THE BRAIN
Our 3-Pound Biological Supercomputer
“I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made…”
Psalm 139:14
Hi Men:
I hope you’ve had extended time with Jesus this week. I was reflecting on a few verses in Matthew 10 from the lips of Jesus. These aren’t easy words and what happened to meek & mild Jesus? His words force us to ask: Is Jesus truly first in our life? Have I actually surrendered everything, or just the parts that are convenient?
“Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household.” (Matt 10:34-36)
“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.” (Matt 10: 37-39)
So….. What do you think?
PHOTO ABOVE
In all my Friday letters I don’t think I have ever tackled the brain. Well, rest assured that I won’t even scratch the surface. I have been reading and watching videos on the brain and I have no words. I thought I knew quite a bit about it, haha – I was kidding myself. It is totally unfathomable. Here a just a “few” facts to hopefully encourage you to do your own research.
In all my Friday letters, I don’t think I’ve ever tackled the human brain. After this week… I’m not surprised. As I’ve been diving into it, the only conclusion I can come to is this: I have no words. I thought I understood the brain a bit … haha… not even close. It is completely unfathomable.
🧠 Just a Few Facts About Your Brain
- Your brain contains ~86 billion neurons (the “computers”)
- Those neurons form ~100 trillion connections. That number is so large it would take over 3 million years to count to it… one number per second.
- Total wiring length: ~150,000+ kilometers. Your brain’s wiring could wrap around the Earth nearly 4 times
- There are 3,000+ different brain cell types, each with specific roles
- Neurons communicate across tiny gaps (synapses): chemical signals must match exact receivers, and both sending and receiving systems must exist together
- Brain cells operate on a precise chemical balance: too much “off” = coma and death; too much “on” = seizure and death
- Your brain runs countless feedback loops: sends signals, measures results, and adjusts instantly — too much or too little leads to death
- Your brain creates your experience of reality: it receives only electrical signals, then converts them into sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch
- It must combine color, shape, depth, motion, and all senses at the same time
- It processes millions of signals every second, automatically, without you thinking about it
- Your brain shows neuroplasticity: it can rewire itself, adapt to injury, reduce trauma (PTSD) and break addictions. Here is a Christian Neurosurgeon on how to do “Self Brain Surgery” No – I’m not kidding! 🤠
- Our brain runs like a biological supercomputer with its own “operating system,” using about the energy of a light bulb
“100 trillion precisely coordinated, life-sustaining connections… this didn’t evolve — this was created by God.”
IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD
All of us have neighbors, whether we are in a house, condo or apartment. Some year’s back I became more intentional about praying for my immediate neighbors. I added them to my contact list and looked them up in the assessor’s website to find additional information such as their spouse’s name on the property records. I even have a site to find out their DOB. So now I have about 15 neighbors that I pray for fairly regularly and I am starting to have more conversations. Some of you may remember when I shared the Gospel with my Mormon neighbor, Karrl. (See: Friday Letter 3/21/25).
Last Friday, I finally met the neighbor behind my back wall. Instead of emailing him to complain about some of his very bright LED lights that were lighting up my lot, where I often go at night to pray, I called him. He couldn’t have been more gracious and fixed them immediately by pointing them down. His name is Leng.
The next day we met, walked around the block, and got to know each other. I pointed out who the neighbors were and even introduced him in person to one of them (my Halloween neighbor 🤠). We really connected. He’s originally from Cambodia, lives in Vegas part-time (his main home is in Minneapolis), and is a Buddhist.
We’re planning to get together again the next time he’s in town. I’m grateful for the connection, and I’m praying to see what God will do in the days ahead.
Leng wanted to see the horses. Here he is with my wife Jane…….
Grateful for His Grace,
Dan
(Gal 2:20)
Men: This statement blows me away…….
God’s Gift to Jesus – Day 122 Red Book
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically
Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he”
1 – John 3:35
PDF – Send to a buddy
What You Will Get
By Oswald Chambers
Men:
This short devotional by Oswald Chambers is so good. Spend some time on it. Click on the image or below……
The reason people are tired of life is that God has not given them anything— they have not been given their life “as a prize.” The way to get out of that condition is to abandon yourself to God. And once you do get to the point of total surrender to Him, you will be the most surprised and delighted person on earth.
Read this devotional at Our Daily Bread Ministries (2 mins.)
If You Don’t Hate Your Father,
You Cannot Be My Disciple
The Discomforting Sayings of Christ
~ John Piper ~
Men:
We need what is stated in this article, very clear in our minds……
“Jesus offers himself as peace, but when supreme love for him is not shared in a family, he becomes a divider.”
No HAZING, Threat, or Humiliation Turned
Goforth from God’s Work
Men:
I had never heard of this man. What a great bio on the missionary, Jonathan Goforth (I love the name).
At eighteen he became a Christian and immediately began seeking souls. In the mid 1880s he attended Knox College, Toronto, naively expecting he’d find deep Christian fellowship and soul-winning passion like his own. His gauche home-made clothes led city-raised students to disdain him and his stories of slum and prison work irritated them. The entire student body united as one to haze and humiliate him. Eventually his passion and faith won almost all of them to admiration. When he went as a missionary to China, many supported him.
Read More About Jonathan Here (3 min Read)
A GREAT AWAKENING – Streaming May 5th
The story of unlikely friends Rev. George Whitefield and Ben Franklin – and the igniting of the first Great Awakening.
Ray Comfort said, “I have just seen my favorite movie ever!”
Watch Ray Introduce This Movie (YouTube 1:40 Min)
“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21)
After listening to this very informative YouTube (see below) it starts to explain, Why the IRGC Doesn’t Fight Like a Normal Army.
I was thinking how Satan is so a clever at counterfeiting. If we reflect on Paul’s statement “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Phil 1:21). Then, if we look at the IRGC, they too believe … to live is for the return of their messiah and to die in jihad is gain (their paradise has some very appealing rewards for them)
Here are a few facts from the video as to why they don’t fight like a normal army:
- They are driven by a messianic mission (the 12th Imam/Mahdi)
- They believe the Mahdi returns through global chaos, war, and collapse
- They see instability and conflict as necessary – not to be avoided
- Loyalty is to the Supreme Leader as the Imam’s representative, not to a nation
- They operates globally through proxies and networks
- Views major conflict (centered on Jerusalem) as part of a final end-times battle
- Treats powerful weapons as a means to create the scale of chaos required
If interested, this 25 min presentation explains a lot…… (YouTube)
“Mere churchmen and outward profession are a cheap religion, of course, and cost a man nothing. But real vital Christianity will always bring with it a cross.”
J.C. Ryle
