Salt and Light

 Yesterday I was waxing on about types of cells and how they are symbolic of our innate need for community and fellowship. So I kept thinking and started pondering how they do this and I arrived at cell junctions. There are three basic types of cell junction (connection) desmosomes, tight junctions and gap junctions     A tight junction is an area where the membranes of two adjacent cells join together to form a barrier. Tight junctions bind cells together, prevent molecules from passing in between the cells, and also help to maintain the polarity of cells. Their most important functions are to help cells form a barrier that prevents molecules from getting through, and to stop proteins in the cell membrane from moving around. Tight junctions are often found at epithelial cells, which are cells that line the surface of the body and line body cavities. Not only do epithelial cells separate the body from the surrounding environment, they also separate surfaces within...

 "Belonging is the innate desire to be part of something larger than us."  Brene Brown Imperfect We are made in the image of a Triune God. God exists in community the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. When He first created man He saw that it was not good for man to be alone and He made Eve. This desire for connection goes down to our smallest level - the cell. A cell is the smallest living organism. The Types of Cells Human cells number in the trillions and are fundamental building blocks that form tissues, organs, and organ systems that work together to sustain life. Each cell type in the human body is specialized for distinct functions, from stem cells capable of becoming other cell types to nerve cells that transmit signals. Cells like osteocytes maintain bone structure, blood cells transport oxygen and fight infections, and adipocytes store energy and regulate various bodily functions. All the types of cells have to work together for a healthy human . When cells becom...

Anyone who knows me knows that I read ALOT. In the last 18 months I have read some excellent books well I have another for you.   This is one of those books you both hate and love at the same time, but the reason it resonates with me is because its purpose is to help us live more wholeheartedly. Now Ezekiel prophesized that when we became Christians God would  give us a new heart and put a new spirit in us; and he would remove from us our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh, but there is more to it than that. In Deuteronomy 30:6 it says, The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. Circumcision in the Bible signifies God’s covenant with Abraham and serves as a reminder of His promises and commitment to future generations. For the Israelites, circumcision represented their identity, obedience to God, and an outward sign of their spiritual status be...

 I am of the firm opinion that just as humanity reflects our Creator, the creation also has characteristics that can inform us about our Creator. Lately I've been thinking about blood. It is essential to our spiritual and physical lives. The very first time God used it to cover our sin was when He slaughtered an innocent animal to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve. In Exodus 24:1-8 the first covenant between God and Israel was signified by blood. In the new covenant, it is Jesus's blood on the cross that supplies a new sacrifice on our behalf what the book of Hebrews calls a more perfect offering. The primary function of blood in the body is to deliver oxygen and nutrients to, and remove wastes from, the body's cells; but that is only the beginning. The specific functions of blood also include defense, and maintenance of homeostasis, such as distributing heat where it is needed. Before we get into the functions let's look at the composition of blood. Figure 18.1.2 ...

I have a dear sister in Christ at chuch who was asking about cessationisn the other day. It was obvious that she was leaning towards believing in cessationaim. I knew I disagreed but felt unable to present a cogent rationale. Thus this blog post. Cessationism is the view that the “miracle gifts” of tongues and healing have ceased—that the end of the apostolic age brought about a cessation of the miracles associated with that age. Most cessationists believe that, while God can and still does perform miracles today, the Holy Spirit no longer uses individuals to perform miraculous signs.  Argument 1 Why would God continue to do some miracles like healings, which I think no one will argue, but not do others? The biblical record shows that miracles occurred during particular periods for the specific purpose of authenticating a new message from God. Moses was enabled to perform miracles to authenticate his ministry before Pharaoh ( Exodus 4:1-8 ). Elijah was given miracles to au...

  I was reading Psalm 91 about taking shelter under God's wings and I started to think about eagles of course Isa 40:31 is one of my favorite verses but we have also been studying the book of Revelation and one of the four creatures around God's throne is eagle-like. The Eagle Analogy Eagles are born with big and heavy wings, and part of the survival mechanism they are born with is that they have to learn how to fly without actually flapping their big wings. Eagles have to learn how to do this in order to conserve energy. Eagles can literally die if they expend too much energy flapping their wings during flight versus soaring. As a result, what eagles have to learn to do this very early on in order to be able to soar without flapping, to do this they need to learn is to wait for what are called wind thermals to come up on them. A wind thermal is a big gust of wind that will rise up into the atmosphere.   Sometimes eagles will remain perched for days before they catc...