The third chapter of Ecclesiastes begins with “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven”, and then it proceeds to list both things we like and things we don’t like in life. In the New Testament, Paul chimes in, reminding us that “all things work together for good to them that love God” (Rom. 8:28). God uses even the more difficult things in life to bring about good. And we know we can trust Him to do just that.
It is with trust in God’s faithful working of those verses that we must now announce one of those “more difficult” changes in our own ministry: Dr. Rod Butterworth has decided to resign from being President of CMOTO. For those of us that have served alongside him and sat under his wisdom and leadership for years, this is a sad time… But we trust that God only does it because he has something better in mind.
As some of you who have known him over the last few years may have guessed, Dr. Rod listed his age and his health as part of his reason for resigning. The last year and a half, especially, has given him multiple health challenges, but he has kept a positive attitude, and– as King David of old– “strengthened himself in the Lord his God” (1 Sam. 30:6, NKJV).
In the midst of all this, however, we don’t see this as the end of God’s work for His servant, and we ask that you would join us in praying for the Lord’s continued guidance and strength for Dr. Rod in this new phase of life. We are reminded of Moses in the Bible, who didn’t even start the main ministry of his life until he was 80. We trust that the Lord, though perhaps at a different pace, has much more in store for Dr. Rod.
For those of you that may not know, the vision for this ministry came after, when on a trip to Branson, Dr. Rod picked up a book titled, It’s True, You Came from Slime! Having taught creation science for years, he was burdened by the sight and spent some time seeking the Lord. It was then that God spoke to his heart, “Branson needs something better than that.” Words cannot express how indebted we– and so many others– are to Dr. Rod for following the Lord in this endeavor and allowing himself to be used mightily of God for these past 15 years. Only heaven will tell the full impact of his faithful work.
Of course, there are some things in life that don’t change. God’s Word doesn’t change. His character doesn’t change. His promises don’t change. And we’re happy to announce, the vision God gave Dr. Rod Butterworth for this ministry doesn’t change. Those of you that have met Dr. Rod know that his zeal for promoting the vision God gave him was contagious, and as a staff, we find that we still hold that same vision in our hearts. And what’s more, we accept the challenge of carrying on that vision.
We appreciate the prayers of each one of you for the ministry, and we look forward to seeing what God will do in this– His– ministry in 2023. We will soon be announcing the new director of the ministry. Watch for the February newsletter for updates. God bless.
At the Creation Experience Museum, we love working with children. We enjoy pouring into school groups. We get excited when we see families uncover fossils, touch hissing cockroaches, and get questions answered. And yet, as much as we thrive on these interactions in the moment, we realize there’s something even more important going on: We’re helping people build a launchpad.
Each summer, Southwestern Adventist University sends its excavation team to the Hanson Research Station in Eastern Wyoming to conduct a dinosaur excavation research project. This year, some of our team members had the opportunity to participate.
Among those with an evolutionary worldview, the belief that theropod dinosaurs evolved into birds has become very popular. So, are there dinosaurs at your bird feeder, and is this a problem for those who believe the Bible?
Each Branson off-season, we seek to upgrade our guests museum experience by continually evaluating our facilities and exhibits. This year was no exception!
