Ken Ham's Blog, page 434

African Children's Choir at the Creation Museum

What does AiG's Ark Encounter and the African Children's Choir have in common? Well, we're both ministry outreaches, but both have a connection to the TV show The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Actually, we were mentioned (in jest) twice in Jay Leno's monologues earlier this year when he made fun of the full-size Noah's Ark we will be building, and the African's Children's Choir has performed on The Tonight Show. This group of young people—which has also performed in front of two U.S. presidents—toured the Creation Museum last week, thirteen months into their national tour of America. The children, ages 7–11, are from Uganda and they will return home in January.

They were a very lively bunch, and seemed to enjoy the Creation Museum experience quite a bit. They raved about the planetarium program they saw.

The proceeds of their tours and the sponsorship support they receive help fund a program in Uganda to enable these needy children to get a long-term education. The African Children's Choir started in Uganda In the 1980s in the middle of a horrible civil war, and thousands of children became orphaned or abandoned—and many were starving.

Find out more about their ministry in song and dance by going to AfricanChildrensChoir.com

Prayer Day for the Persecuted Church

By the way, tomorrow (Sunday) Christians worldwide will be in prayer during what's called the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church; please check out www.persecution.com/public/newsroom.aspx?story_ID=NDMz and then pray for the safety of Christians worldwide.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Thinking of Veterans Day 9,000 miles from home

While I'm out of the country and getting ready for the All-Asian Creation Conference in Malaysia next week, I am thinking of a very special day back in the United States: Veterans Day. We have many military veterans on our AiG staff, but this time I want to acknowledge two of them who are long-time volunteers of AiG and who served in World War II: Art Hunsicker and Dick Sauer.

Art served in the European theater of the war, and actually fought in the famous Battle of the Bulge during the very cold winter of 1944 and 1945 in the forests of Belgium. Art is now 90, and has been an AiG volunteer for about 14 years. Dick Sauer has been a volunteer for 16 years, and he served in the Pacific theater of World War II. Sadly, his brother died in the North African campaign of WWII.

By the way, Dick's wife Marlene is the longest-serving volunteer at the AiG ministry, and we acknowledged that effort yesterday during our staff chapel as we also celebrated her eightieth birthday. She started volunteering here during year one (1994). I recorded a video greetings for Marlene before I flew away.

Here is a photo of Marlene with some of the flowers given to her yesterday.

Thank you Marlene! And a thank you to Dick and Art for your service to America!

Bethlehem Village and Dazzling Christmas Light Display—Coming to the Creation Museum

Below is the press release we have just sent out nationwide about the Creation Museum's annual Christmas program—it will be more spectacular than ever:

Now going into its fourth Christmas season, the Creation Museum is preparing once again for its popular annual free holiday celebration "Christmas Town," which includes a live nativity, dramatic presentations, a re-creation of first-century Bethlehem and a breathtaking "Garden of Lights" (featuring more than 60,000 Christmas lights). Gaining in popularity throughout the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region, last year's event saw crowds of 22,000 over eight days, up from 17,000 in 2009. Most of the events are free.

Some attendees ask what the Creation Museum has to do with Christmas, but those who have visited  realize that the museum – while presenting scientific exhibits regarding the Bible's Book of Genesis – culminates with Jesus' life, death and resurrection.

"The entire account from creation through Christ's  life and death on the Cross must be told to share the true history – His Story – of God's plan of salvation," said museum and Answers in Genesis president and founder Ken Ham. "This is what the museum is all about – we are not just a museum about creation, but we want to help people understand the real truth of the nativity and be challenged with the need of Christ as Savior. That's the best Christmas gift anyone can receive, and it's the main reason we hold Christmas Town, our gift to the community."

As part of that challenge, the quality dramatic presentations go beyond just a re-enactment of the nativity to include other characters from that time and how they responded to the news that theCreator Himself became human and entered the world as an infant. These include:

The story of Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and the joy she felt when she was told she would bear a child of promise;
The temple guard, Hyam, whose life was transformed from shame to hope with his search for the "child born King of the Jews"; and
The Magi, wise men who will share how and why they followed the star.

The replica Bethlehem village will include a first-century marketplace, making it easier to gather last-minute Christmas gifts and souvenirs, from oil lamps and pottery to handmade scarves, hats, toys, and baskets. Nearby, "Noah's Café" will serve holiday-themed beverages and snacks.

