kruos, icy cold

cryo- prefix

Cold; freezing: cryoscopy.

[From Greek kruos, icy cold.]

cryogenics (krì´e-jèn´îks) noun (used with a sing. or pl. verb)

The production of low temperatures or the study of low-temperature

phenomena. Also called cryogeny.

cryogenic (krì´e-jèn´îk) adjective

1. Of or relating to low temperatures.

2. Requiring or suitable to cryogenic storage.

cryogen (krì´e-jen) noun

A liquid, such as liquid nitrogen, that boils at a temperature below about

110 K (-160°C) and is used to obtain very low temperatures; a refrigerant.

Some favorite quotes by Winston Churchill

• A joke is a serious thing.
• The best argument against democracy is a 5-minute conversation with the average voter.
• Good judgement comes with experience, and experience comes with bad judgement.
• Man will occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on.
• I never stand when I can sit, and I never sit when I can lie down.

Working Words

Work as if you were to live a hundred years; pray as if you were to die tomorrow.

---Benjamin Franklin

Monday

If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.

John 8:31

Tuesday

The noble man makes noble plans, and by noble deeds he stands.

Isaiah 32:8

Wednesday

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. Colossians 3:23

Thursday

The Lord has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work….all of them master craftsmen and designers. Exodus 35:35

Friday

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

Proverbs 14:23

Quotes

We're not supposed to have an established religion in America, but we do, and it's called Darwinism. --- Ben Stein

His voice goes out….the sun goes in….and nothing is hidden from its heat. --- Psalm 19:4-6

If you torture data sufficiently, it will confess to almost anything. --- Fred Menger, chemistry professor

We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. --- T.S.Eliot

Corruption thrives on process, not product.

Work as if you were to live a hundred years; pray as if you were to die tomorrow. --- Benjamin Franklin

What do you get for following Jesus? You get Jesus! --- Jonathan Monk

On Sun Worship

If there was no God then I would worship the sun.

But if there were no God there would be no sun.

I therefore choose to worship the Son

Who is the Son?

The Son is the Bright and Morning Star, the Son of the Living God, the Christ, Creator of the Universe, Our Lord, Saviour, Jesus.

True or True for You: Which is it?

Is the Bible true? Is it true for you? Is it true for me? What is the difference?

I believe in the Bible as God's complete and accurate Word. Since I became a Christian, the Bible really 'works' for me. But the Bible is not true for me. If the Bible is true, it is only because it is true.

The Bible reads in John 1 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.' The Word (Logos) means, in general, the source and order of the universe and, in specific, the incarnation of God. In John 14 Jesus said 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life.' So we understand that Jesus is God and that Jesus is truth.

My believing the Bible does not make it true. If I change my mind, it is still true. The Bible is true because it is true.

The Short Circuit in Christianity

I've heard some people say, "I'm a Christian and I believe in the Bible. God could have used evolution to create me."

Besides the enormity of the scientific problem with this assertion, it presumes a false humility. This notion makes no sense. It's like saying, "God could have used a '56 Ford to get around the universe." This notion is revolting to me. It's not revolting to me in a personal, emotional way but in a general, intellectual way because it grates against the very nature of God (this nature is revealed to us in the Bible and by all things seen around us).

Evolution is today's short circuit in the wiring of Christianity.

Definition of Evolution

In my posts I generally use the word "evolution" as short for the term macro-evolution.

Macro-evolution means that people came from monkeys, monkeys came from slugs, slugs came from slime, slime came from mud, mud came from a quantum fluctuation during a big bang, etc., etc. Or we can simply say that macro-evolution is "man from mud" theory. A valid scientific theory must be substantiated by evidence in observation or testing. This type of evolution has neither observation nor testing going for it. It is a very weak theory, scientifically-speaking. Its strength comes from other areas besides science.

Micro-evolution, on the other hand, is a term for the small changes and adaptations to living things that occur over time. It is a scientific theory supported by much evidence in observation and testing. For instance, if you eat McDonald's double-cheeseburgers and fries, three meals per day for 365 days, you will evolve (by micro-evolution) into something else. But you won't be a giraffe or an antelope, you'll still be a person (but maybe a hippopotamus?).

Was Jesus a Christian?

No, he was not. The word Christian means "little Christ" and Jesus was no such thing. He is Christ!

If he is Christ he can't be "like" Christ or a "little" Christ. I have a dog named Elmo and could say, "That Elmo, he sure is a lot like Elmo," but that would be crazy.

