Too many times when we are on the speaking circuit, we just point the nose of the vehicle to get from point A to point B without seeing what else is around us. This time on our way back from speaking in Las Vegas, we had an extra day to explore! We got off the interstate in Utah and took the scenic route back to Grand Junction, camped overnight, and got in a good hike. Yes, interstate highways do afford some good scenery, but there is so much more out there if we take the...
Read MoreA Rose is Still a Rose
The roses around our house are now in full bloom reminding me of an article I recently read from Creation Moments – A Rose Is Still A Rose. Man has been breeding roses for quite a long time. The Chinese began breeding roses about 4,000 years ago. Rose breeders around the world have produced over 4,000 variations of roses that vary in size, color, frequency of bloom and scent. Over 25 different scents have been developed! Walter Lammerts, a leading world authority on...
Read MoreAn Eagerness in the Youth – For the Truth!
A while back I had flown to Michigan to speak at a regional youth event. After the first evening’s creation presentation, it was time for games. Many of the youth participated in the games, but there were several who did not. They had questions about Creation and Genesis, so we had a Creation/Genesis session that lasted for about two hours. It began with just a few kids, but as time passed, more and more joined in with the discussions. I was greatly encouraged to see...
Read More“Whatever”
Daryl Witmer wrote in his newsletter to me that there seems to be a switch in our society from a “prove it to me” mentality to a non-committal, “Whatever.” Think about it. I wonder how many times we just let things slide with a casual “whatever” when we should be taking serious action. Many parents have taken the “whatever” approach to what their children are getting in school, especially relating to evolution. The frequent result is that their children sink deep into the...
Read MoreA Flight, a Laptop, a Boy, and Thanks
On a recent trip, I boarded a plane from Grand Junction to Denver; my final destination was Belding, MI. Usually I am seated by adults, but this time I had the privilege of sitting by a twelve year old boy from Canada. He was a bright young lad and, would you know it, was interested in dinosaurs! As soon as it was ok to turn on laptops, I fired mine up and started teaching about dinosaurs. He was thrilled, and so was I! He had never heard of this information before....
Read MoreKodachrome Basin
The name says it all, especially if you are familiar with the older slide film called Kodachrome. There is so much beautiful scenery there just waiting for the camera! However, to me it may be one of the most significant sites that we took our caravan of 40 to on the Jackson Hole Bible college geology field trip of the Southwest. Why is this significant? Here we find columns or pipes of light-colored sandstone protruding through a very red-colored Entrada sandstone...
Read MoreOnward to Zion!
No, we didn’t go to the Biblical Zion, but our caravan of 40 headed to Zion National Park. It is a beautiful place with sheer sandstone cliffs reaching 2000 feet above. This place is a rock climber’s dream and for the climber’s mother, a nightmare! Much of the sheer cliffs are of Navaho sandstone. In some places, the sandstone is heavily cross-bedded leading the Park officials to think that the sand was put down over millions of years in ancient wind-blown desert sand...
Read MoreA Visit To The Chicago Field Museum
Visiting the Chicago Field Museum was an interesting experience. It was a busy area with many school groups taking tours. Our very first exposure was to the exhibit entitled, “The Evolving Planet.” It was heartbreaking to hear the guides explaining to the children how the atmosphere was so toxic in the beginning that no life could possibly exist. It made me realize again just what a battle we are in, and how sad it is. These young innocent lives were being...
Read MoreWupatki Anasazi Ruins
The Anasazi. They are called the Ancient Ones. Where did they come from? Where did they go? Heaps of rock where villages once stood, leftover pottery, various artifacts and drawings on the rocks are all that remain. What made these ancient ones abandon their homes, farms, and villages? Was it drought? Perhaps they fled from hostile tribes – or perhaps volcanoes rained down hot material on them. Some people think the Pueblo and Hopi Indians are their descendants. No one...
Read MoreGrand Canyon
Following some pretty iffy weather heading north from Scottsdale, we were very glad that the weather was just great for a hike in the Grand Canyon. Part of the group saw the sites on the canyon rim, while Mary Jo and I led 18 of the students for a 3 mile hike into the canyon. Although we only went a fifth of the way down into the canyon, it was just far enough for the students to get a little appreciation for the immensity of the canyon and the nature of some of the...
Read MoreSunset Crater and Volcanism
A very intriguing place we chose to take the students to was Sunset Crater National Monument. The landscape is an interesting blend of black and red volcanic cinders interspersed with green ponderosa pine trees, junipers, and pinyon pine. The area is dotted with dozens of volcanic peaks, cinder cones, and lava sputter cones. The most recent eruptions occurred around 1100 AD. Since Native American Indian tribes lived in the area surrounding the eruptions, it really shows...
Read MoreNational Park Ranger Led Hikes and Philosophy
It is always a good experience for the students, on our 12 day field trip, to hear how the various philosophies are presented at the national parks. The pictures in this blog were all taken at Arches National Park. Because of our larger group, we had two ranger led hikes in Arches by two different rangers. The first ranger was quite knowledgeable in geology and did a very good job in explaining the normal park perspective for the formations (which involves millions or even...
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