DOES GOD EXIST? TODAY

January 21, 2026January 17, 2026

Insects Use Static Electricity

One interesting fact about the insect world is that there is no common thread connecting how each insect gets its food. You might think that if all bugs had a common origin, they would show strong similarities, with some bugs being superior because they are more highly evolved. Diversity maintains balance in the insect world, preventing any one insect from dominating. Recent studies have shown that insects use static electricity in various ways.

Some parasitic nematodes, tiny worms about the size of a pinpoint, use static electricity to jump 25 times their body length to land on a flying insect. We’ve all seen insects being blown by the wind, but what most of us haven’t noticed is the role of static electricity. A little physics helps explain why static electricity can influence nematode aerial movements. Coulomb’s Law includes a constant that describes the strength of static electricity. The gravitational constant is 6.67 x 10^-11, while the Coulomb constant is 9 x 10⁹, making the static electrical force 10²⁰ times stronger than gravity.

When a flying insect flaps its wings, it generates a positive charge. The nematodes can use this charge to leap through the air and attach to the insect, where they lay their eggs. The faster the insect beats its wings, the stronger the positive charge, and the easier it is for the nematodes to attach.

Static electricity helps many insects in various ways. Bees can sense electric fields around flowers and use them to guide their foraging. Spider webs deform toward positively charged flying insects, trapping them. Ticks are attracted by the static electricity in the fur coats of animals. Researcher Sam England expects to find that electrostatic effects “play countless roles throughout the natural world.”

The complexity of Earth’s biosystem is immense and hard to explain as a product of blind chance. God’s creative genius is evident in the very large, but is especially clear when we study the very small.

Reference: “Static Launch” in the January 2026 issue of Scientific American (pages 18-19) and scientificamerican.com

January 20, 2026January 17, 2026

Newly Discovered Plant Communication Method

This isn’t a new method plants use to communicate with each other, because they have been using it for who knows how long. But for scientists, it’s a newly discovered plant communication method.

The natural world is filled with astonishing forms of communication, and plants are no exception. We have mentioned before that plants communicate underground with the aid of fungi and mycorrhizal networks in what some have called the “woods-wide-web.” They also communicate by releasing chemicals into the air. We have even seen that they communicate with insects by means of sounds. Plant communication does not involve images, spoken words, or written texts, but can still be considered communication.

Plants communicate primarily through chemical signals. When a plant experiences stress—such as an attack by herbivorous insects—it may release volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the air. These airborne chemicals can be detected by neighboring plants, which may then activate their own defense mechanisms preemptively. This method of plant communication has sometimes been described as “eavesdropping.”

The newly discovered plant communication method involves electrical signals passing from plant to plant when leaves touch. Ron Mittler and colleagues at the University of Missouri in Columbia experimented by growing thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana). They grew some plants in isolation and some in dense patches where the leaves touched. Then they stressed the plants by exposing them to excess light. The plants that were grouped together showed less stress damage than the ones in isolation. The researchers analyzed gene expression in isolated plants and in plants that were touching. They also monitored signals passed between the grouped pants.

According to the report, the plants with leaves touching activated over 2,000 stress-response genes that could help to protect them from excess light, cold, salinity, and wounding. The isolated plants showed greater cell damage under stressful conditions.

Understanding plant communication opens new doors for agriculture, conservation, and our appreciation of design in the natural world. Mittler hopes that this newly discovered plant communication method may be used to design mixed plant communities that are more resilient, perhaps reducing the need for chemical pesticides or fertilizers. We believe that God has given us the tools and the talent to reveal new strategies for ecosystem management and food production.

Reference: sciencenews.org

January 19, 2026January 17, 2026

The Curse of Minimalism

OK, you may not find “minimalism” in your dictionary, and Alexa didn’t like it. However, it is a problem in today’s world and an issue that Jesus Christ addressed. In Matthew 22:37, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5: “Love the Lord your God with ALL your heart, soul, and mind.” In today’s world, that kind of statement is frowned upon by many people. We hear things like: “Do I have to go to church to be saved?” “How much do I have to give when the collection plate passes?” “Am I going to hell if I drink a beer?” etc. Questions like these show a very poor understanding of what Christianity is all about and a great ignorance of what the Bible teaches. That is what I mean by the curse of minimalism.

Minimalism can also be destructive in other areas of our lives. How many of us would think or say, “What is the least I can do to have a happy marriage?” What would be the result if a parent does the minimum required in parenting? What happens in the workplace when employees do only what’s necessary to get by? Every manager or business owner knows how harmful attitudes like that can be.

The biblical teaching is very clear about the importance of avoiding minimalism. In ancient Israel, everyone was expected to set aside one day each week for prayer, study, and worship. The Sabbath was not a day of sleep, but a day away from the demands of everyday life. Imagine the impact of a person spending one-seventh of their time in service to others. We all have 168 hours each week, and one-seventh of that is 24 hours, or nearly 4 hours each day dedicated to serving others. The remaining 20 hours could be used for work, sleep, eating, and doing things we enjoy.