Another way to ask the question is: If God were religious, what religion would he be? This equally absurd question can remind us to not let religion get in the way of God Himself. God desires a relationship with you and me and does the work of making this possible. This relationship a personal one made possible by a person. Jesus is this person, but have you to choose and accept Him as your Lord and Saviour. Otherwise, there can be no personal relationship with God, because only Jesus can forgive your sin, restore you into full joy, and make you clean enough to go to Heaven.

And how clean do you have to be? Perfectly clean, as Jesus was perfect. Jesus makes you clean as new snow right when you ask Him to do it and restores you as you follow Him with all you've got.

Form Follows Function

God created every person with a function. That is, with a set of abilities and talents that are to frame one's life activities; call it one's gifting.

The infinite multitude of forms must then necessarily flow from these functions. The problem is that people tend to look first to the forms and they try to adapt their lives to these prescribed, scripted notions of how to live. This force-fit process works about as well as trying to travel to the moon on a horse cart. The starting point, the number one big thing, the secret to life, etc. is....relationship with God and not Religion about god.

Choose God over Religion and your form will follow your function. Look to your function, look to your Creator. And don't worry that your form isn't always optimum or perfect: we do live on planet Earth for now.

Understanding and Believing: The Nonsense of God

CAUTION: Do not read if you prefer not to think.

Here is a question for you: Can you know everything there is to know? If you think this is a patently stupid question, please read on a little more.

Is it possible for anyone? Other than some seriously deluded individuals, of course no one thinks this way. However, most people operate their lives this way, to some degree. While a person may want to know everything there is to know, no one really believes he or she can reach that understanding. Oops, there it is....understanding and believing. What is the connection? Does believing come from understanding? ("I'll believe it if I see it!") Or, does understanding come from believing? Let's see.

Let's say I want to become a nuclear engineer (or lawyer, pipe fitter, teacher, doctor, accountant....anything) and I decide to subject myself to the years and training and schooling required. I understand something in the beginning, but really not very much. At some level, I have to believe I can do it. That is, believing comes before understanding.

Now consider a different type of understanding. Let's say I have a problem to solve. It could be a relationship problem, a money problem, or a car problem. I need some understanding to get my problem solved. Is this understanding going to fall from the sky, bubble up from the ground, come by spontaneous text message, or sit on the shelf at Wal-Mart? No, of course not (except maybe it is at Wal-Mart). I have to believe that the problem is solvable. I have to believe the problem is worth solving. I have to believe I can put forth the effort to gain the necessary understanding. I have to believe I can get help help from others when needed. There's a lot of believing going on prior to and in the process of solving my problem. Believing definitely comes before understanding.

What is the point? Isn't all this stuff just plain common sense? Does it really matter that believing comes before understanding? Well, do you want to understand if you came from some thing and are going some where? Do you want to know if the world you see is all there is and just happened by accident over millions and billions of years? Do you want to know if there is an eternity and if so when does it begin? Do you want to know if there is any design to your life and if so why would there be? Do you need to know if there can be any relief to the pain or emptiness you feel inside? (You know there is a reason or you wouldn't have read this far.)

How can I know? How can I obtain understanding for anything, pratical or deep? The answer is simple but not easy. Belief comes before understanding.* Understanding flows from belief. Understanding flows from believing in God. The Bible says in 1 Cor. 1:21 -- "The world with its wisdom was unable to recognize God in terms of its own wisdom. So God decided to use the nonsense of the Good News we speak to save those who believe." The Good News is Jesus Christ, killed, and raised back to life to make a way for all who believe, to save you from your sin and death.

Believe God and trust in Him. He loves you and will lead you into all kinds of understanding and true life and wisdom. If you want to understand first and then believe, well, that is a problem. You can keep trying it. If you succeed, however, there will be no reason to believe in anything because you will already know everything.

*In our next segment we will examine the difference between right beliefs and wrong beliefs and the importance of sorting them out. Yes, it does make a difference!

I Believe I’m Right, Don’t You Think?

WARNING: Do not read if you are easily confused.

How about you? Do you believe you are right? Or do you believe I am right? If I believe you are right, then will I be wrong?

Everyone generally believes he or she is right except when there's a need to feel wrong. We all have a built-in gut-level need to go for right-ness. But are all beliefs right? (Note: We mean "Right" as in "Correct" as in "True" as in "Not False.") If I believe something is true for me then does that make it true? Well, let's be clear about this one. The answer is "No." True beliefs are true because they are not false. True beliefs are proven right by testing and verification over time.

