Scientists spurred on by astronomer James Peebles focused on researching what the universe was made of after they realized that just cold gas could not account for all of the material in the universe between the planets and the stars.  What they found is worth pondering and opening our mind to think of spiritual parallels that suggest themselves- as we seek to learn what the universe and nature may be telling us or teaching us about deeper matters beyond.

Cosmic Components:                                                Percentage of Total Cosmic Density (Mass):
Dark Energy (Self-Stretching property of surface of space)                  72.1
(What does this suggest to you?  Evil, Invisible forces?)
(How about the self-stretching- pride? maturity?)
Exotic Dark Matter  (particles that weakly interact with                      23.3
ordinary matter particles and light)
Ordinary Dark Matter (particles that strongly interact with light)         4.35
(Humans reflecting Gdo's light and image?  What do you think?)
Ordinary Bright Matter (Stars and star remnants)                                   0.27
(Jesus and angels? what does this suggest to you?)
Planets (Subset of Ordinary Dark Matter)                                            0.0001
Astronomers now realize that both the matter and the nonmatter must be at their specified level for life to exist.  So dark matter cannot be at any greater quantity or life would not exist, makes me think of God controlling the forces of evil to maintain life on earth- too much evil would wipe it out and so He must have his sovereign will watching over it all to keep it under control so as not to do damage to the plan.

(Again, the scientific numbers come from Hugh Ross's book "

From our human standpoint the universe seems illogically oversized for the number of humans residing on just one planet.  But now scientists are finding out that if the density (mass) of protons and neutrons was only 1% smaller, nuclear fusion would not work efficiently and  it would never be able to generate heavy elements like carbon, nitrogen, ovxygen, phosphorus, sodium or potassium.  So what difference does that make you ask- those are exactly the elements we need to stay alive!  If it was changed by just that 1% reduction we would only have light elements like helium and no earth, no people, no plants, no water! 

Hmmm!  Just a tiny bit smaller and poof! no human, plant, animal life!  Touchy, touchy universe, needs to be watched over carefully doesn't it?  Might bisbehave and eradicate everything, no life could exist!  

If you examine the situation the other way and consider adjusting the universe 1% larger or more massive so that the protons and neutrons were a wee bit denser, heftier, then what?  Surely we would be ok and it would not matter that much?
  If the stuff of the universe was only 1% more massive than it is now, there would be too much nuclear fusion, and all the hydrogen would fuse into iron and again- no human life, no animal life and no plant life would exist. Same dilemma- no oxygen, no carbon, hydrogen, potassium, no sodium.  So the universe needs to be monitored not only in one direction but in two directions to ensure that life is formed/created and sustained.  Hmmm.  Who could tackle such a huge job?
(Scientific facts about the recent discoveries about the universe's size from "Why the Universe is the Way It Is" by Hugh Ross). 
Another interesting parallel to how sensitive the universe's nuclear fusion of the light and heavy elements one way being inefficient and not producing enough and the other way being overproductive makes one think of human beings balancing rest and work.  Can you think of other lessons that can be learned from this?

Our Universe has lots of features that prohibit visibility.  There are stars and suns which cause lots of glare, so much so that if you had a telescope anywhere near them you would not be able to see much of space near them or beyond them.  This would cut down on clarity, so scientists would not be able to make accurate measurements or predictions near those stars, suns or reflective planets or beyond them.  Having humans looking through telescopes located near these obstructions would cut off their ability to explore and prove or disprove their predictions and there would be no further understanding of the universe that they live in.  Scientists and humans would be limited in their ability to grow and mature in natural learning from their environment, because the universe includes such giant light giving bodies and so many bodies that reflect the light given by the others.

Why does this matter?  Why is it worth talking about?  This truth about our universe's layout functions as a blessing to scientists- it gives them what their hearts desire- things to measure, things to develop hypotheses for proving and disproving other human hypotheses.  This feature of our universe is a blessing to those who day dream or desire to stretch their imaginations beyond the confines of the small world they occupy in their jobs and their homes.  It offers to them vision and a picture of "the future" and of "unlimited possibility and opportunity", just like the view of an ocean does for others.  A view into distanct space, unthwarted by the great lights included in it, gives human beings aid and practice in looking beyond themselves to soemthing or someone bigger and better than themselves and than those they deal with in their culture/society.  This exercise of the brain, of the imagination and of the scientist's thirst to explore and discover is more than a mere fact, it is a gift and it is a gift aimed at stretching human minds, not the minds of fish or parrots, or mosquitos or palm trees, but the human mind which had greater capacities.

