Mr. Nature: The Last Thylacine REPRINT

From June 30, 2018

These video clips, taken at the Hobart Zoo in Tasmania, preserve the memory of an animal that is now supposedly extinct–the thylacine, aka “Tasmanian tiger,” once upon a time the largest living marsupial carnivore. The last one died at the zoo in 1936.

Mr. Nature here, with an animal that I wish was still alive. And it may be. Over the years, hundreds, if not thousands, of people have claimed to have sighted living thylacines on the Australian mainland. Some of them back up their claims with videos, a few of which look quite convincing. So it’s possible there may be a few of them left, roaming the outback. The long, stiff tails, and the stripes along the back, are distinctive: no other animal has them.

Jack and Ellayne encountered a much larger version of a thylacine in Lintum Forest, carrying off, in its massive jaws, the front half of a knuckle-bear.

I don’t think God likes it when we kill off members of His creation.

But I also believe He’ll bring them back, someday, somewhere–if He hasn’t done it already, someplace where they’re safe from us.

Thanks to God

In Christ Alone

It’s Personal! REPRINT

From July 24, 2017

How many times have we encountered this? “My grandson that I really, really love was so unhappy because he couldn’t marry his boyfriend; but now he can, and he’s just so happy! And I’m happy that he’s happy, so I’m all in favor of gay marriage and that’s why I have the Rainbow Flag on my lawn…”?

Moral standards that are handed down by God, and have stood unchanged for thousands of years, must quickly give way–because someone is “unhappy” with them. Naturally, we want our loved ones to be “happy.”

Even if we don’t quite know what the word means, anymore.

The Bible believes in happiness. “Happy is that people, that is in such a case; yea, happy is that people, whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 144:15). “[H]e that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he” (Proverbs 14:21). But the word is never used to describe sexual anarchy.

Still, for the sake of whatever “happiness” is, people with blinding speed discard the moral code in which they were raised. There was once a baby shower here, in front of this apartment building, complete with DJ and free beer, to celebrate an impending out-of-wedlock birth. The mother-to-be, who had not yet divorced her husband, was having the baby by her shiftless, no-good boyfriend. And the yard was full of “happy” people “celebrating” the event which, at one time in their lives, they would have viewed as a moral calamity. Mr. Boyfriend, by the way, stuck around long enough to beget another child by this woman, then fled the scene. Leaving the baby strapped into a car seat, Mommy worked full-time while Mr. Boyfriend played video games and gambled.

But they were “happy” for a while.

Are God’s laws bad because, if we obey them, they keep us out of messes like this? Or are they just bad because God doesn’t like us to be “happy”?

But, hey, well, if we’re gonna trust other sinners, if we’re gonna trust What’s Happenin’ Now, instead of trusting God… God doesn’t know what’s best for us, but Bill Nye the Science Guy does. Anything to be “happy”–right?

The Saddest Word in the Bible REPRINT

From February 19, 2016

Who spoke the saddest word in all the Bible?

In Acts 26, Paul defends the Christian faith before the Roman governor, Festus, and King Agrippa, son of that Herod who murdered the Apostle James, but a man with a decent reputation in history. Paul has high hopes that Agrippa will listen to him, because he knows the king has been an earnest student of the scriptures.

Paul concludes, “For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely; for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.”

And Agrippa’s answer (verse 28): “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.”

Almost!

Almost got eternal life. Almost got forgiveness of my sins. Almost reconciled to God. Almost entered into God’s Kingdom, and into the joy of Our Lord.

Missed it by that much!

At the risk of sounding like a 1950s TV commercial, don’t let this happen to you.

All right, yeah, faith can be difficult. It wouldn’t be faith, if it weren’t. The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1)–and King Agrippa didn’t have it.

He almost believed.

That’s sad.

Keep Me Safe, O God

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

What Hath God Wrought! REPRINT

From June 20, 2020

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I just can’t see how anyone can observe nature and not believe in its Creator.

Behold the ocean sunfish! I was totally intrigued by this creature, when I became old enough to page through books and magazines and at least look at the pictures. It didn’t look at all like any other fish! I mean, come on–it’s like a great big head without a body.

But look at it in its natural habitat. Here it works just fine. Here it moves gracefully.

And then a platoon of little fish come along to clean the parasites off its skin!

“Evolved by blind chance–” Uh-huh. But it’s not chance that’s blind.

I Love to Tell the Story