It's done.

I cannot express how many times I have written a to-do list over the past months that included "work on research paper." I now get to scratch if off every single list I can get my hands on.

My paper is done, kaput, finished!

I crashed at approximately 2pm this afternoon. I was fried; my brain function was approaching the E. Mum prayed for me. I drank some water. And sat back down to come up with an intro and conclusion--the wonderful paragraphs that transported me over the minimum word mark.

I know it's not my best work. I know that in places the sentence structure could use work. I know that a few of the points could use a little more beef (explanation) behind them. But I have 2640 words typed and that fulfills what I need to get my English credit. This, my dear, dear friends...is a good feeling.

Debate Airing on ABC.com

Actor Kirk Cameron and best-selling author Ray Comfort will square off with two atheists in New York on Saturday, May 5. They will broadcast the entire debate on ABC.com on Wednesday, May 9 at 2:00 p.m. EST. ABC's website is already the 7th most visited news site, with 19 million visitors every month. The debate will be moderated by Martin Bashir, and on May 9 a shortened version of the debate will be aired on Nightline also on Wednesday 9th.

Comfort -- who claims he can prove the existence of God, scientifically, without mentioning faith or the Bible -- stated, "...I'm ecstatic. I can prove the existence of God in that amount of time [13 minutes].

"We are very grateful to ABC for taking this courageous step," Comfort continued. "As far as we know, nothing like this has ever been done before.

Is there actually evidence for God? That's the most important question any of us will ever consider."

Cameron added, "...Most people think that belief in God is simply a matter of blind faith, and that His existence can't be proven. We will not only prove that God exists, but as an ex-atheist I'll show that the issue keeping so many people from believing in God -- Darwinian evolution -- is completely unscientific. It's a fairy-tale for grownups."

The debate came about after ABC ran a story in January about hundreds of atheists videotaping themselves blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

"But," Comfort continued, "there is something more sinister here than a few people not believing in God. Why would so many be so bitter against Christianity in particular? Why aren't they making videos that blaspheme Buddha or Mohammed or Ghandi? We made our own video clip and posted it on www.Hollywoodblasphemy.com to expose why.

As of May 2 there is still an opportunity for people to join in the debate, by submitting questions that will be passed on to the panelists. ABC will limit the live audience to 100 people, evenly divided between atheists and believers.

Disappointment but Positivity

Tomorrow is the postmark deadline for the Answers in Genesis Evolution Exposed research paper contest. Due to my need to do extensive research and use writing a 2500 word paper as a thorough learning experience, my paper isnt done. I was using the contest as incentive. This may sound strange--I didnt want to win the first prize of $50,000 to Liberty Uni. I wanted to win one of the four runners up: a laptop and tons of books.

I've got the backbones of a first draft, but need to do reorganize and re-research on a few points in order to really get my points across efficiently. I'm disappointed that a final draft isnt sitting on my desk, with crisp black ink on flawless white copy paper. Throughout the whole process however, I've been praying that if the Lord wanted my paper in the contest, He'd give me the strength and timing to complete it. I was leaning on the whole "close a door, open a window" principle. I didnt want to rush my writing. There'll be other contests.

The downer--I set an allotted time to cut back on reg biology to write my paper. I've now got to go back to full school, full paper-writing mode.

Kindergarden Science

Can you think of an animal [other than the duck] that has webbed feet?

David's reply was "a spider."
He made me chuckle.

Eat Your Veggies

Q: What does vegetarianism have to do with the fossil record?

A: In Genesis 1:29–30, the Bible says:

And God said, ‘See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food’; and it was so.

God’s Word tells us that Adam and Eve—and the animals—were vegetarian before sin. However, sin changed everything. In Genesis 9, right after the Flood, we read that God told Noah that man could eat meat from that time onward.

This is an important point. In the fossil record, there are numerous instances of fossils of animals with bones of other animals in their stomachs. These fossils showing carnivory could not have formed before Adam sinned. Yet, if you believe in millions of years of history, these fossils contradict the Bible’s account of history.

The Bible’s account is true—man’s ideas are fallible.

Biology Today

that title sounds like the name of a magazine!
but that title is exactly what this post is about. My biology lesson today. It was fairly easy work amount today; it was a lab day. For me, lab day translates into watching the bio teacher on my video program do the complete lab, the next best thing to doing it yourself really. On the menu for today: sheep's brain. Yup. The first dissection [besides plants] of the year. I took an awesome and rather extensive dissection course two years ago at a co-op, so I already have the credit. We didnt do a sheep's brain though... =D

As I watched the teacher hold the organ in her hand and point to each part, it put a new dimension on the technical terms associated with the brain that I had been learning. I saw God's AMAZING creation. When one looks at say the medulla oblongata, a section of the brain stem, at first glance it seems just like a physical object, a piece of fleshy, squishy stuff. It isnt just that, contrary to the belief of materialists. It processes some of the everyday actions of our body that we take for granted and just expect to function smoothly. We dont always take time to ponder the sometimes unexplainable intricasy with which the Lord designed us. Chemical reactions, nerve impulses and other such things can explain a great deal. In the end though, every reaction must have a cause, every design a designer. The highest link of the chain leads to the Lord. Human beings are so much more than animals as some wish to believe...

I suppose the difference between the brain and the mind clicked for me today. The mind cannot be operated on; it cannot be fully explained. Man's inner thoughts are such a wonder. God knows them; most times He is the only One who can know them. The mind is part of man's spiritual existence, not the physical. It is amazing.



picture curtesy of my googling skills...

Yours truly,
my inner nerdish-scientific self