Meditation Upon the PSALMS Series: Psalm 72

"Psalm 72:
This psalm describes a reign when God, the king, nature, all classes of society, and foreign nations all live together in harmony.

I. A just Reign

(72:1-4).

II. A Universal Reign 

(72:5-11).
III. A Compassionate Reign (72:12-14).
IV.  A Prosperous Reign 

(72:15-17).
V. A Glorious Reign 

(72:18-20).

Psalm 72:1 Give the king Thy judgments, O God, and Thy righteousness unto the king's son.

Psalm 72:5 They shall fear Thee as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations.
Psalm 72:6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers [that] water the earth.
Psalm 72:9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before Him; and His enemies shall lick the dust.
Psalm 72:20 The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.
This closes Book II (Psalms 42 to 72) of the Psalms."
BooksOfTheBible

Chiasm of the Sanctuary: Leviticus

For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. Leviticus 16:30

The book of Leviticus, where the Plan of Redemption is laid out in the SANCTUART, is built in a chiasm.

***It culminates in the center of the nooks chiasm with the Judgment itself---THE DAY OF ATONEMENT Lev. 16

A) Outer Court where the people entered where Justification [Grace/Forgiveness] takes place. Lev. 1-7

B) Inner Court where where the priests entered where Sanctification [Holiness/Obedience] happens. Lev. 8-10

C) Most Holy Place where Glorification takes place when one passes the Judgment. It is where the Law of God is stored, which is the standard used in the Judgment. Lev. 11-15

C) Most Holy Place where Glorification takes place when one passes the Judgment. It is where the Law of God is stored, which is the standard used in the Judgment. Lev. 17-20

B) Inner Court where where the priests entered

where Sanctification [Holiness/Obedience] happens. Lev. 21-22

A) Outer Court where the people entered where Justification [Grace/Forgiveness] takes place. Lev. 23-27

The Religion of Atheism

 They are a RELIGION unto themselves.

According to atheist writer Anthony Flew, they can be broken down into "positive atheists" who affirm God does not exist and "negative atheists" who just lack a belief in God.

In the 21st century a new division began with what was termed the "old atheists" who were chill when coming into contact with theists and the "new atheists" who were openly hostile towards theists and also encouraged others to publicly berate theists when encountered.
The "new atheists" were led in the first decade of the 21st century by the self-proclaimed "4 horsemen of the apocalypse" which consisted of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Christopher Hitchens and Daniel Dennett.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.
Psalm 14:1
*Atheism is a religion in that one sets oneself up as "god" since you determine right and wrong based on your current worldview at the given moment. Morality ends up on the shifting sand of opinion.

......but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Judges 17:6
They have a double origins MYTH:
1) The Big Bang (where the universe supposedly came from a microscopic point of singularity of energy that exploded and filled the universe in a billionth of a second under the flawed "inflation theory" (Alan Guth made that up to fudge the math in 1979 because the mathematics of the big bang didn't add up).

Of course many today have gone on to other theories due to the "inflation theory" not working mathematically either. These others include the Carmelian Theory (White Hole Theory), Multiverse Theory, Stasis Universe Theory. MOND (Modified Theory of Newtonian Dynamics), String Theory and Electromagnetic Universe Theory.
As for countering Einstein's theory that states that Space, Matter & Time are co-dependent (can't have one without the other two) and that the universe had a starting point---how does one square that with the "big bang"?...For a pre-existing point of singularity occupies space---even if microscopic in size---therefore time and matter of some kind would exist. But if, as Einstein's theories show, there was a starting point--then from where and when did this point of singularity come from?
Of course this century Lawrence Krauss has tried to answer that by claiming it was from the fluctuation of electro-magnetic waves that sparked causing the universe to "pop" into existence.
But if one has a functioning brain cell then the OBVIOUS QUESTION would be where did the energy come from?
For energy is just matter in an energized form and it too is occupying some space and hence time would be in existence. So you are back to square one as it relates to Einstein's theories that show the universe had a staring point.

Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by names by the greatness of His might...
Isaiah 40:26
2) Darwinian Macro-Evolution and Long Age Chronology.
The dirty little secret is that many are divided into different evolutionary views that contradict each other. Logic would dictate

then that only one could be right---and as a result therefore that they all could therefore be wrong.
There is Neo-Darwinism (Dawkins), Punctuated Equilibrium (Gould), Panspermia (Sagan), Evo-Devo (DeBeers), A Third Way (Wagner) and sort of a back-to-the-drawing board (Mazur).
From the Microscope to the Telescope one sees DESIGN--which in every aspect of life equals a DESIGNER. But on this one point of origins they willfully suspend reality--or as Dawkins put's it in writing in response to this point--that "TRICKY NATURE".

For ever since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through His workmanship [all His creation, the wonderful things that He has made], so that they [who fail to believe and trust in Him] are without excuse and without defense.

Romans 1:20 AMP

*Many--but to be fair not all--subscribe to an end-of-the-world eschatology: A GREEN APOCALYPSE. The arrogance of man that he can destroy the planet. And as a result only he can save the planet. Such hubris from MORTAL MAN, a speck of a creature in this vast cosmos that only lives a few decades and returns to dust himself.

All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust. Job 34:17

*Then there is the problem for atheists of INFORMATION:
Naturalists believe in*matter*energy*laws of nature*chance.
But .... they deny anything "supernatural"...
So then where does *will *choice *information come from?

Examples include- *A-Z of the English alphabet (26 symbols). *The DNA code of A,C,G,&T (4 symbols). *The Binary code of 0 & 1 (2 symbols).

Dr. Kuppers defined life as MATTER + INFORMATION ... but where does this information come from?

According Dr. Gitt, there is no known law through which matter can give rise to information.

Claude Shannon was the pioneer of Information Theory.

He also was a proponent of the idea that entropy (loss of information) has to be taken into account for calculations.

Maximum Entropy would result in being unable to know how the symbols/messages would show up to the receiver each time.

And that Zero Entropy would indicate showing up to the receiver identical each time.

Dembski argues that information is conserved but can only be created by intelligence.
It is not derived from matter; instead, matter is the medium by which intelligence communicates information.

A gene sequence is information; know-how refers to the ability to make something from it, and this cannot reside in the information itself.
"DNA has no knowhow and cannot unpack itself; it is a slave to the machinery needed to unpack it," says Hidalgo.

For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible...
Colossians 1:16

IN the NEWS - Claude gets out of it's Sand Box

Q: How could this type of technology be used during the Mark of the Beast Controversy?
Q: What IF a Claude type of program sought to aid the Beast Entity in the age of cyberspace?

..for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. Revelation 18:23

"Anthropic said its next-generation AI model is too powerful for the public.
That's why Claude Mythos won't be publicly released, Anthropic said.
Anthropic said Mythos demonstrated concerning capabilities, including the ability to breach its own safeguards.

Anthropic said that it has halted the broader release of its newest AI model, Mythos, due to concerns that it is too good at finding "high-severity vulnerabilities" in major operating systems and web browsers.
Anthropic detailed a number of eyebrow-raising findings and episodes, including that the model could follow instructions that encouraged it to break out of a virtual sandbox.
"In a concerning and unasked-for effort to demonstrate its success, it posted details about its exploit to multiple hard-to-find, but technically public-facing, websites," Anthropic wrote.
The AI model found a 27-year-old vulnerability in OpenBSD—which has a reputation as one of the most security-hardened operating systems in the world.

"Engineers at Anthropic with no formal security training have asked Mythos Preview to find remote code execution vulnerabilities overnight, and woken up the following morning to a complete, working exploit," Anthropic's Frontier Red Team wrote in a blog post. "In other cases, we've had researchers develop scaffolds that allow Mythos Preview to turn vulnerabilities into exploits without any human intervention."
msn

Creation Moment 4/20/2026 - Shape-Shifting TOI-201 (No surprise)

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God... Hebrews 11:3

"The TOI-201 system consists of a super-Earth, a warm Jupiter, and a more massive brown dwarf at 5.8-, 53-, and 2,900-day orbital periods, respectively.