Take a moment to relish this gift in our universe.  No matter what a scientist believes about religion and creation, he or she should be thankful for having the unviverse such as it is - just right for their work.
For those of us who are weary of the way things go from day to day, take a breather and restore your soul by looking at a scientific magazine or online looking at some pictures of outerspace and let your mind marvel at the wonders we are able to see, because we are not hindered by the great lights and reflectors everywhere in it.

An interesting parallel to this is that we are given light of another kind which also gives us clarity about things of the invisible realm?  Can you guess what I am referring to?

(The facts about the universe are taken from "Why the Universe is the Way It Is" by Hugh Ross.)

I am trusting the Holy Spirit to use what I learned in my inmost being from this next true story of faith to make me more ready to go the extra mile for God's Kingdom expansion like this family did.

This is another testimony coming from "Situation Psalms" by Ray Harrison.  Ray tells about a family in Yugoslavia who were filled with the passion of Jesus to get the good news of Jesus to their community and nation.  They turned their whole home/house into a Chrsitian bookstore so that it could be used to print and distribute Christian literature and they themselves moved upstairs to live in the attic, with their baby and small child!  Thank you Lord for this witness to devotion to you who died for us.

Mr. Harrison goes on to tell us that the lady of the house had a stroke later in life and it caused many to ask why?  He says we do not know why, but God does know why.  Do you know what?  As I thought about this briefly a possible insight from God may have flitted across my grey matter!  The idea came through that just like we humans are very fearful or disturbed by lightning striking and starting forest fires which endanger lives or by hurricanes blowing through and destroying homes- this stroke also stirs up our fears- even though God has his wise purposes.  The parallel when further to point out as an earlier blog article detailed- those hurricanes help to balance out the global weather and longevity of the people and planet.  Those hurricanes lift up those aerosols to the cloud cover to keep things on earth from getting to hot (the oceans) and bring more rain to needy areas.  So this dear womans stroke may have lifted up praises or testimony to God's goodness into the spiritual atmosphere within hearts or for angels to see and learn from as she bore with her suffering.    Hmmmm.  What do  you think?

We can keep our faith-life fresher by reading stories of others and how God answered their prayers.  I think it gives us a truer picture of God's higher and mysterious ways in answering prayers so that we do not stay in a stale place on the subject or allow ourselves to keep God in a box on how we want Him to answer prayers.  May we all grow and mature in our understanding in God's goodness and holiness and let Him out of our boxes as we read about this prayer adventure in India, from the book, "Situation Psalms" by Ray Harrison, amen.

Psalm 138:3- "When I called you answered me."  Ray and his family were spending their first Christmas in India.  He and his wife Lorna were thinking of their friends and relatives back in New Zealand.  "We asked the Lord specially to help us give our family a good Christmas celebration.  We even asked Him for a certain amount of money, to buy a few goodies and presents for them.  Day after day we watched the mail, expecting that money to come, and just a few days before Christmas it arrived.  Even while we were thanking Him, another letter came from a man in South India, whom I had led to the Lord in a Crusade just a short time before.  He had a large family, and he was asking me to help him provide for his children over Christmas.  The money he was asking for was exactly the amount that I was asking God for-but for us!   I really struggled with that, but I knew I must give it to him, and that after all, he was only a new Christian and I had been a Christian for years, and knew I could trust God.  So, I yielded, sent him the money and waited! 
We continued to pray, but nothing came.  On Christmas Day we sat together in the front room, without any presents, or special foods and decorations.
Later in the morning, the parcel postman arrived on his bike, to say that there were some parcels for us at the Post Office.  I took a taxi to the Post Office, and found there were fifteen large parcels for us, piled in the middle of the floor.  They had been sent long ago, but somehow had been delayed in the mail.
 We could not afford to pay the duty on them, but the postmaster said that as Christmas was the birthday of our Jesus, we could have them without duty.  So we took them home, and our children had one of the most wonderful Christmases they had ever had.  There were even some Christmas presents in the parcels.
You answered when I called."

This is such a wonderful faith stretching story in more ways than one. Think about how the Lord allowed another brother in Jesus to have a similar or same need at the same time- in order to encourage a more self-sacrificial choice to be made- by giving the happy gift to another instead of keeping it! 
Think about how the Lord, then allowed what seemed like the death of their prayer request when they had no gifts (visible gifts that is, we must remember that not all gifts in life are visible) as they sat in the living room on Christmas morning.
Think about the presentation of the packages at the post office.  The pile on the floor actually makes me visualize the Lord's dump truck unloading a large quantity of his blessings!
Think about the timing of those parcels.  We frequently get upset, angry or perturbed by late things or mistakes.  But here it seems entirely possible that the Lord used people's mistakes and his divine planning to hold up the deliveries until the perfect time to meet the needs of this family- to make their celebration special, enjoyable and to help their faith in Him in the invisible realm grow! 

