You Are Not a Model Horse

    Annually, thousands gather in Lexington, Kentucky to celebrate what Jane Wagner (a retired engineer) calls “The biggest closet hobby you’ll ever find.” The event, “BreyerFest”, is an annual convention for individuals who collect model horses. Collectors, typically adolescent girls from Middle America and their mothers, come from every state within the continental US and places like the UK and Austrailia. Part of Breyerfest is a live event in which judges officiate near 1,000 classes of model horses. Seemingly insignificant differences in paint job and condition separate the best from the rest. The competition is intense, with some individuals have been caught cheating. One woman enlisted her family in order to allow her to show three times as many models as she would be able to otherwise. (source, gizmodo.com)

     We all have, whether consciously or unconsciously, compared ourselves to other people. When I was very young I wanted the toys my friends had. When I was in high school I wanted to be as attractive and popular as some of my peers. When I was in college the first time, I wanted the grades and success with the fairer sex that other students had. I am overjoyed to know that my God doesn’t place us all in classes and choose winners. 1 John 4:10 tells us, “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” He loves us all, even at our worse, and sent his Son to die for us. God doesn’t pick us apart, exposing only our sins. He doesn’t choose favorites. Love others as God loves you and know that you don’t have to be the best model horse to be called his children.

Two Species in One?

     One of the items on my bucket list is to visit the world’s great museums of natural history.   Within these museums lie “archives that provide clues about raging epidemics, environmental pollution, and hidden extinctions” (Yong, 2015). Museums of natural history contain records of ecosystems that continue to change and disappear.

     What I did not know is that natural history museums contain many undiscovered species. In 2011, a geneticist at Fordham University named Evon Hekkala discovered that a species of crocodile hidden within a diorama in the American Museum of Natural History (the Nile crocodile) was actually two species. She collected DNA samples from various museum collections and found that the Nile crocodile has both a Western and Eastern species, the Eastern having two fewer chromosomes than the Western Nile crocodile.

     The average animal specimen waits 21 years to be formally described. One pit viper waited 206 years to be identified. I want to be identified as a Christian. I want to be recognized as a child of God. However, lost between the pressures of life and the freedom found in Christ, I often neglect to build the strong relationship with God I need in order for my life to reveal his work in me. I love what Paul writes in Galatians 2:20: “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (NLT). Are you two species lost in one or are you truly living a new life in Christ?

Dedicated to the Night-Owls

     Our bodies contain internal clocks that are set to around 24-hours. We instinctively know how long a day is. I have always been a night-owl, staying up late in to the night and waking up late in to the morning. New evidence suggest that the internal body clocks of night-owls like myself run a little slower. Therefore, night-owls may be better candidates for missions to Mars as days on Mars are about 37 minutes longer than on Earth.

     A recent study found that mice with faster than 24-hour internal clocks are less likely to thrive than mice who’s internal clocks are synched with the Earth’s 24-hour rotation. The mice with the faster internal clocks died out after several generations.

     Other individuals who might not be invited to Mars are vegans or others with extreme dietary restrictions. Lots of extra money would need to be invested by NASA so that a balanced and varied space diet could be developed.

     Adjusting to God’s timing is not always easy. In Habakkuk 2:3 we read, “This vision is for a future time. It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.” (NLT) We live in a world with Internet, fast food, and overnight shipping. We except to have things go the way we want them to exactly when we want them to. But, our God knows that love is patient and does not demand its own way (1 Cor. 13:4-5). Slow down. Take a deep breath. Allow God to work in your life. He knows just what you need.

Move Forward

     Today I read that 15 top European scientists met recently to discuss how the European Space Agency (ESA) might send a human in to deep space (motherboard.vice.com). More specifically, the scientists met in order to determine how they can purposefully induce hibernation. Cryosleep, putting a human being in to suspended animation using a drug, chamber, or something very cold, has commonly been used in science fiction. We see representations of cryosleep in several films including: 2001: A Space Odyssey, Interstellar, Aliens, Avatar, and Riddick.

     Since the beginning of medical history, there have been people who have used cold temperatures to treat various conditions. Hippocrates is believed to have covered injured soldiers with ice and snow in order to slow their flow of blood and give their bodies additional time to heal. Many years later, in 1945, a researcher named TB Fay purposely cooled down patients who had sustained traumatic brain injuries. Fay did this in hopes that swelling would decrease, metabolism would slow down, and the bodies of these patients would be healed. In 1999, Swedish radiologist Anna Bagenholm was trapped under ice for 80 minutes after a skiing accident. Her heart stopped for three hours and her body temperature dropped to 56 degrees. She eventually made a full recovery outside of some minor nerve damage.

