by 
After 40 years in the wilderness, the children of Israel were about to enter the promised land. They were standing on one side of the Jordan river, bisecting the land of Caanan, and about to apply a divide and conquer tactic, but one thing stood in their way—the body of water.
Joshua was about to lead the children of Israel through the Jordan river on dry ground, just like Moses had done with the Red Sea some 40 years earlier, but God had further instructions this time around.
First, they were to make sure that they built an altar for remembrance when they got to the other side. This altar was to be built out of stones that were taken out of the Jordan river. Out of each tribe a man would be chosen to take a stone.
This would be the last time that God would part the waters for the children of Israel on this journey. This was a big event, and God wanted them to remember it. He wanted them to remember the big miracles, because people have a tendency to overlook the small ones.
What big miracles has God done in your life? More importantly, what small ones has He done that you’ve overlooked?
“What big miracles has God done in your life?”
None that I know of. But, of course, I don’t think there ever has been any such thing as a “miracle”.
“More importantly, what small ones has He done that you’ve overlooked?”
How can this possibly be “more important”? If I’ve “overlooked” something and no one else could possibly know, how can that have any relevance to anything?
You are a silly goose.
@onein6billion: I’m not quite sure why you’re responding to a post where you’re not the typical audience– other than possibly to be a nuisance.
There are many “minor” miracles happening every day. The fact that we have another day is a miracle for some– just ask those that are at the end of their life or were born early.
For some, major miracles have occurred– and I’m not even getting into dead raised to life, etc.
But to your question, there’s a very rational reason that the minor ones are the ones that we forget but they are also the ones that happen more frequently.
Every day is a gift. We know not when we’ll die, or what will happen to our family, and therefore this should help us to be thankful, and to cherish the many little miracles in our life each day.
“nuisance”
I wish to point out that the fundamental definition of “miracle” is “self-contradictory”.
“The fact that we have another day is a miracle for some”
This does not fit any reasonable definition of “miracle”. Living is natural, dying is natural. A “miracle” is supposed to be “supernatural” – whatever that means.
“But to your question, there’s a very rational reason that the minor ones are the ones that we forget but they are also the ones that happen more frequently.”
Completely “self-contradictory”.
“major miracles have occurred”
Nope. I do not accept your opinion on this matter.
@onein6billion: Well, at least I know your intentions.
I will most willingly admit that “miracle” can be taken in multiple different ways. Miracles could be a supernatural occurrence, but they are more likely defined as the unexpected.
However, you trivialize something that is a miracle and not a given. Statistically speaking, we are not guaranteed another day. Given the nature of the world, any number of things can happen to any individual at any point of time. While it may be true that natural causes may be what ends life, the fact that you are alive and have not died by natural causes is a miracle… and that’s not even digging into “what is life” and “why is there any life at all?”
That would take us back to “is there a God” and “how did the Universe begin?” Which we disagree based on worldviews. Which logically leads me to the futility of a discussion with you on this topic– but I digress.
Every time a new child becomes a life, that’s a miracle. There’s no reason that a purely natural process should result in a brand new life (and I’m not sure that science yet has a good definition of the difference between the life of an animal and that of a human).
And major miracles, they’re well documented. I can’t help it if you do not accept the documentation.
“they are more likely defined as the unexpected”
No, no, no. The “unexpected” is often to be expected. So this definition is nonsensical.
“There’s no reason that a purely natural process should result in a brand new life”
Well, that would certainly be a problem for evolution – no descendants at all. Silly.
“And major miracles, they’re well documented.”
Ahh – now you’re trying to get serious. Now you really want to use a supernatural definition of miracle. Well, you have your “documentation”. I call it nonsense.
You are not “in the gap” – you are on one side of the chasm. Religion, miracles from religion, morality from religion, anti-evolution from religion, etc. You are on the side of religion and you deny “science” and there is a really big chasm between science and religion.
@onein6billion: Stating that the unexpected is to be expected does not make it so. Before I accept that statement, you’ll have to provide proof.
Evolution can’t explain yet why humans are different than animals, so they make them equivalent (hence you have those well meaning but silly people that put a higher priority on saving animals than saving babies). Scientists are still trying to probe the mind and I have yet to see an Evolutionist definition for consciousness.
