THE ROAD TO MOUNT ST HELENS
Psalm 29:9
The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
Most people visit the area around Mount St Helens, by leaving Interstate 5 in Washington state at exit 49, and traveling East, along a road called Spirit Lake Highway. The road is so called, because, before 1980, it used to terminate at Spirit Lake. The lake is no longer accessible by road from the West, and even from the East, a substantial hike is required. So, I like to refer to Spirit Lake Highway as the Road to Mount St Helens.
There is so much of interest to see along this road, which points to God’s amazing power. From the road, you can view the remains of the mudflows, along the Toutle River, a vacation home partially buried in mud, and petrified wood, found in a cutting by the roadside. Closer to the volcano, magnificent views of the mountain open up, enabling the visitor to ponder on the massive extent of the change in the landscape, and the rapid pace of recovery since then. Evolutionists have difficulty accounting for all these changes, but they are easy to explain, within a biblical creationist context. The area provides a unique opportunity, not to prove that the Bible is true, because the Bible is true anyway, but to understand, on a big scale, some of the consequences of knowing that what God has said in His word is true.
We stand in awe of Your works, O Lord. Thank You for all that we see in the world around us, which confirms that Your word is true. Amen.
The Road to Mount St Helens, (Toutle, WA: J6D Publications, 2016)
Image: Adobe Stock Photos, licensed for use by author
Psalm 29:9
The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
Most people visit the area around Mount St Helens, by leaving Interstate 5 in Washington state at exit 49, and traveling East, along a road called Spirit Lake Highway. The road is so called, because, before 1980, it used to terminate at Spirit Lake. The lake is no longer accessible by road from the West, and even from the East, a substantial hike is required. So, I like to refer to Spirit Lake Highway as the Road to Mount St Helens.
There is so much of interest to see along this road, which points to God’s amazing power. From the road, you can view the remains of the mudflows, along the Toutle River, a vacation home partially buried in mud, and petrified wood, found in a cutting by the roadside. Closer to the volcano, magnificent views of the mountain open up, enabling the visitor to ponder on the massive extent of the change in the landscape, and the rapid pace of recovery since then. Evolutionists have difficulty accounting for all these changes, but they are easy to explain, within a biblical creationist context. The area provides a unique opportunity, not to prove that the Bible is true, because the Bible is true anyway, but to understand, on a big scale, some of the consequences of knowing that what God has said in His word is true.
We stand in awe of Your works, O Lord. Thank You for all that we see in the world around us, which confirms that Your word is true. Amen.
The Road to Mount St Helens, (Toutle, WA: J6D Publications, 2016)
Image: Adobe Stock Photos, licensed for use by author
SPIRIT LAKE
Psalm 29:10
The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
To the North of Mount St Helens is a beautiful lake, called Spirit Lake – probably from trapped water in an earlier eruption of the volcano. This lake played a fascinating role in the events of May 19th 1980, when the mountain blew.
The volcano erupted laterally. That is to say, its eruption was horizontal, rather than vertical. The volcanic blast knocked down enormous, mature trees on the heavily forested mountainsides up to 17 miles away. Part of the landslide, caused by this eruption, went into Spirit Lake, and pushed its water, in a huge wave, 800 feet up the mountainside opposite, where the trees had, moments before, been knocked down by the blast. The returning water brought with it a million trees. This water settled on top of landslide debris, so the bottom of the lake is now some 300 feet higher than it was before the events of 1980. The hillside today bears the scars of that wave. Below the 800ft mark, there are few trees, whereas above that point, there are many fallen trees remaining nearly 40 years on.
This landscape, like so many in the area, was changed catastrophically, in minutes. The change did not take millions of years. In Genesis, we read that the entire world’s surface was changed by a devastating worldwide flood. It is not a surprise to us, therefore, to see how fast the landscape was changed, in this small, localized catastrophe, without requiring millions of evolutionary years.
Lord, we acknowledge that You are in control, even of natural events. Nothing takes You by surprise, and You are Sovereign over all. Amen.
Image License: photo taken by author
Psalm 29:10
The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
To the North of Mount St Helens is a beautiful lake, called Spirit Lake – probably from trapped water in an earlier eruption of the volcano. This lake played a fascinating role in the events of May 19th 1980, when the mountain blew.
The volcano erupted laterally. That is to say, its eruption was horizontal, rather than vertical. The volcanic blast knocked down enormous, mature trees on the heavily forested mountainsides up to 17 miles away. Part of the landslide, caused by this eruption, went into Spirit Lake, and pushed its water, in a huge wave, 800 feet up the mountainside opposite, where the trees had, moments before, been knocked down by the blast. The returning water brought with it a million trees. This water settled on top of landslide debris, so the bottom of the lake is now some 300 feet higher than it was before the events of 1980. The hillside today bears the scars of that wave. Below the 800ft mark, there are few trees, whereas above that point, there are many fallen trees remaining nearly 40 years on.
