Reliability Of | Our Daily Bread

Are You Ready?

By C. P. Hia on September 20, 2011

Many will remember the fall sea- son of 2008 as the beginning of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of 1929. In the months to follow, many lost their jobs, homes, and investments. In a BBC interview a year later, Alan Greenspan, former head of the US Federal Reserve, indicated that the average person doesn’t believe it will happen again. He said, “That is the unquenchable capability of human beings when confronted with long periods of prosperity to presume that it will continue.”

Birds, Lilies, And Me

By David C. Egner on August 24, 2011

In the episodes of an old television show, the veteran police lieutenant always said this to the young officers on their way out to the street for their day’s assignments: “Be careful out there!” It was both good advice and a word of compassion because he knew what could happen to them in the line of duty.

The Human Camera

By Dennis Fisher on August 19, 2011

Steven Wiltshire, who has been called “the human camera,” has the amazing ability to recall tiny details about anything he has seen and then reproduce them in drawings. For example, after Steven was flown over the city of Rome, he was asked to draw the city center on blank paper. Astonishingly, he accurately reproduced from memory the winding streets, the buildings, the windows, and other details.

A Wrong Reading

By Dennis Fisher on April 18, 2010

William Scoresby was a British seafaring explorer in the 19th century who responded to God’s call to the ministry. An interest in the workings of navigational compasses stayed with him during his work as a clergyman. His research led to the discovery that all newly built iron ships had their own magnetic influence on compasses. This influence would change at sea for various reasons—leading crews to read the compass incorrectly. Often this led to disaster.

Pure Milk

By C. P. Hia on March 21, 2010

Recently it was discovered that some milk producers in China had been diluting cow’s milk and adding the industrial chemical Melamine. This chemical was added because it artificially enhanced protein readings. Several infants died and others became seriously ill. Such adulteration is not new. Other countries have been adding Melamine to animal feed for at least 40 years for the same purpose, resulting in the death of animals.

Beware The Rupert

By Bill Crowder on August 18, 2009

In the June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion of Europe, an armada of Allied ships assaulted the beaches of Normandy, France. Simultaneously, thousands of airplanes dropped paratroopers into the action. Along with the paratroopers, the Allies also dropped hundreds of rubber dummies behind the enemy lines. Called “Ruperts,” these dummies were intended to simulate an attack to confuse the enemy. As the Ruperts landed, some German outposts were tricked into fighting the “paradummies,” creating a vital crack in the walls of Fortress Europe.

Yeah, But . . .

By Dave Branon on August 9, 2009

Grading university papers is full of surprises. Sometimes, one of my students will successfully handle a subject and display good writing style, and I feel as if my instruction was worthwhile.

A Donkey In Lion’s Clothing

By Dennis Fisher on July 18, 2009

In the final book of C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, The Last Battle, a devious ape named Shift finds an old lion’s skin and persuades a simpleminded donkey to put it on. Shift then claims that the disguised donkey is Aslan (the Lion who is the rightful king of Narnia) and forms an alliance with Narnia’s enemies. Together they set out to control and enslave the subjects of Narnia. Young King Tirian, however, can’t believe that Aslan would actually be involved with such brutal practices. So, with the help of the real Aslan, he defeats Shift and his counterfeit lion.

The Reveal

By Julie Ackerman Link on July 1, 2009

The room was a wreck. Mismatched furniture. Faded paint. Ugly light fixtures. Knick-knacks crammed into crowded spaces. The homeowners tried to make some improvements, but the room kept getting worse.

The Cheat Test

By Dennis Fisher on May 1, 2009

Dan Ariely, an economics professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, conducted some tests on human behavior. In one experiment, the participants took an examination in which they would receive money for each correct answer. The participants didn’t know, however, that Ariely was not testing their knowledge but whether they would cheat. He set up the test so that the groups thought it would be easy to get away with cheating.

The Time Will Come

By Marvin Williams on March 8, 2009

A USA Today article describes how parents today seek to initiate their children into a world of all faiths. Ema Drouillard, who runs a ceremony service, was asked by a couple to conduct a service for their baby, Greer. The mother said, “We just wanted a larger spirit to guide our daughter, but we didn’t want to get specific. I wanted all her bases covered.” The couple said, “We just do Christianity L-I-T-E” for Greer, who “believes in angels and fairies, leprechauns and Santa Claus.” This illustrates the low value placed on scriptural truth that is so prevalent in our culture today.

Rosetta Stone

By Dennis Fisher on October 5, 2008

For centuries, the hieroglyphic word pictures painted on Egyptian ruins were a mystery. Then in 1799 a French archaeological expedition at the Egyptian harbor of Rosetta discovered an ancient stone. It weighed 1,676 pounds and reflected beautiful dark gray, blue, and pink hues. But that is not what made it valuable.

