What have I done????

This semester I am in a History of Science class at OU. It is my first such endeavor. I have taken numerous chemistry class, and have learned a little history in those, but nothing like this course. In many ways, I thought this would be about people, dates, and facts, but this graduate course is really a class about philosophy and the history of science. I haven’t taken philosophy, and I haven’t take history of science, so I am in over my head.

I find the class interesting. It is eight students and the professor sitting around a table, discussing the week’s reading assignment. Even though we have read the same book, I am at a distinct disadvantage during discussion because I don’t have a background in the material they are discussing. The students are able to bring up examples of historical episodes, relate the ideas in the book to scientific theories that have long been discarded, and speculate as to the reasons why specific experiments were done. Then bring in the philosophical part, and I am in deep.

I have observed an interesting phenomenon within the course…there is no discussion how the religious beliefs of some of the world’s greatest scientists played into their scientific endeavors. Isaac Newton’s three laws of motion and why were so significant were discussed, but not a mention of Newton’s works relating to study of the Bible. Newton (pictured here) studied the Bible more than he did physics, mathematics, optics, light and other scientific areas. Are these ignored because today we (our society) have the idea that science has eliminated the necessity for God? Or does talking about Newton’s religious work make people uncomfortable because they have little knowledge of the Bible, and therefore cannot understand his writings about it? I don’t know what the answer is, but I have found a new interest in reading the religious works of the world’s most well known scientists, whether they be Christians or not.

In the course I have a project to do. The research idea is still in the formative stage, but I plan on comparing what creationists view as science to what evolutionists call science. I anticipate that the two will not agree in many areas, thus making a, hopefully, interesting paper. April 25 I will be presenting my research to the class. I hope to give them something to think about. This is a unique opportunity to use the Bible and science together to impact the lives of those in the course, and others I will meet later after the class is over. I will continue to make posts about it as the work progresses.

A vacation well spent...

My family spent the last week in December on vacation at a condo we had rented near Bandera, Texas. Bandera is a small (and I emphasize small) community in the Texas hill country, about 45 minutes to the northwest of San Antonio. Our condo was about a ten minute drive from the city limit sign of Bandera, which stated that their population was 947. We selected this as our vacation destination because of its remote location, and our goal was to stay away from busyness. And we succeeded. We did stuff around the condo. There was a ping-pong table in the condo office, so the boys (5 and 7 years old) would go up there each day and spend an hour chasing small white orbs across the floor and under the furniture. We had taken games that we played in the condo, and we played a family game of football, mom included. I even had the opportunity to read something for myself that was not school related!!!

The most anticipated time of day was just before dark when we would go on a “deer hunt.” The guys wanted to see if we could find deer. I didn’t let them know, but I knew our chances were quite small to see any deer close-up because as we would walk through the woods, the boys would yell into their radios in order to talk to each other. But the important thing wasn’t the deer, it was the time spent with the family with absolutely no agenda. No work, no church, no school, no basketball practice, and none of so much of the other stuff that we scurry around trying to accomplish. And by the way, one night we went on an extended deer hunt, and as we crossed a dried out riverbed, we could see deer in a field about 100 yards ahead of us. That evening we also found a skeleton of some sort of animal in the riverbed. The boys were enthralled with this, and we now have the skull of this creature.

During the trip, I did not watch any television. And I didn’t miss it at all. I didn’t know Saddam Hussein had been executed. I first learned of that when I filled the car with gas as we began our return trip. I spent time with my wife and kids instead of being mesmerized by a glowing and talking box of light and noise. I don’t have a problem with people watching TV or movies per se, but my trip helped me recognize that unless I am diligent and careful about how we use the time God has given us, we could spend mindless hours of time “together” in front of the TV but have spent no time knowing each other.

Please don’t misunderstand me, I don’t hate television. There are several shows I would like to watch. But, when I must give account of how I spent my life, will I be proud or ashamed to say, “Lord, I never missed an episode of 24, I can name every contestant on American Idol, and I can recite the Tuesday night prime time lineup?”



I strive to be the man my kids and wife want to spend time with rather than the man they would prefer to drown out by turning the volume up.