intellect and science Archives

Posted on November 15, 2022 by TonyFebruary 23, 2023

Great ideas in history illuminate life's mystery

Nikola Tesla was a fascinating character. And he was a great example of how great ideas started out with dreams. Like, have you ever heard how he had a dream to harness the power of Niagara Falls?

I’ve been to Niagara Falls. I’m not sure anyone is gonna harness it.

But Mr. Tesla had a knack for making his great ideas come true.

Before he put his mind to work on electrical current, DC (direct current) was the method of the day. But DC electricity could only travel about 100 yards. And then it could only take enough power to light a bulb.

So, Tesla developed a system of alternating current, which you probably recognize as AC. It’s the same kind of current you use in your home right now. And that AC electricity enabled power from Niagara Falls to transmit great distances. And his system was put into use on November 15,1896. That transmitted electric power from Niagara Falls to Buffalo.

I don’t think he actually harnessed Niagara Falls. But he DID harness the electricity the Falls could generate. And his AC power “dream” revolutionized the way we all can use electrical current now.

People considered Tesla to be a genius. I do, too. And to remember and honor him, there’s a statue of him near the Table Rock area at Niagara Falls.

I believe (and Nikola now knows if I’m right or not) that God gives you and me to power to come up with great ideas. And I believe God designed dreaming as part of the rest your brain gets when you sleep. I don’t currently (See what I did there?) have proof of that. But my left and right brain are in agreement on this.

Dream The Dreams

Waking up from silly dreams
Isn’t silly as it seems
Because dreamers are what makes the world go ‘round.
With those pictures in your head
As you rise up out of bed
You might find the thing that needed to be found.

You might dream of flying cars
That go cruising through the stars,
Then design a brand new turbo rocket ship.
You might wake up from your sleep
With an awesome way to keep
People safer when they’re going on a trip.

What if you could dream a dream
That, to some, could sound extreme…
But your idea helped to ease a lot of pain?
Well, put on your dreaming hat
‘Cause we need more dreams like that,
And they’re waiting to be dreamed inside your brain.

If you’re eager to create…
And you find you just can’t wait…
And your dreams are overflowing from your ears,
Take a breath and write ‘em down…
With a smile and not a frown.
Then your dreams become ideas you’ll have for years.

When you dream, don’t think it’s odd.
Dreams are thoughtful gifts from God.
They can help to give your weary mind some rest.
So relax and dream away.
Every day’s a brand new day
To begin to dream the dreams that you dream best.

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Posted on May 6, 2022 by TonyApril 29, 2024

Fossil gaps are chains on dark and deadly trains

This might be breaking news to some. But there are differences in opinions for why you can see fossil gaps in the strata around the world. Yeah, I’m not sure why someone would disagree with the idea that those gaps imply (at the very least) we not have gotten here through an evolutionary process.

About 8 years ago, I called those fossil gaps, missing links.

Here’s some more of what I said…

“In fact, the links are so numerous we can call them missing chains. Even when scientists study the best preserved fossils found in amber they discover there are no transitional fossils found anywhere. There are missing links between invertebrates and vertebrates, between fish and amphibians, between reptiles and mammals, between reptiles and birds, and between primates and other mammals.”

Makes sense. Right?

But some are able to make sense of the fossil gaps. And they figure out ways to defend their evolutionary worldview no matter what. Of course, if and when a Christian does that, he’s called dogmatic or bullheaded. But a Darwinist is merely looking “closely at the evidence.”

Here’s an example of one of those Darwinists I found this morning.

“Whilst each layer has different organisms from the previous and succeeding layers, it certainly looked like there were family resemblances and this cried out for some kind of explanation. Darwin’s theory placed all of the data from fossils and from living organisms into a coherent pattern, which fitted very well with the evidence, without being able to identify a precise mechanism. That mechanism was discovered once the basics of DNA were understood and now, with the help of computers, it has become possible to unravel the entire genome of many living species and, the fact that they are all genetically related has become entirely obvious. This is not to say that there is no room for debate and very passionate disagreement, but simply that the principle of evolution has been accepted by anyone who has looked closely at the evidence.

Why are there such big gaps in the fossil record?

