On Idle

26 Feb

116

“You can love these salt-dough cookies, but you can’t love them more than God. You can’t love anything more than God because then you would be worshiping idol’s.”

Emily ‘s quip while playing with salt-dough sounds ridiculous until you understand the heart behind it. The following Old Testament commandment has really taken root in her heart:

You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. ~Exodus 20:3-6

Sunday drives to church she will ask, “Do those people love God? Are they worshiping idols?” as we pass softball and soccer fields. On the way to Clearwater Beach we pass through the Scientology capitol of the world. One of their tallest buildings always provokes the question, “Is that where people worship idols?”

I wish that the avoidance of idol worship was on the forefront of every believer, myself included. While professing Christians would gawk at the idea of bowing to a carved or wooden image, we daily encounter a world full of idols of the heart and mind.

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.~1 Corinthians 10:14 (read the full chapter here)

Take a moment to consider the possible idols that we are tempted to worship in our day:

  • image
  • wealth
  • popularity
  • esteem
  • sensual pleasures
  • entertainment
  • food
  • sports
  • leisure
  • science-emphasized here because the claims of Darwinism are based on philosophical assumptions/preferences rather than repeatable scientific facts, laws, or discoveries contrary to Bill Nye the Humanism Guy’s* rants (here).

What comprises our idle time in action and in thought likely exposes idols our hearts most naturally drift towards. What comprises most of our waking time? What or to whom do our thoughts turn while driving, daydreaming, the free time in our mind?

 I have felt in the last two weeks a need to read the Bible more. I am constantly reading, but reading about the teachings of the Bible and reading the life-giving words of the Bible are two separate things. Indeed, if the the Body no longer knows and teaches God’s word, we are no better than salt that has lost its taste.

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When our minds are full of God’s Word then we open the door for meditation on God’s Word: the thinking on verses throughout our day. We equip ourselves with the Truth we need to return to during idle moments so that we make the most of our time. We will see the world and its lies exposed.

What thoughts does your mind turn to when on idle? What changes do you need to make in order to love God with all your mind and glorify Him with your thoughts? I am asking these same questions of myself friend.

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* Bill Nye the Humanism Guy is a perspective piece written in the Jan.-March 2013 Answers Magazine

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Embracing Everyday Beauty

12 Feb

toy trucks

drawers of trucks

photo (101)

Azelas

Art Project

beach

kayaking

beach 2

 And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. ~Exodus 28:2

This scripture encouraged me earlier in the week. It was comforting to know that God loves beauty. One look outside professes that He delights in creating beautiful things. Likewise, God has created us both for His glory and for the beauty of relationship. Days are messy…relationships certainly included, but we must train our thoughts to think on that which is pure, excellent, praiseworthy, noble, true, …lovely (Philippians 4:8). Embracing the everyday in totality yet through the lens of Christ and the gospel.

 Let us meditate for a moment on that phrase “whatever is lovely.” Think of something that is “lovely” to you. A sunset. A favorite novel. Tiny robins chirping in the nest. The face of someone you love. Music that makes you dance. Let your mind dwell there for a moment. Give it directed mental focus.

You just obeyed the Bible. That “counts.” You just opened up your mind a bit to the flow of the Holy spirit. ~John Ortberg, The Me I Want to Be

God redeems the days and we are to seek and dwell on beauty in them. What has God called for you to make for your brother for His glory and for beauty? What beauty has he crafted for you this day that you can recount? It may be more simple than first imagined: focused discussion, uninterrupted play, a special outing, a shared meal, a thoughtful thank you, or a timely apology.

For His glory and for beauty,

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Lessons in the Clouds

22 Jan

Remember as a child, or perhaps even presently, the game of discovering pictures or figures in the clouds? Saturday evening I was driving to church with the children and beheld the most magnificent skyline full of puffy, white clouds.

When you think of clouds you might contemplate the beautiful sight to behold in the sky, or their part in rain and photosynthesis, but have you ever looked at the clouds and thought of God? 

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On Saturday, one cloud-scape in particular caught my attention. I imagined that it looked like God in his chariot of horses riding on the clouds.

He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.~Psalm 103:3-4 (emphasis mine)

The Bible has many references to God and clouds. Take for example that God traveled before the Israelites by day in a pillar of cloud and by night in a pillar of fire to guide them (Exodus 13:21); He again showed Israel His glory in a cloud over the desert (Exodus 16:10).  God spoke to Moses and showed him His glory from within a cloud (Exodus 24:15-16). God told Moses that He appeared in a cloud over the atonement cover (Leviticus:1-2).  God spoke to Peter, John, and James after they witnessed the transfiguration through a cloud (Luke 9:34-35).

Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. ~Revelation 1:7

There are more accounts in scripture associating clouds with God, but these six examples are enough to confirm that the association holds merit.

