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Windmill Ministries - Newsletter - April 2008 Welcome to Windmill Ministries' April 2008 newsletter, our once-a-month update about our Christian evidences ministry, recent apologetic discoveries, answers to asked questions, books, an inspirational story or poem and so on. Always be prepared to give an answer to
everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you
have. (1 Peter 3:15)
Are you prepared?
I was not prepared when I faced these kind of questions as
a teenager and because of that, I lost my interest in God and the
Christian faith. I did not have clear answers and my commitment to God
just faded away. Let this not happen to you! Get prepared - grow your own
faith and be better equiped to share with others by learning about the
compelling evidences for the truth of Christianity. | |
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Recent news |
Prepared to Answer |
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"Prepared to
Answer"
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Apologetics: The Ark of Noah |
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For more articles like this see the resource center | |
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Did Noah really ever build an ark? Many Christians have been scorned, because they believe the account of the ark. But what does the evidence tell us? The most intriguing evidence the truth of the ark account might come from the specification of the ark itself! “So God said to Noah, ‘I am going to put an end to all
people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely
going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of
cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This
is how you are to build it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide
and 45 feet high. Make a roof for it and finish the ark to within 18
inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower,
middle and upper decks.’” In Genesis chapters 6-9 we read about the global flood and the ark Noah is instructed to build by God in order to save his family (he, his wife, his three sons, and their wives) and pairs of every kind of animal. Many Christians have been scorned, because they believe the account of the ark. How gullible must one be to believe pairs of animals just “showed up” to march onto the ark? Can you really believe a pair of polar bears walked all the way from the North Pole to somewhere in the Middle East to board an ark? How about penguins? Or kangaroos? The Bible does not explain to us how this was accomplished, but if we believe in a God who created our world, it is not too hard to believe this same God could also make the boarding of the ark happen. The amazing evidence from Noah’s account, however, is the ark itself. What did it look like? Genesis records specific dimensions as well as detailed instructions on how the ark should be built. This is not merely a little rowboat. Nor did it look like ships of those days. You do not have to be an expert on “Bronze Age boat building” to realize that marine vessels in those days were likely quite small, not able to carry large loads or many passengers. Likely they were not seaworthy enough to cross large bodies of water. In the New Testament people must have faced the same nautical problems encountered by those in Noah’s day. We read about the challenges they met daily while fishing on the Lake of Galilee, and how Paul was shipwrecked in a great storm. In 1992, archaeologists in Dover, England, unearthed remains
of a large wooden boat thought to be 3,550 years old (which would date it
near the time of Moses). This boat is called the Dover boat. Its size is
estimated at 15-18 meters (50-60 feet) long (only about half to two-thirds
of the boat has been retrieved), and 2.4 meters (8 feet) wide. It could
have crossed the channel, carrying supplies, livestock, and passengers,
propelled likely by at least 18 paddlers. The dimensions of the ark make it actually resemble – a modern container ship. Shaped like a rectangular box with a 6-to-1 (450 feet to 75 feet) dimensional ratio, the ark would have had excellent stability. The normal length-to-width ratio of ancient ships was 10 to 1. However, Noah used the same proportions as we now use in modern ship construction. An interesting parallel to the size of the Ark can be seen in the well-known Titanic. The Titanic was 823 feet long by 98 feet wide (a 9-to-1 ratio) with a cargo capacity of 45,000 tons. It’s total capacity was quite similar to Noah’s Ark, though Titanic was somewhat longer and wider. Taking the ark’s dimensions and using “a sheep” as an average animal, Dr. John Whitcomb and Dr. Henry Morris calculated the ark could have contained as many as 130,500 animals. They estimate the total number at about 17,600 (3,500 mammals, 8,600 birds, 5,500 reptiles & amphibians). They conclude the ark would be filled only to perhaps 27% of its available space. Obviously many disagree with their calculations, but it is beyond dispute that the ark was large, especially for its time, and its dimensions and ratio’s are remarkably consistent with modern day shipbuilding. Certainly it displayed a technical expertise not known in the days of either Noah or Moses. Moses lived most of his life in the desert. Likely the only ships he had seen were the small boats that traveled the Nile. How did he know these dimensions? How could a man of the sand conceive of a container ship? And how could he know the preferred ratio of length, width, and height of such a vessel? | |
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The Simple Poem |
Inspiration and worship |
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“We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you. (Psalm 33:20-22) |
Dear
Father |
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Last evening I tried to write a poem
To thank you for what you have done
And although my heart was overflowing
I could not write a word….. not one
O Jesus, sometimes it’s hard to express what lives inside of
me
To hide my fears, my doubts and my insecurity
Many time my stubbornness gets in the way
And I don’t feel I want to write or sing or pray
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But Jesus You know the words are there
They live deep down inside of me
Because I DO KNOW how you care
And that I always will be part of Thee
So Jesus, again I searched my wandering heart
But the words that came to mind were hollow,
Not good enough to explain my brand new start
And surely not right enough for You, the one I want to
follow
But today is Your day dear Lord
And although this is all that I could bring
I offer you these simple words
And my praises in the songs I sing
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 Oh Lord, I thank you for being with me every day
And for listening to me when I pray
For putting up with me when I complain
And for sharing in my joy and pain
Go before me Lord today
And prepare for me the way
Help me to sing when de day is bright
And help me to praise you through the darkest night
Amen.
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Last of all, but all important... | |
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We need your continued support and prayers to: |
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Windmill Ministries * PO Box 1253 * Port Hadlock, WA
98339, USA Windmill Ministries is a Christian apologetics ministry that equips believers and challenges skeptics through the sharing of evidences for the foundations of the Christian faith. If you do not want to receive these newsletters - please just reply with "remove" | |
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