Recently, I have been considering what it means to be a mother. There is really a lot involved. You spend years doing what you think is the best that you can do to later be told by your children all the things that you failed to do. I know that not all mothers experience this, but there is an aweful lot of them that do. I think that of those who think about it, we as women go into this experience with high hopes for our children. We have grand ideas about what our children will become or how they will succeed where we have failed. I don't think that the majority of us go in intending to make mistakes.
It is easy for me to look back at my own mother and see the things that she imparted on me that I value and want to pass on to my own children, but it is also easy to see her shortcomings and the things that I felt at one point or another were damaging. I suppose I could choose to be angry with her for all the things she failed to do or not do. I could blame her for all of my own shortcomings, hoping that somehow that would fix the situation, but that would only make me bitter.
Growing up, we always had food on the table, clothes on our backs, and a roof over our head. Even in the early years, when things were really hard financially, we were always taken care of. My mom always talked to me. She always told me why she didn't want me to do certain things. This helped me to develop good reasoning skills in certain situations. She also shared things with me about her life and why she had made the decisions that she did. She told me about her tragedies and hopes and the things that she wished she had done differently. This helped me to be a good communicator and maybe what some would call too transparent. At times, I would have said that I knew too much about my mom...that maybe in some areas I wished she had not shared certain things. This would be one of the areas that in the past I would have said I wished she had done differently. Now though, I see that because she shared that information with me I have learned about discretion and what it means to hold certain things closer to your heart. That there are things that my children don't need to know. For example, my private relationship with my husband is private and doesn't need to be discussed with my children. This doesn't mean I can't talk to them about the value of that relationship, why it is important, and how when they get older and get married it should be important to them. They can know that we both make mistakes and need to apologize for them to each other, but they don't need to know every mistake that we make. There should be a line between child and adult. Obviously, that changes a little as children grow into adults themselves, but not to the point where they know everything. So, instead of being upset with my mom for sharing intimate details of her life with me, I have just used it as a learning opportunity on what I do and don't want to share with my own children or anyone else for that matter. It is possible to have open communication with people without disclosing certain private details. If someone asks me about private things, I can say, "I am not going to share private details about my own life, but I will say that I think blah blah blah is an important part of blah blah blah for this reason...(replace blah blah blah with whatever we are discussing)."
I could have also been upset with my mom for having to take care of her when she had too much to drink and involving me in her arguments, but through that I have learned a lot too. First, I learned how to care for someone in need, how to put others ahead of myself at times, and how to help mediate an argument when needed. I also learned how to stay calm in situations where others may scream and yell. Finally, I learned that it is really hard to be young and have to take care of your parent. So it is important to try to make sure that my kids know how to handle crisis situtions that may arise so they can take care of us if needed in an emergency, but also that I don't want to put my kids into those types of situations needlessly.
As well as the things I mentioned earlier, some of the other good things that my mom worked hard to teach me are of great value to me also. She made sure that I respected authority figures, could empathize with others, knew the value of hard work, and that she loved me unconditionally, etc... These things I want to pass on to my children because I think they are important and valuable as well.
I guess the things that I need to take into motherhood are that I am going to make mistakes. There are going to be challenges and rough times and I am not going to know what to do. I might do the wrong thing, but hopefully my kids will be able to learn from that too. In all these things, I pray that God will help Robert and I to make good decisions and to seek Him first in everything that we teach to our kids. I pray that He helps us to stay close to Him throughout our lives so our children can see the value of a strong relationship with God. Above all, I pray that our children grow up to love God with all of their hearts, love others and love themselves. As a mother, if I manage that, I will have succeeded (with God's help of course) at my job. After that, I pray that wherever I fall short as a mom that God will fill in the gap and teach them what they need to know that I was unable to. (Um...God, I think you already know this, but that was for you...Thanks and Amen!)
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Love is not just a feeling...