This landscape, like so many in the area, was changed catastrophically, in minutes. The change did not take millions of years. In Genesis, we read that the entire world’s surface was changed by a devastating worldwide flood. It is not a surprise to us, therefore, to see how fast the landscape was changed, in this small, localized catastrophe, without requiring millions of evolutionary years.
Lord, we acknowledge that You are in control, even of natural events. Nothing takes You by surprise, and You are Sovereign over all. Amen.
Image License: photo taken by author
THE MOST OFFENSIVE VERSE
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
I recently recorded a Creation Moments program about the Trinity, as reflected in the first verse of the Bible. My reason for revisiting this matter is for two reasons. 1. I read a blog, entitled “Genesis 1:1 – the Most Offensive Verse in the Bible”, and 2. A recent visit from religious people to my door.
When we teach High School children to write essays, we expect them to lay out all the arguments for and against a proposition, with their conclusion. The Bible is not a High School essay! You will not find a discussion of the relative merits of arguments for and against the existence of God. Indeed, the Bible starts with the simple sentence “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This states that there was indeed a beginning, and that God, who must, therefore, have existed before that beginning, created everything.
I was recently visited by a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses. We had a friendly discussion, during which I shared the Gospel – though they wanted to discuss points of doctrine, such as the Trinity. Having shown them a couple of verses that explain the Trinity, or the Deity of Christ, I pointed them to the first verse of the Bible, and explained how the word for “God” is triply plural, while the word for “created” is singular; best explained by the Trinity. For the first time in our conversation, these two men got very angry. They denounced my exegesis in all sorts of ways!
Jesus said, in Matthew 11:6, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Yet all those who do not acknowledge Him will be offended by Him.
Help us, please Lord, to proclaim the truth of who You are. Help us to do this with boldness, knowing that it is You who created this entire universe, for Your Glory. Amen.
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
I recently recorded a Creation Moments program about the Trinity, as reflected in the first verse of the Bible. My reason for revisiting this matter is for two reasons. 1. I read a blog, entitled “Genesis 1:1 – the Most Offensive Verse in the Bible”, and 2. A recent visit from religious people to my door.
When we teach High School children to write essays, we expect them to lay out all the arguments for and against a proposition, with their conclusion. The Bible is not a High School essay! You will not find a discussion of the relative merits of arguments for and against the existence of God. Indeed, the Bible starts with the simple sentence “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” This states that there was indeed a beginning, and that God, who must, therefore, have existed before that beginning, created everything.
I was recently visited by a couple of Jehovah’s Witnesses. We had a friendly discussion, during which I shared the Gospel – though they wanted to discuss points of doctrine, such as the Trinity. Having shown them a couple of verses that explain the Trinity, or the Deity of Christ, I pointed them to the first verse of the Bible, and explained how the word for “God” is triply plural, while the word for “created” is singular; best explained by the Trinity. For the first time in our conversation, these two men got very angry. They denounced my exegesis in all sorts of ways!
Jesus said, in Matthew 11:6, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” Yet all those who do not acknowledge Him will be offended by Him.
Help us, please Lord, to proclaim the truth of who You are. Help us to do this with boldness, knowing that it is You who created this entire universe, for Your Glory. Amen.
WHICH WAY THE WIND BLOWS
John 3:7-8
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
As I sat in my office, to write this program, the wind was howling outside. We have some idea, today, of why the wind blows, as the atmosphere contains shifting areas of high and low pressure. However, the direction of the wind is not simply from high to low – other factors, such as the rotation of the Earth, are also important. From a human perspective, the unpredictability of the wind – where it comes from, and where it goes to – is understood in the common English phrase “Which way the wind blows”, which I looked up in several online dictionaries of idioms and quotations, to see that it referred to the changing nature of the world. But none of the sites that I visited referred to a Bible passage that says the same thing.
When I was a very young Christian, a contemporary song of the time had exactly this title, and was performed by a group called the Second Chapter of Acts. The song compared the uncertainty experienced by unbelievers, with the certain knowledge we have in Christ. In fact, it was Jesus who referred to this, in John 3. “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes”. Jesus said this, to emphasize to Nicodemus the importance of being born again – of being born of the Spirit. When the wind blows, it is one more “natural” reminder that should point us to the Savior, because He is the One who knows which way the wind blows.
