More interesting (at least to me) and random facts (From Scientific American Magazine).
If all the bacteria in your body were put into a jar, they would measure about ½ gallon by volume. There are ten times more bacteria in and on your body than there are human cells.
Sound waves between 40 and 50 hertz can put out a fire.
Identical twins do not necessarily have the same genetic makeup. Although most regions in the genome carry two sets of genes (father and mother), some carry up to 14 sets, any one of which may be the active set.
Superfluid helium (liquid helium cooled to within a few degrees of absolute zero), flows without friction, and thus can climb the sides of the container it is in. If you set the fluid in motion inside the container and maintained the temperature, theoretically, in 10 years it would still be in motion.
The Indonesian earthquake of 2004 increased the speed of the rotation of the earth by 2.68 microseconds. The cause was the movement of so much water in the tsunami that followed.
Coal ash, the material left over from burning coal in power plants, is more radioactive than most nuclear waste due to the concentration of uranium and thorium in the ash.
Some infinities are larger than other infinities. This was shown true mathematically by German mathematician Georg Cantor in the late 19th century. For example, he showed mathematically that there are more real numbers between the integers 0 and 1 than there are integers in the real number system.
Doctors have performed over 100 brain hemispherectomys (removal of half of the brain) in the last 30 years. Remarkably, other than use of one eye and one arm, much functioning otherwise remains intact or can be instilled through training. The procedure is performed as a “last resort” for conditions such as multiple seizures.
The largest organism in the world is thought to be a fungus in Oregon, an Armillaria ostoya fungus that occupies well over 2,3900 acres and is thought to be anywhere from 2,400 to 8,650 years old.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Monday, May 21, 2012
A Devastating Day
We know the people who were touched by the tornadoes in Harper County a couple of nights ago. Curt and Bobbie are good people, and have a good blood family and church family behind them. They are resilient, their families are with them, and they will come back.
Having said that, there is a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (literally) between the events of two nights ago and the “come back” part. There are three thousand questions needing immediate answers, and just as many issues needing to be immediately resolved. And there is only so much the human body, mind, and spirit can absorb and deal with in a 24 hour day.
The task at first can seem overwhelming. And it is. There is so much to do, so much to decide, so many people to talk to, and so many phone calls to make. The business of running a farming operation has to stay on track as the weather slows down for no one. Animals have to be fed and cared for. Crops have to be harvested. Ground has to be prepared for the summer crops. Equipment has to be obtained somehow, to do all of that. And it’s expensive. Is it ever expensive. Scads of money (we’re talking multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars for an operation this size) have to be found, right now. One tractor costs $200,000. A combine costs $300,000 or more. Insurance may or may not pay out on time. Some items may or may not be insured.
Time, however, has a way of healing. Things get done. Decisions are made. Papers are signed. Debris is cleaned up. Families step in and quietly and without fanfare support, uphold, validate, and encourage. And life goes on. People continue to live, work, and make their way in the creation.
Why do bad things happen to good people? I have no answer, and neither does anyone else. The closest the Bible comes to answering that question is, I believe, in the book of Job where God tells Job (paraphrasing here) in answer to this very question, “Who are you to dare think I owe you an answer to your question? I am God. You are not. I’ll do with my creation as I please.”
One day we won’t have to wonder anymore. One day (as John says) God himself will be among us and will live with us. One day we will shed no more tears, have no more hurts, or feel any more pain. The old things will have passed away and all things will have been made new. Sounds kind of good to me…doesn’t it you?
Having said that, there is a lot of blood, sweat, and tears (literally) between the events of two nights ago and the “come back” part. There are three thousand questions needing immediate answers, and just as many issues needing to be immediately resolved. And there is only so much the human body, mind, and spirit can absorb and deal with in a 24 hour day.
The task at first can seem overwhelming. And it is. There is so much to do, so much to decide, so many people to talk to, and so many phone calls to make. The business of running a farming operation has to stay on track as the weather slows down for no one. Animals have to be fed and cared for. Crops have to be harvested. Ground has to be prepared for the summer crops. Equipment has to be obtained somehow, to do all of that. And it’s expensive. Is it ever expensive. Scads of money (we’re talking multiple hundreds of thousands of dollars for an operation this size) have to be found, right now. One tractor costs $200,000. A combine costs $300,000 or more. Insurance may or may not pay out on time. Some items may or may not be insured.