TOI-201 is a bright F-type star located 372 light-years away in the constellation of Pictor.
The star is 32% bigger and more massive than the Sun.
Also known as HD 39474 and TIC 350618622, it hosts at least three companions: TOI-201b, c and d.
TOI-201d is a rocky super-Earth planet roughly 1.4 times the size of Earth and approximately 6 times Earth’s mass, completing one orbit every 5.8 days.
TOI-201b is a warm-Jupiter exoplanet about half the mass of Jupiter orbiting every 53 days.
TOI-201c is a brown dwarf — the most massive body in the system besides the star, on a wide, highly elliptical approximately 8-year orbit. Its gravitational influence is responsible for most of the system’s dynamic behavior. TOI-201c is also the longest-period transiting object ever to be discovered.
TOI-201c is unique because of its extremely long orbital period (~7.9 years) and its location in a system with two interior planets.
What makes the TOI-201 system special is that the astronomers are actually able to watch it change in real time.
“The planets’ orbits are tilted relative to each other, and because of that, they’re slowly pulling each other into new orientations,” Mireles said.
“This was a surprise, because if planets are been born in the plane of the protoplanetary disk that existed early in the life of the star, they are expected to have aligned orbits, like the planets in the Solar System,” Professor Dragomir said." 

SciNews

No surprise.... the TOI-201 system was DESIGNED to be that way.

Meditation Upon the PSALMS Series: Psalm 71

"Psalm 71:
This psalm is clearly the prayer of an elderly man threatened by his enemies.
Though his enemies conclude that God has abandoned him, the psalmist is confident that God will remain faithful.

I. Confidence in God Stated (71:1-8).
II. Confidence in God Practiced in Prayer (71:9-13).
III. Confidence in God Vindicated (71:14-24).

David prays that he might never be made ashamed of dependence upon God. With this petition, every true believer may come boldly to the throne of grace.

Psalm 71:1 In Thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.
Psalm 71:2 Deliver me in Thy righteousness, and cause me to escape: incline Thine ear unto me, and save me.
Psalm 71:3 Be Thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually resort: Thou hast given commandment to save me; for Thou [art] my rock and my fortress.

Psalm 71:8 Let my mouth be filled [with] Thy praise [and with] Thy honor all the day.
Psalm 71:9 Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.
Psalm 71:17 O God, Thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared Thy wondrous works.
Psalm 71:23 My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto Thee; and my soul, which Thou hast redeemed."
BooksOfTheBible

Creation Moment 4/19/2026 - NASA’s Artemis II on the Creator

But He was wounded for our transgressions,

 He was bruised for our iniquities: 

the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; 

and with His stripes we are healed. 

Isaiah 53:5

"We waited till the astronauts were on the deck of the carrier before adding our congratulations for the achievements of NASA’s Artemis II flight, because the mission was highly risky, especially in the last half hour. But its spectacular success highlights the difference between engineering and ‘scientific’ speculation.

The reaction of the astronauts to the wonders they were beholding.

The beauty of that “Earthset” image behind the moon, and the glory of seeing Earth on approach, sent waves of emotion through the astronauts who were highly trained in science, physics, and engineering in addition to flight. 

From behind the moon Canadian astronaut Victor Glover expressed his faith as the other three astronauts looked on with approving looks:

"As we are so far from Earth and looking at, you know, the beauty of creation I think that, for me, one of the personal perspectives I have up here is I can really see Earth as one thing, and, you know, as I read the Bible and learn about all the wonderful things that were done for us who were created, you have this amazing place—this spaceship—you guys are talking to us because we are in a spaceship far from Earth, but you’re on a spaceship called Earth that was created to give us a place to live in the universe, the cosmos. Maybe the distance we are from you makes you think what we’re doing is special but we’re the same distance from you, and I’m trying to tell you—just trust me—that you are special.”

The crew shook his hand and CapCom commended his impromptu statement. As the crew approached blackout behind the moon, Glover continued,
“As we get close to the nearest point to the moon and the farthest point from Earth – as we continue to unlock the mysteries of the cosmos – I would like to remind you of one of the most important mysteries there on Earth, and that’s love,” Glover said."

CEH

Meditation Upon the PSALMS Series: Psalm 70

"Psalm 70:
This psalm has apparently been detached from the end of Psalm 40 where it appears as verses 13 through 17.
Perhaps the motive behind this was for separate use in the temple

worship, just as one might take part of a hymn today and use it as a chorus.

Verses 1-5:
The speedy destruction of the wicked, and the preservation of the godly.

Psalm 70:1 [Make haste], O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD.
Psalm 70:2 Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.

Psalm 70:3 Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.
"Aha, aha":
Rejoicing at his calamity and distress.