In addition to the spectacular light display, dramas, and village, the museum's acclaimed planetarium will present a special ticketed program, "The Christmas Star," about the mysterious star in the east that heralded the birth of Jesus and guided the wise men to Him.

"Christmas Town" is open 6-8 p.m. ET, Dec. 9, 10, 16, 17, 26, 27, 30 and 31, and all outdoor events (except for the camel rides) are free and open to the public. More information about these special Christmas events, plus details on purchasing tickets for the planetarium and the Creation Museum, can be found at www.creationmuseum.org or by calling (888) 582-4253. Also, admission to the museum's exhibits will be only $5 after 5pm on Christmas Town nights; the last museum entry will be at 8pm.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Answers in Genesis at Women's Conference

Last week Dr. Georgia Purdom of our staff, a molecular geneticist, had the privilege of representing AiG at a Revive Our Hearts Conference for women's ministry leaders and pastors' wives in Indianapolis. Dr. Purdom reported the following:

We had a booth showcasing our resources and upcoming conferences. I was able to situate our large Creation Museum sign so it was one of the first things that women saw as they walked into the resource room. Many women stopped by the booth to tell me they had heard of or visited the museum (only a few had not, which is great)! Several said they had visited shortly after we opened, and I told them they really needed to come back to see all the new additions like our petting zoo, observatory, and new museum exhibits.

Two women told me a friend of theirs believed that the word "day" in Genesis 1 meant a long period of time, and they wanted to know how to answer him. Apparently he uses the weeks talked about in the Book of Daniel (which represent years) to support his position. We talked about the context of the word day in Genesis 1. When used with the words morning, evening, and a number in the Old Testament outside of Genesis 1, "day" always means a literal 24-hour day. Why should Genesis 1 be any different? I also brought up Exodus 20:11 in which God says He created in six days and this gives a basis for our week. They decided to buy him the New Answers Book 1.

There was a lot of interest in the Dinosaur for Kids book I had on display. Many of the mothers and grandmothers know dinosaurs fascinate children, and they greatly desire to give them answers beginning with God's Word. Several of the women had high praise for the Answers VBS programs that they had used in their churches.

The women were very intrigued when I told them AiG was hosting its own women's conference next year called Answers for Women. Several had wanted to visit the museum and thought this might be the perfect opportunity since the museum and planetarium admission is included in the cost of the conference. Overall, the conference was great, and I thoroughly enjoyed sowing more seed for the Savior.

Our "Answers for Women" conference will be held at the museum's new Legacy Hall on April 19–20. This Bible-centered meeting, with Mary Mohler as one of the speakers, is for married or single women. See http://www.answersingenesis.org/outreach/answers-for-women/.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Your Love for Him Shines Forth

Kids and adults just love AiG's dinosaur sculptor and singer, Buddy Davis! Buddy speaks and conducts concerts at the Creation Museum on a regular basis, and he also travels, speaks, and sings in churches. Buddy and his wife Kay were an integral part of the original vision for the Creation Museum, and they have become part of our close family.

I especially love Buddy's songs as they are so packed with content—great solid Bible teaching and answers from science. I guess we could call them "apologetics songs with a folk flavor that communicate to all levels indepth teaching on God's Word!" If you've never obtained a copy of some of the many CDs Buddy has produced, then I urge you to do so from the AiG online store.

Buddy and his wife Kay maintain a unique and exciting Facebook page, and I urge you all to "like" their Facebook page and become one of their fans.

The following is a recent comment someone posted on Buddy's Facebook page:

I would like to commend you for your life's work! What an encouragement and joy you are and bring to all, kids especially!

I am part of a group known as the Kid's Time Gang and we get together every Saturday morning on WPRZ 88.1 FM from 9 AM – 11 AM and Share our Faith and Love for Christ with music ….lots of yours!  Bible stories, devotions, and Bible-based contests and lots of phone calls during a "live" kid's program.  Not a Saturday goes by that at least 1, 2, or 3 kids call in and request your songs.

God has Blessed you with such unbelievable talent, and your Love for Him Shines forth in your music and lyrics!  The Kids love "Books of the Bible" and "The Woodpecker Song"!  On behalf of all the kids and families whose lives you touch in His Most Wonderful Positive Way, and all the co-workers for Christ like us, I just want to say "Thanks for all you do!"  We Pray for God's continued Blessings and Anointing on you and look forward to sharing what comes next.