This is simply because the process of fossilisation is extremely rare. An animal dying on an open plain will likely be eaten and its bones scattered. What is left will rot or crumble and nothing will be left for fossilisation. In a very short time there will be no evidence for its existence, apart from chemical residue, which will eventually dissipate too. Deep sea animals will sink to the bottom when they die and are unlikely ever to be located. An ordinary human burial preserves bodies a little better but, depending on such issues as soil type, temperature and moisture, most will decay within a few centuries and it is unlikely that many will become fossilised – a process which, in any case, takes many thousands of years.”

You might wanna go through that last paragraph again.

See if you can tell where the writer’s own words refute his Darwinist, evolutionary worldview. But his explanation supports the Christian, God-designed, worldview much better than evolutionary fossilization.

But I’ll let you decide for yourself. Because I might have a hidden agenda. Like trying to get you choose life. And live forever in paradise. And I certainly wouldn’t want to positively sway you toward all that unnecessarily.

If your chain is missing links
And your cup is missing drinks,
Then I have to say methinks there is a snag…
‘Cause we need all of the parts
Before drawing up the charts…
Or we’ll feel it in our hearts, it’s just a gag.

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Posted on December 30, 2020 by TonyJanuary 6, 2021

Man made objects are found in odd places underground

Dr. Rockrazer, an archaeologist from the twentieth century was excited. And, for him, that was completely out of character. Because most of his contemporaries and fellow workers in the dirt found him to be quite dry, if you’ll pardon the accidental pun. But here he was with a face full of obvious exuberance as he held a tiny thimble above his head to get a better view in the light. And the thimble was just one of several man made objects his team had uncovered.

But how was it possible those man made objects could be where they were?

And the list of those objects sounds like they came from someone’s house. Or garage. An iron pot and some type of vase with silver inlay. And an 8 karat gold chain, a ceramic doll, and a curious coin of some sort. There were also tools, nails, a screw, and an iron instrument.

But the strangest part isn’t the objects themselves. It’s where they were found. Dr. Rockrazer (or Doc Rock as his friends like to call him) and his team uncovered all these things from down deep in buried rocks. In fact, they were encased in coal.

So, maybe you can understand Doc Rock’s excitement when you find out the supposed timeline of the rock layers. According to evolutionary dating methods, all those man made objects would have to be millions of years older than mankind. And that, my dear Watson, is most peculiar. Or as Spock would say, “Most illogical.”

Of course, some might ask, “Well, Dr. Rockrazer, how do you know those objects were made by humans?” But, the astute and silver-tongued paleontologist and linguist would quickly reply…

“Are you kidding me over here?!”

If you can’t look at something and almost immediately tell whether it was man-made or not, you have no business positing theories or devising rock dating methods. And you probably shouldn’t have influence over another human being until you develop more functioning brain cells.

So, I hope my somewhat fictional story
Helps you see how the earth shows God’s glory
To anyone who’ll see the truth reasonably
Even when it’s revealed in a quarry.

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Posted on June 10, 2020 by TonyJune 17, 2020

When stars collide or just go on a joyride

Ain’t it nice when stars collide?

Yeah, usually that expression, when stars collide, brings on visions of falling in love. But what about when actual stars crash into each other? It’s all bliss and fun till somebody gets hurt. Right?

Fortunately it’s a rare event when stars collide.

So rare that scientists had never seen it happen until recently. At least that’s what I found in one article. But you sort of have to take that article with a shaker of salt. Because they included a video with words. And they told a fairy tale that started out with “About 130 million years ago, two neutron stars, in a nearby galaxy, were spiraling toward each other.” So, it’s virtually impossible to take anything else they say seriously.

And that’s not all to the fairy tale. It continued with “As they did, they distorted space and time, making ripples in the fabric of spacetime.” No, I’m not making this up. They already did that. Yeah, it’s a made up theory. Because there’s no way to distort time. It’s not material. And it’s certainly not fabric.

But I’m not a scientist. And I’ve never played one on TV. I’m just a singer and a writer and an entrepreneur.

So, maybe you should totally disregard what I say about deep scientific matters.