     In chapter 17 of Job, we read Job crying out for God to defend his innocence. He laments his current state of being having lost everything. Job has hit a low point in his life, unable to see any more hope in the midst of experiencing tremendous loss. Within this text is a particularly powerful quote. In verse 9 of Job 17 he states, “The righteous keep moving forward”. We will face times in our lives when it seems like there is no hope. We all have times where we want to fall asleep and cease to face life’s challenges. But, the righteous don’t sleep. The righteous keep moving forward. God has something great in store for all that follow him. Don’t fall in to cryosleep. Move forward.

Ferrets to the Heart

     I couldn't resist writing about an article I read this week on bangishotyou. As my family owned several ferrets before the first corgi entered our lives, I simply had to know the history of working ferrets. Ferrets were used by the Roman legions who used them to drive rabbits out of their rabbit holes to become sustenance for hangry Roman soldiers. The modern working ferret’s roots can be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries where they were used for rodent extermination aboard ships. Pokey the ferret became the official mascot of the Massachusetts Colonial Navy in 1986. 

     In the 1800s, tens of thousands of ferrets were raised for rodent extermination and “ferretmeisters” brought them to the barns and granaries the ferrets were to serve and protect. Though effective rodenticides replaced ferrets around the arrival of World War II, aircraft including B-26 Marauders and B-29 Superfortresses had their wiring installed with the help of working ferrets. Today, ferrets continue to be cable runners when simple tools just won’t do the trick. They are also therapy animals for people suffering with various ailments!

     I can already hear you thinking “That’s quite a stretch, John.” Hear me out! In Hebrews 4:12 we read, “For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.” Though ferrets do not cut like a sword, they are capable of finding their ways in to tight, twisted spaces. When you meditate on the word of God, it has a way of imprinting itself on you and transforming the way you think. Spend time in scripture daily and allow God to expose what you must rid yourself of and what you must gain.

A Taste of Kindness

     Today I read an article on Gizmodo about how ice cream was made in the 17th century. Ice cream is that one food I’ll eat no more how much I’ve gorged myself prior to having ice cream offered to me. “I am so stuffed. If I eat one more thing I will literally explode.” “Anyone want ice cream? It’s cookie dough!” “Two scoops right here… better make that three.”

     The first ice cream in history was made possible in 1671 without the use of refrigeration. The first mention of “ice cream” was made during a feast for British king Charles II. The creator of orange blossom ice cream, the first flavor until the end of the 1600s, was paid a yearly stipend to keep the recipe secret until the 1680s. Instead of mixing salt with ice as I do every few weeks to create a cold, creamy concoction, people in the 1600s used saltpeter. Saltpeter, KNO3, was first used for the creation of fireworks and gunpowder.

     No one knows how people stumbled on to the freezing properties of saltpeter but I’m incredibly glad that they did. There is verse in 1 Peter that comes to mind when I think about my adoration for ice cream. 1 Peter 2:2 reads: “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.” (NLT) Once we realize how kind God really is to us, we cry out for more. God sent his son to die on the cross though we didn’t deserve it. The thought of this sacrifice has the ability to drive us to greater acts of kindness and greater devotion to the God who loves us unconditionally. When you think you’ve offered enough kindness, remember the depth of God’s kindness and continue to grow.

Teddy Bear Blessings

     The Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen hosted their annual “Teddy Bear Toss” last Sunday. After the Hitmen scored their first goal, a  record 28,815 stuffed animals were thrown on to the ice at a game with only 19,289 in attendance! Over the past 21 years, the Calgary Hitmen and their fans have donated over 300,000 stuffed animals to over 50 local charities. The game, Calgary’s first with a sellout crowd , was delayed for 40 minutes while the stuffed animals were removed from the ice.

     The news is typically populated with countless stories featuring war, death, prejudice, greed, poverty, and other subjects that cause us to shake our heads with sadness and dismay. It’s good for the suffering of others to be brought to our attention. This type of awareness can spur us on to good works or instill gratefulness towards our own blessings. However, we must understand that our world is not without hope. While I look forward to life in heaven, I know there is much to live for here on Earth. There are many people in need of God and in need of our help. Maybe you had a stuffed animal that you carried with you through most of your childhood. I had a giant parrot who constantly poured Styrofoam stuffing around my house from numerous holes in his fuzzy flesh. What joy the smallest gestures can bring to the recipient and the giver! Jesus talked often about the joy of serving others. In Luke 6:38 he states, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (NLT) Who do you know that may be in need? What can you give? We must consider these questions often as live in the image of a God who provides for us. – JMW