Right beliefs are formed by God's Word, but can it be trusted? First we have to know what does God's Word say. We read it, study it, and let in sink in over time. You can pick and choose a few difficult-to-grasp parts or most of the parts you prefer and then run whatever test you need to get the result you want. That is the easy way. The hard way is to abdicate your personal throne and actually trust God and then listen for His voice and obey what He has to say to you. What is the love of God trying to telegraph to you? Is God patient and kind with you as your knowledge and understanding increase? God tells us in the Bible that "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." So what starts off as hard becomes easy. That is the way it is.

Right beliefs will be proven right over time as accept His offer of a relationship, no strings attached, go after Him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. God is the source truth and all that right. He is good! Wrong beliefs will be proven wrong over time as indicated by lack of fruits, logical inconsistencies, and long-term destructive effects.

Right beliefs are a gift from God. We are not that smart in the beginning. The top intellectually-based wisdom of the world is from a person. The top wisdom of the universe and beyond is from the Person, Creator and Living God. So it comes down to a basic trust issue: Will you trust first and foremost a person such as yourself or will you choose to trust the Person who made you?

In 1 Cor. 2:9, God word speaks of the hidden wisdom provided by His Spirit: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind imagined the things that God has prepared for those who love him." [God's Word Translation....it is awesome]

On Why I am Not a Religious Man

I am not a religious man. I am a Christian.

A religious man tries to get up to God, achieve some minimum acceptance and attain some high level through man's invention of religion. Jesus, who Was and Is and Is to Come, is not invented. God did the work, paid the price, and made the way through Christ Jesus. I accept this gift and seek to be like Christ by God's power alone. This is my destiny: to love God and live in Heaven forever. This is your destiny too, as it is for every person ever born on the Earth. God is pro-choice and the choice is yours to make: choose God, or stick with yourself for very sad ending. Choose to accept Jesus to save you from your alternate destiny (separation from God and all your friends forever in hell as the "reward" for your sins).

This is offensive and not easy to accept. But the clear and sensible choice is clear. I choose Jesus. I hope you will accept Him too.

Looking at Things

Do we look at things in a way that makes sense? What is effect of our perspectives on reality? For example, do you believe in evolution (that is, macro-evolution, or man from mud from big bang from ???)? Or do you just accept it as a default type of truth?

We look at a nice new cell-phone and know that it did not just pop out of the ground. Duh. But people and animals and all the rest, which are inifinitely more complex, did that? Sure, we just developed by step-wise improvements over millions and billions of years and then popped out. Nonsense. You know it it nonsense unless your religion* and blinded you from the reality.

But then we turn around and say (or just accept, rather) that life just popped up or just came about by itself over millions and billions (why not trillions and quadrillions?) of years by complete accident. It is absurd on any time scale, scientifically speaking, because life, even the single cell or a piece of DNA, is more complicated than the most complex machine. The Space Shuttle is often put forth as the prime example of a very complex machine. And it is an awesome machine! But the Shuttle's complexity makes primitive comparison with God's handiwork observed in the bursting star systems or the stunning informational networks within a single living cell.

Space Shuttles can more readily pop into existence than you or your great-great grandpa could pop into existence. God created everything that is some thing, and that includes you! He created you on purpose. This way of looking at things, based on the evidence that surrounds us and testifying the truth of this reality every day, gives us hope and direction. This way of looking at things is grounded on rational thought, tangible evidence, and God's word as recorded in the Bible, the laboratory notebook of the Creator.

God too is looking at things. He looks at you with love. His love is not an accident.

What's Your Density in Heaven?

What will it mean to be raised to new life with a new body in Heaven when Jesus returns to Earth as described in the Bible? It is a great promise in substance and a great mystery in process.

But how will it happen? There is a clue to be found in the mayo jar. When we fill up a large mayo jar with golf balls, sawdust, water, or even molten lead, is it full? Nope. It is not full. Density (how much stuff in a given space) is relative. If we look closely enough, we will find vast open spaces, even between the atoms lead or molecules of water. Where does one atom end and the other begin? There is open space! We are accustomed to jars and golf balls, water and trees and cars and telephones as the normal states of existence --- they are not, they are very specialized cases.

For God, who creates matter from nothing, these new bodies He promises are a small "problem" to solve. God can do it easily.

What's the point?

What's the point? That's the question.