But what if I told you this? In our galaxy, “about 60% of all stars are grouped in closely spaced pairs called binaries.” And what if I told you “these fast binary stars did not evolve from larger stars, because larger stars orbiting so closely would collide.” I bet you’d look at that information and say something like…

“If two stars cannot evolve into a condition that has them orbiting each other every 11 minutes, one wonders whether stars evolve at all.”

And I’d have to agree with you.

But I know my Christian worldview means I’m biased against science. Right?

Wrong.

I’m biased against bogus science. The kind of science that starts out each of its fairy tales with “millions of years ago.” Or something like that. Yeah, that rubbish is so debunked. So twentieth century.

But if you wanna believe in evolution fairy tales,
Then you should get yourself a job in telemarketing sales.
Because you could earn so much you could fill a black hole.
But you could gain the whole wide world and lose your soul.

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Posted on March 22, 2020 by TonyMarch 5, 2025

Thermodynamics first law - I hope you'll see what I saw

OK, kids. Who can define the
thermodynamics first law?

Settle down. Settle down. And Susie, your hand is always up. Let someone else have a turn. Wow, everybody wants to answer. OK, Tommy, tell us. *ahem* “Yes, the thermodynamics first law says that all, or even part of, the energy in the universe is always constant.” Great answer, Tommy. You’ll get a gold star today. And what that means, class, is no mass or energy is being created or destroyed. It’s just changing forms.

And what else does that tell us about the thermodynamics first law?

“It means no energy…”

Heather, remember. We don’t just blurt out our answers. We raise our hands and take turns when called upon.

“Sorry, teacher.”

That’s OK. Why don’t you go ahead and finish your answer, Heather?

“OK. It means energy can’t make itself.”

Good answer, Heather. And if mass and energy can’t create themselves, then something or someone else did. Right? (whole class shouts, “Right!)

Ah, if only classrooms could look and sound like that. Well, small homeschooled classes can. But government schools can’t and don’t. Because scientific laws, like the first two laws of thermodynamics, show how mass and energy in the universe had to have been designed. And not by themselves. “Countless experiments have verified this.” And that implies a designer. But too many so-called “scientists” and “teachers” refuse to go where that leads.

The first two laws of thermodynamics point to God.

(Collective *Gasp!*)

Yeah, them’s the facts, Jack. If not even the inorganic parts of the universe couldn’t create themselves, could even more complex organisms create themselves? Like you and me, for example. Not very likely, right?

I’m not afraid to admit there’s a God. Because I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, He exists. And even better than that, I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, He loves me. Even though I’ve done nothing worthy of that love except show enough humility to believe and trust in Him.

Ironic how that simple act of humility, belief, and trust is too difficult for the majority of people on the planet.

Ironic. And sad.

You Just Don’t Get It

You wanna live the way you want to live.
And you wanna be your own king.
You think you’re wise enough to rule your world
And handle everything.
But how much happiness is in your life?
How many friends do you know
Who would give up their lives to give you yours?
Do you think any would show?

Well you idolize with your idle eyes.
Your body wants what it wants, and you let it.
You identify what you deify.
You’ll see the kingdom, but you just don’t get it.

You can’t submit to any higher will.
You’d rather live in the dark.
Well, you can have exactly what you say.
Look where you’re making your mark.

Chorus

Don’t you think you should think about it?
Do you know all there is to know?
There’s a choice; you can’t live without it.
You can be sure where you’re gonna go…

inst…chorus…repeat to end

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Posted on March 20, 2020 by TonyApril 24, 2024

Lizard brain on a train going down the drain

You don’t have a lizard brain

No reptilian brain. Or paleomammalian brain. And certainly no neomammalian brain. (Hey, maybe that’s where they got the Neo character in The Matrix…no, I don’t think so.) Before I go any further, I gotta ask. Why, in the name of godzilla, would you ever want to identify with a lower creature? Why would you ever, ever, ever want a lizard brain? I believe I know why many would.

People who claim a lizard brain don’t love God.

Pure and simple. Or should I say not-so-pure and sad? Yeah, I think I’ll go with that. Anyway, it’s ironic, but not surprising, that anyone who wouldn’t want to identify with a Supreme being would feel comfortable identifying with a lower creature. And the dirty, broken world we live in is daily proof of where that worldview leads.

