Ken Ham's Blog, page 420

Superior—Presented Like No Other

This past Thursday and Friday we held our first Children's Ministry Leaders' Conference here in Legacy Hall at the Creation Museum. Over 200 leaders in children's Sunday school, VBS leaders, and children's ministry workers from all across the USA (and one participant from Mexico) gathered to strengthen their outreach to the next generation in our churches.

Here are just a few comments from some of the attendees.

So much excellent info and all speakers so knowledgeable. But the best part—their "heart" for this ministry—love for it and so real. Each poured so much into their hour.

– Linda B.

Material presented here like no other CM workshop. I was needing different and got it—done with excellence.

– Brad M.

Superior conference! I learned much and will be taking back a lot to my church.

– Diane R.

[This conference] exceeded my expectations. If I had come out with one or two new ideas, I would have been pleased. I got so many new ideas it will be a challenge of which to start first.

– Bill M.

There is such a need to training up our children to stand on the authority of God's Word. It was a blessing to be able to help equip and encourage these faithful servants.

Here are some photographs taken during some of the sessions.

Special ABC Presentation

After the conference, over 150 of those attendees stayed over to learn more about our major new Sunday school program, Answers Bible Curriculum (ABC). Two special informational sessions were hosted by our marketing and editorial teams, who are working hard to begin shipping this much-needed new Sunday school program by this coming June. (We expect to be shipping by mid-June, and we have already received many orders!) We gave a detailed overview and a Q&A session covering many topics about the curriculum, pricing, how to help your church decide to use it, etc. The presentations were videotaped and will be uploaded to the ABC website in the next few weeks.

There are already numerous ways to get more info about the Answers Bible Curriculum at the website, including a free PDF sample lesson for each of the 7 age groups, 3-minute and 8-minute introductory videos, prices, and ordering information, etc.

This curricula is so needed. It has been over two years in writing, editing, and illustrating, and I have just been informed that we will begin sending it off to the printers this week! We are indeed excited at what we see the Lord doing. Individual teachers and entire Sunday school departments are already seeking to begin teaching this 3-year, chronological, through-the-Bible curriculum that has all age groups studying the same Scripture at the same time. We even see a lot of homeschool families signing up for one or two of the seven age groups! What tremendous help this will be, not only in church settings, but in homes as well. Parents and children are able to talk about the same Bible lessons with one another as they sit at home, travel together along the road, and talk together in the evenings and the mornings. Sounds a lot like Deuteronomy 11:19, doesn't it?

What Was the Response to ABC?

One attendee wrote the following:

Just a thank you for having the wisdom and diligence in writing this curriculum for kids!

Our staff shared this with me.

We also had numerous individuals and couples share how much they see the need for apologetics-based teaching across-the-board in terms of ages, but that they're concerned their committee or their leadership won't be willing to switch to it. In fact, that doesn't surprise us! We have had many people from different churches tell us that the people in the congregation see the great need for creation apologetics teaching in the church, but the leadership, either because of compromise with millions of years or because they don't want to change from their denomination's "sanctioned" curricula, they are reluctant to switch.

We just encouraged those folks to do what they can, starting with just one age and one class if that's all they can get permission to do at first. They were actually happy to hear us encourage baby steps, if that's all they can do. They want so badly to see it across the board but to know that we support them in doing whatever they can do is a shot in the arm. We also saw many nods when we encouraged them during the Q&A time to utilize any homeschool families that may be willing to teach ABC at home first (or in a single class) and then band together with them in presenting the need and the enthusiasm that we expect homeschoolers to have toward being involved in helping to teach this material.

We believe the ABC curriculum is really needed in our churches, homes, and Christian schools, and that once it is adopted, the feedback and responses from those doing it will clearly show this. That has definitely been the response in the churches where ABC has already been tested!

Here are some photographs of parts of the ABC curriculum.

A Sample Kit

Take Home Sheet

Find out more about the Answers Bible Curriculum at www.answersbiblecurriculum.com.