Time, however, has a way of healing. Things get done. Decisions are made. Papers are signed. Debris is cleaned up. Families step in and quietly and without fanfare support, uphold, validate, and encourage. And life goes on. People continue to live, work, and make their way in the creation.
Why do bad things happen to good people? I have no answer, and neither does anyone else. The closest the Bible comes to answering that question is, I believe, in the book of Job where God tells Job (paraphrasing here) in answer to this very question, “Who are you to dare think I owe you an answer to your question? I am God. You are not. I’ll do with my creation as I please.”
One day we won’t have to wonder anymore. One day (as John says) God himself will be among us and will live with us. One day we will shed no more tears, have no more hurts, or feel any more pain. The old things will have passed away and all things will have been made new. Sounds kind of good to me…doesn’t it you?
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The Difference in Night and Day
A few nights ago, I had the occasion to drive Kellogg Avenue here in Wichita at 2am. Yes, 2am. I got on at Hillside and went to the West to the Maize Road interchange where I got off. As I got on, I marveled that there was so little traffic…then remembered the time of day. I decided to count the number of vehicles I met going the opposite direction between the time I got on and when I got off.
Any guesses? Well, to avoid any apoplexy, I’ll just tell you that I counted thirty vehicles. That’s it. Thirty. Normally, one can count thirty vehicles going in the opposite direction in the span of a half mile or so. Not at that time of the day, however.
The drive was very pleasant…much more so than normal. The seeming ever-present speed trap was out on Kellogg…this time between Seneca and Meridian. I, however, try always to be at least close to the speed limit or a little below, and I just went on by.
Night is indeed different from day. That old saying contrasting the two isn’t just a saying. If you’ve ever had occasion to be out at night for any length of time, you know it’s different. I used to deliver newspapers between 3:30am and 6:00am (although not in Wichita). It was a very different environment then.
What makes it that way? Is it the lack of natural light? The cooler air? Maybe it’s the nocturnal animals versus the “normal” animals. No, I don’t think any of that accounts for it. I do think that the lack of humanity out at night, and the different “clientele” that ARE out at night are what makes the night environment so different from the day environment.
Human beings have a big impact on the world and the creation. We make things happen, prevent things from happening, change the environment and the “aura” of a place, and generally disrupt what would normally be a natural environment with our substitute environment, whether good or bad.
Some things we cannot control. Weather, wind, and some of that kind of thing is beyond our control. So too are some of the actions of some humans. No matter how hard we try; no matter how many police officers we have; no matter how many laws we make, we cannot eliminate bad, indecent, and illegal behavior.
I think just as Jesus said we’d always have the poor with us (John 12:8), we will always have bad, indecent, and illegal behavior. Sin will always be part of this life. Only when the creation has been set free from the bondage of sin and death (Romans 8:20-22) will we no longer suffer from sin and its effects. I’m looking forward to that time.
Any guesses? Well, to avoid any apoplexy, I’ll just tell you that I counted thirty vehicles. That’s it. Thirty. Normally, one can count thirty vehicles going in the opposite direction in the span of a half mile or so. Not at that time of the day, however.
The drive was very pleasant…much more so than normal. The seeming ever-present speed trap was out on Kellogg…this time between Seneca and Meridian. I, however, try always to be at least close to the speed limit or a little below, and I just went on by.
Night is indeed different from day. That old saying contrasting the two isn’t just a saying. If you’ve ever had occasion to be out at night for any length of time, you know it’s different. I used to deliver newspapers between 3:30am and 6:00am (although not in Wichita). It was a very different environment then.
What makes it that way? Is it the lack of natural light? The cooler air? Maybe it’s the nocturnal animals versus the “normal” animals. No, I don’t think any of that accounts for it. I do think that the lack of humanity out at night, and the different “clientele” that ARE out at night are what makes the night environment so different from the day environment.
