply the only other choice to choose other than accepting the idea that the Bible is true and that God created it.  Are we as people that hard to give up control and admit that we are not the top of everything.  When we recognize the idea that God is the creator and sustainer of life and of the universe we live, we also have to entertain the fact that we are sinful imperfect people who need help and need a savior to help us out of the pit that we are in.  I know I am a sinner and that if Jesus had died for me on the cross I would be in a heap of trouble.

As for the question posed in my title, “Where did all the dinosaurs go?”  I have the answer for you and it is… I don’t know.  It could be an asteroid, a flood, and a few other things as far s I’m concerned, but  I don’t let it keep me up at night.  I look to the Bible and to my relationship with Jesus for answers and if I don’t have an answer to something I trust God that I don’t have to have all the answers.

In writing this blog I feel led to write 2 follow-up blogs about why I believe in the Biblical creation story and why I do not believe in evolution.  I will out line the proof that I have seen on why there is only one choice.

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Posted by John Weldon

Let Scripture Speak

March 9, 2010

Sometimes, I just can’t find the words to say or to share just the way  I want.  I like to turn to the Bible and let it speak to me, speak for me.   I can’t do a better job than God.  Psalm 51 was a psalm of David.  He wrote it after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan about his sins with Bathsheba and her husband.  He wrote it when he felt probably the lowest spiritually in his life.  No,  I didn’t do anything like David did, but I’m can identify with him and how he felt.  I long for forgiveness and a fresh start in life, ministry, and with my family.   I pray that I will never again find myself far away from God and that He will keep me on the straight and narrow path.

1 Have mercy on me, O God,
       according to your unfailing love;
       according to your great compassion
       blot out my transgressions.

 2 Wash away all my iniquity
       and cleanse me from my sin.

 3 For I know my transgressions,
       and my sin is always before me.

 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned
       and done what is evil in your sight,
       so that you are proved right when you speak
       and justified when you judge.

 5 Surely I was sinful at birth,
       sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

 6 Surely you desire truth in the inner parts ;
       you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

 7 Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
       wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

 8 Let me hear joy and gladness;
       let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

 9 Hide your face from my sins
       and blot out all my iniquity.

 10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
       and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

 11 Do not cast me from your presence
       or take your Holy Spirit from me.

 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
       and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

 13 Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
       and sinners will turn back to you.

 14 Save me from bloodguilt, O God,
       the God who saves me,
       and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

 15 O Lord, open my lips,
       and my mouth will declare your praise.

 16 You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
       you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
       a broken and contrite heart,
       O God, you will not despise.

 18 In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;
       build up the walls of Jerusalem.

 19 Then there will be righteous sacrifices,
       whole burnt offerings to delight you;
       then bulls will be offered on your altar.

Taken from the NIV Bible

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Posted by John Weldon

Religion, the “Old Comfortable Shoe”

March 3, 2010

My oldest daughter got her first cell phone last week and the look on her face was priceless when my wife and I sat her down to give her the news and explain the ground rules and responsibilities.  Watching her enjoy her new phone gave me a few thoughts that I thought I would share.

New things are exciting… Phones, Cars, Relationships, etc…  I remember recently when we finally ditched the dish and went with Comcast cable.  My wife and I were enjoying learning about the new On-Demand features and finding new channels to watch.  Does everything fall into that same pattern, is everything in life doomed to have it’s 15 minutes of fame and then fade out into the annals of history like Members Only Jackets and parachute pants.  What about God and church life?  I think the answer is a great big “NO.” 

 I think the one main methods you can keep your Faith in God from becoming “the old comfortable shoe” is to not neglect it and to intentionally change some of the practical ways you live it day-to-day, such as prayer time, study time, how you share it with others, etc…   When you allow your relationship with Christ to become a routine, you can kiss the excitement goodbye.   I know I have allowed it to become that way from time to time and I have to try to snap myself out of the “spiritual coma” that I fall into and wake back up.  The same thing would be true if I neglect to talk with my wife and kids on a regular basis, the relationship would suffer.