I urge you to get your church to prayerfully consider adopting ABC! I believe you will be pleased—and the church will never be the same!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Failure to Communicate

Last week on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, a lecture was given—actually a diatribe—by two instructors about our Creation Museum, located about a two-hour drive away. (Short but revealing bios about the lecturers are found in the footnote below.*) Two AiG supporters attended the presentation and took careful notes. One of the two indicated to us that his notes "are not tainted in some way and [he] was true to the facts of what was presented." A second person corroborated what will be summarized below.

The two people who gave the lecture are writing a research paper that will discuss our museum and it will be released in a few weeks, and so as we correct the errors made in their lecture, it will only make their research paper be more accurate. We will expose their research sloppiness here on this blog.

Our two correspondents took issue with the lecturers' contention that our Creation Museum should not even be called a museum. The lecturers indicated that the Creation Museum does not have a "collection" that is "required" of any museum. We find it amazing that these researchers somehow missed cases upon cases of our fossils, minerals, insects, meteorites, etc. In fact, a reviewer with the New York Times indicated after he toured the new museum in 2007, it was his opinion that we had "extraordinary nautilus shell fossils."** Also, we have one of the finest mineral collections in the Midwest—though only a portion of it is on display.

Below are just a few of the cases inside the museum—real museum collections.

Now, the AiG supporters who took notes told us that the lecturers talked about "replicas" in our museum. And we do have some—our dinosaur models were sculpted, of course. But the photos of the cases above show real fossils, real minerals, real dinosaur eggs and bones, real meteorites, etc. (and we have other cases we did not include above).

An impressive display of meteorites can be seen near our planetarium.

Whatever academic seriousness the lecturers possessed was undermined by the constant mocking of the creationist position. The lecturers even said that scientists were not consulted in designing the museum exhibits. That is patently false. Not only did AiG have several staff scientists with earned doctorates (PhD degrees in astronomy, genetics, biology, etc.) who oversaw the exhibit constructions, but scientists outside AiG were also consulted. One of the best known consultants was Dr. Kurt Wise, who earned his doctorate in paleontology from Harvard under perhaps the world's most famous evolutionist at that time, Stephen J. Gould.

The researchers also suggested that whatever fossils and artifacts we had on display were donated. While many items were generously given to us by supporters, there are also items that required payment—including one of the best-known fossils in our collection, a horseshoe crab (where the last minutes of its life are shown).

The use of words like "Genesis myth" and the term "disingenuous" further revealed the hostility that these researchers showed about their subject. They also made fun of the motto of the museum, "Prepare to Believe," and said that guests instead should be "prepared to think." Actually, we agree to some extent here. As people go through our museum, we encourage them to think critically. In fact, we often present the evolution position side by side with creation, and urge guests to use their critical thinking skills to determine which model, evolution or creation, best interprets the evidence.

The researchers chided our "Lucy" display. For some very compelling evidence that Lucy is not a transitional form between modern humans and an ape-like ancestor, see "Farewell to 'Lucy.'"

Also, return to this website next month, when we reveal the opening of an enlarged museum exhibit about Lucy.

At the end of the presentation, the Butler instructors implied that the museum is some kind of a danger to society—that it should not be given any credibility. I find it somewhat amusing that with literally hundreds of museums around the United States—and with evolution being presented as virtual fact in our schools and through the media—that one museum poses such a threat!

It is interesting to note that the two presenters do not have degrees in science (see their bios below), and yet a good chunk of their talk discussed the validity of the evolutionary belief system. The instructors are employed in the communications department of Butler U., and while it is certainly fair for them to evaluate how our museum communicates messages through its exhibits, it is another thing entirely for them to communicate so many wrong statements to their audience last week.

Now, our museum declares that all who study the topic of origins have starting points, but that we believe the Bible explains our world around us. These Butler University researchers would probably argue that they are unbiased researchers employed in the communications department of the university, and they are merely giving their straight-forward view. But all of us have presuppositions and biases that color our beliefs about worldview questions, and it's especially so with the creation/evolution question, for we are ultimately dealing with what's called historic science, not observational science.