Horsepower

By Mart De Haan on May 9, 2008

On a cold winter day in Michigan, a woman in labor was being rushed to the hospital when the unthinkable happened. The ambulance slid off an icy road into a ditch. A passing four-wheel drive truck stopped and tried to haul the emergency vehicle out but couldn’t get a grip.

The Enduring Word

By Bill Crowder on April 20, 2008

At Dublin Castle in Ireland is the Chester Beatty Library, named for an industrialist who gave generously to charity. The beautiful library includes a quaint coffee shop and a variety of exhibits.

Shakespeare’s Translation?

By Dennis Fisher on November 29, 2007

Some have speculated that William Shakespeare helped translate the King James Bible. They say that he inserted a cryptogram (a message written in code) while he translated Psalm 46. In this psalm, the 46th word from the beginning is shake and the 46th word from the end is spear. Furthermore, in 1610, while the King James Bible was being translated, Shakespeare would have been 46 years old. Despite these coincidences, no serious evidence supports this theory.

Madame Curie

By Dennis Fisher on August 7, 2007

Madame Marie Curie holds her place in history as a pioneer in the study of radioactivity. In 1903, she was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, capturing the honor in physics. Then, in 1911, she received a second Nobel Prize, this one in chemistry.

The Gospel Of Judas

By Dennis Fisher on May 31, 2007

The recently discovered manuscript The Gospel of Judas alleges that Jesus asked Judas to betray Him. Supposedly, Jesus hoped that His death would free Him from this world of matter to become a pure spirit again.

This Is A Warning

By David C. McCasland on March 16, 2007

My wife purchased a birthday card containing these words from a paraphrase: “The Lord has rejoiced over you and has done such wonderful things for you” (Deut. 28:63 TLB). It was such a beautiful thought that she turned to the passage to read more.

An Atheist’s Point Of View

By Anne Cetas on July 8, 2006

Three young men who say they are atheists decided to “sample” and report on several churches in their city. One of these men said, “There is something other than teaching that is appealing to people. We didn’t see a lot of doctrine. . . . The appeal was mostly the community. The content in most churches isn’t nearly as important as the packaging.” The three atheists offered this explanation for why thousands of people in their area attend church each Sunday: The attraction stems more from a person’s Christian identity than from what the religion teaches.

Taking God At His Word

By Joanie Yoder on July 1, 2006

Many true believers in Christ are plagued with doubt about their salvation. Even though they have come in repentance and faith to Jesus as their Savior, they still wonder, “Will I really go to heaven?”

A Rusty Mind

By Dennis Fisher on May 17, 2006

Leonardo da Vinci’s contributions to art, science, and engineering establish him as one of the great geniuses in history. Whether it be designing a flying machine or painting the Mona Lisa, his mind was alive, observant, and creative. He is credited with making this comment about maintaining mental sharpness: “Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity; . . . even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.”

Strength & Support

By Herbert Vander Lugt on March 27, 2006

The local newspaper reported that a mother is devastated because her 21-year-old son, who had always seemed like an upright young man, had been arrested for dealing drugs.

Lost Books?

By Dennis Fisher on July 7, 2005

Everybody likes a good story, but many people are taking the best-selling novel The Da Vinci Code as historical fact.

When God Thunders

By David H. Roper on December 28, 2004

Thunder rolls across the Sawtooth Mountains, crashing and echoing through the peaks and canyons, shaking the ground with celestial sonic booms. My old dog cuts and runs. I stand amazed and delighted.

Read All Of It

By Vernon C. Grounds on December 4, 2004

Some Christian families follow the practice of reading through the whole Bible. After evening meals, they read a chapter or two. They read from Genesis to Revelation, skipping nothing. Even the genealogies with their hard-to-pronounce names are read aloud.

"Wreck" A Bible

By Joanie Yoder on October 2, 2004

The Bible is a remarkable book. Millions of copies are bought each year. It has been the number-one bestseller for decades. But tragically, the Bible is said to be the least-read bestseller of all time.

A Strong Constitution

By Dennis J. De Haan on July 4, 2004

The Declaration of Independence of the United States speaks of all people being“created equal”and that we are endowed with certain“unalienable rights.”The Constitution guarantees that the government will protect those rights for all its citizens. These two documents clearly reveal that the nation’s freedom depends largely on a strong constitution.

Windtalkers

By David C. Egner on September 28, 2003

Their contribution to victory in World War II was enormous, but few people even knew about them. In 1942, the US Army recruited and trained 29 young Navajo Indians and sent them to a base surrounded in secrecy. These people, who were called “windtalkers,” had been asked to devise a special code in their native language that the enemy couldn’t break. They succeeded, and the code was never broken. It secured and greatly speeded up war communications. For 23 years after the war, that secret code remained classified in case it might be needed again.

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