Another spiritual sleeping pill you can add is the unpopular, new hush word in many churches that nobody wants to hear about anymore, SIN.  Sin and or Unforgiveness will do more damage to your relationship with God than anything.  When we have unconfessed sin in our life, it blocks the conduits of blessing from God and keeps us from going forward in our relationship with Christ.  If we are holding a grudge against a brother or sister in Christ we really need to deal with that first before anything else.  Matthew 5:23-24 give us that Biblical model to follow.

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. – Matt 5:23-24

In closing would you consider your faith more of a religion than a relationship?  Does your faith seem more routine than alive and vibrant?  If you answered yes to those questions it might be time to stir some things up and change the way you do things.  Ask God if there is anything in your life that is keeping you from enjoying an exciting relationship with Him, I know he will reveal it to you if you ask.

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Posted by John Weldon

The Adventures of 4 Yr Olds in “Big Church”

March 1, 2010

Zachary

Sunday my wife was working, so I had the kids at church by myself.  I usually have responsibilities with the Powerpoint or audio so many times I don’t get to sit with my family at church on Sundays.  Makes me thankful for the times I do get with them each week.  My 4-year-old son, Zachary has been coming into the morning worship service for the last few months rather than staying in the preschool class and it has been a distraction sometime, but for the most part I enjoy watching him worship in his own ways.  He has the option to stay the whole service or to leave and go to children’s church part of the way through the service.  Here are a few notes I have taken watching him participate in worship in his own way.

I guess we will have to invest into a toy set of drums from his birthday or Christmas.  Recently during the worship music he will take out 2 hymn books and place one on his lap and one on the pew next to him.  Next he will take 2 pens (one for each hand) and start drumming away to the beat of the music.  He stops when the music stops and starts again when another song begins to play.  I’ll have to enlist Daniel, our church drummer, to give him lessons.

He also enjoys wasting offering envelopes by drawing all over them.  But at least he is planet friendly, he will rip open the envelops and draw on the inside before getting another one from the back of the pew.  I’ll have to remind myself to start bringing some scrap paper.   His favorite thing to draw of course is trains.  He can draw you all the different types of cars and couple them together on his paper.   Good to see the hobbies are passed down from generation to generation.

At one point I notices that he was giving the people around us a good stare-down.  He would just stop and look at them and I wish i knew what the thoughts were going on in his head.  Was he examining peoples worship style or trying to give disapproval of their singing voices.  (Move over Simon Cowl)  He gave our pastor’s wife a nice long stare and she just smiled back and kept singing.

Between Allison and my parents I think he had 3-4 pieces of Gum during the service.   He needs to learn to chew it just a bit longer before swallowing the gum, or maybe he just needs some of that stride brand?  When I get home now I have to add cleaning my pockets of gum paper to my to-do list.

This year we have been trying to teach our kids to tithe on a more consistent basis and we have started giving each money to put in the offering at the end of the service.  He enjoys putting his dime in the plate as it comes by and writing his name on the envelop and sealing it up before church.

I’m looking forward to the years to come and what else may spawn from him over the next few years.   I’m glad he is in church and taking in how mom and dad worship and I know that we are creating a foundation for him that will last and one that he can stand on for years to come.  It’s worth the times I have to tell him to listen and stop doing this or that.  He will learn.

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Posted by John Weldon

A Boy, A Prostitute, and A Murderer

February 25, 2010

OK, quick let’s play a round of try of Tri-Bond.  It’s the game where you list 3 things and then name what they have in common.  So here goes, what do a boy, a prostitute, and a murderer all have in common?    The answer, they were all used by God to do godly things for the Lord.

This post is for me, more than anybody.. Sometimes I have the habit of being very judgmental.  Sometimes it’s on myself and sometimes it’s aimed at others.   If you take some time and thumb through your Bible you will see quite a wide list of people who God choose to use to accomplish His will.   Below is a short summary of a few of the different kind of people who choose to use and the scriptures where you can read about them.

