Tommy Mann

We all learned about the water cycle when we were in school: through the steps of precipitation, evaporation, and condensation, water cycles from the sky to the ground in a continuous loop (there are other steps in the process, but that is what most of us learned in elementary school). The Bible speaks to this cycle. In Ecclesiastes 1:7 the author observed: “All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full.” It is amazing to think about how much water from streams flow into the sea. Consider this: every single day the Mississippi River dumps 518 billion gallons of water into the Gulf of America, and that is just one of thousands of rivers doing the same thing. But the seas are not full. That water is going somewhere. In the 17 th  Century scientists figured out this puzzling water cycle. But the Bible actually cracked the code long before these scientists did. In Amos 9:6 the prophet asked and answered his own question:  “Who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them o...

I’ll be honest: I’m not really sure what to make of Columbus Day. I know I’m not alone. Most Americans know little about holidays if they are not accompanied by a paid day off. Are we supposed to hail Columbus as a hero? He got lost, “discovered” a new land that was already occupied, claimed it for his country, then began to sell the natives as slaves in Spain. He thought he was in India, so he incorrectly labeled the Native Americans as Indians. That mishap still confuses people today. My grandfather is part Indian. No, no, not the kind from India. The real kind.   Still, I’m glad that Columbus’ discovery was made, for it opened the door for the Puritans and Separatists to come here peacefully in search of religious freedom. This is separate from the merchants who came here for prosperity and killed the Indians. No, no, not the kind from India. Columbus forced the natives to convert to Catholicism, which was the very reason the Puritans and Separatists wanted to lea...

The book of Proverbs mentions honey several times, and it does so in a positive light. Here are a few proverbs on honey: “My son, eat honey, for it is good (24:13).” “Have you found honey? Eat only as much of it as you need, lest you be filled with it and vomit (25:16).” “It is not good to eat much honey; so to seek one’s own glory is not glory (25:27).” These verses speak of eating honey in moderation, but they acknowledge that honey is good to eat. The reason I point this out is I have heard critics of the Bible say that the positive references to honey show that the Bible is wrong. After all, they say, isn’t honey high in sugar? The Bible is an old book written before people knew science; now we know that it is wrong. If it is wrong about honey, what else is it wrong about? Honey truly is high in sugar, 82% fructose, to be exact. But let’s not dismiss honey as something to be avoided just yet. Consider these redeeming elements of hone...