It's a pity these two communication lecturers failed to communicate—in so many ways—to their audience.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Endnotes

* The lecturers were Casey Kelly, whose areas of expertise according to the Butler website are Rhetorical Criticism & Theory, Argumentation, Critical/Cultural Studies, Race and Post-colonialism, American Indian Studies, Marxism, and Gender & Feminism; and Kristen Hoerl, whose areas of expertise according to Butler are Rhetorical Criticism, Critical Media Studies, Gender & Feminism, Public Memories of 1960s Social Protest, Civil Rights, and Critical Race Theory.

** See "Creation Museum in The New York Times."

Women's Outreach Growing

It is thrilling to see how Dr. Georgia Purdom, AiG speaker and researcher, is able to reach an increasing number of women through various conferences. Georgia is a very talented speaker, and we get rave reviews from those who have listened to her powerful teaching. This past week, Georgia spoke at a women's conference in Vermont. She sent me this report:

I enjoyed a great time speaking at a women's conference at Essex Alliance Church in Essex Junction, Vermont, this past weekend.  The 200 women that attended were very engaged during each session and had a great desire to learn about the importance of the authority of the Word of God.  They were also eager to equip themselves as we sold out of many of the resources very quickly. There were many young women in attendance and several asked questions pertaining to what they were learning in their high school classes about evolution.  One woman told me that she never really thought the issue of the age of the earth was important but that as a result of the sessions she had completely changed her mind! A couple women said that the conference was a real light in a very dark state.  Praise God for the opportunity to share with these women.

Here are some photos:

Dr. Purdom speaking at the conference

Attendees in the auditorium

The resource tables

Notice how empty the resource tables were! That's because those in attendance purchased most of the AiG resources Georgia brought to the conference. More information is spreading in the community—I just love it!

On April 19–20, Georgia (along with Mary Mohler, wife of Dr. Albert Mohler, and other speakers) is speaking at AiG's first "Answers for Women" conference to be held in Legacy Hall at the Creation Museum. Actually, I will also be giving a presentation! There will also be some great music (including the use of AiG's newly donated Yamaha C7 concert grand piano).

You can find out more about the Answers for Women conference at this link.

You can also follow Georgia on her blog. See the Outreach conferences page for more speaking events by Georgia and other gifted speakers.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Bible Bee Winner Flies in with Family from Oregon

We are a ministry that is well-known for encouraging young people to get to know their Bible and to build their worldview from its truths. It's a reason we produce so many resources for children—DVDs, books, a children's section inside of our Answers magazine, the holding of student assemblies around the country, and so on—and that's why AiG has an affiliation with the National Bible Bee. After getting to know the ministry leaders and their hearts, we have decided to promote their discipleship program for young people, which is best known for its annual competition for young people who study God's Word, memorize it, and then apply biblical truths—along with the participation of their families so that it's an integrated approach for all.

One of last year's three winners flew to the Creation Museum with her family from Oregon this past week to tour our Bible-upholding facility and also to meet with me. The winners of each category (there are three age groups) won Creation Museum memberships for their families and received other items from AiG and Creation Museum. I was glad to personally congratulate Olivia, age nine, for being one of the big winners at the competition that took place in Nashville in 2011. Here is a photo of the family and me:

Elijah (15), Linda (mom), Olivia (9), Glenn (dad), and LeAnna (13)

I find it so encouraging that young people like Olivia are being trained by their parents to love God and His Word. Find out more about the Bible Bee by going to www.BibleBee.org.

Here is one of my previous blog posts about the Bible Bee, where you will read how we are involved (including a presence at the Bible Bee competition  itself).

Olivia told us that most museums are boring, but—after spending Wednesday and Friday with us—she said this museum was "fun." Her father told us that our video set The Creation Mini Series changed their entire family several years ago and that God has used the ministry of AiG more than any other to impact their family. The family indicated that our singer and dinosaur model builder Buddy Davis is a huge favorite of theirs—and not just because they share the same last name. Here is a photo of them with Buddy taken on Friday:

Here us a photo of me and Olivia taken at the Creation Museum:

A Surprise Visit

I shared the following on my Facebook this past week, but thought it would be good to include in this blog for anyone who did not get to read this moving story.

