More on Coal andTrees

The situation we find ourselves in today you might call steady state. Some say that's not entirely true and that we are burning ourselves to death by consuming too much "fossil" fuel. I'm not disputing there opinion. Rather lets think about "In the beginning". Did trees come before Coal? How might that have worked? Imagine a time way back when and one tree appears. That tree needs Carbon Dioxide and Water to survive. It needs just the right amount. Its in an atmosphere that is mostly Oxygen and Nitrogen perhaps. I wonder what the ratios were? Most sources say the current atmosphere is 21% oxygen and 78% nitrogen. All the other gases make up the remaining 1%. It is estimated that the earth's atmosphere weighs 5.5 quadrillion tons. Less than .05% is carbon dioxide. About one third of the carbon dioxide is carbon. So maybe a bit less than .01% carbon. Rough numbers should work for this discussion. Or, .005 quadrillion tons of carbon. That's the amount we need to start in order to have one tree. Now consider the weight of the tree. How much carbon is consumed as the tree grows? The wood is largely carbon. Do you see where I am going with this? As the first tree and then other trees begin to consume the carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere the concentration in the atmosphere with drop unless there is some other source of carbon entering the atmosphere. Ah Ha! Animals breathe out carbon dioxide. They replace it. Where do they get the carbon? Oh yes, they eat trees. It is a cycle. So trees need animals to sprout and grow. And likewise, animals need trees to provide the oxygen . But wait, one tree and one cow... easy to explain. These two won't change the total amount of carbon required on earth. But, billions of people and even more trees represent lots of carbon. Where did the carbon come from? Two much in the air to start with might well upset the nature of the cycle. Maybe there was already enough carbon stored in the earth? Could it have been stored as coal in the beginning? If it came from the trees that died and decayed, where did the trees get the extra amount needed to grow and then die? The big bang is a mystery. The growth after that is an equally puzzling mystery. This one event might well be considered a miracle. Can you think of others? Other question are: Should  be be increasing, decreasing or holding steady the amount of carbon stored in the Earth? Is the overall process increasing, decreasing or holding steady the amount of carbon contained in the Earth and its atmosphere? We can ask the same questions about oxygen and hydrogen and their combined product water. These elements and there products are pretty important for sustaining life as we know it.

Are Your Stories True?

Luke 11:29-36 New English Translation (NET) The Sign of Jonah 29 As the crowds were increasing, Jesus began to say, “This generation is a wicked generation; it looks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh, so the Son of Man will be a sign to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with the people of this generation and condemn them, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon—and now, something greater than Solomon is here! 32 The people of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them—and now, something greater than Jonah is here! Internal Light 33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a hidden place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is diseased, your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore see to it that the light in you is not darkness. 36 If then your whole body is full of light, with no part in the dark, it will be as full of light as when the light of a lamp shines on you.” Just to let you know I am continuing to read through the Bible again this year. The Tyndale “One Year Bible” is my guide. However, this year I am reading the various sections continuously from another source. I really like the NET and the NIRV translations. The verses above are from the NET. Many times I have read these verses. My understanding seems to be growing but still incomplete. The Bible is like that. Read on read carefully. My God, the one true living God has said His truth is written on the hearts of the people. That means he knows us and is in us even before we realize it. Do you want to believe it is true? Here He says we are part of or descendants of a wicked generation. We are wicked. We are all wicked. That’s a hopeful thought? But, we want a sign. He says seeing a sign is up to us. The signs are present every where. “No sign will be given except the sign of Jonah”, What in the world does that mean? Have you read the story of Jonah…or are you just going from hearsay? I suggest reading it. Start out by believing the story is true. Jonah is real and the people of Nineveh did listen and repent. Do you think Jonah was/is a skeptic? Are we skeptics? Were the teachers of the law skeptics? What is the “Sign of Jonah”? Does the story that follows in verse 33 relate to the “Sign of Jonah”? If the lamp is not on the lamp stand, if it is hidden…my eye is my lamp stand???..if I am not watching my body is full of darkness…I am unable to see the…”Sign of Jonah”… Perhaps because of who we are, where we came from and the journey we have made, just perhaps, our stories tell about the “Sign of Jonah”!!! Do you like to hear peoples stories? Do you like to tell your stories? Are your stories important? What kind of stories do you share in letters and emails? What kind of stories do you post on your Facebook page? Please tell me your stories. Does this story bring to mind any of your stories? Oh.btw. listening to stories might be how we can get filled with the light…really!