Many times I have heard how God can break into tribal groups or people groups who are very poor and admit they have a sin condition in their heart which needs to be remedied.  So when I heard years back about the Dalits of India having large numbers of people admitting their need for a Savior I noticed that once again God was reaching the poorest and most rejected people. 

But now lately I have been impressed and awestruck by the fact that God has shown more of the depth and magnitude of his power when He has been making large in-roads into the hearts of high caste Brahmins who are the upper eschalon of Hindu society.  These people to me represent a group of humans who are caught up in the sin of pride in its various forms.  To see God penetrating pride at this level teaches me, as I mentioned earlier, how all-knowing and able He is to tackle any sin or thickness or depth of sin.  Praise Him for being able to reach those of us (humans) who think we are already in nervana.  He can find a way for his love to enter into a heart that believes they no longer need to be reborn to get closer to God or to be more like God or to be perfect- God meets us and humbles us and saves!  This picture in the Indian levels of society- God reaching the outcasts at the bottom of the social ladder and also reaching the Brahmins at the top rung of the ladder - shows the full range of His marvelous power and inclusiveness!  Jesus is victorious in reaching any seeker at any level of the social status among humans! Hallelujah!

When some people try to argue  they will try to trap you by making you think there are only 2 choices by purposely leaving out another valid option.  This is called a "Faulty Dilemma" as we see it explained in the Ronald Brooks and Norman Geisler book on logic, "Come Let Us Reason". 

The argument is usually set up with the words "Either" and "Or" so that you cannot give another answer even if it is logical.   

One example of this faulty logic is found in use by the Pharisees as they try to trap Jesus . 
"Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?"  The Pharisees only offer two choices - the man sinned or the parents sinned.  Neither option is true.  There is a third option.  Jesus points out the third alternative which deals with God's holy purposes.  
"Neither this man nor his parents, but it was in order, that the works of God might be displayed in him." 

The illogical argument is:  "Everything happens either by determinism or by free will. If all is derermined, we are wrong to talk about free choices (to sin, to accept Jesus...). If there is free will, we are wrong to say that God is in control of all things.  Therefore, either we are wrong about free will or we are wrong about God's control." 

These two (determinism and free will) are not necessarily contradictory; it is possible that both are true.  This argument is set up to make you believe that you can only have one or the other be true.  But...
God determined that choices will be freely made.  God uses free will as a means to do what has been determined.  God is able and will to do this. This does not inhibit man's freedom either experientially or really (no coercion or force).  There is no opposition between the two.  God has made it so that we have both free will and determinism. 

Keep pondering this so that... the next time your mind recalls this false thinking you can replace it with logic and say, "God is so powerful and wise that he made it possible for people to have free will and he is able to use free will to accomplish his determined purposes.  Praise Him!  Human freedoms are not inhibited by our good God and He is so powerful as to use free will as a means to do what he has determined!  Wow! I can remember this and tell others that there is no oppostition between free will and determinism! God has made it possible that both are true and logica togetherl, they do not oppose each other!"

Sometimes people use examples from the Bible to try to persuade you to believe something is true which is not.  They use an unusual case to support the conclusion with which they want you to agree.  But we are warned not to believe that just because something is logical in one situation it will also be logical in all situations or under all circumstances.  Norman Geisler and Ronald Brooks explain in "Come Let us Reason" that this is called a "Hasty Generalization".  The example they use is an argument about drinking wine in general.  The person tries to persuade you with something Paul did in the Bible.  "If Paul recommended wine for Timothy, then it is good for Christians today." 
This example of a recommendation was for medicinal use for Timothy.  The person cannot logically use a medicinal recommendation for wine drinking as a valid argument to recommend social drinking and other contexts for all other types of situations.   Do you see the difference?  One recommendation has a specific context and use which is not the same as the widespread, common and general type.
The authors even point out that the wine that Paul was recommending was not the same as today's alcohol level (it was watered down back then) so the logic falls apart even in the context of the type of wine being spoken of in the unusual case of this recommendation of wine to Timothy.
The point is that in using logic to persuade someone to agree, a person must use the same terms that do not contradict each other.  Here there are contradictions in the type of recommendation (medical does not equal nonmedical) and in the use of the word wine (watered down wine does not equal pure wine).