Most of us don’t really know what we do with our time. Try budgeting your time for a week. Set aside time to serve God and others, and make sure you get enough sleep, eat well, work, do chores, and enjoy your hobbies. You will find great rewards in escaping the curse of minimalism and in appreciating the gift of time that God has given us.

January 16, 2026January 14, 2026

The Ignorance of Modern Churchgoers

Postmodern America is searching for answers in all the wrong places, and this is evident both in churches and in the secular world. The Family Research Council (FRC) and the Cultural Research Center (CRC) surveyed 1,000 churchgoers, adults who attend Christian church services at least once a month. The survey found that the ignorance of modern churchgoers is significant.

Only 54% of churchgoers said they believe that the Bible is the true, inspired, and error-free Word of God. Only 61% can say that they believe in the God described in the Bible. Only 51% said the Bible speaks clearly on abortion, and only 47% said it is clear on homosexuality. When asked whether they prefer capitalism or socialism, 32% of churchgoers favored socialism.

Although 30% of those surveyed claimed to have a biblical worldview, the survey shows that only 11% actually do. CRC research director George Barna remarked, “This generation of churchgoers is increasingly unsure of what they believe—or why.” The challenge for church leaders is how to modify their education programs to confront this ignorance. Currently, the tendency is either to deny the problem or to offer a simplified, outdated explanation that doesn’t meet the needs of today’s young people.

The FRC findings indicate that there is “widespread confusion about the most basic truths of the Christian faith—about who God is, what sin is, and how someone is saved.” I would add to this list confusion over WHAT God is. The ignorance of modern churchgoers is troubling, and clearing up this confusion is what this ministry is about.

References: frc.org and arizonachristian.edu

January 14, 2026January 2, 2026

Butterfly Timing Discovery

If you read a textbook on the evolution of butterflies, you will see that the evolutionary model holds that butterflies appeared after flowering plants provided the pollen needed for their survival. There was no fossil evidence to definitively prove this model, but it made sense and fits the evolution model well. A recent discovery, however, has changed scientists’ understanding of butterfly timing.

New studies of coprolite from prehistoric plant-eating animals challenge this model. Coprolite is fossilized animal dung, and one such fossil found in Talampaya National Park in Argentina contains butterfly remains. This fossilized feces predates the existence of flowering plants. The question then is: what did the butterflies eat? The answer appears to be that plants of that era—mainly conifers and cycads—secreted droplets of a sugary substance that would have been an ideal food source for butterflies.

The key point is that the timing of butterfly emergence, based on the fossil record, does not support the traditional evolutionary model. There are many instances where accepted models of life development are contradicted by evidence, and this is another example. Insects are a vital food source for higher life forms, so the creation of various insects laid the foundation for later life. Like all of God’s timing in creation, butterfly timing was perfect.

We can learn much about the history of life on our planet by reading the biblical account, and even more by combining that with insights from the fossil record. One of our publications, titled “God’s Revelation in His Rocks and in His Word,” is available free at doesgodexist.org.

Reference: discovermagazine.com and Discover for January 2026, pages 10-11.

January 13, 2026December 31, 2025

Downy Woodpecker Dynamics

One of the interesting birds we see here in Michigan is the downy woodpecker. We have discussed before how woodpeckers avoid brain damage while hammering out insects embedded in trees. Watching downy woodpecker dynamics as they pound hundreds of times per minute with a force 30 times their body weight, you would expect them to have concussions. But the design of the woodpecker’s head and brain prevents brain damage.

Behavioral psychologist Nicholas Antonson at Brown University, with the help of colleagues, captured eight downy woodpeckers and examined the muscular and vascular systems that enable their unique behavior. The researchers found that these woodpeckers exhale with each strike, and their muscular system is coordinated with this breath control, resulting in consistent hammering.

Downy woodpecker dynamics require a complex muscular system, as neck muscles activate to pull the head back even before other muscles complete the forward motion. A hip muscle controls the power of the strike, while tail muscles brace the bird just before impact.

The muscles and breathing systems work at a rate of 13 times per second, with a 40-millisecond inhale period between each strike. This coordination of muscles and breath allows the woodpecker to find food, control insects, and communicate territorial claims to other woodpeckers. It also reflects God’s creative design of the systems in living things.

Reference: “Woodpecker hammering is a full-body affair” by Anna Gibbs in Science News, January 2026, page 21

January 12, 2026December 31, 2025

Water Stewardship in America

What is the most vital compound for human survival on Earth? The answer is water. We see water shortages in underdeveloped countries, and we know that water was a major concern for every nation in ancient times. The Roman government built massive aqueducts to transport water to its people, and ancient Israel’s kings survived by constructing tunnels and digging wells. How is our water stewardship in America?

