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Windmill Ministries - Newsletter - August 2008 Welcome to Windmill Ministries' August 2008 newsletter, our regular update about our Christian evidences ministry, recent apologetic discoveries, answers to asked questions, books, an inspirational story or poem and so on. Always be prepared to give an answer to
everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you
have. (1 Peter 3:15)
Are
you prepared?
I was not prepared when I faced these kind of questions as
a teenager and because of that, I lost my interest in God and the
Christian faith. I did not have clear answers and my commitment to God
just faded away. Let this not happen to you! Get prepared - grow your own
faith and be better equiped to share with others by learning about the
compelling evidences for the truth of
Christianity. |
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The
Antikythera Mechanism A computer from ancient times |
The classic argument for the Creator
model is an analogy known as the Watchmaker argument. One of its most
popular forms was given by William Paley (1743–1805), an English
clergyman. Paley insisted that if a person found a watch in an empty
field, its obvious design would lead him to rightly conclude that this
watch had a watchmaker. Likewise, the even more complex design of the
world compels us to conclude there is a great Designer behind it:
So, how could a person think only time and chance started
life?
A recent illustration of the power of the Watchmaker argument is the
so called Antikythera Mechanism.
In 1900, near the Greek island Antikythera, sponge divers discovered
at the site of the wreck of a Roman ship a highly sophisticated device.
This device - now known as the Antikythera Mechanism - dates to 90 BC. It
appears to be an analog computer with 37 precision made gear wheels, able
to predict for any given date the precise location of the sun, moon, and a
number of planets.
Just in the last weeks a futher examination has revealed that it not
only predicted solar eclipses but also organized the calendar in the
four-year cycles of the Olympiad, forerunner of the modern Olympic Games
(as reported on July 30, 2008 in Nature).
So, after more than 100 years of study, the Antikythera Mechanism
seems to finally have revealed its secrets. In the process it has baffled
scientists and has elevated appreciation for the knowledge of the ancient
world to a new level. No one, however, EVER doubted this mechanism was
produced by an intelligent Greek designer. Even with parts missing, the
design was so compelling it fueled a century-long investigation of its
purpose.
Why do we not accept the same conclusion as we enjoy
the beauty of the world in which we live and marvel at the
complexity and apparent design in the life forms around
us? These are not the results of billions of years of 'trial and
error', but show the hand of an Intelligent Designer, a God who intended
to create this world and these creatures and who reveals Himself to them
through His masterful creation.
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Apologetics: Were the Apostles Deceived? |
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For more articles like this see our resource center | |
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The lives of the twelve Apostles as well as those of Paul and James provide clear evidence they were convinced Jesus really returned from the dead, but perhaps they were deceived. They believed it to be true, but had they been fooled? Over the centuries there have been several variations of this notion, usually known as the swoon theory. All have been abandoned or died a quiet death. The general idea is that Jesus survived the cross and was later revived. His appearances to the disciples were therefore not miraculous, as he never died in the first place. The theory comes in different flavors, some include:
How many more wild fantasies have to be invented to explain away the
facts? How much better does the resurrection fit the events? The swoon
accounts all assume that Jesus was administered some kind of drug to make
Him look dead, and a number of unlikely accomplices helped him escape
death and revive in the tomb. However, how wild are these speculations?
Even with these speculative props, how could Jesus fool the other people
at the crucifixion? How could He convince the Jews and Roman soldiers that
He was dead when only drugged? And lastly, even for a moment, suppose He
swooned, think about the shape Jesus would have been in. He was flogged
and had been nailed to a cross for several hours. Even if still alive,
Jesus would have been in desperate need of serious medical help. If He
would have appeared to the disciples in this shape, they would have not
believed for a second this was a glorious resurrection, instead they would
have immediately realized that somehow Jesus had survived the crucifixion
and needed immediate medical attention.
The apostles were not duped... they had met the resurrected Christ and because of this experience they committed their lives to proclaim the gospel! | |
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The Animal Shelter (a true story) |
Inspiration and worship |
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I will never forget the day we rescued our dog from the animal
shelter. The excitement started early that morning on a day in March,
because finally we were on our way to the animal shelter to ‘rescue’ a
dog!! While we were in the car, Rob reminded me one more time off the fact
that we could just take ONE dog and not EVERY SAD LOOKING one
home.
About one hour later I found myself in tears at the animal shelter,
because there were about 50 dogs behind bars and they were all hoping for
the same thing; that someone would care enough about them to open the
cage, to let them out and to take them home to live with their family.
They all looked so sad and I wondered how I could ever pick one.
