The putative descent of birds from dinosaurs has become established as one of the most popular evolutionary transitions.

By Breeauna Sagdal Seasoned veterinarians and livestock producers alike have been scratching their heads trying to understand the media's response to the avian flu. Headlines...From Bird Flu to Climate Snakes

By Breeauna Sagdal Seasoned veterinarians and livestock producers alike have been scratching their heads trying to understand the media's response to the avian flu. Headlines...From Bird Flu to Climate Snakes

Fifty years of speculation has offered no solution to how birds fly.

Fifty years of speculation has offered no solution to how birds fly.

Powered flight in birds arose only once; no! it arose many times!

Powered flight in birds arose only once; no! it arose many times!

How do we explain features of Archaeopteryx not shared by modern birds?

Jesus' Answer to Overcoming AnxietyDr. George CrabbThu, 02/01/2024 - 02:00 A Biblical Treatment for the Anxious Mind All of us desire to live with greater faith in God. We want to “trust in Him”—not just as a mantra, but as a way of life. Yet, for many believers, crippling anxiety has become their norm. Over and over, anxious worries play at their minds, stuck on an unwelcome? repeat.? Where do we turn when anxiety takes hold? And how can those of us who serve as biblical counselors guide anxious Christians to a renewed trust in the Lord?? There are many passages throughout God's Word that redirect our thoughts from worry to trust, from fear to faith. But perhaps my favorite passage to turn to and to walk others through is Matthew 6:25–33. In fact, I would encourage you to take a moment to read this passage before reading the rest of this article.? One encouraging observation from this passage is that the very fact Jesus included this topic in His “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5–7 tells us that worry and anxiety are common struggles and ones that God cares to help us overcome.? Three Gentle RemindersJesus begins with statements and rhetorical questions that point to the futility of anxiety. Read through the passage, and then notice these points He makes:? Anxiety is senseless. Anxiety is a lot of work for no positive return. We expend an enormous amount of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy when we allow anxiety into our lives with no benefit gained. Anxiety drains and immobilizes us. It doesn't empower or motivate us.? Anxiety is sinful. According to Jesus in Matthew? 6:30 anxiety is a fruit of unbelief. It is a lack of faith, and as such, it dishonors and displeases God. Anxiety envisions circumstances which may never occur while forgetting the realities of God's nature which has never changed. God's provisions are powerful and plentiful. God deserves more than little faith; He deserves our complete trust.Anxiety is slanderous. A continually anxious Christian is a poor witness to a watching world. It indicates that God cannot or will not provide for our needs. In reality, God will always provide for our needs. In fact, remembering His plentiful faithfulness is part of the answer to overcoming anxiety.? Three Needful Actions? Thankfully, Jesus didn't only point out the shortfalls of worry; He also prescribed a treatment for the anxious mind. Notice these three parts to the prescription:Renew your mind. Throughout this entire passage, Jesus renews our thinking as He puts our anxious thoughts into a perspective of the faithfulness of God. (Philippians 4:4–8, another passage that is so helpful in fighting anxiety, follows a similar pattern.)? A stable, non-anxious mind thinks biblically; it rests upon the sure foundation of God's Word. On the other hand, an anxious mind dwells on things that are not God-centered or Christ-exalting. We must move toward a mind that is settled upon the truth found in God's Word.? Isaiah 26:3 makes a similar point: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” As we focus our mind on God, He gives us peace.Reevaluate your priorities. Jesus began with the admonition, “Take no thought for [all of the things you tend to worry about].” And then He pointed His listeners instead to consider the “fowls of the air” and the “lilies of the field.” And why are we to consider these things? Because God meets all their needs without their help worrying. Jesus then poses the question, “Are ye not much better than they?”? Our Savior's argument is simple: anxiety arises when we place a high value on the wrong things. This is further seen as the passage closes with a verse many of us know but sometimes forget its context: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto? you.”Jesus is instructing us not to overvalue the temporal and undervalue the eternal. The disciples were anxious about food and clothing instead of about their lives and walk with God. They needed a fresh understanding of what God deems significant which is a deep, dynamic, and daily fellowship with Him. When we grasp this truth, it will stop our fussing and fretting.Remember your Heavenly Father. As Christians, we have a relationship with God the Father through the finished work of His Son, Jesus Christ. We are His children, and, as Jesus pointed out earlier in the same sermon, He is “Our Father which art in heaven . . .” (Matthew 6:9).? Remembering the relationship we have with our Heavenly Father builds our faith. “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee” (Psalm 9:10). As we focus on God's lovingkindness and faithfulness, we realize we have no need to be anxious. Our Heavenly Father knows what we need, and He has the ability to supply it (Philippians 4:19).? More grace is what we all want and need, and God will give us the perfect amount of grace at the perfect time (2? Corinthians 12:9). In light of this, we can live moment by moment without anxiety, because the same Father who takes care of all creation knows what we need before we are even conscious of it. Our Heavenly Father will breathe out grace upon us, perfectly proportioned to cover our needs as we prioritize Him in our lives and passionately pursue fellowship with Him.? Careful or Considering?Perhaps because of the commonness of anxiety or perhaps because of the stranglehold it so easily develops on our minds, many Christians write anxiety off as something to simply be endured.? Yet, the Bible is clear that we are to “Be careful for nothing . . .” (Philippians 4:6). The word careful means “to be full of care.” It's the perfect word for what Jesus warned against in Matthew 6. There are no ifs or buts in this command. Anxiety is not a personality trait; it is a lack of trust in God. It amounts to a kind of functional atheism—thinking and living as if God does not exist, or at least as if He is not concerned with my? needs.? The way to combat this anxious, full-of-care tendency so many of us fight is to instead consider what is true. Consider God's care for the birds and the lilies and His love for you. And then, with these realities in mind, follow the instruction of Philippians 4:6 to take every one of your cares to Christ in prayer: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”When you find yourself full of care, remember instead to consider your Father's faithfulness and His care for you.? Category Christian Living Tags Biblical Counseling Stress Worry