I found this framed poem at a thrift store and fell in love with it. It is by Anita Robertson and explains Godly love so well. I know that after five years of marriage, Robert and I are still newly weds in the grand scheme of things. While I love him more today than on our wedding and we have seen some challenges through, I know that in the world we live in it is far too common to give up on love when things aren't smooth sailing. I hope that this poem holds true for us when we are rocking our grandchildren. How beautiful would that be?
Our youthful passion would have scoffed
at the deep belonging we now feel,
the knowledge that our love is enhanced by,
but not dependent on, the fire in our bones.
Although our wedding garments no longer fit,
you are more exciting to me now
than when we first joined hands at the alter.
We have journeyed far enough together
that even the wrinkles and silver-splashed hair are dear.
It is your essence that I love,
the person you have become as, side by side,
we battled our way through the dailies.
Illness, tragedy and loss have transformed us
into who we now are: Warriors...overcomers
Out of the churning cauldron of struggle has come
the discovery that love is not just a feeling
but a decision.
Two rough stones when we married,
we have polished and burnished each other,
emerging refined and secure in the vows we made,
cleaving only to each other.
Our love will endure
for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer;
in sickness and in health, until one of us
gently lays the other into the arms of God.
Our youthful passion would have scoffed
at the deep belonging we now feel,
the knowledge that our love is enhanced by,
but not dependent on, the fire in our bones.
Although our wedding garments no longer fit,
you are more exciting to me now
than when we first joined hands at the alter.
We have journeyed far enough together
that even the wrinkles and silver-splashed hair are dear.
It is your essence that I love,
the person you have become as, side by side,
we battled our way through the dailies.
Illness, tragedy and loss have transformed us
into who we now are: Warriors...overcomers
Out of the churning cauldron of struggle has come
the discovery that love is not just a feeling
but a decision.
Two rough stones when we married,
we have polished and burnished each other,
emerging refined and secure in the vows we made,
cleaving only to each other.
Our love will endure
for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer;
in sickness and in health, until one of us
gently lays the other into the arms of God.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
The narrow path...
As a Christian, I have had the opportunity to see a lot of amazing things. Things that non-believers may never understand. One of the most amazing of all is the "love" of God that is so different than the love of the world. Love of the world is very "me" focused. It changes from week to week, month to month, year to year. If you love someone with a worldly love, you can get tired of them, disappointed, irritated...and stop loving them. God's love (or real love) does none of these things. You can start in Mathew in the New Testament and see account after account of how Jesus said to love people. In Mathew 5:44, he says, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." In Mathew 22:37 he says to, "honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself." Then in Mark chapter 12, Jesus tells the crowd that the two most important Commandments are to Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength and to Love your neighbor as yourself. He then goes on to say that these two things are more important than burnt offerings and sacrifices (works and deeds).
It is really sad that our world has turned away from this kind of love. We don't want to take responsibility for our own actions or admit that we make mistakes, so we blame those we say we love or someone else outside ourselves. We refuse to admit that we have done wrong. Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." If we look inside ourselves, we will see countless times in our lives where we have said cruel things, been dishonest, rude, uninterested, or harsh; mislead, turned our backs on, or thought horrible things about someone. The list goes on. None of us are guiltless.
So, should that be it? Well...lets look at it. What happens when you are rude or dishonest to someone? How does that make them feel? Or better yet, how does it make you feel when someone does that to you? We don't want others to treat us that way, yet we justify ourselves when we do it to others. The Bible calls all of these things sin...along with greed, lust, glutony, hate, murder, hypocrisy, etc. In John 8:34 Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." Also, in the first part of Romans 6:23 Jesus says that "the wages of sin is death." If you don't believe me, look around. We have seen an increasing "death" in marriage over the past century. We have seen our children killing each other on the streets due to pride and jealousy. Diseases that would not touch us if we were faithful to one person have taken over our world because of lust and envy. Whole groups of people are killed because of hate and greed. Still other groups rotting and dying from drug overdoses, alcoholism, obesity, etc all so they can escape the reality of their lives. So...would you say the Bible is correct in that area? When you really look at it, does it not make sense? Haven't all these people paid with their lives?