After walking around for a little while, we stopped at a cage where a
black dog was staring at us. She looked like a black Labrador . She didn’t
bark like most of the other dogs did, she only wagged her tail and her
brown eyes stared hopefully at us. There was something special about
here……We were allowed to let her out of her cage and to take her for a
walk. Oh! She was so excited to be outside and to play with the
children…..and Oh yes!! She was ready to go home with us!
That day in March we took our ‘perfect dog’ home to become part of
our family and, (of course!!?) it did not take long before I realized that
our ‘perfect’ family dog was not perfect at all, because:
You do understand that we (I) had some ‘fun’ with our perfect family
dog.
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One rainy morning she came in and wiped her paws on our light colored
carpet and when I saw all the dirt she had left behind, I was about ready
to attack her!! OOOOHHHHH!!!! Sometimes she could be so annoying!! I had
to remind myself about 20 times that she just needed some training and
discipline and patience and that I loved our new dog, I just did not
always liked her behavior!
While I was pouring all my anger into scrubbing and cleaning our
carpet I heard a voice in my head whispering: “Is she not like you?” “What
do you mean I look like the dog?” was my reaction. “No way, I am not like
our dog, I am much better then she is! I never misbehaved like she does!”
Then the voice whispered again: “Remember how I rescued you?”
It made me even more upset thinking about how true this was, and
while I almost scrubbed a hole in our living room carpet, tears were
streaming down my face as I remembered:
How I, just like our dog, used to live in a place that looked like
the animal shelter, a dark place without hope, without meaning, a place of
desolation and despair, called ‘The People pound’. And just like our dog
was waiting to be rescued; I was waiting to be rescued. I was waiting to
be saved from the people pound, where I was locked behind my bars of sin
just longing for someone to show up. Someone who cared enough to open my
cage to take me for ‘a little walk and talk’, and to take me home to live
with a family.
After 44 years that ‘someone’ walked into the darkness of the people
pound and stopped and opened the door of my cage. I still do not
understand why He choose me…..my heart was heavy, my eyes were red and
swollen from all the tears I had been crying in that place, my voice was
almost gone from all the screaming for help and when I was about to give
up….someone came, someone was there! Together we were standing in the
darkness of the people pound and He took me outside into the sunlight for
my ‘walk and talk’. I told Him about all the darkness in my life and I was
almost sure He would walk me back to the cage, but then I saw His face and
the love that was shining in His eyes just for me! It was Jesus Christ! He
didn’t walk me back to my cage, but He said that He came to take me home
to be part of His family.
I knew that my life would never be the same again.
Jesus came to rescue me! This is not the end of the story, but just
the beginning of a new one because just like our dog had to learn to trust
us, I had to learn to trust in Jesus. Just like we take our dog for walks,
Jesus takes me for walks (and ‘many’ talks!) and just like our dog; I had
to learn not to walk too fast and not to walk too slow, not in front of
Him or behind Him, but next to Jesus. Like we understood our dog’s
excitement, Jesus understood and understands my excitement about Him. And
believe me: Just like our dog…….I needed (and still need) His love,
patience and His discipline.
How can I not sing, write and share of His love forever!? Knowing
that even though He had not always liked my behavior, He had always loved
me!!
I could not take all the dogs home to live with our family, but OH!
How my heart cries for all the people who are still living in the people
pound waiting to be rescued and I pray that Jesus Christ will use you and
me to open up their cages and help them find their way home to become part
of His family!!
Amen.
(for more of Coba's poems and
devotionals) | |
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Last of all, but all important... | |
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Answered prayer - praise to our Lord! Last month we have signed an agreement with Uitgeverij Medema (www.Medema.nl) for the publishing of the Dutch edition of Prepared to Answer. Most of the translation work has already been completed and the text is currently being reviewed and profesionally copy-edited. If all works to plan, the book should be in book stores in the Netherlands by the end of October. We need your continued support and prayers
to: We would be encouraged to hear from you at our mailing address or e-mail (see below). |
"Prepared to
Answer"
Order as paperback ($17.50), hardcover ($29.50), on
MP3 ($12.50) or on audio CD ($ 29.50) in our
webstore
We love to share about the evidences - e-mail or call us if you would like us to come and share in your church, at your home, in school, at a seminar or any other setting. |
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Windmill Ministries * PO Box 1253 * Port Hadlock, WA
98339, USA Windmill Ministries is a Christian apologetics ministry that equips believers and challenges skeptics through the sharing of evidences for the foundations of the Christian faith. If you do not want to receive these newsletters - please just reply with "remove" | |
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