So what's the big deal about 2012?

Evidently there's some unrest out there surrounding the year 2012. Part of the anxiety is due to the fact that the Mayan calendar ends in 2012. There are other factors contributing to the mania (you can read about some of them in the sites I've linked to below), not the least of which is a doomsday movie to be released later this year entitled...you guessed it, 2012.

A friend emailed me earlier with concerns over this, and here was my reply...

There have been all kinds of predictions over the years about when the end of the world would come. The dates have come and gone, and we're still here. I have a feeling that the same thing is going to happen with 2012, in spite of what the Mayan calendar says...although Jesus could return in the next 5 minutes, too, if he so chooses, then 2012 would be a moot point. In Matthew 24 Jesus is talking about his Second Coming, and he says, '“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." I'll put my trust in Christ's words, not the words of any mere man or Mayan. We know he's coming back. We don't know when. We are simply to be prepared by trusting in his work at the cross for us.

And hearing his Word weekly with fellow believers and receiving his Body and Blood regularly is certainly good medicine to have that faith strengthened.

Here are the links I mentioned...

Does Maya calendar predict 2012 apocalypse? (USAToday)

World to End in 2012: A Hoax Gone Too Far? (LiveScience)

And the following has an extensive list of questions and answers from NASA...

Nibiru and Doomsday 2012: Questions and Answers (NASA)

From Atheist to Christian

Read about it by clicking here.

HT: Cyberbrethren

A Brainy Vocation

When I was first getting to know a new friend of mine, I asked him, "So what is your occupation?" He said, "I slice mouse brains." Then he proceeded to tell me that he worked as a scientist for the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle. I understand very little about the details of the projects of which the Allen Institute is engaged, but I'm glad there are brilliant people whose vocation serves to advance our understanding of how the brain works.

Below is a video from July 2008 which announced the completion of one of their projects, the atlas of the mouse spinal cord. It gives you a glimpse into what the Allen Institute does and the potential benefits of their research.