So, I keep seeing references to lizard brain popping up. From social media, to emails, to articles on websites. These misinformed, mistaken, and misaligned people actually believe in a triune brain. But they can’t begin to imagine believing in a triune God.

And that leads to saying things like certain parts of your brain are older than others. They actually believe humans started with a brain stem which was supposed to be “responsible for primitive survival instincts such as aggression and fear.” And that apparently “evolved” into a more complex brain that included the limbic system.

I’ve talked about the limbic system before.

They say the limbic system “is responsible for, among other things, our emotional bonding to other creatures–other humans such as family members and friends.” Get that? The limbic system is responsible. Not you or me. The system. So, if you’re incapable of showing your wife some love, dude, remember, it’s not you. Just say, “Hey babe, it’s not hardwired into my system.” She’ll understand.

Yeah, there’s the root problem. Responsibility. If you’re just another reptile, then you’re just a work in progress. And a work in progress is gonna have problems. Revisions are needed. The system requires more development. Just wait till version 100.0 is ready. Wow, humans will be, to coin an overused term, amazing. And maybe we can speed up the process by figuring out how to make that amazing hybrid human. You know, mostly human, but part robot/android.

Yeah, that’ll be cool.

Or how about this? How about looking deeper into your incredible brain. How about discovering all the untapped abilities you have in the exponentially more complex design that is YOU? And I know you’re exponentially more complex. Because you had an infinitely more complex Designer. By the way, He not only made you and your complex brain…he also made reptiles and their complex brains.

So, stop the lizard and start the wizard in your brain.

You were well-made with a wholly human brain.
So, don’t let your life go swirling down the drain
To a swamp of endless dread. Choose to raise your eyes instead
And behold the One who will remove your chain.

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Posted on March 14, 2020 by TonyMarch 11, 2023

The beginning of everything makes my heart sing.

Let’s talk about the beginning of everything

Because everything had a beginning. Surely we can all agree on that. Right? What?! You mean to tell me there are still people, in this day and age, who believe in perpetual motion machines?! Incredible! But what are you gonna do? Some people refuse to talk about the beginning of everything. Because it goes somewhere light.

And the beginning of everything is a cool “hot topic.”

Yeah, I’m using temperature metaphors on purpose. Because they’re totally relevant to yet another reason why our world…and our universe…is not old. At least not the same old repeated mantra of millions and billions of years old. Several thousand years, yeah. But not millions and billions.

And the universe was definitely NOT always here.

Have you ever noticed how every time you start a campfire, or a fire in your fireplace, it burns out? How about this? I’ll bet you’ve noticed how every time you put gas in your car the gas gauge still ends up going toward empty. Right? And how could you possibly not notice how every time you buy groceries, you run out? That’s something I bet you’re keenly aware of right now.

The point is, energy, whether it’s fire, gas, or food always gets consumed. You might say it goes from hot to cold. (Ok, maybe you wouldn’t say it. But I would…and did.)

“But what’s that got to do with the beginning of everything, Tony?”

Uh…only everything.

If the universe had always been here, everything in it would now be the same temperature. Including you and me, by the way. And guess what? This might shock you to find out. But scientists, at least the ones with brains, all agree that temperatures all around the world and universe are different.

And that’s hot proof the universe is not infinitely old.

So guess what that means? OK, I won’t make you guess. It means the universe had a beginning. And as much as so many people hate to hear this, it means the universe had a Creator. (collective “gasp!”) You’ve probably heard of Him. God.

“But if everything had a beginning, who created God, Tony?!”

Do I really have to splain it to you? OK. It’s simple. God is not a thing. He’s spirit. Eternal spirit. And yes, it’s difficult for us finite beings to wrap our minds around the concept of no beginning. But God has always been.

And I’m glad to know He’s always there and has always been there.

You can ignore thermodynamics if you prefer. But that’s not gonna help you in the long run. And the long run, or the long game as some like to say, is where you should focus. This world will end. Your body will end. All the available current energy will end.

But God’s love and life will never end. And He freely offers it to anyone who will ask.

The beginning of life and the end of pain
Are found in the same bright place.
You should really prepare to get right with God.
You will meet Him face to face.

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Tony Funderburk

Your Life Has Rhyme And Reason Because God Made You