Love at the Petting Zoo!

Well no, we are not talking about any of the animals at our petting zoo next to the museum but two of the human zookeepers! This past weekend a very special couple who both work at Answers in Genesis were married. Greg and Emily who work in our petting zoo had their special day.  It was a real joy for my brother Stephen to see all the AiG staff supporting Greg and Emily on their wedding day, and they report that Emily was a beautiful bride. Congratulations to Emily and Greg!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Thousands Attend AiG Conference in Modesto

Many thanks go to Pastor Rick Countryman, senior pastor of Big Valley Grace Community Church in Modesto, California, for inviting AiG to this growing, dynamic church to conduct an AiG conference these past three days. It is rare to find a pastor so super enthusiastic, so encouraging, and so burdened to have the church equipped with AiG teaching and resources. We all felt so at home. Dr. Tommy Mitchell spoke with me at this conference, and people just loved Tommy's unique, humorous but information-packed teaching style! He is a great communicator—God has specially gifted him.

The following is a photograph taken of me with Pastor Rick:

We figured out that I first spoke at this church around 20 years ago, when they had just opened their new building. Back then my hair was brown—yep, some changes since that time!  I had quite a number of adults come up and tell me they remember me speaking to them when they were young children. They are now married with their own kids and so excited to bring their kids up with AiG resources! I praise God for the many testimonies like this I received in Modesto.

The series of photographs below will give you a sense of the excitement during various aspects of the teaching program. Note the phenomenal interest in resources. We were nearly sold out of a number of books and DVDs by Sunday night, and we we still had Monday to go!

Packed Student Sessions Today

The auditorium was packed for both student sessions yesterday—hundreds of kids from kindergarten through high school were impacted for the Lord.

How I praise the Lord for the opportunities He opens up to us to teach the truth concerning Genesis and how to defend the Christian faith against the onslaught of the religion of evolution and millions of years—and also to reach thousands and thousands of young people each year. So many people came up after the sessions yesterday to give testimony of how this ministry has so positively influenced their lives.

The following are some photographs taken at the student sessions yesterday:

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Answers Radio's New Format

After 17 years on the air and 100 volumes consisting of almost 4,500 programs, Answers . . . with Ken Ham will be adopting a new format to better serve its radio audiences and stations. The current 90-second format airs daily, Monday through Friday, on more than 500 radio stations nationwide. "We have made the decision to move to a 60-second format largely in response to the wishes of Christian radio stations around the country. Many of them have been telling us that a shorter program will fit better into their daily schedules," said Mark Looy, co-host of the show with me. He also stated, "We are excited about the opportunities this will open for the program to be heard on hundreds of new radio stations beginning in early March."

While the program's new 60-second format is nearing its final demo stages of development before beginning broadcast next year, if you know any radio stations interested in signing up to carry the acclaimed show, they may contact Katie Livingston at Answers in Genesis at (859) 727-2222 ext. 461, or via email to radio@answersingenesis.org.

Pictured in the photo above, left to right, are me; Dale Mason, VP Media; and Mark Looy, program announcer and CCO of AiG.

A highly successful program for the past 17 years, Answers . . . with Ken Ham has received many accolades, and upon the occasion of its 100th volume and the recent recording of its 4,500th episode, Christian leaders around the country sent congratulatory video messages to AiG for its high-quality production. You can view all these on the 5 minute video linked to below. These video messages came from the likes of the following people:

Woodrow Kroll (President, Back to the Bible)
Tim Wildmon (President, American Family Association)
Dr. Albert Mohler (President, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
Kay Arthur (Precept Ministries International)
Don Landis (President, Jackson Hole Bible College)
Dr. Charles Ware (President, Crossroads Bible College)
Dr. John D. Morris (President, Institute for Creation Research)
Dr. John C. Whitcomb (co-author The Genesis Flood)

A 5-minute video compilation of their congratulatory comments, which were shown to AiG employees at a staff chapel, has been produced and placed online for Answers . . . with Ken Ham radio audiences to enjoy. These may be viewed by going to www.answersradio.com and clicking on the banner "What others are saying."