Why don't hummingbirds get diabetes? They didn't evolve to live on sugar; they were designed that way.

A lizard could not just take off like a bird. Flight specs are required!

Jesus' Answer to Overcoming AnxietyDr. George CrabbThu, 02/01/2024 - 02:00 A Biblical Treatment for the Anxious Mind All of us desire to live with greater faith in God. We want to “trust in Him”—not just as a mantra, but as a way of life. Yet, for many believers, crippling anxiety has become their norm. Over and over, anxious worries play at their minds, stuck on an unwelcome? repeat.? Where do we turn when anxiety takes hold? And how can those of us who serve as biblical counselors guide anxious Christians to a renewed trust in the Lord?? There are many passages throughout God's Word that redirect our thoughts from worry to trust, from fear to faith. But perhaps my favorite passage to turn to and to walk others through is Matthew 6:25–33. In fact, I would encourage you to take a moment to read this passage before reading the rest of this article.? One encouraging observation from this passage is that the very fact Jesus included this topic in His “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew 5–7 tells us that worry and anxiety are common struggles and ones that God cares to help us overcome.? Three Gentle RemindersJesus begins with statements and rhetorical questions that point to the futility of anxiety. Read through the passage, and then notice these points He makes:? Anxiety is senseless. Anxiety is a lot of work for no positive return. We expend an enormous amount of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy when we allow anxiety into our lives with no benefit gained. Anxiety drains and immobilizes us. It doesn't empower or motivate us.? Anxiety is sinful. According to Jesus in Matthew? 6:30 anxiety is a fruit of unbelief. It is a lack of faith, and as such, it dishonors and displeases God. Anxiety envisions circumstances which may never occur while forgetting the realities of God's nature which has never changed. God's provisions are powerful and plentiful. God deserves more than little faith; He deserves our complete trust.Anxiety is slanderous. A continually anxious Christian is a poor witness to a watching world. It indicates that God cannot or will not provide for our needs. In reality, God will always provide for our needs. In fact, remembering His plentiful faithfulness is part of the answer to overcoming anxiety.? Three Needful Actions? Thankfully, Jesus didn't only point out the shortfalls of worry; He also prescribed a treatment for the anxious mind. Notice these three parts to the prescription:Renew your mind. Throughout this entire passage, Jesus renews our thinking as He puts our anxious thoughts into a perspective of the faithfulness of God. (Philippians 4:4–8, another passage that is so helpful in fighting anxiety, follows a similar pattern.)? A stable, non-anxious mind thinks biblically; it rests upon the sure foundation of God's Word. On the other hand, an anxious mind dwells on things that are not God-centered or Christ-exalting. We must move toward a mind that is settled upon the truth found in God's Word.? Isaiah 26:3 makes a similar point: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” As we focus our mind on God, He gives us peace.Reevaluate your priorities. Jesus began with the admonition, “Take no thought for [all of the things you tend to worry about].” And then He pointed His listeners instead to consider the “fowls of the air” and the “lilies of the field.” And why are we to consider these things? Because God meets all their needs without their help worrying. Jesus then poses the question, “Are ye not much better than they?”