Posted on August 1, 2014
Spotting Storm Clouds
A cool breeze sweeps through the summer air after a warm day, stirring the trees and playing with my hair as I watch the distant sky turn that beautiful deep blue color the sky always becomes right before it rains. There is a rumble of distant thunder, the musty smell of rain, a flash of lightning coming closer, and finally I feel an icy droplet hit my head. I just stand there for a few minutes as the rain drops begin to fall heavier and more frequently, captivated by the wonder and beauty of the storm. Eventually, I come to the realization that I’m getting a little damp and the last lightning strike I saw seemed pretty close, and decide to retreat indoors. Storms are an incredible reminder of the power – and mercy – of God.
For the last few weeks, we have been exploring clouds and some basic cloud classification. Hopefully these topics didn’t get too dry for you (after all, clouds are made of water – they couldn’t possibly be a dry topic). This week, we will look into some of the amazing features that can be seen on our big storm clouds, which are cumulonimbus clouds, as you may remember from last week.
If you see a big cumulonimbus formation from a distance, you will probably notice that the biggest part of the storm cloud is much wider at the top and bottom than it is in the middle. This phenomenon is a supplementary feature that is only formed on cumulonimbus clouds and is often casually called an anvil (because the shape looks just like an anvil), or formally classified as “incus”(see picture below). The cloud formation flattens out at the top because it grew to a higher layer in the atmosphere where clouds don’t grow as well. Another thing you might notice at the peak of a tall pile of clouds is a smooth, transparent cap sitting on top of it, called “pileus” (literally from the Latin word for “cap”). Pileus forms on top as a cumulonimbus (or cumulus) cloud encounters a humid layer in the air. You know you have a strong storm if the cumulonimbus cloud bursts through the pileus .
From this distance, you might also be able to see a shaft of rain coming down from your storm cloud. If the rain shaft touches the ground, we call it “praecipitatio” but if it doesn’t touch the ground, we call it “virga” instead (see pictures below). If your storm gets a little closer, look above your head because you might see ominous bulges, called “mammatus” clouds, hanging above your head.
“ . . . Who maketh the clouds His chariot: Who walketh upon the wings of the wind” Psalm 104:3
Posted on July 24, 2014
Clues on Cloud Classification
Did you look up in the sky this week and see some of those three basic cloud types I mentioned last week – cumulus, cirrus, or stratus? Perhaps your sky was completely clear and perfect for stargazing all week. However, it is much more likely that you saw clouds at some point this week that didn’t quite fit into one of those three basic types. These three basic types were named by Luke Howard in the 1800s as part of his original cloud classification scheme, but in our modern classification scheme they are best thought of as the three basic forms clouds can take.
In our modern classification scheme, we classify clouds into ten genera, which are all just variations or combinations of the three basic forms we discussed last week (cumulus, cirrus, and stratus). Although they may be a bit cumbersome at first, knowing just these ten genera will help you to better understand what is going on in the world around you. Low level clouds that sit below 6,500 feet above ground are cumulus, stratus, or stratocumulus (which looks like a layer of flattened out cumulus).
Mid-level clouds that sit between 6,500 and 20,000 feet are classified as altocumulus, altostratus, or nimbostratus. The prefix “alto-“ comes from the Latin word meaning high (our word “altitude” comes from the same root), so altocumulus is just high cumulus. The prefix “nimbo-“ means rain in Latin, so nimbostratus is essentially raining stratus. High clouds sit at approximately 20,000 feet and can be cirrus, cirrostratus, or cirrocumulus. Cirrocumulus clouds look like tiny puffs clustered together or arranged in rows. Cirrostratus clouds are sometimes so thin and transparent that we do not even realize there’s a cloud in the sky until you see a halo around the sun or moon. Finally, Cumulonimbus clouds are those enormous, exciting thunderstorm clouds that can produce torrential rain, hail, lightning, and tornados.