Luckily, God doesn't leave us hanging because he knew from the beginning that we couldn't do it on our own. That if we were left to our own devices (and a lot still are), that we would die. So, He sent us his son. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. So basically God says to us, I know that you are human and that you can't help but do wrong. I know that if I did nothing you would be guilty and have to die. So, because I love you, I will give you a way to be justified. I will send my son to earth who is guiltless to die for you. He will pay the price for your sins. We see in our society that blood equals life. If someone looses too much, they die. You can donate blood to save someone's life. So, Jesus (who had perfect blood) died to save the world. Earlier, I quoted the beginning of Romans 6:23. Luckily it ends with "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Also, I said before, John 8:34 said, "everyone who sins is a slave to sin." But if you read on to 35 Jesus follows up with, "Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
I can tell you from experience that this freedom in Christ is amazing and transforming and it's as simple as this: In Romans 10 it says, "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
So I guess the question is: Do you want this kind of love for yourself? Do you want to be able to share this kind of love with others? When you pray to God for salvation you become a new creation because he washes away all of your sins. He forgives and forgets everything. If you believe that He can do this, all you have to do is pray to Him. Tell him that you know that you are a sinner, but that you believe that Jesus, who was perfect died for you and rose again on the third day. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to come into your heart and be the Lord of your life. Then thank Him for saving you.
The next step is to start getting to know Him. Just like any relationship, you have to talk and listen in order to build a strong and lasting bond. So pray often. If you are uncomfortable praying around others, pray in a quiet solitary place or in your head (God can hear you). Read the Bible. Not only is it God's love story to us, but it is the way he communicates with us. If someone tells you that God told them something that doesn't line up with what is in the Bible, it's not true. Find a good church. Talking and listening with others believers is a great way to help understand what the Bible is saying, to see how God is working in others, and to share how God is working in you. Along this journey, you should also think about getting baptized. This is an outward sign of the inward change that has happened in your life. It is also a great way to show obedience to God.
Matthew 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15 Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Next, please feel free to ask questions. The Bible says to seek wisdom, so always be willing to look for ways to learn and grow. Welcome to the family!
It is really sad that our world has turned away from this kind of love. We don't want to take responsibility for our own actions or admit that we make mistakes, so we blame those we say we love or someone else outside ourselves. We refuse to admit that we have done wrong. Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." If we look inside ourselves, we will see countless times in our lives where we have said cruel things, been dishonest, rude, uninterested, or harsh; mislead, turned our backs on, or thought horrible things about someone. The list goes on. None of us are guiltless.
So, should that be it? Well...lets look at it. What happens when you are rude or dishonest to someone? How does that make them feel? Or better yet, how does it make you feel when someone does that to you? We don't want others to treat us that way, yet we justify ourselves when we do it to others. The Bible calls all of these things sin...along with greed, lust, glutony, hate, murder, hypocrisy, etc. In John 8:34 Jesus says, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." Also, in the first part of Romans 6:23 Jesus says that "the wages of sin is death." If you don't believe me, look around. We have seen an increasing "death" in marriage over the past century. We have seen our children killing each other on the streets due to pride and jealousy. Diseases that would not touch us if we were faithful to one person have taken over our world because of lust and envy. Whole groups of people are killed because of hate and greed. Still other groups rotting and dying from drug overdoses, alcoholism, obesity, etc all so they can escape the reality of their lives. So...would you say the Bible is correct in that area? When you really look at it, does it not make sense? Haven't all these people paid with their lives?