Oswald Chambers, in My Utmost for His Highest, assuaged that:

The clouds are a sign that He is there. What a revelation it is to know that sorrow and bereavement and suffering are the clouds that come along with God! God cannot come near without clouds, He does not come in clear shining. It is not true to say that God wants to teach us something in our trials: Through every cloud He brings, He wants us to unlearn something.  His purpose in the cloud is to simplify our belief until our relationship to Him is exactly that of a child-God and my own soul, other people are shadows.” (July 29th entry)

Within the last year, I have witnessed so much death…unexpected death. There are clouds of sorrow that have loomed over my soul and even more strongly over those that I know and love.

I have contemplated how the evil in life is more real with every passing year. For children, the worries of this world are primarily unrecognized. Yes, they see and hear and worry, but not on a level of adult understanding. God does not want us to worry. In fact, worry is a sin that we should avoid. Rather, God would have us come like a child to their daddy and say, “Father, this has happened and I am so very sad…scared…doubtful…please help me.”

I believe the above is what Oswald Chambers and Jesus himself meant when they said we must approach God with the faith of a child. Our reasoning and wisdom increase with age, however we must revert to the child-like trust in the One who is greater than all to see us through and teach us the lessons in the dark or the fluffy clouds of life.

It has been said that “in every cloud there is a silver lining.”  Perhaps it would be better to say that in every cloud is God’s refining.  When we take a walk through the clouds it is for our sanctification and purification in Christ to ultimately bring us into greater communion with Him.  I am certain that my present clouds are teaching me more of God and my great need for Him.  What is your walk through the clouds teaching you?

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard.~ Psalm 19:1-3

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Cracking Creation: Why it Matters and What It Means to Your Faith

5 Dec

Typically I would initiate a spiritual conversation with a question similar to this, “What do you believe happens to you when you die?”

However, I am questioning this tactic after reading the following from Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey:

In today’s post-Christian world, many people no longer even understand the meaning of crucial biblical terms. For example, the basic term sin makes no sense to people if they have no concept of a holy God who created us and who therefore has a right to require certain things of us. And if people don’t understand sin, they certainly don’t comprehend the need for salvation.

Consequently, in today’s world, beginning evangelism with the message of salvation is like starting a book at the middle–you don’t know the characters, and you can’t make sense of the plot. Instead, we must begin with Genesis, where the main character, God establishes himself as the Creator, and the “plot” of human history unfolds its first crucial episodes. And the scientific evidence supporting these episodes is powerful.

~p. 98, How Now Shall We Live? 

It was three years ago that I began to pay attention to the science of the Bible. After studying the Noetic Flood and considering the true implications of such  a world-wide catastrophic event, I realized I was scratching at the surface of the science within the Bible and creation.

Total Truth by Nancy Pearcey was the next step in opening my eyes to the necessity for Christians to understand and defend creation. This book identified and equipped me with a source which enables Christians to articulate the differences between creation and Darwinian evolution. For evolution is a tool, oddly enough, created from a staunch philosophy of naturalism: that all which exists comes from natural causes and laws in the known universe apart from any supernatural being.

The whole point of his (Darwin’s) theory was to identify a natural process that would mimic intelligent design, thus making design superfluous. ~ p. 94

It is nearly impossible to see the need for salvation apart from believing the evidence of intelligent design. Apart from knowing there is a God who created us, there is no need to build a relationship, or more accurately reconcile a relationship, between said God and man. 

Most people sense instinctively that there is much more at stake here than a scientific theory–that a link exists between the material order and the moral order…Our origin determines our destiny. It tells us who we are, why we are here, and how we should order our lives together in society.  Our view of origins shapes our understanding of ethics, law, education–and yes, even sexuality. ~p. 92

The Christian community of our day must equip itself to answer the tough questions and challenge the status quo which is: man is not above the animals but derived from them.

If you are willing to take the initial, or next sequenced step, toward the study of creation and developing a Christian world-view, then I highly recommend reading How Now Shall We Live? by Nancy Pearcey and the late Chuck Colson.

That is what I am reading this Wednesday. Thank you for joining me.

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Studying Rocks was Never So Cool

9 Nov

Remember back in high school to earth science class. Those boxes with multiple dividers and a plethora of rocks different colors and hues were about as interesting to me as, well…a pile of rocks. Learning the names of rocks was one of my least favorite parts of school.

Now fast forward 13 years, I am actually learning about rock formations in my “free time.” The fingerprints of God are all over the mountain ranges, caverns, and canyons of the world.

Did you know that the major mountain ranges of the earth were formed as a result of the flood? The world-wide judgement upon the wickedness of man brought forth the most breathtaking views we see world-wide. (Read about the Hydroplate Theory here.)