You don’t need to watch clouds for very long before you realize there are one or two genera that you like especially well. Most atmospheric scientists and weather enthusiasts will probably tell you that their favorite cloud genus is cumulonimbus because the huge impact these clouds can have on our lives makes them the most pertinent ones to study. Although I do get pretty excited about cumulonimbus clouds, they are not my favorite sunset clouds. Personally, I think that altocumulus and cirrocumulus are the most beautiful clouds (see pictures below). Keep watching the sky this week to see if you can spot some of these cloud genera.
Posted on July 18, 2014
Clues From Clouds, Part 2
Last week we started talking about how important clouds are to our daily life. Without clouds, life on earth as we know it would be impossible. Not only are clouds highly functional, but they can also be breathtakingly beautiful or ferociously intimidating. They can tower up into ominous, dark thunder storms or grace the entire sky in a lacy pattern. They are all made of water or ice built onto specifically shaped dust particles in the atmosphere, called “cloud condensation nuclei”, but can have very different results depending on the type of cloud.
Most people are at least somewhat familiar with the idea of biological classification (Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, species), but did you know that we have a classification system for clouds as well? For clouds you can have a genus, species, variety, accessory clouds, and supplementary features, all with Latin-based names. You have probably heard of “cumulus”, “stratus”, or “cirrus” clouds before. These are the three main cloud forms and just about anyone can easily learn to recognize them.
If you are outside on a nice summer afternoon you might look up into the sky and see fluffy, white, cotton-ball clouds harmlessly drifting in a sunny blue sky. These are your cumulus clouds, based off of the Latin word meaning “heap” or “pile” because these fluffy white clouds are best described as a lumpy pile (we get our English word “accumulate” from the same Latin base). Other times you might see delicate wisps of cirrus clouds gracing the sky far above the surface. “Cirrus” means “curl” in Latin and these clouds are always made of icy wisps because they form much higher than other clouds. Very few people really like those rather dull, flat, low clouds we call “Stratus”, which is Latin for “Layer”.
Knowing these three basic cloud times may seem a little dull and unimpressive, but we can’t really talk about the exciting things without having these basics covered. Next week we will talk about some of my favorite cloud features that you have probably never heard of before. Try to keep an eye on the sky this week and see if you can recognize some of these basic types.
Posted on July 12, 2014
Clues From Clouds, Part 1
Do you ever enjoy looking up at the clouds? I used to lay in the grass with my camera and weather notebook quite frequently, fascinated by the way the clouds overhead grew or changed shape. My favorite way to watch the clouds was to climb up on the roof of my house to watch a beautiful sunset just before the stars came out. Although things have changed a little over the years and I rarely get the chance to go cloud watching anymore, I still love the sky.
At first glance, clouds may not seem especially interesting. After all, they’ve been up there in the sky all our lives. It can be easy to take them for granted and forget how incredible they really are. Think about it for a second: enormous blobs of water or ice float in the air sometimes hundreds or thousands of feet overhead. They shelter us from too much heat during the day because the bright white color of clouds works almost like a mirror, reflecting sunlight. On the other hand, clouds also keep our planet from getting too cold at night by trapping the day time heat (almost like a blanket) so that it doesn’t all escape to space.
Of course, clouds are a very important part of our water cycle, spreading rain and snow (generally called precipitation) all over the earth. Without this precipitation, life as we know it would not be possible. I live in an area that was experiencing a very severe drought over the last few years, and from this experience I can tell you that being short on rain can get bad very fast. We take for granted that rain will come, crops will grow, and food and water will always be available when we need them. We must remember that we are frail and dependent on God. If you have not had a chance to look at the January issue of Creation Clues for Kids on the topic of water, be sure to check it out here. Be sure to look for next week’s creation clue where we will talk more about clouds and beautiful sunbeams.