I just had to share with you this heart-touching account of how AiG had greatly influenced a young boy.

Recently we heard about a five year old boy who was in hospital in Cincinnati for treatment for Leukemia. We found out he just loves AiG singer and dinosaur sculptor, Buddy Davis. So Buddy and his wife Kay decided to pay a surprise visit to young Kaden. We sent some items from our Dragon Hall bookstore along with Buddy—model dinosaurs, books etc. Buddy and Kay sent me this report of their visit:

We visited with the … family for about an hour yesterday afternoon.  The whole family was so excited that we came[,] as they were not expecting us.  The [d]octor was in the room when we arrived and Kaden kept looking around … and smiling when he saw me. His favorite songs are the woodpecker one and "Behemoth is a Dinosaur." The family said that they watched [the] "I Dig Dinosaurs" DVD over and over again.  He loves my "Front Porch Gospel" DVD where I sing many songs.   He was looking at the pictures in your "Dinosaurs for Kids" book–and the toy dinosaurs were a hit.  He also started to play with my dinosaur sculpturing kit.

His parents said that he tells the nurses about dinosaurs[,] … the flood, and Noah's Ark.   His nurses all know "Buddy" [now] and he told them that dinosaurs "stink" because Buddy said so. [Well, they] finally figured out he meant "extinct".  This is a very sweet family and I invited them to the museum.  I told them that we would be praying for them as Kaden has to be in the hospital until April 10.  He has Leukemia but his diagnosis looks very positive at this point.  The parents names are Kevin and Halie and the children are Kaden (5 yrs old), Maddie (3 yrs old), and Elijah (2 yrs old).  What a blessing it was for us to meet them.

Here is Buddy with the family at the hospital bed of Kaden.

Praise the Lord the children like Kaden can look up to Christians like Buddy and learn about the Lord Jesus and His Word.  Please pray for Kaden.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Baptists Beware!

Recently, I read an article in a Baptist newspaper (the Baptist Standard) where the author seemed to be condoning and even promoting the efforts of an atheist to infiltrate the church with evolutionary ideas! We decided to do some research on this particular publication and its history. I thought the issue was important enough to have this documented for you and to warn the church as a whole about this very liberal arm of Baptists. But first, let's look at some history.

In 2008, the Baptist Standard posted an article that linked our Creation Museum to Muslim extremists! We reported on that incredible connection on our website.

One of our researchers has shared with me the following about the Baptist Standard:

The Baptist Standard (based in Texas) is partnered with the Associated Baptist Press, the Religious Herald (Virginia), and Word and Way (Missouri). The Associated Baptist Press was formed in 1990 after Al Shackleford and Dan Martin were dismissed from the Baptist Press by a 45-15 vote of the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention. This was during the height of the conservative resurgence in the Southern Baptist denomination. Shackleford and Martin allegedly were writing with a moderate/liberal slant as fundamentalists were taking over the SBC. (See Hastey, Stan (1993). "The History of the Associated Baptist Press," Shurden, Walter B. The Struggle for the Soul of the SBC: Moderate Responses to the Fundamentalist Movement. Mercer University Press. pp. 169–185.)

Prior to the founding of the Associated Baptist Press, a number of issues, including the publication of Professor Ralph Elliot's The Message of Genesis (which argued that Genesis 1-11 was mythological literature) caused controversy in the Southern Baptist denomination.

According to New Voice Media, founded by these news organizations in 2007, "Historic and progressive Baptists have lost their voice—drowned out by the noise of reactionary conservatism and the theology of exclusion. Younger Baptists, discouraged by negative rhetoric and apathy, have stayed on the sidelines. It's time for the nation's 17-to-20 million non-fundamentalist Baptists to be heard" (http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/49/96/). Judging by this statement, these news organizations were formed for the purpose of sharing the views of moderate and liberal Southern Baptists.