You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took flight. The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they (the waters) might not again cover the earth. ~Psalm 104:6-9 (emphasis mine)

Ron and I recently traveled to the Grand Canyon. While the Grand Canyon was not formed during the flood, it is proposed that the flood left “postflood lakes in every continental basin.”* Two of these lakes Dr. Walt Brown refers to as the Grand Lake and the Hopi Lake (view here). He proposes that that the Grand Lake breached its southwest boundary, causing Hopi Lake to also breach. “Escaping waters spilled off the western edge of the Colorado Plateau, first stripping off the soft Mesozoic sediments south and west of the lakes (the Great Denudation).” * The result? The Grand Canyon was carved in weeks.

Yes, you read that right…weeks. (Please read Dr. Brown’s theory for yourself. Click here. I have written the most brief summary imaginable.)

The Grand Canyon was carved in weeks and the Colorado River was born–“a consequence, not the cause, of the carving of the Grand Canyon.”*

Why am I telling you all of this? First, because you should go to the Grand Canyon for yourself with Going the Distance Adventure Ministries and simultaneously view and learn the after effects of the world-wide flood with the teachings of Dr. Aaron Walp. Secondly, I want you to consider the judgement of God. Why does it come and what does it communicate to a lost and dying world?

In the path of your judgments, O LORD, we wait for you; your name and remembrance are the desire of our soul…For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. If favor is shown to the wicked, he does not learn righteousness; in the land of uprightness he deals corruptly and does not see the majesty of the LORD. O LORD, your hand is lifted up, but they do not see it. Let them see your zeal for your people, and be ashamed. Let the fire for your adversaries consume them. ~Isaiah 26:3-11

God brings judgement on the people of the earth so that they might learn righteousness. He loves us, and the renown of His Name, too much to leave us wallowing in the mire of our sins; both individually and as the Body of Christ, the church. We can either continue to look at the warning signs of our righteous, loving, and holy God as obstacles to overcome or as a call to humility and repentance. God does not work without cause (Ezekiel 14:23).

Today, the same God who formed mountains and carved canyons to bring judgement and display His holy wrath, desires that His people live according to His word.

For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. ~Matthew 24:37-39, 44

 

 

*Walt Brown, Ph.D. (2008). In the Beginning Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood (8th Edition ed.).

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Apple Picking in the South

19 Sep

We Southerners require creativity to welcome in the fall; especially considering central and southern Floridans. We substitute artificial leaves and pumpkins for the real deal, and burn Pumpkin Spice candles hoping the fragrance will bring on a cold-front for the Friday night football game. Any excuse to wear a jean jacket and cowboy boots will do as well. Not to mention the obsession with seasonal drinks and forgoing the swimming pool just because it is September!

Now I think I have hit an all-time low, or high, in spurring on the season: taking the kids apple picking at the local Publix “orchard.”

We observed and identified over seven varieties of the 7,500 available world-wide and also acquired the finest apple butter and apple chips that the Publix harvest boasts. To say we had a bushel-full would be a stretch, but the tasting party was quite fun.

We also put our local selection to use as an alternative paint brush.

keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;

~Proverbs 7:2

Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,

~Psalm 17:8

Our “farm to table” (maybe that’s farm to factory to table) pickings were first read about in the following books:

A note to parents: the last two books, especially the later, present a time frame for the origin of earth being within the last two million years. I believe that the Bible teaches a younger earth: roughly 6,000-10,000 years old. Rather than avoiding these books, I use such statements to demonstrate that not all “facts” in non-fiction genres are factual, but can be biased beliefs or assumptions based on the worldview of the author.

We also watched this childhood favorite, The Legend of Johnny Appleseed.

Finally, these two books make nice additions to the mix:

Looking at all the beautiful apple skins, smells, and textures of the inner flesh of the apple, I marvel that David prayed for God to keep us as the apple of His eye. Ponder the thousands of varieties of apples compared with the uniqueness of man. What does the science behind mere apples suggest about our Savior, His creativity, His scope of knowledge and the glory due His name?

Now grab a cart and get to picking!

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Where to Look for Help

17 Sep



Often when we are in need of emotional or physical help our eyes shift from one problem to another. The Bible tells us that our help comes from the LORD who made heaven and earth.

On Thursday’s, we venture into God’s creation as a family. Gazing at the intricate details of blooms, blossoms, and bugs turns my thoughts towards God’s creative genius. Is it any wonder that genius and Genesis- a word that means beginning– look so similar? God’s creative genius was the genesis that set our world in motion. With his spoken word He created all that our eyes see…and all that they are unable to see.

 

Cardinal Flower

American Beauty Bush

Palmetto

God does not despise a contrite heart for that is the heart that He delights to use. When we are downcast, and in need of help, our gaze should look up for strength, help, and direction from the Maker of all that we see before us.

If, in trying times we focus on that which is our obstacle then our self-pity may get the better of us and defeat will be our mantra. However, if we lift up our eyes to the LORD we see the One who has overcome sin and death on our behalf, and He will faithfully guide us in the path of righteousness and wisdom. We are to lift our eyes up, then walk in His ways.

No work is too great for the God who has created everything from nothing. Let’s lift our eyes today friends.

*The beautiful plant photography is complements of Ron.

 

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