Psalm 70:5 But I [am] poor and needy: make haste unto me, O God: Thou [art] my help and my deliverer; O LORD, make no tarrying." 

BooksOfTheBible

Christ's way vs. Muslim way of Forgiveness

Christ's Way

If we confess our sins, 

He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins 

and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

....and from Jesus Christ, 

....the firstborn from the dead, 

To Him who loves us and has washed us 

from our sins by His blood,...

1 John 1:9/Revelation 1:5

Islam's Way

"Muslim object of VENERATION, built into the eastern wall of the Kaʿbah (small shrine within the Great Mosque of Mecca) and probably dating from the pre-Islamic religion of the Arabs. 

It now consists of three large pieces and some fragments, surrounded by a stone ring and held together with a silver band. 

According to popular Islamic legend, the stone was given to Adam on his fall from paradise and was originally white but has become black by absorbing the sins of the thousands of pilgrims who have kissed and touched it. 

In 930 it was carried away by the fanatics of the Qarmatian sect and held for ransom for about 20 years." 

Britannica

Creation Moment 4/18/2026 - Last Years of Hawkins

And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. Colossians 1:17

"In their 2010 book, The Grand Design, Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow set out to answer a big question: “Is the apparent ‘grand design’ of our universe evidence of a benevolent creator who set things in motion — or does science offer another explanation?”

Briefly stated, the term “fine-tuned universe” refers to the fact that the universe appears to have been set up “just so.” Its properties,

including the initial conditions and laws of chemistry and physics, along with many otherwise inexplicable constants embedded therein, are all set within extremely precise tolerances which must be “just so” for life to exist. To all appearances, it manifests a “grand design” from which intelligent design theory infers the prior existence of a designing mind.

The thesis of The Grand Design, as stated in the closing chapter, is, “Because there is a law like gravity, the universe can and will create itself from nothing,” i.e., no designer required. Interestingly, the plot of the pop 2014 movie God’s Not Dead hinged on John Lennox’s philosophical dismantling of this exact claim. Lennox never appeared in the movie, but his rather simple refutation did lead to two subsequent documentaries after lead actor Kevin Sorbo became intrigued with his work.

In some ways, the forthcoming film The Story of Everything, out on April 30, offers an answer to that question, though not at all an explicit response to it. While Lennox does appear in the film and comments on The Grand Design, The Story of Everything takes up Hawking’s and Mlodinow’s thesis on their own turf, so to speak. From the perspective of physics, does their “another explanation” add up to a viable case for the universe creating itself out of nothing?

The short answer, according to philosopher of science Stephen Meyer, is, no.

*Hawking proves the singularity, doesn’t much like its implications, because it seems to point to a kind of creation event, so he spent much of the rest of his career attempting to circumvent the conclusion of his own proof. 

*And in the process, he developed these quantum cosmological ideas through a tiny loophole.

Ironically, though, as Meyer and others go on to explain, even the quantum cosmological model has “theistic implications.” Moreover, it still implies the prior existence of a mind behind the universe." EN&V

Meditation Upon the PSALMS Series: Psalm 69

"Psalm 69:

This psalm gives extensive expression to one of the major themes of the psalms: which is undeserved suffering.
This psalm expresses the feeling of any believer who is being horribly ridiculed, but it uniquely refers to Christ.

I. The Pray of Desperation (69:1-28).
A. The Description of His situation (69:1-3);
B. The Reason for His Situation (69:4-12);
C. The Hope for His Situation (69:13-18);
D. The Reproach of His Situation (69:19-21);
E. The Revenge for His Situation (69:22-28).
II. The Promise of Salvation (69:29-36).

“Title”:
According to Shoshannim”: The name of a tune.

Psalm 69:1 Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto

[my] soul.
Psalm 69:2 I sink in deep mire, where [there is] no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.
Psalm 69:3 I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.
Psalm 69:5 O God, Thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from Thee.

Psalm 69:20 Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked [for some] to take pity, but [there was] none; and for comforters, but I found none.

Psalm 69:21 They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

Matthew 27:34 They gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when He had tasted [thereof], He would not drink.

Psalm 69:27 Add iniquity unto their iniquity: and let them not come into Thy righteousness.

Psalm 69:28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous."

BooksOfTheBible

Creation Moment 4/17/2026 - Coherence Theory & Darwinians

....every man did that which was right in his own eyes. 