How much water does it take to run an average home in America? The answer is 109,500 gallons per year, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The University of Montana reports it takes between 109,000 and 136,000 gallons of water to produce a ton of alfalfa hay for cattle feed. One gallon of milk requires 1000 gallons of water, but most of that goes toward growing the cattle feed. Producing a quarter-pound hamburger patty consumes 450 gallons of water, most of which is used to feed and water the cattle.

A significant portion of the water used in agriculture comes from wells in the Midwest, known as the “grain belt.” The Cambrian-Ordovician deep sandstone aquifer underlies this region. According to Wikipedia, “The water from the aquifer is being pumped up and drained by agriculture, commercial, and residential use that is unsustainable.” Many wells are drying up, and additional wells are being drilled deeper to meet the demands.

God told Adam, “Take care of the garden, dress it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Recently, humans have not been following that command. In some areas, injection wells are used to dispose of waste, often injecting it into the same aquifers that supply our drinking water. Can we become more efficient in our water use? There’s no doubt that we need to.

The teachings of Christ urge us to serve and care for others. Providing food and water to those in need is part of that. Christianity isn’t about church buildings or political activism. Taking care of the garden involves responsible water stewardship. God has given us the resources and wisdom to address this issue. We must live out Christian principles of love and service to others, and humanity’s future survival depends on teaching these principles to our youth.

January 9, 2026December 31, 2025

The Unchurching of America?

American news website Axios featured an article by Russell Contreras titled “The Great Unchurching of America.” It begins with the statement, “The U. S. is undergoing its fastest religious shift in modern history.” The article notes a “rapid increase in the religiously unaffiliated” and “numerous church closures nationwide.” Is there an “unchurching of America?”

The article points out that “nearly three in 10 American adults today identify as religiously unaffiliated” (Also called “nones “). That figure rises to four in ten among Americans aged 18-29. According to a Gallup survey, 57% of Americans “seldom or never attend religious services, ” up from 40% in 2000. According to the article, 15,000 churches will shut their doors this year, while only a few thousand are expected to open. This results in empty buildings that were once community gathering places for AA meetings, town halls, or voting precincts. These abandoned buildings are difficult to sell.

It seems to me that many of the abandoned church buildings are affiliated with liberal denominations that have abandoned the gospel message. The article mentions that megachurches remain stable. Perhaps that is because they can offer more for families than small, aging churches. As we have said before, the church is not a building.

Are we witnessing the unchurching of America, or is this a shift away from religious liberalism toward more conservative, biblical Christian values? Could this also signal a return to political conservatism? Axios notes that only 12% of Republicans identify as religiously unaffiliated, compared to 34% of Democrats.

Axios asserts that “There is no widespread academic or mainstream evidence of a large-scale national religious awakening.” Time will reveal whether this so-called “unchurching of America” reflects a genuine loss of faith or an abandonment of hollow churches that have become mere social clubs, lacking belief in basic biblical truths. A return to fundamental biblical Christian faith and a renewed focus on evangelism and sharing that faith may be on the horizon.

Reference: Axios.com

January 8, 2026December 31, 2025

Believing Extraordinary Claims Despite the Evidence

In his 1979 book Boca’s Brain, the late Karl Sagan wrote, “Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” That aphorism is often called the Sagan standard or ECREE. I believe Sagan was guilty of making extraordinary claims that he couldn’t prove, but we’ve discussed that before. The truth is that people are often guilty of believing extraordinary claims despite the evidence.

An extreme example of rejecting clear evidence to believe extraordinary claims is Mike Hughes, who died in 2020 while attempting to “prove” that the Earth is flat. Some say he didn’t really believe the Earth is flat but used it as a publicity stunt. What reasons, besides a desire for publicity, could cause someone to reject evidence? Psychologists suggest that cognitive biases play a role. If you expect something to be true, you might dismiss evidence that suggests otherwise.

Another reason for believing extraordinary claims despite the evidence is social influence. If loved ones or admired figures hold those beliefs, it becomes easier to accept something that contradicts the evidence. Conspiracy theories are often embraced by those surrounded by a community of fellow conspiracy believers.

A common reason for believing something extraordinary is that your personal experience has led you to believe it is true. The flat Earth concept may seem reasonable when you stand outside and look around. Does this look like a sphere to you? Do you trust what others tell you, or your own eyes? Strange experiences, hallucinations, or psychoactive drugs can also lead someone to accept an extraordinary claim.

Extraordinary beliefs aren’t inherently good or bad. Scientists challenging the status quo—such as questioning the evidence supporting neo-Darwinism—can lead to new insights. Carl Sagan’s statement, “The cosmos is all there is or was or ever will be,” (from his TV series), cannot be backed by extraordinary evidence. It’s a philosophical statement, not a scientific fact. In fact, science can’t prove that God does not exist, and increasing evidence of fine-tuning points toward an intelligence behind creation.

Both scientists and believers in God should avoid letting social dynamics and peer pressure shape their beliefs. Carefully examine the evidence for what you believe and avoid falling into the trap of believing extraordinary claims despite the evidence.