Microcomputers in the Brain Tabulate Design

Posted on by Shannon

by Kyle Butt, M.Div.

I’m typing this article on a personal computer. You are most likely reading it on some form of one, whether a desktop, laptop, smartphone or tablet (which are really just small computers). These amazing devices are all around us. Brilliant researchers have spent billions of dollars designing the most functional computers to help people all over the world achieve their goals. You may well know, however, that one computer is more powerful than any that humans have been able to design—the human brain. As LiveScience writer Charles Choi stated, “The most powerful computer known is the brain” (2013).

But a fresh look into the brain has revealed something amazing. This supercomputer is even more “super” than we thought. Inside the brain are short branches of cells called dendrites. These dendrites have long been thought to be simple transporters of nerve signals to brain neurons. Recent discoveries by neuroscientist Spencer Smith and his team of researchers suggest, however, that dendrites do more than passively transfer information (Choi, 2013). It appears that dendrites are actually minicomputers that process information instead of simply transferring it. Because of this discovery, Smith stated: “Suddenly, it’s as if the processing power of the brain is much greater than we had originally thought” (as quoted in Choi, 2013).

To what did Smith compare this remarkable discovery? He illustrated the results in this way: “Imagine you’re reverse engineering a piece of alien technology, and what you thought was simple wiring turns out to be transistors that compute information” (as quoted in Choi, 2013).

The implication of Smith’s statement about alien technology could not be clearer—the brain is comparable to (but surpasses) any technology humans have designed. Therefore, if we were to realistically compare it to something, it would have to be technology produced by brilliant aliens whose mental capabilities must be far superior to that of humans. But wait, the technology that we at first recognized to be superior, we discover to be even more advanced than we originally thought. What does that say about the brain? It must have been designed by a Being with incomprehensible intelligence. The idea of mindless evolution simply cannot account for the computer, no, the supercomputer filled with minicomputers, we call the brain. It really is a no-brainer, there must be a God.

From Apologetics Press www.apologeticspress.org

A Living Hope

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A LIVING HOPE

The Prairies can be a lonely place, but it was especially so for Tom Sukanen, a Finnish immigrant who moved to Saskatchewan over 100 years ago. He’d walked 600 miles from Minnesota, where his family waited for him to later return and get them. Seven years later he did, but his wife had passed away and all his children had been placed in foster homes. Alone, he returned to his homestead near the South Saskatchewan River. He dreamed of returning to Finland and, having been trained as a shipbuilder, decided to build a sea-going vessel he could sail up the river to Hudson’s Bay, then across the Atlantic. The Great Depression hit, and at great sacrifice, he managed to build his craft in sections, moving each by himself 17 miles to the river. The heaviest piece needed help, and no one would lend a hand. He sank into depression, especially after vandals stole some of the metal parts. Institutionalized in a hospital, he died in 1943. Decades later, the community organized a museum and Tom’s ship is the crowning piece. You can visit it today, just southwest of Moose Jaw.

Sukanen’s sad story teaches us many things, but one thing stands out: the futility of unreasonable hopes. While we all would wish for Tom’s success, there were just too many obstacles. It’s different with the hope that every Christian carries in his heart – to live again after death and enter heaven. Peter put it this way: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3) He emphasized that it is A LIVING HOPE. It’s not an impossible, and therefore unreasonable hope. Jesus Himself rose again, demonstrating forever that the coming resurrection will indeed take place. Our hope is real, and it will not fail.

– Tim Johnson

A Good Ending

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Life is full of endings. A good show ends when the curtain comes down. The movie is over when the credits fill the screen. The job ends when you retire. The day ends when you go to bed.

God not only gives us new beginnings, He brings us lots of endings. The Babylonian captivity ended after 70 years. The Law of Moses ended at the cross – “For Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” (Rom.10:4) Our old lives of sin end at baptism. (Rom.6:6) Our lives will end.

The most dramatic ending of all will be that of the entire universe. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.” (2 Pet.3:10) Our busy lives should pause and reflect on the coming end of all things. Peter asked all Christians, “What sort of people ought you to be?” (3:11)

What makes an ending good is the quality of life that comes before it. A sad, tragic life results in a sad death. But a life lived with joy and faith has a far better ending. How are you living out the time God has given you on earth? Those who live by faith will win the victory.

Remember what the apostle Paul said as he faced the end? “…the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” (2 Tim.4:6-9). Live so you can say the same.

The end.

– Tim Johnson

God’s Exhibit

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“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is Thy name in all the earth, who has displayed Thy splendor above the heavens!” (Ps.8:1)

In 1851 the first world’s fair opened in London, England, by Queen Victoria and her husband Albert. It was housed in a huge glass structure known as “The Crystal Palace.” European nations were invited to display their industry and technology, but England made sure they stole the show by cramming it with their own things. Almost a third of the population of England attended it. The following year, all its contents were transferred to a new site which eventually developed into the Victoria and Albert Museum. Expanded for over a century, it now covers over 12 acres of galleries displaying the glories of the Victorian age. Every country likes to have a place to show off its accomplishments.

The great God of the universe has likewise given us a marvelous display of his power and glory. It’s not housed in any great building on earth, but above us in the universe He created. Provided the sky is clear, you can see it every night by viewing the stars and galaxies that surround us. David, who wrote Psalm 8, was once a shepherd who worked in the pastures of Israel and often marveled at the night sky. With no lights to interfere, it must have been an amazing sight. This is how he knew God is real, for it is His exhibit for man to examine.

What do we learn from the stars? Some people look at the universe for scientific reasons alone, ignoring its maker. That’s like examining things in a museum and failing to notice the greatness of a nation. The stars teach us that God is powerful, organized, greater than all things, that man is so small, and, amazingly, that He looks after man. God intended the heavens to be a wonderful display of who He is.

I hope you get to go outside on a clear summer night and see God’s display.

– Tim Johnson

Security and Care

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People everywhere are working hard to build security. Young families long to own a home. School graduates search for good jobs. Broken homes scramble to find their footing again. The poor try to make ends meet. Even the rich worry about the future.

Notice what Jesus said one day when he described his followers as sheep: “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:29)

Security is more than owning a house or money in your pocket. Too many non-material things can knock our lives down – like illness, cruelty, loneliness, lack of opportunities, and plain bad luck. God wants to give us a type of security that can withstand even these.

In our scripture about the sheep, two great things stand out. The first is that God gave His sheep to Jesus. After saving people from their sins and failures, He hands them over to His Son for safekeeping and care. It’s like the owner of the flock arranging the best care possible. Not just anybody will do; God wants the best shepherd for his sheep, and we get that in Jesus.

The second thing we can draw from our verse is that God Himself protects us from those who would “snatch them out of His hand.” Shepherds go to battle for their sheep when any danger arises. We have the best security possible in life because God does that for us. Of course, we have responsibilities too if this is going to work (verse 27): “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”

All of us want security in life and to experience the care we need to thrive. Are you looking for it in the right place?

– Tim Johnson