Posted on July 4, 2014
Freedom and the Separation of Church & State
Today is, of course, July 4th or Independence Day. It’s the day we have for celebrating our freedom in America. Unfortunately, many people do not really understand what freedom really means. Often, people think that “freedom” is the license to do whatever their naturally sinful human hearts want to do. However, the Bible tells us that following our desires like this is really being a slave to sin (see Romans 6). It is only through the blood of Jesus that we can truly be free to live the lives God has created us to live.
We often hear critics use the idea of “separation of Church and state” to keep Christian ideas and symbols out of public things. Separation of Church and state was not originally supposed to mean “keep your beliefs out of my government” but more of, “keep your government out of my church”. A good example of this misunderstanding is the belief that Biblical creation should not be taught in schools. Naturalism and atheism are faith-based beliefs just like Islam and Christianity. Without the solid foundation of Biblical creation, all the good things about loving others, moral behavior, and helping others will crumble. Just look at what is happening to our young people in the schools today: no morals, school shootings, teen pregnancies, drugs, etc.
The truth is that we are all humans, including government officials, and we cannot really completely separate our beliefs from anything we do. It’s like trying to separate your home life and work life. Whether we like it or not, we can’t really leave our work problems at work when we go home and leave our home problems at home when we go to work. They all run together because it’s the same person with the same heart in both places. Let us not be double-minded slaves to sin, but rather let us be free to glorify and serve our Lord, just as we were created to do.
“It is obvious to every reasonable being that he did not make himself, and the world which he inhabits could as little make itself, that the moment we begin to exercise the power of reflection, it seems impossible to escape the conviction that there is a Creator.” ~ John Quincy Adams
Posted on June 28, 2014
Solving Life’s Problems (Mathematically)
Have you ever had days when you weren’t really sure what you’re going to do with your life . . . or what you are going to do next month? Well, I have too, recently. This is a bit unusual for me because I’m used to at least looking like I have my life figured out and always having a five-year plan (even if it changes a little from year to year). Sometimes I wish God had given us some kind of mathematical equation or formula in the Bible to tell us how to solve all the problems that come up in life. Wouldn’t it be nice if God gave us formulas that work in every situation and with every person?
Imagine that: here’s the formula God gives for planning your life, so just fill in all the known quantities to solve for the unknown. Put in your height for “y”, time period for “t”, I.Q. score for “q”, personality type for “p”, gender for “x” and you can figure out “L” for your life plan. This “L” is a vector quantity, telling you in what direction and how far to go. Unfortunately, real life is not as simple and straightforward as math (and yes, I know that math is often not perceived as simple or straightforward).
No, God doesn’t give us specific formulas to solve for all the “unknowns” in our lives. Actually, I’m glad He doesn’t, because if He did give us specific formulas that work for everyone, I would be inclined to judge others by those formulas altogether too often. Although God doesn’t give us formulas, He gives us principles to follow that can help us solve for our “unknowns”. Life is really more like physics than algebra in that way. In physics, we have some equations that work for everything, but most of the time you need to draw what we call a “free body diagram” of the situation. You can then use that diagram to create formulas that can be used to solve for the unknown.
Take for example the situation of a girl standing still on a swing (see picture). We can draw a free body diagram of the forces acting on the wooden seat of the swing. As you can see in the diagram below, we have the weight of the girl pushing down on the seat and the forces of the two chains pulling up on the seat. Using basic overall principles and the free body diagram, we can create mathematical equations to solve for the unknown. In a similar way, God gives us basic principles that we can use to help us solve our current problem. We may not be able to solve for every “unknown” in our lives right now, but God will guide us one step at a time by applying His basic principles to our individual situations.
Posted on June 20, 2014
Two Different Realms?, Part 2
Last week I talked about the other young lady I met in the hall while waiting for lab to start. When I asked her about her thoughts on evolution and Christianity she said, “I just think that those are two different realms that weren’t meant to be crossed”. Unfortunately this is the way that a lot of Christians think. My hall friend is definitely not the only person I have encountered in college who believes that faith and science are two separate realms. I’ve encountered some pretty twisted ideas about the creation account, some of which are rather disturbing – one of which I would like to make you aware of today.
