John N Clayton Archives

July 27, 2026July 26, 2026

Marine Fungi – God’s Solution for Ocean Pollution?

Marine Fungi – God’s Solution for Pollution

One of the great challenges facing humanity today is the amount of plastic pollution in our oceans. Polyurethane plastic is among the most prevalent and harmful pollutants in our oceans today. Researchers have found marine fungi that decompose plastic and turn it into food. Up to 60% of the fungi researchers have found in the ocean have some ability to eat plastic.

Research continues to see whether marine fungi can break down other forms of plastic, such as polyethylene and polyethylene terephthalate. Since less than 1% of ocean fungi are documented, our knowledge is very limited. Dr. Anthony Amend at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa says, “Fungi possess a superpower for eating things that other organisms can’t digest.”

The basic point of this ministry is that science and faith are 100% supportive of one another. There is no conflict between science and faith, and every scientific discovery supports that. We continually see support for the statement in Romans 1:20, which says that “we can know there is a God through the things He has made.” From the galaxies of outer space to the simple cells of marine fungi, we see this truth demonstrated.

Climate change and environmental issues are problems that can be solved by scientists and Christians working together. We need to encourage Christian young people with an aptitude for science to get involved in learning more about God’s creation. That is one of the goals of this ministry.

Reference: Discover Magazine for Summer 2026, page 20.

July 23, 2026July 20, 2026

The Human Nature of Christ

The biblical description of the human nature of Christ shows Him to be very much like us. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way as we are – yet without sin.” Also, 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that we don’t face anything today that is not common to mankind.

The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is God, yet it describes the human nature of Christ. John’s gospel begins by saying that the Word created all things, and verse 14 says, “The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us.” That means that God knows what we endure, and, unlike the ghosts and spirits of pagan religions, the God we read about in the Bible went through what we go through.

We see the human nature of Christ as He experiences what humans do. We see Jesus frustrated with humanity and needing time alone (John 6:15). We see Him frustrated with Peter’s lack of faith, which caused him to sink after he had just seen the power of Christ (Matthew 14:31). In Matthew 14:26, when the disciples saw Christ walking on the water, they resorted to a pagan explanation, saying it was a spirit they were seeing.

Jesus needed time in prayer, just as we do (Luke 22:41-42). He experienced human fatigue, as seen in John 4:6 when He sat at the well in Samaria, and again in Matthew 8:24-25 when He slept through a storm on the Sea of Galilee. Christ was exposed to sexual temptations as a group of women who supported His work traveled with Him (Luke 8:1-3). In John 11:1-44, we read of Jesus having a close relationship with Mary and Martha. Jesus had strong family interactions, as seen in the exchange with His mother at the wedding feast at Cana (John 2:3-4) and when His mother and brothers tried to interfere with His ministry (Matthew 12:46-50). Jesus felt physical pain, as seen in the crucifixion.

The question is how you and I view Christ and respond to Him. Can you see the human nature of Christ? Do you see Him as a mystical non-human or as a brother and a friend who can relate to your struggles in life?

July 22, 2026July 20, 2026

Good Soil in the Garden of the Heart

To have a successful garden, you need good soil. Where does it come from? Does it just happen to be good? If you have worked in a garden, you know that good soil takes effort on your part. You must till the soil, pull out old roots, dig out rocks, remove pebbles, and add fertilizer.

The same is true of the good soil of our hearts. We must prepare our hearts to receive the Word and produce a bumper crop. We must get rid of bad attitudes and dig out rocks of resentment, hatred, and the pain of bad experiences. But we do not have to do this entirely on our own. God’s Spirit is available to root out the bad things that Satan brings upon us.

In Matthew 13, Jesus taught about good soil in the parable of the sower (verses 1-23) and the parable of the weeds (verses 24-29). We need to remember the message of those parables and understand that Satan doesn’t want us to improve our soil. It is essential that we study and learn from God’s Word. That is the one thing we can use to make our hearts receptive to the purpose God has for us.