Luckily, God doesn't leave us hanging because he knew from the beginning that we couldn't do it on our own. That if we were left to our own devices (and a lot still are), that we would die. So, He sent us his son. Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. So basically God says to us, I know that you are human and that you can't help but do wrong. I know that if I did nothing you would be guilty and have to die. So, because I love you, I will give you a way to be justified. I will send my son to earth who is guiltless to die for you. He will pay the price for your sins. We see in our society that blood equals life. If someone looses too much, they die. You can donate blood to save someone's life. So, Jesus (who had perfect blood) died to save the world. Earlier, I quoted the beginning of Romans 6:23. Luckily it ends with "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Also, I said before, John 8:34 said, "everyone who sins is a slave to sin." But if you read on to 35 Jesus follows up with, "Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
I can tell you from experience that this freedom in Christ is amazing and transforming and it's as simple as this: In Romans 10 it says, "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"
So I guess the question is: Do you want this kind of love for yourself? Do you want to be able to share this kind of love with others? When you pray to God for salvation you become a new creation because he washes away all of your sins. He forgives and forgets everything. If you believe that He can do this, all you have to do is pray to Him. Tell him that you know that you are a sinner, but that you believe that Jesus, who was perfect died for you and rose again on the third day. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to come into your heart and be the Lord of your life. Then thank Him for saving you.
The next step is to start getting to know Him. Just like any relationship, you have to talk and listen in order to build a strong and lasting bond. So pray often. If you are uncomfortable praying around others, pray in a quiet solitary place or in your head (God can hear you). Read the Bible. Not only is it God's love story to us, but it is the way he communicates with us. If someone tells you that God told them something that doesn't line up with what is in the Bible, it's not true. Find a good church. Talking and listening with others believers is a great way to help understand what the Bible is saying, to see how God is working in others, and to share how God is working in you. Along this journey, you should also think about getting baptized. This is an outward sign of the inward change that has happened in your life. It is also a great way to show obedience to God.
Matthew 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" 15 Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Next, please feel free to ask questions. The Bible says to seek wisdom, so always be willing to look for ways to learn and grow. Welcome to the family!
Monday, November 30, 2009
The Pilgrim's Progress
Since I have been pregnant, I have been trying to read aloud to Aleah so she will enjoy reading later in life. We started out reading Mathew and Mark in the Bible and then I started reading to her The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan. While reading, I came across a really beautiful poem about what it means to be a Christian. Here is what it says:
This Hill, though high, I covet to ascend, The Difficulty will not me offend, For I perceive the Way to Life lies here: Come pluck up Heart, let's neither faint nor fear; Better; though difficult, the Right Way to go, Than Wrong, though easy, where the End is Wo.
It is one of my many struggles as a Christian to share the faith with those who don't believe. I think I just always get caught up on how I'm being perceived instead of letting God say what He wants to say. I was in those shoes before and really understand how irritating it is to have Christians try to force their beliefs on others. So it is kind of a catch 22 for me. I don't want to come across as judging, but I feel it is urgent to get the message out. So my words get all jumbled and I can't say what I am trying to say. I think that this is one of the greatest sorrows of my heart...not being able to share the most important news that anyone will ever hear. I believe that God is already working on this though. Time will tell.
With that, I will close by thanking God for changing one of my boys mind about having him and his mom come back to the house on Sunday. I was really wanting to go to church at CCC and was disappointed when they wanted to come to the house. Then when I thought, "man, I really wish I could go to church today." He said, "Cindy, I think we'll just go and hang out at the hotel instead." Then, on my way I was thinking that the worship service would be over because I was 10 minutes late. It ended up being a special service where they had worship mixed into the message. It was great. So thanks once again for even being in the small things, God. I am eternally greatful. Abba, You are my rock and my redeamer! I know that you aren't here to make things easy, but it is nice that you can still make them good for your children.
This Hill, though high, I covet to ascend, The Difficulty will not me offend, For I perceive the Way to Life lies here: Come pluck up Heart, let's neither faint nor fear; Better; though difficult, the Right Way to go, Than Wrong, though easy, where the End is Wo.