Also available online are podcasts of the radio program at iTunes, via this link on the show's webpage, www.answersradio.com. These programs are provided free online, and play a key role in Answers in Genesis' evangelistic/apologetics mission to proclaim the authority and accuracy of the Bible "from the very first verse!"

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

National Bible Bee

The Creation Museum and AiG will be represented at the National Bible Bee in Nashville in a couple of weeks. We are very happy to lend our support—after all, it encourages young people to study and memorize God's Word. That's why I am on the Bible Bee's advisory board.

The winners of the three categories will receive some very special awards from AiG, and every competitor (about 300 of them) will receive a deep discount to visit the Creation Museum (just a four-hour drive from Nashville). Now, everyone is invited to watch the competition on November 17–20. It will be a very family-friendly event—with some excellent speakers and activities. Overall, the Bible Bee celebrates God's Word and family discipleship.

Our staff member Roger Patterson will once again be there to represent Answers in Genesis.

The National Bible Bee is also designed to promote family discipleship by highlighting some of the Bible studies the participants do with their families. Roger will be presenting several workshop sessions describing how our upcoming new "Answers Bible Curriculum" Sunday school curriculum can be used by churches and families to build those relationships and to teach everyone how to study the Bible and defend the Christian faith. (For information about the ABC curriculum, visit www.AnswersBibleCurriculum.com—the curriculum is expected to ship mid-2012 for use beginning in the fall semester of 2012.)

Find out more on this nationals event by going to this webpage.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

It's Coming!

AiG has been working hard to produce a totally integrated Bible curriculum like no other.  It is called the "Answers Bible Curriculum."  This curriculum will be for all ages, totally integrated, teach apologetics and biblical authority, and at the same time be very evangelistic.  It will be available for use Fall of 2012.

We have now updated the curriculum's website to give you more details—including some samples of the curriculum materials.  The main website will be released in 2012.

I encourage you to become familiar with this curriculum and to begin encouraging your church to consider this program beginning Fall 2012.

Here is the current website. I hope you will take a peek and then send this link to your church leadership and alert them about the new ABC program) :  www.AnswersBibleCurriculum.com

Psalm 119 Conference

While in California, I am speaking at two conferences:  The "Psalm 119" conference in Sacramento hosted by Todd Friel from Wretched Radio, and an Answers in Genesis conference at Big Valley Grace Community Church in Modesto on Saturday evening, Sunday and Monday.

Last evening I spoke at the Psalm 119 conference (and I speak again this morning).  Here are some photographs from the evening:

1.  I am being interviewed by Todd Friel

2.  On the way to supper, I was interviewed for a documentary



3.  Speaking to the audience

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Jordan and More

Many AiG staff have had the opportunity to travel overseas recently for a variety of ministry reasons—mostly to proclaim the creation/gospel message in churches and in other venues. Last month it was Russia, and in a few days, I will be speaking in Malaysia.

A few weeks ago, Mark Looy, AiG's CCO, traveled to the country of Jordan (on the border with Israel) with seven other religious leaders (not all were evangelicals). It was not only an opportunity for Mark to get to know this fascinating country (many events recorded in Scripture happened in what is today called Jordan), but Mark also got to know the other people who participated on a tour sponsored by the Jordan Tourism Bureau.

Just this past week, Mark reconnected with one of the tour participants. Cory Nickols is a writer and youth pastor based in Indiana. Mark invited him—and his father, who is a pastor—to meet up with him again. This time, they met at the Creation Museum (about a 3-hour drive for Cory). Here is a photo of Mark (far left) with Cory, and also Cory's father and his wife.

AiG has conducted tours of Israel and Jordan in the past, and we're considering doing so again. To find out more about Jordan and traveling there, including to one of the "New Seven Wonders of the Ancient World," Petra, go to this website.

Jordan is a Muslim country, yet the Jordanian people are known to be generally warm towards American Christians. Mark had the opportunity to visit three evangelical churches in northern Jordan. He found that even though Christians are a small minority in Jordan, they have some degree of religious liberty (that freedom is written into the constitution) compared to most Arab/Muslim countries (as long as the practice of their faith is not out in the open—although, you can even find a Christian bookstore in the capital city of Amman, and Christians are known to share their faith one-on-one with Muslims in restaurants and other places with few problems in recent years).

Cory is at the far left in this photo taken in front of the famous "Monastery" of Petra, Jordan.