Marv Knox, the editor of the Baptist Standard, shared his own views on creation and evolution in a blog post from February 2009. He says of creationists, "Almost always, however, hardline creationists embarrass me. I guess it's because we're fellow believers, part of the same family. Your kinfolk can humiliate you far more intently than neighbors and people you don't even know. Their arrogance is bad enough, but their lack of faith is worse.They think they've figured out how God did creation, and they deny the possibility of any other process. Don't you see the irony? They become the ones who would limit God." (http://www.baptiststandard.com/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=Faith-vs.-science-.html&Itemid=114)

Knox also references a "package of articles on Darwin" prepared for readers by the Baptist Standard and New Voice Media. Those articles can be found online at http://www.baptiststandard.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9136&Itemid=53.

Bob Allen of the Associated Baptist Press recently wrote an article titled "Can evolutionary theory and Christian faith co-exist?" It was published in the Baptist Standard. In the article, Allen seems to honor the efforts of an atheist, Michael Zimmerman, in his pursuit to reconcile evolutionary belief with Scripture. Zimmerman … is behind the Clergy Letter Project and the annual Evolution Weekend. (http://www.baptiststandard.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13490&Itemid=53)

What Bob Allen doesn't tell people in the article is that Michael Zimmerman is an atheist and that a small number of liberal churches and secular humanist organizations are involved with "Evolution Weekend."

I wrote an article about Evolution Weekend a few weeks ago. I encourage you to read this and then read the article published in the Baptist Standard.

My article on the Evolution Weekend and Michael Zimmerman.
The Baptist Standard article on Evolution Weekend and Michael Zimmerman.

Wow—what a contrast! The difference is really between those who stand on God's Word and those who reinterpret God's Word to fit with man's pagan religion of evolution to explain life without God!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Leading Educator Visits the Creation Museum

A big part of AiG's outreach is equipping Christian schools and homeschools with resources that present a biblical worldview starting from the Bible's very first verse. In addition to our books, DVDs, and curricula, AiG has had the wonderful opportunity of speaking at a number of conventions organized by the Association of Christian Schools International over the years. In fact, I was privileged to keynote the ACSI national convention in California back in the 1990s.

The relatively new president of ACSI is Dr. Brian Simmons, who visited the Creation Museum with his wife Bonnie on Saturday. The membership of schools has grown to 240,000 campuses on more than 100 countries. In all, about 5.5 million students attend an ACSI school somewhere in the world.

Here is a photo of Brian and Bonnie at the museum.

We look forward to talking with Dr. Simmons and his staff about curriculum resources we are developing, plus our DVDs.

What Is a "Classical Christian Academy"?

This past Tuesday, we welcomed John Davis, founder of Cornerstone Classical Christian Academy located in our area, to our staff chapel time. John Davis brought a devotion for the AiG staff and also gave details about this special Christian school.

Here is a short audio file that summarizes what the school is about.

Cornerstone Classical Christian Academy.

Some employees of AiG are involved with this local Christian school, either in a supportive role or parents of a child who attends.

You can find out more about about the school at the Cornerstone Classical Christian Academy website. Also, be sure to check out their Facebook page.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Music to Our Ears!

We were totally surprised recently to hear that an AiG supporter had decided to donate a full-size concert grand piano to AiG for our new auditorium, Legacy Hall. It is a C7 Yamaha with a digital package. What a blessing. In fact, we had been talking for some time about how we could eventually obtain a piano suitable for this wonderful auditorium the Lord has enabled us to have at the Creation Museum. This was something we were praying about, and "out of the blue," we received a phone call from New Mexico asking us if we could use this wonderful instrument. We use Legacy Hall for conferences, dinners, concerts, daily presentations by our speakers, and many other events.

Yesterday, we had a special staff meeting in Legacy Hall to dedicate this piano to the furtherance of the gospel at the Creation Museum. Some of our talented staff put on a special music program for this time.