This spring, I decided to go the fifty-cent lunch held by the Baptist Student Ministry (BSM) on campus. I had seen it advertised before, but had never gone because I’m not particularly fond of loud crowds of people. Since I knew with my spring class schedule I’d be having lunch on the late side, I decided to try out the BSM lunch, thinking I might be encouraged by meeting other Christians at my college. I thought I might even find a like-minded creationist, but turned out to be very wrong. I ended up finding an ardent old earth Christian who I tried to debate over the noise of contemporary Christian music being blasted over loud speakers as well as whatever he was listening to on his ear buds.
The guy at the BSM loaned me his book, The Lost World of Genesis One, By John Walton, to read his ideas. I tried to read the book, but became pretty disgusted with the demeaning tone and the disrespect for the Bible (written by a Bible scholar – they tend to be some of the most likely to compromise with “science” because they don’t understand true science). I ended up skimming it for main points. Creation Ministries International has an article on their website that addresses the claims made in this book, if you would like to know more on this topic.
Walton’s main idea in this book is that by “create”, God meant that He gave purpose and function to things, and that the Hebrew culture interprets things more figuratively than literally. But, the original Hebrew text of Genesis is written in historical narrative style (like 1Kings), not poetic style (like Psalms). Walton said that his interpretation allows us to believe whatever we choose about how the physical world came into being and helps us avoid “scientific gymnastics”. Wait a second – so we want to use Biblical gymnastics, re-interpreting what God’s Word says, to avoid “scientific gymnastics”, simply re-interpreting what people say? Friends, that is not right – this is God we are talking about!
Perhaps even more disturbing was how this book addressed the issue of sin and death. Believing in millions of years and/or evolution requires suffering and death long before Adam and Eve came along. However, the Bible makes it clear that death and suffering are in the world because of Adam and Eve sinned. We cannot have a consequence for something Adam and Eve did before they existed. Walton argues that only human death is a consequence of Adam and Eve’s sin. But what does the Bible say? It says that the whole creation groans and suffers in pain because of sin (see Romans 8:19-22, below). Only the true, plain account in Genesis can explain our pain and the pain we see in the world around us. Cling to God and His Word alone.
“For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same . . . for we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8:19-20,22)
Posted on June 13, 2014
Two Different Realms?
This month I’ve been taking a summer class at a local university that I’m considering transferring to for the next step of my college education. As a creationist geology student, knowing how strongly the evolution agenda is pushed in the science classes at my university is essential to college decisions. I can work with professors who push evolution (mostly) as long as they don’t try to fail me just for my beliefs. Another equally important thing to consider is the general attitude of the other students in my departments.
One morning as I was waiting in the hall for lab to start, I met another young lady. She said she’s a biology major student. I mentally cringed, knowing of the infamous biology professor who requires students to subscribe to evolution if they want to go any further. I cautiously asked her what she thought of the whole evolution thing being taught, in the context of how it lines up with Christianity. She said, “Well, I just think that those are two different realms that weren’t meant to be crossed”.
But, are science and faith really “two different realms” that should not inhabit the same territory in our brains? Is the Genesis account of creation in the Bible merely an allegory, not meant to be taken literally? Was it written to reach the Jewish people right where they were with their ancient understanding of science, more than to modern Americans with our advanced technology? When this young lady said what she did about science and Christianity, I was strongly reminded of a Bible verse. In John 3:12, Jesus says, “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of Heavenly things?” If we cannot trust the Bible about science and other temporary issues of this life that we can see and touch, how can we expect people to trust what God says about salvation and the second coming?