Don’t try to create good soil that produces a “bumper crop” on your own. A garden that is not tended by a gardener will never produce a good crop. A heart that is not maintained by God’s Spirit will never be what it should be. The only way for us to have God’s Spirit helping us is revealed in Acts 2:38:

“Change your thinking and be baptized … in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and YOU WILL RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. The promise is for you and your children and for ALL who are afar off…”

You and I are those who are afar off, and the message is for us.is for us.

July 21, 2026July 20, 2026

Genetic Evolution Is Not the Answer

God told Noah and his sons: “…BE FRUITFUL AND INCREASE IN NUMBER; MULTIPLY ON THE EARTH AND INCREASE UPON IT” (Genesis 9:7). Scientists who study genetics tell us that this command is impossible by genetic evolution alone. When evolutionary anthropologists calculate how long it would take for humans to spread throughout the planet by genetic evolution, they find it would require at least 88 million years. No one believes that humans have existed on Earth for that long, so genetic evolution is not the answer.

Humans occupy as much of the planet’s dry land as all other mammals combined. Evolutionists attempt to solve this problem by saying it is due to “cultural evolution,” meaning that as cultures evolve, humans find ways to adapt to new environments.

Since genetic evolution is not the answer, a biblically sound approach is to accept that a combination of social cooperation, language, creativity, and intellect allowed humans to cover the planet many times faster than would be possible by genetic evolution. We can credit that to God creating humans in His image with those abilities.

The spread of humans over the entire planet is due to the way God created us, and is not an accident. The bigger issue now is how we can control our numbers and efficiently use the resources for survival that God has made available on Earth.

Reference: Scientific American for July/August 2026, page 17.

July 20, 2026July 19, 2026

Voting in Michigan and Biblical Teaching

We are in a time of voting in Michigan, with various political candidates urging us to vote for them. How does biblical teaching apply to us as we vote? Jesus said, “Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s” (Matthew 22:21). As is always the case, we need to consider who wrote it, to whom, why, and how the original audience would have understood it. In this case, Jesus addressed the “hit men” of the Pharisees, who were trying to trap Him with a question they thought would put Him at odds with the Law of Moses. Jesus says, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me?” and then makes the statement about paying taxes. The Jews did not have the right to vote for Roman leaders.

Matthew 22:21 does not describe how we, as Christians, should respond to voting. All over Michigan right now, men and women who believe in God and the Bible as the Word of God are providing information about what is happening in our state. Before voting in Michigan, we need to learn how a candidate would handle the following issues:

1) The Michigan State Board of Education has decided to change the health curriculum guidelines for K-12 to include teaching on sexual orientation and gender identity beginning in grade 4. Classroom time for teaching reading and math is reduced to do this, and the teaching calls for the acceptance of all lifestyle choices as equal. Meanwhile, Michigan has fallen to #44 nationally in reading and math.

2) Some public schools have permitted children to change their gender in secret without parents’ knowledge or permission. Because of that, some schools allow boys who say they are changing their gender to participate in girls’ sports and use girls’ locker rooms and bathrooms.

3) In Michigan, abortion is legal for any reason and at any stage of a pregnancy. Regulations and reporting requirements have been removed from clinics, and the abortion pill now causes 70% of abortions without doctor supervision. Michigan has also stopped regulating the disposal of fetal remains.

How you vote is up to you, but when voting in Michigan or any other state, it is essential to know how a candidate would respond to these and other issues.

Data from “Citizens for Traditional Values” 517-321-1390 ctvmichigan.org

July 16, 2026July 14, 2026

The La Brea Tar Pits Tell Us About Life

One of the world’s most important fossil sites is the La Brea Tar Pits, located just off Wilshire Boulevard in the heart of Los Angeles, California. La Brea is Spanish for “the tar” and refers to oil that pushes up through narrow cracks in the rocks from as deep as 1000 feet underground. As the lighter-weight oil, gas, and other volatiles evaporate, what is left is asphalt, usually covered with water, creating a death trap. When an animal came to drink, it would sink into the asphalt and be unable to escape. The La Brea Tar Pits tell us about life in North America 13,000-plus years ago.