? Our Savior's argument is simple: anxiety arises when we place a high value on the wrong things. This is further seen as the passage closes with a verse many of us know but sometimes forget its context: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto? you.”Jesus is instructing us not to overvalue the temporal and undervalue the eternal. The disciples were anxious about food and clothing instead of about their lives and walk with God. They needed a fresh understanding of what God deems significant which is a deep, dynamic, and daily fellowship with Him. When we grasp this truth, it will stop our fussing and fretting.Remember your Heavenly Father. As Christians, we have a relationship with God the Father through the finished work of His Son, Jesus Christ. We are His children, and, as Jesus pointed out earlier in the same sermon, He is “Our Father which art in heaven . . .” (Matthew 6:9).? Remembering the relationship we have with our Heavenly Father builds our faith. “And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee” (Psalm 9:10). As we focus on God's lovingkindness and faithfulness, we realize we have no need to be anxious. Our Heavenly Father knows what we need, and He has the ability to supply it (Philippians 4:19).? More grace is what we all want and need, and God will give us the perfect amount of grace at the perfect time (2? Corinthians 12:9). In light of this, we can live moment by moment without anxiety, because the same Father who takes care of all creation knows what we need before we are even conscious of it. Our Heavenly Father will breathe out grace upon us, perfectly proportioned to cover our needs as we prioritize Him in our lives and passionately pursue fellowship with Him.? Careful or Considering?Perhaps because of the commonness of anxiety or perhaps because of the stranglehold it so easily develops on our minds, many Christians write anxiety off as something to simply be endured.? Yet, the Bible is clear that we are to “Be careful for nothing . . .” (Philippians 4:6). The word careful means “to be full of care.” It's the perfect word for what Jesus warned against in Matthew 6. There are no ifs or buts in this command. Anxiety is not a personality trait; it is a lack of trust in God. It amounts to a kind of functional atheism—thinking and living as if God does not exist, or at least as if He is not concerned with my? needs.? The way to combat this anxious, full-of-care tendency so many of us fight is to instead consider what is true. Consider God's care for the birds and the lilies and His love for you. And then, with these realities in mind, follow the instruction of Philippians 4:6 to take every one of your cares to Christ in prayer: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”When you find yourself full of care, remember instead to consider your Father's faithfulness and His care for you.? Category Christian Living Tags Biblical Counseling Stress Worry

Bird's brain is no “birdbrain” but fine-tunes songs on-the-go.

This paper aims to address some issues raised by McLain et al. (2023) in an article titled “Response to ‘The Debate over Classification of Archaeopteryx as a Bird.'”

Matthew McLain, Dr. Marcus Ross, Matt Petrone, Noël Lay, and Matthew Speights take issue with Dr. Gabriela Haynes' 2022 discussion of the difference between birds and dinosaurs.

Either a dinosaur walked on bird feet, or evolutionists are way off on their story of bird origins.

Illustra's short film "Wings of Wonder" shares more about our favorite birds.

New high-speed movies of hummingbirds show how nectar in the retracting tongue is drawn into the mouth.

The hoatzin is a very unique bird, a conglomeration of traits typical of birds, reptiles, and mammals. Its most unique features are distinctly un-birdlike.

We recently finished our annual canoe adventure through the Okefenokee Swamp. We saw lots of cool plants, a variety of birds, and over 150 alligators and other