You may be wondering how I responded to what my new hall friend said. I told her that in college, it’s nice how things are all nicely split up into their own little domains – biology pretty much stays in biology class, math in math class, philosophy in philosophy class, etc. However, in real life, things do not work that way. Life is messy – your home life will play into your work life and vice versa whether or not you realize it. Our brains don’t function like computers, just completely closing one mental file and opening up a different one that suits our tasks for the moment. Knowledge from different areas unifies together in harmony to show us the bigger picture of life. Since this is such an important issue, I would like to go a little bit deeper into this topic next week, so be on the lookout for part two.
Posted on June 7, 2014
Crossing Paths
Lately, I have been thinking back on some of the people I’ve met over the past few years. Some I met through college and others I encountered on my adventures around the country (like the Kansas dig and Grand Canyon trips I wrote about). I decided to write this poem in honor of the many like-minded people who have encouraged me and that I hope I was able to encourage as well.
As I travel through this thing called life,
I come to a place where my path splits in two;
One path is wide and smooth as a knife,
The other is rough and narrow, its travelers few.
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I choose the path where few have trod,
To traveling friends I bid a despondent farewell,
For they have chosen the path which is broad,
So I continue alone, as far as one can tell.
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Though the path looks lonely and dark,
Soon I discover I’m not truly traveling alone,
For Jesus walks with me, His way is my mark,
And step by step, to me my path He’s shown.
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Sometimes I see others traveling along,
Walking before, behind, or right alongside me,
We greatly rejoice and join in a song,
Thanking God for the encouragement we see.
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With some of these friends I walk for a while,
Others I encounter for but a brief moment,
God leads us different ways, though not vile,
To guide us each in the way He has sent.
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Though many of these I may never see again,
While I travel on the path I’m given,
God gives each meeting not in vain,
Helping each along the path we’re driven.
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Though often it seems I travel alone,
I know that others are on this narrow road,
Jesus is there, and I’m forever His own,
In eternity together we’ll sing of the love He showed.
Posted on June 2, 2014
Digging in the Dirt, Part 2
Last week, I started talking a little bit about the dig I went on in Kansas recently. The canyons cut through beautiful yellow and gray layers that are considered to be part of the Cretaceous group. The layers were laid down during the global flood the Bible mentions in Genesis, capturing sea creatures as fossils. The canyons were probably cut either as the floodwaters drained off the continents or during one of the large storms shortly after the flood, exposing the layers and the fossils buried inside.
I was completely fascinated with the beautiful way these canyons were cut. The patterns in the layers were captivating. I loved following the winding paths created by the waters and imagining what it was like on the day they cut through the layers, draining down, off the land. Once, as I was following a water drain path, I saw a grouping of fish vertebrae fossils right by my foot. Later, I got to collect the fossils I found – eight fish vertebrae in all – and bring them back home. I also found a large clam buried next to my fish vertebrae, and there were several other interesting fossils found nearby. Knowing about where the fossil was found and what other things were buried around us can help give us clues about how these creatures died in the global flood. I look forward to studying these fossils more in the near future.
Are you up for a challenge today? How good are you at finding fossils? Bellow, there is a picture I took of some of the loose gravel and rocks I saw on the dig site. In the picture, there is a single fish vertebra among all the loose rocks. See if you can find it. When you have found it, take the poll and tell how long it took you to find the fossil. If you still cannot find it, comment bellow and I will post the answer.
One thing that really struck me about the dig site is that it looks like a disaster area (and it was). Fish vertebrae were just randomly lying in a pile of stones. Half of a fish was sticking out of the rock layers, the other half long gone. Bits of clam shells were scattered all over the place like gravel. The flood was an act of God’s judgment against sinful man, and we can tell that this judgment was a terrible catastrophe. Yet, through the judgment, there is incredible beauty and grace. We would not have the canyons, fossils, or rock layers without this catastrophic judgment. We don’t deserve this gracious mercy from God, but He gives it anyway. Just as He promised, “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).