The following is the email Mark received after Cory and his family toured the Creation Museum:

What an awesome time we had at the Creation Museum. It was incredible. Your team did a fantastic job with all the exhibits. We all loved it.

We were also so impressed with the impact you are making in so many people's lives! We started talking with one of your employees. He told me he and his future wife visited the Creation Museum about five years ago for a special tour before you opened the doors to the public. (They were visiting from California.) By the end of the tour, she (who was not a believer) received Christ!

They moved to the Cincinnati area later and are now both working for you! What a testimony of God working through your ministry!

Keep going! I can't wait to bring people from my church and area to visit!

I am grateful for people you who have said 'Yes' to the call of God!

Thank you also for the magazines and newsletters . . . very informative and well put together!

– Cory Nickols and parents, Indiana

Also, here is a blog item that Cory wrote about his visit to the museum.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken

Light in a World of Darkness

The comment below was recently posted on our Facebook site about AiG's Creation Museum, and I wanted to share it with all of you:

First, I would like to say thank you for being such an incredible light in a world of darkness.  It is truly rare today to see a group of people stand up against such a strong opposition.  I have been a Christian all my life, and recently asked God to re-invigorate my passion for Him and His word.  He has done that through your ministry and the Creation museum.

My family and I took a vacation to the museum this spring and fell in love with it!  From the moment I entered I realized that you have dinosaurs and man co-existing.  I had never really defined what I believed in reference to this.  I was excited to see how you defended this.  By the time I got to the Six Day Theater, I was reminded about Biblical authority [versus] man's authority.  I guess I had always just figured dinosaurs never made it onto the ark.  By the time I got to the Ark room, I realized the error my ways.  Why couldn't the dinosaurs have just gone extinct like any of the other number of animals that had?  By the time that I got to the Dragon Theater, I realized there is real evidence of man and dinosaur co-existing.

These realizations through your ministry have reinvigorated my passion for apologetics beginning especially with the first chapters of the Bible.  My wife and I have a music ministry called UNITY (www.ibelieveinunity.com).  We promote AiG in our live shows and support your ministry financially as a part of our tithe from any ministry income we make.  I have started my own apologetics blog (www.gracewithsalt.com) tackling the controversial topics.

I just wanted to let you know that your ministry was an answer to several of my prayers.  It was the needed boost of confidence to reignite my passion for ministry and Biblical authority.  I have realized that the more I stand up for the truth, the more I am becoming an outsider amongst my own friends and family, but I now know that the truth is worth it.  To me it's like Colossians 4:6 says ""Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."

We look forward to revisiting the Creation Museum in the fall of 2012, and look forward to the Ark Encounter.  Next, I plan on going through Ken Ham's Foundations [DVD] series with my church's Sunday school class, and my wife is using Answers for Preschoolers in our homeschool curriculum.  Thank you again, keep up the good work, and God bless!

Wonderful Opportunity for Your Teenagers (and Others)

Do you know a teenager who will graduate high school next year and is trying to decide what to do next?

Encourage that young person to join us at the Creation Museum for our first-ever College Expo, November 11–12. Inside our new multipurpose auditorium, Legacy Hall, we will be hosting many of the nation's leading Christian colleges and universities, offering prospective students the opportunity to meet and speak with representatives from 17 schools.

The entrance to the expo for students and parents is free. Students will receive free admission to the Creation Museum and accompanying parents will receive a two for one coupon for Creation Museum tickets.

Students and their parents will also be able to take in special sessions from some of AiG's most sought-after speakers.

The following is a list of participating schools:

Appalachian Bible College
Arrowhead Bible College
Baptist Bible College & Seminary
Bob Jones University
Boyce College
Calvary Bible College & Theological Seminary
Cedarville University
Crossroads Bible College
Crown College
Faith Baptist Bible College
Jackson Hole Bible College
Northland University
Ohio Christian University
Patrick Henry College
Tennessee Temple University
The Master's College
Warner University
Word of Life Bible Institute

This is one event for students and parents to enable them to be better informed about Christian  higher education. Make sure the school that you choose will strengthen the foundation you have laid for your student and not erode a foundation built on the authority of God's Word.

Many parents and teenagers like to pray and research such colleges years in advance, so I encourage all parents and young people considering colleges in the future to attend.

For the complete schedule and to register, visit the event page.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,

Ken