Skip to main content

Did you know?

Hemoglobin moleculeDuring anesthesia school I had some pretty detailed classes on anatomy and physiology. Interestingly, when studying the anatomy of a blood cell I found out that in the middle of every blood cell there is a lot of squiggly little molecules called hemoglobin. It’s this stuff called hemoglobin that moves oxygen from the lungs to every part of the body. Well, on the end of these squiggly little hemoglobins is a thing called a “heme group.” When looking at pictures of this “heme group,” I discovered that right in the center of this “heme group” is a cross. Going further, right in the center of that molecular cross is an iron atom (Fe). Heme groupWell, when the blood passes into the lungs, it goes through a very thin layer—so thin that it actually allows an oxygen molecule (O2) from the air to connect with that iron atom. This process brings “breath” to every part of the body. (Now, I don’t want to take this too far, you have to bear with me—anesthesia school can be pretty boring!) As I saw this, the whole thing made me meditate on the passage found in Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” In my boring anatomy class, my mind wandered to ... “Where is that place in human anatomy, ‘between soul and spirit?’” In Greek, the word spirit literally means breath; and the heme group is the very spot where “breath” connects with us. In this way, the blood—by bringing breath—actually brings life to every part of our body. And just for fun … I later found out that most historians believe that the nails used to crucify Jesus on the cross were made out of iron (Fe)—the very thing that is at the center of all of this amazing stuff. ~

When God Refuse to Answer

When God Refuses to Answer, by Dean Taylor

In the early morning hours of December 7, 1941, an Army radar base on the northern tip of Hawaii suddenly noticed a target echo, larger than they had ever seen before. They promptly notified a lieutenant at the Intercept Center: “Large number of planes coming in from the north, three points east.” Upon receiving the notification, the man in charge ignored the warning, assuming it was the scheduled arrival of six US B-17 bombers. The radar base had neglected to say just how large the target echo had been, and the warning went unheeded. Instead of six friendly B-17s, those blips on the radar were several hundred Japanese aircraft, which 55 minutes later began destroying the US fleet at Pearl Harbor.

Sometimes we hear people saying “Ignorance is bliss.” While this might be true for a moment, the fact is, the truth eventually comes out. What is more, like the US Military on Hawaii on December 7, 1941, I have found that ignorance, and especially deliberate neglect, only makes matters worse.

Read more: When God Refuse to Answer

What is Your Ishmael?

Abraham sends away Hagar and IshmaelThe Promise

Before there were Bible schools, seminaries or colleges…before denominations, creeds, councils or even churches, there was only a Promise. While still in the pagan city of Haran, Abraham heard that promise and responded:

“Now the Lord had said unto Abram, ‘Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ So Abram departed, as the Lord had spoken unto him…” (Gen. 12:1-4)

That was all Abraham needed to hear—it was as simple as that.

Read more: What is Your Ishmael?