I Thessalonians 4: 9-10INTRODUCTION:One of the characteristics of a church that is to separate it from any other organization on earth is the love that her members are to have for one another. The love her members are to have for one another is to come from the shared relationship we have with Jesus Christ. We may be different in many ways but in one thing we are to be the same. We are all to have a love relationship with Jesus Christ. If we have a growing and loving relationship with Jesus, that relationship will cause us to love other believers. I John 4: 21 says, "And this is the commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also." John also goes on to state that if a person says he loves God but hates his brother, he is a liar. If we love God, we will love what God loves, and Jesus loved His church and gave His life for it. Jesus also stated that the world would know that we are of Him if we love one another. The world knows that believers, church members, are to act toward one another differently than the world treats one another. The world may treat one another harshly and with a total disrespect for one another, but those same people will look to see if church members love one another. A lost world wants to see if we are real before they will listen to what we have to say. Paul's admonition to this church was for them to love one another. WHAT BROTHERLY LOVE PRODUCES IN A CHURCHBrotherly love produces fellowship and unity within a church. Unity and fellowship within the church body is important to God. When Jesus prayed in John 17, His request to the Father was that we be one even as He and the Father are one. Jesus' desire is that there be unity in the church. A unity of mind, heart and purpose. Unity for the Corinthian church was so important to Paul that he wrote in I Corinthians 1: 10, "I plead with you brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." Even the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 133: 1, "Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" Unity can only be achieved if we have a fellowship that is characterized by brotherly love. To achieve that kind of brotherly love, we must esteem others better than self. The biggest obstacle to unity in the church is the pride and ego of its members. Pride and ego will seek to have its way even if it has to hurt another or disrupt the unity of the church. That pride and ego can be seen in III John in Diotrophes. He loved to have the pre-eminence (he loved to be noticed and have his way) and used malicious words and even the threat of excluding others to get his way. Such sinful behavior will never be seen when we esteem others better than self. Unity will be seen when we esteem others better than self. Unity is also seen when we have a Godly brotherly love that will forgive. From time to time, even Godly people will disagree and maybe even hurt one another's feelings. Paul and Barnabas, two Godly men, disagreed over whether to take John mark with them on their second missionary journey. That disagreement was so intense that it eventually split the team. Paul took Silas and went one direction and Barnabas took mark and went in another. Such disagreements don't have to leave us with life long bitterness and animosity toward one another. Brothers in Christ can forgive one another. Paul forgave Mark and eventually sent for him to work with him. We must learn how to forgive for Jesus' sake. It is in forgiving one another that we reveal that we belong to Christ. The love that forgives will unify a church. Brotherly love will also make us sympathetic toward others in need. That kind of sympathy will enable us to do as Paul says in Romans 12: 15, "weep with those ho weep." Brotherly love will also give us the motivation to help those in need. Brotherly love will help us to not just love in word but in deed. Brotherly love will help us to encourage those who are hurting. And, there are people all around us who are hurting. Brotherly love can also cause us to give to those in need. "But whoever has this world's goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?" Brotherly love does not make us hard hearted. BROTHERLY LOVE IS ALSO A TRAIT THAT SHOULD BE GROWING AMONG BELIEVERS V. 10Brotherly love should grow in a believer's life simply by its nature. You don't have to teach someone to do what comes naturally. Fish don't take swimming lessons. Birds don't go to flight school. Lost people don't have to take sin lessons. These things come naturally. Believers should not have to take love lessons. Loving another believer should come naturally. Because Jesus lives inside us, it should be our nature to love one another. The deeper our relationship with Christ grows, the more we should be able to love others. Loving believers will come naturally to that one who is growing in Christ. Brotherly love also grows as God puts us in positions to where that love must be modeled. God will often put unlovable people in our path just to teach us how to love. God will also allow us to be offended in order to teach us how to forgive and how to love. What others would call difficulties are really opportunities for us to exhibit the love of God. CONCLUSION:God wants his people to demonstrate the characteristics that make God God. That characteristic is love. If we can't love others, we can not truthfully say that we love God. Love is not just a feeling. It is an act of the will. Make the decision. I am going to love others-- even the unlovable.

See previous "Grace Notes" Newsletters In this edition: Free Series Offer ends this week 2 Fresh new PowerPoint Sermons First Timer Info. from Pastor Jerry:  YES! You can easily qualify for this offer below by going back and recommending sermons from the last 12 months.  Just click here to get to my SermonCentral site. "Have you claimed your free series?  You can!...up to a $40 value by download only...if you regularly recommend [for a year] our sermons thru the SermonCentral links provided above each sermon.  Our webstats show us when you do that [using your ip address,] so all you have to do to claim a free series is write to us and tell us that you qualify and which one you want.  We'll check the webstats and send you a download link once approved within a day or so. [lifetime limit of one]  God bless you and HIS ministry thru you there!" 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