Human beings have a big impact on the world and the creation. We make things happen, prevent things from happening, change the environment and the “aura” of a place, and generally disrupt what would normally be a natural environment with our substitute environment, whether good or bad.
Some things we cannot control. Weather, wind, and some of that kind of thing is beyond our control. So too are some of the actions of some humans. No matter how hard we try; no matter how many police officers we have; no matter how many laws we make, we cannot eliminate bad, indecent, and illegal behavior.
I think just as Jesus said we’d always have the poor with us (John 12:8), we will always have bad, indecent, and illegal behavior. Sin will always be part of this life. Only when the creation has been set free from the bondage of sin and death (Romans 8:20-22) will we no longer suffer from sin and its effects. I’m looking forward to that time.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Lord, Forgive Us
This weekend has been a kind of a roller coaster for me. Normally, I’m rather even-keeled, at least to the casual observer. However, some things have happened to upset my cart.
I visited a friend who now is in the nursing home, and is not expected to live long. She has taken a rather sudden turn downward, and the spiral has just continued on. She and her husband were members of our church, but joined with another church in the community a few years ago. Seeing someone decline in this manner brings time for pause in one’s own life.
In reading the obituaries in the newspaper over the weekend, I learned of the passing of a friend and relative by marriage. Barbara was a compassionate person, and although she had her share of pain in life, always had a smile and kind greeting. The world was a better place in Barb’s circle of influence. We will attend the funeral later today.
One of our life group loved-ones had surgery a week or so ago. Last night he had emergency surgery to repair a “leak” in the internal suture site and to clean out the abdominal cavity. He is very ill and recovery will be a long, arduous process.
All of these things and more continually remind us of the brevity of life and the fragility of our health and well-being. I fail to understand why anyone would think they have the world by the tail when they are literally seconds from a cardio-vascular event, tragic accident, or debilitating personal setback.
The passage in Hebrews which says that Jesus Christ “upholds all things by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3) is probably a little more literal for me than for many. I take that to mean that in the course of events, it is Jesus who enables me to “live and move and have my being” as a Godly elder often used to say in prayer in the small church where we worshipped for many years. I think he was on to something in that we exist as we are because it is Jesus Christ who enables that…a conscious, active working in the creation (and in our lives) to make it (and us) what He wants it (and us) to be. And that without this active effort on the part of Christ, we would not even live, let alone “move and have our being”.
These things kind of put everything into perspective, again, for those of us who tend to lose sight of the truly important things in life. When we become much more concerned about the guy who cut us off in traffic, or the winner of the latest reality TV show, or whether we’ll get to see the latest blockbuster movie before it comes out on DVD than we are about love for God and loving our neighbor as we do ourselves, we’ve lost our perspective.
Lord God, forgive us of our selfishness and conceit. Teach us to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with you.
I visited a friend who now is in the nursing home, and is not expected to live long. She has taken a rather sudden turn downward, and the spiral has just continued on. She and her husband were members of our church, but joined with another church in the community a few years ago. Seeing someone decline in this manner brings time for pause in one’s own life.
In reading the obituaries in the newspaper over the weekend, I learned of the passing of a friend and relative by marriage. Barbara was a compassionate person, and although she had her share of pain in life, always had a smile and kind greeting. The world was a better place in Barb’s circle of influence. We will attend the funeral later today.
One of our life group loved-ones had surgery a week or so ago. Last night he had emergency surgery to repair a “leak” in the internal suture site and to clean out the abdominal cavity. He is very ill and recovery will be a long, arduous process.
All of these things and more continually remind us of the brevity of life and the fragility of our health and well-being. I fail to understand why anyone would think they have the world by the tail when they are literally seconds from a cardio-vascular event, tragic accident, or debilitating personal setback.
The passage in Hebrews which says that Jesus Christ “upholds all things by the word of his power” (Hebrews 1:3) is probably a little more literal for me than for many. I take that to mean that in the course of events, it is Jesus who enables me to “live and move and have my being” as a Godly elder often used to say in prayer in the small church where we worshipped for many years. I think he was on to something in that we exist as we are because it is Jesus Christ who enables that…a conscious, active working in the creation (and in our lives) to make it (and us) what He wants it (and us) to be. And that without this active effort on the part of Christ, we would not even live, let alone “move and have our being”.