Each of these people had 2 things in common.  1.) They had to learn to let go of their past in order to move forward into what God had asked them to accomplish.  2.) They had to obey God and do what he asked them to do with what resources they had.  Yes, some of them questioned God and wanted to run away from it at first, but they all eventually let go of their past and obeyed God’s desire for their life. 

This is really a 2-sided coin, or rather 2 ways you can look at it.  Sometimes you might not feel like you are not the right person for the job or that you are incapable of doing what you know God has put on your heart, stop listening to the lies of Satan and take a lesson from the many pages of the Bible where God used ordinary, plain, average people to accomplish his will.  I love the scripture “When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts 4:13.  Give me hope for myself.

On the flip side of the coin, you have to be careful that you don’t make judgments based on the outward appearance or past of people.  God can change people in an instant and with God’s help He can motivate ANYBODY into new areas leadership or accomplishments.  The old saying “Don’t judge a book by its cover” comes to mind.

Take the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 in John 6:1-15.  Keep in mind the 5,000 was only the men counted.  There were other women and children there as well.  Jesus saw were the crowd was tired and hungry and he wanted to meet their needs.  He asks the disciples; “Where will we get food for these people to eat?”   I love the response of Phillip, “8 months wages would not buy enough for all these to have a bite!”  Then comes Andrew, Andrew was always a man bringing people to Jesus.  He brought his brother Peter to Jesus, and now he was bringing this little boy to Jesus who had 2 loaves of bread and 5 fish.  Andrew didn’t know what would happen and how it would happen but he knew that Jesus had the answers.  Be an Andrew in your life.  Always look for people who God can use no matter what they look like or what they have in the way of resources, education , social class, race, etc…

Also be like this little boy who didn’t have much, but he was willing to give it to Jesus to help or be part of the solution.  That’s what God wants from us, only what we have, and not any more.  Are you willing to give up all you have to let God do something great with it?  Will you be like Moses (a murderer)  or Rahab (a prostitute) and let go of your past and do what God has called you to do and let him use you to accomplish something great?

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Posted by John Weldon

I Once Went Streaking (as a Christian)…

February 17, 2010

Well actually, it was more than once, unfortunately I have done it more than once.  Let me tell you about the first time I remember streaking (as a Christian)  It was about 10 to 11 years ago.  I was sitting in my office at work.  I was the youth pastor at Fairview Baptist Church in Columbus, GA.  I was having a busy day and my attitude was on edge because of all the “things” I “had to” get done.   I guy off the street came in looking for the Mormon church down the street.  I quickly told the man to go about 1 more mile down the road and he would find it.  I went back to my desk and that’s when it hit me.  I had just streaked as a Christian.  I was so pre-occupied by my “to do list” that  I didn’t take the time to try to talk to this man who was looking for a church that was leading people away from the truth and into hopelessness.  I didn’t have very much patience or love for this man.  That’s when I went streaking.

Colossians 3:12-14 says…

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

As a Christian I had forgotten to “clothe” myself with the virtues that Paul had mentioned to the church at Colossae.  In a way, I went streaking as a Christian.  There have been other times I have gone streaking too, sometimes I do it with my kids, sometimes with my wife.  I’ve even been streaking with groups of people from the church.  It is a bad habit and I try not to let it happen, but there are times when I don’t spent the right time in prayer and reading my Bible that I tend to start the bad habit of streaking as a Christian.   When I don’t spend that time with God I don’t “put on” those godly virtues that make a difference in my life, the life of others, and not to mention my witness for Christ.

The virtues that Paul listed were; compassion, gentleness, kindness, humility, patience, and love.   Paul says that love should be the virtue that is placed over all the other virtues because it is the one that holds the others together.  Love is the very nature of God.  The book of 1 John says that God is Love.  When we show love, we shine the very nature of God and put our best foot forward.