We only have a problem with “no descendants” if Evolution is true– but since it’s not, there’s no problem.
I’m inside my head, you’re inside yours. It would be best if you didn’t try to get inside mine and vice versa. I’ve been transparent about what I want to say about miracles– I’m not “really wanting to use a supernatural definition of miracle,” I told you that I would use both and I indicated when I was using both.
You may call the documentation nonsense, and I call TENS (Theory of Evolution by Natural Selection) nonsense. I’m sure that’s convincing to you too.
I do not deny science– I deny applying natural selection to the problem of history, which is what we’re talking about. When it comes to what happened many thousands of years ago, science is unequipped for the task. It can’t decide how the dinosaurs stopped being on the earth. It can’t tell us who the past leaders in the world are. It treats humans like the aborigines as lesser people, and is used to justify Hitler’s ethnic cleansing.
Right now, it’s use to justify not integrating people in the Amazon, and stating that maybe autistic people are our next evolutionary step.
TENS is a religion– a faith that science can peer into the past and that it’s unfalsifiable and never wrong.
You have to believe that the documentation is wrong, because you believe in TENS. You can’t even discuss the possibility that it might be true. You can’t objectively look at its claims. You have to characterize the opposing views as nonsense and silliness, because if it wasn’t that to you then you’d have to look at it objectively– and I believe you’re practically afraid to do it.
Because the documentary evidence that you shun is a whole lot stronger than you believe, but you refuse to look. Some open minded scientist. You’re more closed minded than I.
“Stating that the unexpected is to be expected does not make it so.”
Statisticians work with probability. So, many things are probable. But “improbable” things happen all the time. So, statisticians expect the improbable to happen from time to time and that makes the “unexpected” actually “expected” – but with lower probability. Many thousands will die from auto accidents this year in the US. Most are avoidable. Most are “tragic”. Sometimes someone lives through an accident and it’s called a “miracle”. But it’s just an unlikely event that actually happened.
“Evolution can’t explain yet why humans are different than animals”
Well, humans are animals – why should “evolution” explain any “differences”? Humans do one thing much better than any other animal – teach their children.
“so they make them equivalent”
Silly strawman.
“I have yet to see an Evolutionist definition for consciousness.”
Irrelevant to evolution. Relevant to medical science? “Brain dead” people can have life support removed? So consciousness is the opposite of “brain dead”. So what?
“When it comes to what happened many thousands of years ago, science is unequipped for the task.”
Your opinion is nonsense of course. You would prefer to read what happened in your specific book? Can you be more specific about what happened that contradicts “science”?
“it’s used to justify…”
If “science” is used to “justify”, then it is appropriate to have a very careful debate. Such debates normally become “political” very quickly. But it is inappropriate to discard “science” just because it is sometimes misused to “justify” some political action.
“TENS is a religion– a faith that science can peer into the past and that it’s unfalsifiable and never wrong.”
Your opinion seems to be based on ignorance. I seem to remember that you once advocated understanding the other side. You have not made any attempt that I can see.
“You have to believe that the documentation is wrong, because you believe in TENS.”
So, you agree that there is an unbridgeable chasm between science and religion and you are firmly on one side of that chasm.
“you’d have to look at it objectively”
Look at the Bible objectively? But it would seem that you mean objectively it’s clearly the “Word of God”. I really don’t see how one could “objectively” determine that one way or the other.
“Because the documentary evidence that you shun is a whole lot stronger than you believe”
I do not accept your opinion of course. Next you’ll probably claim there once was a “global flood”. There’s no evidence for that of course and it would be silly to claim it really happened.
“Some open minded scientist. You’re more closed minded than I.”
Well, if it really was true, what would that mean for “science”? The sun would no longer shine by nuclear fusion for the last and next 5 billion years? The Big Bang would not have happened 14 billion years ago? The dinosaurs would not have gone extinct about 65 million years ago? The chromosomes from male and female would not combine to create a child with some characteristics (like inherited diseases) from both? How would “science” be different? Astronomy? Geology? Physics? Chemistry? Biology? Or is it only “evolution” that is singled out for disbelief? Does the Louisiana law specify teach “weaknesses” of physics? chemistry? or only evolution?