A ROCKY FOUNDATION

  Ravensbruck was a concentration camp built in 1939 for women. Over 90,000 women and children perished in Ravensbruck, murdered by the Nazis. A prayer, found in the clothing of a dead child, says: O Lord, remember not only the men and woman of good will, but also those of ill will. But do not remember all of the suffering they have inflicted upon us: Instead remember the fruits we have borne because of this suffering, our fellowship, our loyalty to one another, our humility, our courage, our generosity, the greatness of heart that has grown from this trouble. When our persecutors come to be judged by you, let all of these fruits that we have borne be their forgiveness. In Acts 2 we are told this about the first church, “they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers”   (Acts 2:42). They early church was steadfast in doctrine. God commanded Joshua the leader of Israel “ observe to do according to all the law ...

                          Great Basin Bristlecone pines are remarkable for being the oldest non-clonal species on the planet . The oldest tree is more than 4,800 years old, making it the oldest known living thing. The tree is a testament to the extraordinary abilities that exist within the plant kingdom.   Sitting on a lonely mountainside, it is a non-descript natural wonder of the world hidden in plain sight. When researchers initially began studying the Bristlecone pines , the longstanding belief was that in order for something to live for thousands of years, it must live in a near perfect environment with plenty of water, ample nutrients and protection from the elements. However, the Bristlecone Pines were not living in the pristine environments. In reality, it was quite the opposite. These trees generally compete poorly in less-than-harsh environments, making them hard to cultivate. In gardens, they suc...

  The construction of the famous Tower of Pisa began in 1173. The Tower measures 55.86 meters of height with an estimated weight of 14,700 tons and an inclination of about 4 ° extending 3.9 m of the vertical. The tower stood upright for over 5 years, but when the third floor was completed in 1178 it began to lean. The problem is the foundation of the tower, which is only 3-meter deep, was built on a dense clay mixture. This mix impacted the soil and the clay was not strong enough to hold the tower upright. As a result the weight of the tower began to diffuse downward until it had found the weakest point. Construction works stopped. After 100 years, an engineer started to add more floors to the tower. He tried to compensate for the original lean by making one side of the upper floors taller than the other. This only caused the tower to lean over even more. Questions which are frequently asked after a revival is “are the converts genuine? will they remain true?” That depen...