Lord God, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to take the punishment for our sins, that we might be born again of the Spirit. Amen.
Image: Adobe Stock Photos, licensed to author
John 3:7-8
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
As I sat in my office, to write this program, the wind was howling outside. We have some idea, today, of why the wind blows, as the atmosphere contains shifting areas of high and low pressure. However, the direction of the wind is not simply from high to low – other factors, such as the rotation of the Earth, are also important. From a human perspective, the unpredictability of the wind – where it comes from, and where it goes to – is understood in the common English phrase “Which way the wind blows”, which I looked up in several online dictionaries of idioms and quotations, to see that it referred to the changing nature of the world. But none of the sites that I visited referred to a Bible passage that says the same thing.
When I was a very young Christian, a contemporary song of the time had exactly this title, and was performed by a group called the Second Chapter of Acts. The song compared the uncertainty experienced by unbelievers, with the certain knowledge we have in Christ. In fact, it was Jesus who referred to this, in John 3. “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes”. Jesus said this, to emphasize to Nicodemus the importance of being born again – of being born of the Spirit. When the wind blows, it is one more “natural” reminder that should point us to the Savior, because He is the One who knows which way the wind blows.
Lord God, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus, to take the punishment for our sins, that we might be born again of the Spirit. Amen.
Image: Adobe Stock Photos, licensed to author
AT THE FOOT OF MOUNT ST HELENS
Psalm 29:7-8
The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
In another Creation Moment, I talked about the Road to Mount St Helens. One of my favorite spots on this road can be found 40 miles along the road – still 12 miles short of the dead end at the Johnston Ridge Observatory. At this point, you will find Castle Lake Viewpoint. Castle Lake can be seen across the valley – a lake, which did not exist before the 1980 eruption, but collected in a side valley, which was blocked by the amazing landslide. Even more spectacular to me is the view of Mount St Helens, and the area below it, where we can see the unique eco-system known as the Hummocks, which are little hills, where portions of the landslide lost energy, and settled in lumps, as would happen to baking flour, poured down a sloping baking sheet.
The landscape of the Hummocks was barren in the aftermath of the eruption. Scientists, at the time, supposed that a thousand years would be needed for the area to recover. Yet, recovery began in months, and can now be seen to be extensive – just as the recovery of the whole world would have been after the Flood. Most of the Visitors’ Centers close to the volcano refer to the “remarkable” or “astounding” rate of recovery seen in the Monument area – an area where deliberate planting has been banned since the eruption. For Believers, we are reminded that this recovery is exactly what we would expect. God oversaw the recovery of an entire planet, after the worldwide devastation that He had sent in Genesis 6 through 8. Rapid recovery at Mount St Helens is only understandable, because the Bible is true.
We love Your word, O God, and we thank You that Your invisible attributes are clearly seen in the whole of creation. Amen.
Ref: The Road to Mount St Helens: A Mount St Helens Creation Center Guidebook, (Toutle, WA: J6D Publications, 2016)
Image: Adobe Stock Photos, license held by author
Psalm 29:7-8
The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
In another Creation Moment, I talked about the Road to Mount St Helens. One of my favorite spots on this road can be found 40 miles along the road – still 12 miles short of the dead end at the Johnston Ridge Observatory. At this point, you will find Castle Lake Viewpoint. Castle Lake can be seen across the valley – a lake, which did not exist before the 1980 eruption, but collected in a side valley, which was blocked by the amazing landslide. Even more spectacular to me is the view of Mount St Helens, and the area below it, where we can see the unique eco-system known as the Hummocks, which are little hills, where portions of the landslide lost energy, and settled in lumps, as would happen to baking flour, poured down a sloping baking sheet.
The landscape of the Hummocks was barren in the aftermath of the eruption. Scientists, at the time, supposed that a thousand years would be needed for the area to recover. Yet, recovery began in months, and can now be seen to be extensive – just as the recovery of the whole world would have been after the Flood. Most of the Visitors’ Centers close to the volcano refer to the “remarkable” or “astounding” rate of recovery seen in the Monument area – an area where deliberate planting has been banned since the eruption. For Believers, we are reminded that this recovery is exactly what we would expect. God oversaw the recovery of an entire planet, after the worldwide devastation that He had sent in Genesis 6 through 8. Rapid recovery at Mount St Helens is only understandable, because the Bible is true.
We love Your word, O God, and we thank You that Your invisible attributes are clearly seen in the whole of creation. Amen.
Ref: The Road to Mount St Helens: A Mount St Helens Creation Center Guidebook, (Toutle, WA: J6D Publications, 2016)
Image: Adobe Stock Photos, license held by author
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