In many cases, as an animal struggled to free itself from the tar, it would be attacked by a predator. The predator would also get stuck, and both the predator and the victim would sink into the tar and die. Then, a bird that ate dead animals, like today’s vultures, would land on the carcass and also get caught.

Most of the fossil remains of the animals found in the La Brea Tar Pits are not animals that exist today. They include saber-toothed cats, dire wolves, giant ground sloths, giant short-faced bears, dwarf pronghorns, American lions, various insects, and even extinct plants. The La Brea Tar Pits tell us about life in the past, not the animals and plants that are abundant on Earth or indigenous to California today.

No dinosaur remains have ever been found at La Brea because they were already extinct. No sea creatures or plants from the age of the dinosaurs have been found. The La Brea Tar Pits provide no evidence to support a 10,000-year limit to Earth’s age nor any evidence that they resulted from the flood of Noah.

Denominational creationism based on religious dogma is not supported by the Bible or physical evidence. The dispensationalist teaching is destructive to the faith of young people who have visited places like La Brea. The Genesis account is undated and is not designed to give a detailed history of life on our planet. The very first verse of Genesis tells us that God created the Earth – not when or how. The La Brea Tar Pits tell us about life in North America during a limited time in Earth’s history. We must speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent. The Bible is God’s word, and adding to it only dilutes its value and does not help us understand the past.

Reference: Smithsonian magazine April/May 2026, pages 79-87.

July 10, 2026July 9, 2026

Why a Seven-Day Week?

An interesting question young people ask is why there are seven days in a week and why we have a weekend. The Bible gave humans a seven-day week, and that framework works very well. Genesis 2:2 tells us that on the seventh day God rested from the creation of the cosmos, and Exodus 20:11 repeats that assertion.

Skeptics have said this was copied from the Babylonians, since ancient Babylonian astronomers could see seven astronomical bodies – Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. But the Babylonians had a five-day week, and Babylonian contracts from Mari (Tell el-Hariri) show there was no day of rest or Sabbath, as work was carried on continuously. Other cultures had systems based on different numbers of days, such as the Egyptian ten-day week and the Roman eight-day week.

Attempts to replace the seven-day week with an astronomical system have failed. A day is the time for one rotation of the Earth on its axis, and a year is the time it takes for the Earth to make one revolution around the Sun. The problem is that it takes 365 and ¼ days to make one revolution, so we have to add an extra day in February every four years (for a leap year).

The seven-day week is a creation of God. It is seen in every part of human activity, including mental health and bodily functions. Every other system humans have tried has been unsuccessful. God created man in a way that allows us to live longer than any other mammal. The weekend reminds us of our unique existence, and the Sabbath in ancient times and the Lord’s Day in the Christian era reinforce our faith if we will allow them to.

References: USA Today and Wikipedia.

July 8, 2026July 8, 2026

Nighttime Navigation by Ants

It has long been known that various creatures can navigate in the dark. Nighttime navigation helps them find food and mates while avoiding predators. Sand hoppers, moths, and some ant species seem to use the Moon to find their way at night.

Recent studies of nocturnal ants have shown that they use the Moon as a guide for nighttime navigation, but they can also keep track of time to know where the Moon should be. Researchers at France’s University of Toulouse captured bull ants as they were heading to their usual feeding areas and placed them in a darkened box. After several hours of complete isolation from any navigational cues, the researchers released the ants at a new location. The Moon had moved a significant distance, and the ants veered off course, indicating that the Moon was their primary guide in locating their food supply.