Judges 21:25

"Pragmatism takes very odd forms. One pragmatist philosopher says pragmatism means being loyal to Darwin. 

I guess he meant that pragmatism is the practical or philosophical

conclusion which results from being a Darwinist. “Fish evolved fins because they work.” But if you say that Darwinism just is true, you seem to be talking about something different from whether Darwinism works (whatever that means).

But of course, the consensus theory folks don’t really mean that truth is what we all agree about. What they mean is that truth is whatever people like them agree about.

The coherence theory says the truth is internal to your set of assumptions; they don’t need external validation, they just have to hang together. 

--This is a lunatic view.--

To consider a single example, many people with paranoid schizophrenic delusions can give extremely coherent explanations of why they are really Napoleon, or why they are really poached eggs, or why everybody is really out to get them. The various claims all hang together. But the paranoid schizophrenic is wrong. He’s not Napoleon. He’s not a poached egg. And no, it isn’t true that everyone is out to get him. But he can’t tell, because he refuses to make contact with reality outside his own set of assumptions.
That’s the problem with the coherence theory." 

EN&V

Meditation Upon the PSALMS Series: Psalm 68

"Psalm 68:
Though no superscription is found in this psalm, most interpreters

agree that it was written when the ark of the LORD was transferred from the house of Obed-edom to the new location on Zion’s mountain.
The writing of this psalm may have come out of David’s jubilant restoration of the ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.

I. A Fanfare of Commendation (68:1-6).
II. A Reflection on Faithfulness (68:7-18).
III. An Acclamation of Majesty (68:19-31).
IV. An Invitation to Praise (68:32-35).

Psalm 68:1 Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered: let them also that hate Him flee before Him.
Psalm 68:2 As smoke is driven away, [so] drive [them] away: as

wax melteth before the fire, [so] let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
Psalm 68:18 Thou hast ascended on high, Thou hast led captivity captive: Thou hast received gifts for men; yea, [for] the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell [among them].
Psalm 68:24 They have seen Thy goings, O God; [even] the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary." 

BooksOfTheBible

Creation Moment 4/16/2026 - Arguments for the existence of the soul

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 

Genesis 2:7

Behold, all souls are mine; ... the soul that sinneth, it shall die. 

Ezekiel 18:4

"Powerful arguments for the existence of the soul.
These include basic awareness of the self, unity of consciousness and the soul, free will, and sameness of the self over time.

“The soul is an immaterial or spiritual substance that is

characterized by and unifies mental properties or states and that animates or enlivens its body;---the view that the ‘I’ or self is an immaterial or spiritual substance with the attributes of consciousness and which is not identical to anything physical, including one’s body or any of its parts (e.g., its brain).”

Jonathan Loose argues that explaining consciousness and the self by denying they exist, as materialism does, “seems as obviously false as any position could be”. 

In order to esteem the ‘life scientific’ (i.e., scientific activity and reasoning), materialism should be rejected, according to Loose, since it renders reasoning and observations unjustified, and the accomplishments and aspirations of scientists incoherent." 

CMI

Meditation Upon the PSALMS Series: Psalm 67

"Psalm 67:

This national psalm of thanksgiving expresses the gratefulness of the people to God and their confidence in His continued blessings.

I. The Prayer for Divine Mercy (67:1-2).
II. The Plea for Universal Worship (67:3-5).
III. The Prospect of Divine Blessings (67:6-7).

Psalm 67:1 God be merciful unto us, and bless us; [and] cause His face to shine upon us; Selah.
Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
Romans 5:8 But God commendeth His love toward us, in that,

while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Psalm 67:2 That thy way may be known upon earth, Thy saving health among all nations.
Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 67:5 Let the people praise Thee, O God; let all the people praise Thee.
Psalm 67:7 God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear Him.
Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."
BooksOfTheBible

The "Really" File - (Big Tech Blasphemy)

But Peter said unto him, Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with money. Acts 8:20

"A tech company is leveraging Americans’ desire for a deeper connection with God by offering an AI-generated avatar of Jesus Christ that charges by the minute.
The New York Post reports that the Southern California-based

company Just Like Me allows users to join video calls with an AI-generated avatar of Jesus Christ. Like other religious AI tools emerging in the marketplace, the platform offers words of prayer and encouragement across multiple languages. The avatar remembers previous conversations, though its lip movements do not always synchronize perfectly with its speech.
Chris Breed, CEO of Just Like Me, described the attachment users can form with the technology. “You do feel a little accountable to the AI,” he said. “They’re your friend. You’ve made an attachment.”
Christian software engineer Cameron Pak has developed criteria to help believers evaluate apps designed for Christians. 