Here are some photographs taken as the piano first arrived at our facility about a week ago:

Here are photos taken at the special staff meeting yesterday:

Mike Zovath and Steve Ham in a bit of a comedy routine to show that the piano can play on its own. We used this time to explain some of the many electronic features that were added to this piano. Mike acted as if he was playing the piano (but the player-piano mode was on), and Steve acted as if he was singing an opera piece.

AV staff member, Doug Nelson, explains some of the varied features of the digital package.

Staff member, Tom Hill (Accounting Dept.), Lindsay Link, and Joetta Schmitt (both are in the Advancement Dept.) lead the staff in singing a gospel song.

Staff member Jen Huff (Advancement) masterfully plays a difficult piece to accompany the flautist.

Marcie Wilson (who works in the petting zoo) beautifully plays a complex piece on the flute.

Danielle Johnson (Executive Department) using her God-given talents and training to play "In Christ Alone."

Yes, they convinced me to play (in my "different" style) "How Great Thou Art" while the staff sang.

Buddy Davis accompanied me on the guitar as I played "How Great Thou Art."

Here is a short video clip of Danielle as she played "In Christ Alone":

Click here to view the embedded video.

How we praise God for this wonderful addition to Legacy Hall. We believe the piano will be greatly used as we proclaim the authority of God's Word and the gospel message.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Who Is on the Front Cover?

Well, our eldest son and his wife and children were featured on the front cover of the latest Home Educating Family Magazine!

Inside is an interview with this homeschooling family. There is also an article about AiG's Ark Encounter project and our Already Gone book!

We praise the Lord for such a homeschooling organization that (like a number of others) boldly stands with AiG on biblical authority, beginning with Genesis. They sent me the following background information:

If you have never heard of Home Educating Family Magazine (HEFM), it's a quarterly magazine that brings information and inspiration right to your home. The theme of the just-released issue of HEFM is going against the grain, and features the Ham family. That's right, you can sit in the comfort of your home and get to know the folks behind Answers in Genesis!

What else will you find in the 140 jam-packed pages of Home Educating Family Magazine? You'll find encouragement for daily Christian living, tips from folks in the trenches and those who have gone before you, and more! Here's just a peek:

Book excerpt from Tim Tebow
Interview with Rick Santorum
Thoughts from Dave Ramsey
Practical articles about homeschooling
Encouragement to persevere in a biblical worldview and Divine design

Curious? You can see a complete list of articles and order your own copy of this issue of Home Educating Family Magazine here. Be sure to let us know what you think!

—Jenny Herman, Social Media Coordinator

Home Educating Family Association

P.O. Box 190451

Nashville, TN 37219

www.homeeducatingfamily.com

Gardens "Spring" to Life

The beautiful gardens at the Creation Museum have started to "spring" to life now that winter is behind us. (Not that we really had winter this year—our temperatures the past week have sometimes hit the 80s!)

Here are some excellent photographs taken by AiG photographer Deb Minnard this week.

Make sure you plan your visit to the Creation Museum this year.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Interacting with Pastors and Youth—Coming Conferences and Winter Jam

I am always amazed at how the Lord enables AiG to minister to different groups of people in totally different ways. Consider the upcoming Christian Leaders' conferences, and the Winter Jam music program.

Refreshment for Christian Leaders

Pastor or Christian leader, do you find that you are spending almost all of your time and energy ministering to others? There are so many needs and tough questions that can come your way from your congregation.

I've often been told by pastors that there is one thing they wish they could receive much more of—to be refreshed themselves with great Bible teaching.