Many variables could disrupt this nighttime navigation system. The Moon goes through various phases over the course of a month, and for most of the month it’s not at its maximum brightness. The length of darkness varies as the Sun moves from solstice to equinox and back. None of these variables prevent the ants from finding food and thriving.

The bull ants the researchers studied could use “time-linked” lunar navigation. An entomologist not involved in the study said, “This is just a little bonkers. They need to compensate for the trajectory of the Moon. I mean, I don’t know how to do that.” Researchers also found that ants combine their use of the Moon for navigation with terrestrial and solar cues at dawn and dusk, as visibility varies throughout the lunar month.

The complexity of nighttime navigation makes it difficult to believe it’s a product of blind chance. Proverbs 6:6 advises us to “Go to the ant, consider its ways and be wise.” We have much to learn by looking at the wisdom we see throughout the insect world. It shows God’s wisdom and design and fulfills the statement of Romans 1:20, “…since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so men are without excuse.” We can know there is a God, and the creatures using nighttime navigation demonstrate that.

Reference: Scientific American, June 2026, page 19, and Current Biology.

July 7, 2026June 30, 2026

Plant Seeds Hear the Sound of Rain

We often think of the trees in our yard as solid collections of molecules that grow and die robotically, and that is all. As scientists investigate plants more deeply and apply new technologies, they are learning that plants seem to “think,” “see,” “hear,” and even make sounds. A new study shows that plant seeds hear the sound of rain.

Plants have cellular structures called statoliths that enable them to sense changes in their environment. These structures are starch-filled envelopes that shift and settle to the bottom of plant cells. They help the plant determine which direction to grow and help germinating seeds know when to grow and which direction to send their roots.

The sound of rain jostles the statoliths in plant seeds, causing them to germinate 30 to 40% faster than seeds in the same environment without the sound of rain. The researchers exposed 8,000 rice seeds to rain sounds and compared them to seeds in the same environment without the sound. The result was that plant seeds hear the sound of rain.

The more scientists study the world around us, the more they find processes that cannot be the result of blind chance. The Bible doesn’t go into detail about the methods God used to set the world around us to work. The reason is obvious when you consider that the Bible was written for ancient humans who could not understand the processes God used, and they didn’t need to.

Everywhere we look in the world, we see a wonder-working hand has gone before. This is not only true of the natural world but also of the instructions God has given in His word about how we should live.

Reference: Scientific American, July/August 2026, pages 14-15.

June 26, 2026June 23, 2026

The Euphrates River

“A river watering the garden (of Eden) flowed from Eden, and from there it divided; it had four headstreams. The name of the first is the Pishon … the name of the second river is the Gihon … the name of the third river is the Tigris … and the fourth river is the Euphrates.” (Genesis 2:10-14)

Skeptics have maintained that everything in the Genesis account is a myth with no evidential support. Now, seismic imaging can create 2D and 3D maps of the Fertile Crescent’s subsurface using sound waves reflected by rock layers beneath the ground. The technique is similar to using ultrasound to create a detailed image of a baby in the womb. The maps can show the land and the Euphrates River as they were in biblical times.

We now know that the Euphrates River was as the Bible describes it. The Euphrates was the longest river in southwest Asia, flowing some 1,700 miles. It originated in present-day Turkey and flowed through Mesopotamia before emptying into the Persian Gulf. It flowed by Babylon and the ancient city of Uruk in present-day Iraq. Uruk was the world’s first metropolis and the birthplace of written language.

In today’s world, the Fertile Crescent has changed due to seismic activity and political turmoil. Dr. Simon Lang from the University of Western Australia, working with a petroleum company, used sensitive seismic tools to trace the origin of the Euphrates River to two ancient rivers in Turkey.

The claim that there is no evidential support for the Genesis account is simply not true. As more technological tools become available, the credibility of the Biblical account will increase. You can read your Bible and have confidence in what it tells you. You can also be confident that obeying what it tells you for eternal life is true.

Reference: msn.com