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The Long and Short of it
Ever notice how middle-aged adults seem to tower over their older relatives? This is partly due to the physiological effects of aging, such as shrinking bones, but some studies suggest short people may actually live longer. One study isolated a rare genetic mutation called the Methuselah gene. As you can guess, people who possess this condition tend to live longer than those who don’t. But how does that relate to height? The Methuselah gene decreases the ability of cells to use a particular growth hormone, resulting in people with the gene typically being smaller.
SOURCE: health.howstuffworks.com
Measuring Up
Need a quick measurement but don’t have a ruler or tape measure handy? Here are some basic measuring units with you at all times:
Cubit: The Biblical measurement is the distance from your elbow to the tip of your middle finger. For most men this is about 18 inches.
Span: Stretch your hand so that your thumb is as far away from the tip of your pinky as possible. This distance is almost exactly one-half of a cubit.
Inch: The width of a thumb was used as the basis for the inch.
Fathom: Stretch out your arms from either side of your body as far as they can go. The distance between the tips of your fingers will be very close to your height, or about six times the length of your foot.
SOURCE: Interesting Thing of the Day (itotd.com)
Guess Who?
Who was the first man in the Bible to have a God-inspired dream?
Who was responsible for bringing the gospel to Cornelius the centurion?
Who asked God to make a sundial’s shadow go back 10 degrees?
Who had a vision of a woman in a basket?
Answers:
Abimelech (Genesis 20:3)
Peter (Acts 10)
Isaiah (II Kings 20:8–11)
Zechariah (Zechariah 5:7)
A Gift
"Let not one man feel that his gift alone is sufficient for the work of God... In order for the work to be built up strong and symmetrical, there is need of varied gifts and different agencies, all under the Lord's direction; He will instruct the workers according to their several ability."
—Ellen G. White, Special Testimonies, Series A, No. 7