If you're a pastor—or another leader in your church—then you will want to attend one of two of our "Answers for Pastors" conferences. This year, we have two choices to better minister to the many Christian leaders from around the country, east or west:

September 18–20 at the Creation Museum (near Cincinnati; in northern Kentucky)
October 9–11 in Yukon, Oklahoma (near Oklahoma City)

Answers in Genesis has brought together some of today's leading apologists for these conferences. Here is the lineup (I will be speaking as well):

Dr. Johnny Hunt

Dr. Johnny Hunt: former president of the Southern Baptist Convention, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia
Georgia Purdom with a special sessions for wives
The September conference also includes the excellent Bible teaching of Pastor Brad Bigney (he received rave comments from pastors who attended our 2011 pastors conference), plus Andrew Snelling, David Menton, and Steve Ham
The October conference includes my good friend Pastor Dan Fisher of Oklahoma, plus Terry Mortenson, Tommy Mitchell, Bodie Hodge, and Steve Ham

Here's what pastors also enjoyed last year with their wives: an optional special "date night."

Also, every attendee to the conference will receive two complimentary tickets to visit our Creation Museum.

For complete details and schedule, visit: www.AnswersForPastors.org. Register now and take 15 percent off with the early-bird discount. Also, by signing up now, you'll save half off each additional registration from a leader in your church, or for your wife.

There are very few Bible conferences for pastors and Christian leaders anymore that feature such in-depth teaching from God's Word.

Please forward the link for this blog post to leaders in your church and encourage them to attend.

Winter Jam

Winter Jam, the Christian music concert, came to our Cincinnati area this weekend while I was in South Carolina at a home school convention. There were many bands, including the well-known Newsong, that came to play at the U.S. Bank arena. This turned out to be a great opportunity for us to do some promotion for the Creation Museum—about 20 miles from the concert venue—to a packed house of around 15,000 people.

Our advancement director, Joe Boone, and my brother Stephen had an opportunity to interact and speak with over 100 youth pastors at a special reception there. Earlier in the day, many of the musicians and their crews toured the Creation Museum. Among the many who came to the museum were artists from Newsong, Building 429, Sanctus Real, For King and Country, and solo artists such as Peter Furler (former lead singer of Newsboys), Kari Jobe, and Dara Maclean.

Winter Jam is hosted by Newsong, and during an evening of contemporary Christian music, they centered this event around giving a clear gospel message not only with their songs but also in dedicated spots for evangelistic preaching. Many of the artists give their own appeals for youth to come to faith in Jesus as well.

As well as handing out lots of information about the Creation Museum at the event, both Eddie Carswell (from Newsong) and Peter Furler gave the museum great endorsements from the stage.

It is pleasing to know that when the Creation Museum was endorsed in the arena, the crowd very positively reacted with great cheers. It was also a great encouragement that most of the youth pastors who attended the reception raised their hands to show they had already been to the museum. It is truly exciting to know that the Creation Museum is having a real impact in our region and is being promoted by other Christians as we witnessed at Winter Jam.

We do pray that many of these youths will now come to the Creation Museum so they can be built up in the faith.

Please pray that the Lord will continue to open doors for AiG and the Creation Museum to reach people with the truth of God's Word and the gospel.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Call of Love—An Outreach to Muslims

A number of staff members (including myself) have a deep desire to preach the gospel to Muslims. We have supported directly and indirectly many ministries that reach out to Muslims. These groups are usually run by ex-Muslims who want to reach their people by answering the questions they have about the Christian faith—such as the ministry led by my friend Daniel Shayesteh. Muslims have great difficulty understanding the concept of the Trinity, for example, or the fact that Jesus is called the "Son" of God in the Bible.

Just up the road from us (in Ohio) is a ministry directed at Muslims called "Call of Love." It moved into some new offices recently, and a couple of our staff members went up to celebrate their open house. Here is a photo of Mike and Samya (who both grew up in Christian homes—he in Egypt and she in Lebanon) in their new TV recording studio, where they broadcast a TV program in America. It equips Christians with the right tools to help understand and reach Muslims in America. The Call of Love TV program is called Dare to Love.

In May, they will be launching a new Arabic-language TV program that will be shown by satellite worldwide.

Call of Love also has a one-minute radio program called Dare to Ask. They have many other outreaches. Find out more by going to www.calloflove.org. You can also hear a sample of their radio program.

They have become good friends of AiG and bring their friends (including those from the Middle East) to our Creation Museum.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken