Tag: creation

June 8, 2024

June 8th, 2024

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Genesis 2

Highlight Verse:

“Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Today is wedding day for my daughter Hannah so

I thought that a peek back to the origin of marriage would be appropriate.

Many would say that the story of Eve coming literally from Adam’s rib was a literal historical account.

I’d say, God could create people however He wanted to and I’m fine with that.

Even if you come from the viewpoint that this story is more poetic than literal, that doesn’t keep it from being true. It was not good for Adam to be alone.

For one thing, none of us would be here if they didn’t have kids.

Though God could have created another way for humans to procreate.

Instead, He made us male and female so that we could raise kids and live life in partnership.

We give each other companionship.

We encourage each other.

We keep each other from doing stupid things(or at least try).

We pour our lives into our children.

Most importantly, we show each other love.

God could have created us however He wanted to, but He chose to make us in His image.

And God is Love! (1 John 4:8)

There is much more I could write about this subject regarding those called to be single or the problems with “pride.” I haven’t forgotten those aspects, but I chose to celebrate marriage today.

If you are married, how many years have you been married (10 for us)?
What secrets can you share for a long happy marriage?
April 13, 2024

April 13th, 2024

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Genesis 1

Highlight Verse:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In about a month, I get to present one of my favorite topics to our middle school students at church.

In preparation, I am laying the groundwork for it with some basic studies here.

What better place to start than with the literal laying of the groundwork.

To me, it is unfathomable to look at the amazing beauty of this earth and to think that it just happened by chance.

If you’ve ever stood at the edge of a canyon and seen the intricate formations and incredible shades of color, it’s easy to see the artistry of our Creator.

Or if you’ve stood on a rocky shore and felt the mighty waves strike the cliffs, heard the roar of the ocean, and seen the blaze of the sunset, I find it impossible to not sense the strength of the God who created all of it with just His voice.

That same God created each of us to reflex His image. He made each atom in our bodies possible. He knows us better than we know ourselves.

If He is so powerful as to speak the world into existence, yet so intimate that he knows our every thought, how can we fail to trust Him.

What is your favorite place in this creation? (Feel free to share a landscape photo).
What part or characteristic of you are you the happiest that God created?
November 21, 2023

November 21st, 2023

Tuesday – Pentateuch

Reading – Exodus 26

Highlight Verse:

““For the inside of the Tabernacle, make a special curtain of finely woven linen. Decorate it with blue, purple, and scarlet thread and with skillfully embroidered cherubim.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭26‬:‭31‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I read this over and over and consulted commentaries trying to figure out what to say about curtains.

Some commentaries drew all sorts of farfetched conclusions about the symbolism of the different features of the tabernacle.

Maybe.

Nah. Not going there.

What I saw, the more times I read this chapter was that the inside of the tabernacle was exquisitely beautiful!

According to the description, it took some very talented people to make the tabernacle as good looking as the description.

Now the Old Testament tabernacle made by human hands has returned to dust.

The New Testament tabernacle is our bodies and spirits. It is constructed by God to be his tabernacle.

If the Old Testament tabernacle was very wonderfully made, how much more so the one made by the hand of God.

Do you realize what a work of art that you are?
During this week of Thanksgiving, can you be thankful for the temple that God has provided for you?
June 23, 2023

June 23rd, 2023

Friday – Prophets

Reading – Jeremiah 7-9

Highlight Verse:

“They pile lie upon lie and utterly refuse to acknowledge me,” says the Lord.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭9‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I love science.

In college, I started as a physics major. Granted, I couldn’t hack the math so I changed majors, but what I learned in freshman Physics for Physics Majors has helped me tremendously in my career of fixing machines.

Another favorite class was astronomy. I remember having a very honest professor. When someone asked him if he believed in the Big Bang Theory, he gave a very telling answer.

He informed us that the study of science must exclude the existence of God in order to be consistent. Thus, with no Creator, the Big Bang Theory was the only viable explanation.

That’s what today’s verse reminded me of. If science is based on the lie that there is no God, then every assumption and theory based on that is also false. When you look at science with a mind believing in a Creator, the possibilities are endless.

Truth is stranger than fiction.

That makes honest science exciting!

What scientific possibilities do you see open up when you believe that God exists?
How do you think the world began?
June 18, 2023

June 18th, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 75-77

Highlight Verse:

“I will consider all your works and meditate on all your mighty deeds.””
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭77‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Take a step outside on a cloudless night, turn off all the lights around you and look up. Even in the city, you can see millions of stars. In a dark area, you can see billions. Scientists say there are 200 billion trillion.

Our sun, that lights our days, gives us power, makes things grow, and is capable of burning flesh at 93 million miles away, is smaller than average.

The Creator of the universe made our sun and 200 billion trillion others. Who knows how many planets He’s made?

On this planet, there are 8 billion people. On average, we have 37.2 trillion cells in our bodies. Each cell contains 100 trillion atoms.

The God who made each atom wants you to know Him personally.

He loves you like the perfect Father He is.

He literally told us to call Him “Daddy” (“Abba” – the “Our Father” in the Lord’s Prayer).

Our heavenly Daddy has our back.

Why do we fear anything besides God Himself?
June 17, 2023

June 17th, 2023

Saturday – Open Topic

Reading – Job 41:1-10

Highlight Verse:

““Can you catch Leviathan with a hook or put a noose around its jaw?”
‭‭Job‬ ‭41‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

I’ve said before that the Bible is not a science textbook. That doesn’t mean it’s not true.

Many have speculated on the identity of Leviathan. Some say it is a crocodile or a Hippopotamus. Some say it is a dinosaur.

I don’t know but I speculate that there are many things that have been in this world that science has not yet discovered.

There have been many archaeological discoveries that provide evidence for history previously only written of in the Bible. There are other stories in the Bible that non-believing historians say could not have happened. While I don’t see the Bible as a chronologically specific history textbook, I believe archeology will eventually prove many of those stories trues as well.

While some may be lost in translation and much in interpretation, the Bible has far more early manuscripts available than any other ancient literature. Its accuracy is well beyond anything else from that time period or even a thousand years later.

The bottom line is, despite what some say, the Bible can be trusted. We do well to seek God through its pages.

Let’s read on in confidence!

Do you have questions about the accuracy or origin of the Bible?
Let’s discuss them here.
April 2, 2023

April 2nd, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 40-42

Highlight Verse:

“O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭40‬:‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This is the second to last Psalm in Book 1 of Psalms. Even after all these psalms, David does not run out of things to say about God.

I’ve read through the Bible many times. Nearly every day I notice something I missed before. And that’s just what’s written down.

We see the fingerprints of God all over creation.

From the mighty mountains to the intricate DNA of an ant, God’s handiwork is masterful.

My dad used to be an atheist. He told me later in his life that studying some of the intricate details of nature finally convinced him that there was a creator behind creation. There was no other possibility.

The only way to come to the conclusion that there is no God is by refusing to concede the possibility of God when studying the world around us.

When looking at the artwork that is the Earth and the universe, it is obvious that there is an artist who created it.

What work of God amazes you the most?
What do you look at and revel in its beauty?
February 12, 2023

February 12th, 2023

Sunday – Poetry

Reading – Psalms 19-21

Highlight Verses:

“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 reveal knowledge.”

Psalms 19:1-2 NIV

My dad was a hypocrite.

He was a leader for our church’s youth group while he was an atheist. He later admitted this to me.

Later in life he also admitted that he was wrong, not just in being a fake Christian. The more he observed nature as well as the miracle of human life, the more he realized that there must be a Creator.

We look at a magnificent building and know there was an architect.

We look and a beautiful painting and know there was an artist.

We look at a complex machine and know there was an inventor.

Have you looked at the Grand Canyon?

Have you taken a hike in the Rockies?

Have you stood on an Oceanside cliff and felt the power of the waves?

Have you been in the wilderness on a clear night and looked up at the billions of stars?

My logical brain tells me that there must be a Creator.

My heart tells me that the Creator loves me!

His Word and my experience confirms it.

The next time you see a natural wonder (for us in the Front Range of Colorado, just look to the West), realize that the Creator made that with a word.

If He cared enough about us to make our world so intricately beautiful and work so well, surely he cares enough about us to provide a way for us to be with Him.

That way is Jesus.

Let creation open your eyes to the Creator and Savior.

Tag: creation

I thought that a peek back to the origin of marriage would be appropriate.

Even if you come from the viewpoint that this story is more poetic than literal, that doesn’t keep it from being true. It was not good for Adam to be alone.

And God is Love! (1 John 4:8)

To me, it is unfathomable to look at the amazing beauty of this earth and to think that it just happened by chance.

That same God created each of us to reflex His image. He made each atom in our bodies possible. He knows us better than we know ourselves.

If He is so powerful as to speak the world into existence, yet so intimate that he knows our every thought, how can we fail to trust Him.

What I saw, the more times I read this chapter was that the inside of the tabernacle was exquisitely beautiful!

If the Old Testament tabernacle was very wonderfully made, how much more so the one made by the hand of God.

I love science.

That makes honest science exciting!

The Creator of the universe made our sun and 200 billion trillion others. Who knows how many planets He’s made?

The God who made each atom wants you to know Him personally.

Our heavenly Daddy has our back.

Why do we fear anything besides God Himself?

I’ve said before that the Bible is not a science textbook. That doesn’t mean it’s not true.

Let’s read on in confidence!

We see the fingerprints of God all over creation.

When looking at the artwork that is the Earth and the universe, it is obvious that there is an artist who created it.

My dad was a hypocrite.

We look at a magnificent building and know there was an architect.

We look and a beautiful painting and know there was an artist.

We look at a complex machine and know there was an inventor.

That way is Jesus.