From the "Really" File

His standards require that such tools clearly identify themselves as AI and “must not fabricate or misrepresent Scripture.” 

Pak also insists that “AI cannot pray for you, because the AI is not alive.” He created a website called faith.tools featuring curated Christian apps he believes meet these standards, including a sermon translator and an AI coach for overcoming lust. “AI, especially if you give it all the tools that it needs, it can be so helpful. But it also can be so dangerous,” Pak said.
Beth Singler, an anthropologist at the University of Zurich who studies religion and AI, noted that some models have been shut down or revised after generating misinformation or raising data privacy concerns.” Breitbart

REALLY?

Papal Notes - Will African Muslims Bend the Knee?

And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; 

and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
Revelation 13:3

"Pope Leo XIV's visit to Africa marks a significant moment in the Catholic Church's outreach to the continent. His journey includes stops in Algeria, Cameroon, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea, where he will 

focus on themes such as peace, interreligious dialogue, and the need for reconciliation. 

The Pope's message is one of hope as he seeks to build bridges between the Christian and Muslim worlds." 

msn

Creation Moment 4/15/2026 - grin2a, schizophrenia & Romans 8:22

Due to Sin----the breakdown of everything including the genome---For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. Romans 8:22

"A newly identified gene mutation appears to disrupt a brain circuit that helps us update our understanding of the world. When this system fails, the brain may cling to old ideas even when reality changes.

In experiments with mice, researchers showed that this mutation interferes with the brain’s ability to adjust decisions based on new input, a problem that closely mirrors cognitive symptoms seen in schizophrenia.

The mutation occurs in a gene called grin2a, previously linked to schizophrenia in large genetic studies. The findings suggest that targeting this circuit could eventually help improve cognitive function in some patients.

“If this circuit doesn’t work well, you cannot quickly integrate information,” says Guoping Feng, the James W. and Patricia T.

Poitras Professor in Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT, a member of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, and the associate director of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research at MIT. “We are quite confident this circuit is one of the mechanisms that contributes to the cognitive impairment that is a major part of the pathology of schizophrenia.”

The researchers traced the problem to a specific brain region called the mediodorsal thalamus. 

This area connects to the prefrontal cortex, forming a circuit that supports decision-making and flexible thinking.

Neurons in this region appeared to track how valuable each option

was, helping guide choices. The team also observed different patterns of activity depending on whether the mice were exploring options or committing to a decision.

Only a small percentage of schizophrenia patients carry mutations in grin2a. However, the researchers believe this circuit may represent a shared pathway that contributes to cognitive impairment across different forms of the disorder." 

SciTechDaily

Meditation Upon the PSALMS Series: Psalm 66

"Psalm 66:
Though a psalm of national thanksgiving for some occasion of great

deliverance, it also contains the king’s personal note of thanksgiving at the end.
The psalmist rehearses some of the major miracles in Israel’s history and testifies that God has always been faithful in the midst of serious troubles.

I. Communal Hymn of Praise to God (66:1-12).
A. For Future Glory (66:1-4);
B. For Previous Faithfulness (66:5-7);
C. For Continual Protection (66:8-12).
II. An Individual Hymn of Praise to God (66:13-20).
A. Through Fulfilled Vows (66:13-15);
B. For Answered Prayer (66:16-20).

Psalm 66:1 Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
Psalm 66:2 Sing forth the honor of His name: make His praise glorious.
Psalm 66:6 He turned the sea into dry [land]: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in Him.

Psalm 66:13 I will go into Thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay Thee my vows,

Psalm 66:14 Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.

Psalm 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear [me].
If I regard iniquity in my heart. If, having seen it to be there, I

continue to gaze upon it without aversion; if I cherish it, have a side glance of love toward it, excuse it, and palliate it;
The Lord will not hear me.
Q: How can He?
Nothing hinders prayer like iniquity harbored in the breast; as with Cain, so with us, sin lieth at the door, and blocks the passage."
BooksOfTheBible/Charles Spurgeon