For a breakdown of these 6 virtues you can see my Bible study on them by clicking the link here.  So, the next time you are around someone and they fail to respond in a way that is like the type of virtues Paul listed, just call out “STREAK!” and call it what it is.  But be careful because someone might just call you out too for your words, attiude, or actions.  Let’s agree to keep the streaking down to as little we can shall we.

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Posted by John Weldon

Love

February 14, 2010

Today being Valentines Day, I thought I would share the passage of Scripture from the Bible that sums up a good bit about love. Enjoy.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 Taken from the NIV translation

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Posted by John Weldon

To My Wife,

February 13, 2010

Coming back from a date with my wife, just about to put a period on the end of my day, I decided to write a little blog about my wife.  Tomorrow will be the 17th Valentines day that we will celebrate together.   At first I thought I might write a recap about past years, but that would take way to long and be boring to everyone except me and Amy.  Next I thought about writing out a bunch of things about Amy that I love.  I sat there for a few minutes just reflecting on our wedding day and boy she must have not know what she was getting herself into.   All in all, I’m just glad that we are together.  We have been through many things that have tested us, stretched us, and strengthened.  I’m just glad I have Amy to go through life with.  I can’t imagine my life without her and our children.  I think she should get an olympic medal for having to put up with and my weirdness and immaturity.   She has grown and matured over the years into such a Godly woman, a great wife, and an awesome mother.  I can’t wait to see down the road what our life will be like, but there is one thing I don’t ever doubt, we will be together through it all.

I love you Amy!

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Posted by John Weldon

No Beans About It…

February 12, 2010

Feeling bored and trying to lighten up my blog posts here I figured I would put my grandmother’s awesome chili recipe here for any of you guys to try.  All this cold weather has me wanting to make a big pot of it.  It has one 2nd place in out church chili cook-off a few years back.  I like it because it doesn’t have any beans in it and it has celery in it.

Mama’s famous chili:

  • Brown and drain 2 lbs lean hamburger meat
  • Add the following ingredients
  • 1 Chopped Bell Pepper
  • 1 Chopped Onion (medium)
  • 2-3 stalks of celery chopped up
  • 2 – 14 oz cans of Tomato Sauce
  • 2 – cans of orignal Rotel Chopped Tomato’s and Peppers
  • 1 – 8oz Can of Tomato Paste
  • 1 – 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
  • 1 Tablespoon of Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 Table Spoon of White vinager
  • Add 3-4 teaspoons of Chili Powder as spicy as you like it.
  • Add 1 Teaspoon of Ground Cumin
  • For an extra kick you can add a dash of Red Cayenne Pepper and some chopped up Jalapeno’s

Let it all simmer on Med to Med-Lo for a few hours (the longer the better) and serve it up hot with some crackers and a baked potato.  If you get daring you can load your potato with chili and cheese and top it off with some Frito’s brand corn chips.

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Posted by John Weldon

Band of Brothers

February 12, 2010

This blog is for the band of brothers I call my fellow youth pastors.  We meet once a month to eat lunch, talk about ministry and pray for each other.  It is one of my favorite times all month and you never know how many times you will laugh your head off.  The name of our group is called G.A.S.P. (Gwinnett Association of Student Pastors) We are a mix of Baptist, Methodist, and non-denominational churches.   There are even several pastors from the neighboring Walton County that come.   I still think we should have named the group G.W.A.S.P. for the Walton Co guys and then we could have made the “G” a silent “G” we could have been called “gWASP”  We had an especially good meeting yesterday, we talked about our struggles and items that we wanted help and advice with.   The “iron sharpens iron” verse came to mind.   We shared ideas, opinions, and a good deal of humor.

March 12-14 we will have a county-wide Disciple now and have over 400 students participating together.  Landon Dowden will be bring ing the large group messages and worship will be led by Chris Orr and Band.  The cost of the event is $30 per student.  If you are intersted in participating just contact me.

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Posted by John Weldon

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