We live in the middle of many dark and illogical philosophies and ways of thinking which are dressed up in "good-looking" forms but are actually illogical.  There is also a parallel in the unseen world- the enemy dresses up himself and his following fallen angels (demons) in "good-looking" or "good-appearing" robes of light so as to lure us nearer and draw us away from truth and Christ.  Wat

This is a big question and I really appreciated the answers given in "Come Let Us Reason" by Norman Geisler and Ronald Brooks.  They really are champions of using our minds/reasoning and logic.
Remember an earlier blog article about the 4 laws of logic which we all know within ourselves to be true becasue they cannot be refuted or argued against?  One was the law of noncontradiction- a dog is not a sand dollar and no one can prove that it is, because it is contradictory and illogical.  Another law was the law of identity, a samurai sword is a samurai sword, 5=5, the letter B is the letter B.  Now we will apply these laws of logic to some Christian doctrines. 

Some people have asked, "Don't some doctrines like the Trinity, the Incarnation ... involve contradictions?" 

The Trinity, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ and Predestination are mysteries and go beyond human reason.  We cannot grasp them fully, but they are not contradictions that go against reason.  Here is why.
The Trinity is God in 3 persons, but only one being.  There is no contradiction between persons and beings.  There would be contradiction if the Trinity was God in 3 persons and only one person.  Based on what we humans know a person to be- it is not possible to be one person and 3 people at the same time or in the same space.  But we do not understand  what all is involved with a being.  He knows and His reason is greater than ours.  The point being that it is possible for a being to be 3 persons at the same time, because there is no contradtiction in reasoning between the definition and understanding of what a person is and what a being is.  They are different, A and B.  There is no contradiction in saying A is A (persons are persons) and B is B (beings are beings).  You may not know the rest of the definition of what a being is, but just because we don't know much about beings, does not prove that beings cannot have 3 persons within them, nor does it prove that the statement about the Trinity is illogical or against reason. 

The Incarnation would be self-contradictory and against logic if it said Jesus had 2 natures: one human and one divine which were united in one nature.  This would be self-contradictory in that 2 natures cannot equal one nature.  1 does not equal 2.  One cannot be the other, it must be itself. This would be illogical.   But the Incarnation is not self-contradictory as we know it in the Bible.  The Incarnation is explained logically as Jesus, the person, having 2 natures, human and divine.  Again this may be mysterious, but it is not illogical. From what we understand of persons and natures this statement is possible and not contradicting itself.  So it is logical.  We may not be able to understand all of what this means because we have human reason and not God's perfect reason, but being mysterious is not the same as being illogical.

Excerpts from the book "Slices of Life" which are personal enounters of missionaries in Papau New Guinea and how Jesus' truth and love penetrated the Awa culture.
People like Matiro in the Awa culture were caught up in God's love when they discovered God was a God who gave them things rather than expecting them to give Him things.  They valued the fact that God gave them His only son.  Matiro and other Awa men and boys deeply and personally know what it means to sacrifice a son, because their culture lives daily with the fear and threat of revenge killings of sons to pay for the sins of the fathers.  Matiro also understands this concept deeply because he is a son, targeted to be sacrificed and murdered at any time by his father's enemies.  But Matiro sees the difference between his own death and the death of Jesus.  Jesus' death would bring life, peace and joy to people, Matiro's death would not bring anyone life or joy or peace.  Matiro's death would bring more death in the endless cycle of death and hatred and revenge that had been going on so long in his culture.  
When a group of men surprised him and surrounded him in his sweet potato garden he knew that they had come to kill him for his father's sins.  He did not want to die, but now that He had met Jesus the special son his situation was vastly different.  We have a relationship with Jesus and express our communication with him as being in our heart, Matiro expresses the same relationship by saying that he hears Jesus' voice speaking clearly to "his liver".  This must be the organ representing the innermost being of man to the Awa culture! He had also asked Jesus to live in his liver.  So now that Matiro knew Jesus as Savior and new Jesus was with him even when a group of men were there to kill him, he was ready to go to heaven with Jesus if it was what Jesus wanted. He knew that God was more powerful than the evil spirits he had been taught to fear as a child.  At this point he dropped to his knees to speak to God in preparation for his death at the hands of these men.  "At least I can meet Jesus in this (kneeling, head bowed in prayer) position.  Because Jesus had bowed his head on the cross for me." 
"O Big One, in your Book you say you are able to protect me or to let these men kill me.  I would like to hear my baby laugh again.  I want to walk the path holding my son's hand again.  I want to eat sweet potato dinner with my wife again.  I want to teach my people about you. (He was helping the misisonaries to interpret the scriptures into Awa) so these pay-back killings won't keep happening." He continued praying to the Lord and then when he finished he opened his eyes and discovered that the men who had come to kill him had gone away.  He felt like he had experienced a resurrection- because in his culture death was certain, it was just a matter of timing when the men might come.  And here he was alive and his enemies all gone!  Jesus had saved the first son in his culture! 
Matiro is a good humble reminder for me in his prayer style.