These things kind of put everything into perspective, again, for those of us who tend to lose sight of the truly important things in life. When we become much more concerned about the guy who cut us off in traffic, or the winner of the latest reality TV show, or whether we’ll get to see the latest blockbuster movie before it comes out on DVD than we are about love for God and loving our neighbor as we do ourselves, we’ve lost our perspective.
Lord God, forgive us of our selfishness and conceit. Teach us to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with you.
Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Well-Used
I came to work a little early today. I told Rick (one of the ministers) who was already here that I wanted to see what 8am looked like. I knew he would already be here. What I didn’t know was that there was a group of women meeting in our fellowship hall this morning. When I asked our secretary who the women were, she explained that they were a group of downtown business women who meet here every Tuesday morning from 7:30 to 8:30am to discuss items of mutual interest.
We seem to have this kind of thing go on at our building a lot. Oh, we’re not crammed with people wanting to use the building for meetings, etc., but compared to churches I’ve worshipped with in the past, this building is busy. We have Toastmasters regularly. We have a grief support group that meets regularly. Our seniors come on Thursdays for cards and fellowship. Even the school system uses our building from time to time for meetings and events, and we have another church group that uses our parking lot out back to serve the homeless regularly (We also serve the homeless, by the way. I didn’t want you to think we had someone else do our work on our behalf.) Families use the building for dinners, receptions, weddings, funerals. Some of those families are not church families. It is sometimes a rather busy place.
And that’s good. I know the building doesn’t make the church, but if the building seems a welcoming place to those who don’t regularly attend, and if in coming to meetings and events, visitors can interact with some of our staff and members, those are just additional opportunities for service and demonstrating the love of God in a broken world.
Yes, it wears the carpet. Yes, we have higher electric and fuel bills. No, we don’t charge non-profit groups or members. And yes, we like it this way. The more, the better. God expects us to be good stewards of what He has given us. And if we can take anything from the parable of the talents, he expects us to use those resources, not hoard and save them.
Churches that are silent and empty seem to be sad places to me. There is no movement; no noise; no life. That’s not what we’re about. Jesus said he came to give life, and to give it abundantly. The Bible says that “the life” is in Jesus Christ. I know a building is not the church, but I think a building can manifest the church that meets within it. A living, useful, and well-used building, in my view, reveals a church that is also alive, useful, and well-used. And that’s the way it should be.
We seem to have this kind of thing go on at our building a lot. Oh, we’re not crammed with people wanting to use the building for meetings, etc., but compared to churches I’ve worshipped with in the past, this building is busy. We have Toastmasters regularly. We have a grief support group that meets regularly. Our seniors come on Thursdays for cards and fellowship. Even the school system uses our building from time to time for meetings and events, and we have another church group that uses our parking lot out back to serve the homeless regularly (We also serve the homeless, by the way. I didn’t want you to think we had someone else do our work on our behalf.) Families use the building for dinners, receptions, weddings, funerals. Some of those families are not church families. It is sometimes a rather busy place.
And that’s good. I know the building doesn’t make the church, but if the building seems a welcoming place to those who don’t regularly attend, and if in coming to meetings and events, visitors can interact with some of our staff and members, those are just additional opportunities for service and demonstrating the love of God in a broken world.
Yes, it wears the carpet. Yes, we have higher electric and fuel bills. No, we don’t charge non-profit groups or members. And yes, we like it this way. The more, the better. God expects us to be good stewards of what He has given us. And if we can take anything from the parable of the talents, he expects us to use those resources, not hoard and save them.
Churches that are silent and empty seem to be sad places to me. There is no movement; no noise; no life. That’s not what we’re about. Jesus said he came to give life, and to give it abundantly. The Bible says that “the life” is in Jesus Christ. I know a building is not the church, but I think a building can manifest the church that meets within it. A living, useful, and well-used building, in my view, reveals a church that is also alive, useful, and well-used. And that’s the way it should be.
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