Look at this picture. Move your head back & forth and side to side. See how the picture moves and is wavy? But here is what is really weird, this picture does not really move at all. It just looks like it does.

Remember, things are not always like they seem. We don’t always understand or see everything as they really are but God can open our eyes.

Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face…

1 Corinthians 13:12 (NIV)

Here’s a simple question. Do the lines in this picture all go straight or do they curve around to make a bulge in the middle?

The lines in the picture are straight lines. Hard to believe isn’t it? But take a straight edge like a piece of paper and hold it up to your computer monitor and see.

It looks for sure like the lines bulge in the middle but they don’t.

It has something to do with the little squares inside the bigger squares and the way it is shaped. I don’t really know exactly why it looks like the lines curve. And like you probably did, the first time I saw it I thought they must really curve. Even after I put a straight edge up to my computer monitor I thought, “The lines must be curving a little.” But they are not curving at all.

Double and triple check your straight edge and you will see just like I did that the lines are all straight.

There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end it leads to death.

Proverbs 14:12 (NIV)

Be sure that you are following God’s way and you will never go wrong.

God made our brains so they are very efficient. To recognize a penny you don’t need to remember every detail because a real penny is going to always look pretty much the same.

You just need to quickly see that it is a coin not a token from Chucky Cheese or a washer from a hardware store.

After you realize it is a coin the only thing you need to recognize is that it is a penny not a quarter, dime or nickel. From the color, size and picture you can do that without paying attention to the details too much.

But, when the details are mixed up like they are here, and there are a lot of similar coins with slight variations it becomes much harder. So which one is the real penny?

The real penny is: click to show

Knowing how our brain works helps us to see why it is so important to study God’s Word. When we know His Word we can make the right choices (
like choosing a penny out of our pocket) without having to stop and think about it.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Philippians 4:8 (NIV)

I love optical illusions, and this optical illusion is really interesting.

Count the number of people in this picture.

About every 15 seconds they top part of the people will switch places.

After they switch places count the people again.

Now, where did the extra person go?

This is really strange isn’t it?

God loved us so much that he sent His son so that we would not be lost.

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

John 6:37-40 (NIV)

Count the dark colored dots in the rectangle below

It’s hard to do because there are no dark dots. Each dot is white. They appear dark sometimes because of the gray lines and black squares around them.

The dots appear a certain way because of what is around them. When we look at people we should try to look beyond what their clothes look like, or how tall or short someone is. Instead we should pick our friends by their character.

The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

I Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

Look closly at this circle. Do you see how the stingrays slowly go in a circle? Look close.

Do you want to know something weird? The picture does not move at all. It is jus an illusion of movement. Put your mouse pointer by one of the stingrays then don’t move your mouse and you can see that the picture is not moving.

Sometimes people will tell you what you need to do to look cool, smart or popular. But things are not always what they appear. In the book of Colossians, the Apostle Paul tells us that what we do on the outside is not as important as what we really are on the inside. People will always be telling us what to do or how to look but what really matters is following Jesus.

Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom…

–First part of Colossians 2:23 (NIV)

By the way, you can follow Professor QB on Twitter at:

http://twitter.com/ProfessorQB

Creating hand shadow puppets is a lot of fun. Here are some tips and some patterns you can use.

(more…)

Look at the word above. Look really closely,

Do you see it?

Look carefully.

(more…)