It is one of my many struggles as a Christian to share the faith with those who don't believe. I think I just always get caught up on how I'm being perceived instead of letting God say what He wants to say. I was in those shoes before and really understand how irritating it is to have Christians try to force their beliefs on others. So it is kind of a catch 22 for me. I don't want to come across as judging, but I feel it is urgent to get the message out. So my words get all jumbled and I can't say what I am trying to say. I think that this is one of the greatest sorrows of my heart...not being able to share the most important news that anyone will ever hear. I believe that God is already working on this though. Time will tell.
With that, I will close by thanking God for changing one of my boys mind about having him and his mom come back to the house on Sunday. I was really wanting to go to church at CCC and was disappointed when they wanted to come to the house. Then when I thought, "man, I really wish I could go to church today." He said, "Cindy, I think we'll just go and hang out at the hotel instead." Then, on my way I was thinking that the worship service would be over because I was 10 minutes late. It ended up being a special service where they had worship mixed into the message. It was great. So thanks once again for even being in the small things, God. I am eternally greatful. Abba, You are my rock and my redeamer! I know that you aren't here to make things easy, but it is nice that you can still make them good for your children.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Coincidentally....
Christian's across the globe can attest to the fact that God works a lot through coincidences. I know so many of my brother's and sister's who can tell you about how they just happened to do this one thing that led to this other thing where they met exactly who they needed to meet to do exactly what God wanted them to do. For me personally, I got a job working with people with disabilities several years back through a whole string of coincidences. I prayed to God, a friend cancelled her plans because she got sick, I decided to go to a different friends party instead, and the manager of one of the companies that I was applying for just happened to be at that party. I was worried about the pay initially because it was half of what I was making before, but stepped out on faith. Within three months, I was making almost exactly the same as before. Coincidence?
Robert and I take a step of faith with our giving and decide to give our whole tithe to God. The next day we see a job application for Boys Town in Nebraska and within a week we are told they are flying us in for an interview. Neither of us had planned to do anything different...in fact, we had completely different plans, BUT we took a step in faith and went. By the end of the year, we were living in Nebraska, with our housing, food, and utilities completely covered. We were now able to give more and help kids. Coincidence?
I was just reading about my pastor in Chandler and how his little boy died at 10 years old when he was hit by a car. They asked God to show them the good that came from their sons death. First off, they found out that 10 other lives were saved from the organs that he donated. Then, someone in their family called them and told them to turn on the TV. A family was on a talk show talking about how organ transplants had saved their son and they also saw that this family had a really strong faith in God. From what the family said, they knew that this families little boy had received their son's heart. All by chance, they ended up getting to meet this family and became close friends. Coincidence?
My dad's sister (trying to prove a point) tells my dad that if God wanted him to have a new DVD player He would get it for him. Later that day, a lady from his apartment complex stops by to let him know that she thought he needed a new DVD player and handed it to him. Just another coincidence?
You know...I could go on and on here. So I guess the question is do you believe these are all just things that randomly happen? OR do you believe that there is a loving God out there that really cares about his sons and daughters? If you are not a believer, your father in heaven wants to have a relationship with you. He wants to know you intimately and lovingly. He wants to show you how much he has been willing to do for you all along. He isn't going to make you love him, but he will keep on inviting you until you agree to listen. The bible is the truth. It has always been the truth. It is God's love story to us. It shows us how without him we aren't capable of living a life even remotely close to the life that we live with him. His laws keep us from hurting ourselves and others. God sent his own son here to earth to share his good news with us and to let us know how very much he loves us and that he does not want any of us to die. He invites us all into eternal life. Unfortunately, he won't drag us kicking and screaming. We have to come willingly to him and ask him to forgive us for our sins and to come into our hearts. When we do that, we are transformed.
I have friends who tell me, Cindy, you are a completely different person now. It's like I had to get to know you all over again when you became a Christian. Well, that's what happens. He changes you from the inside out. I guess that is scary for some people. It's hard to think about not thinking the same way anymore. Sin is so enticing and fun looking. I'm not saying I don't sin anymore, I'm just saying that God has made me aware of it when I do. When I admit to him what I have done and ask for his help and forgiveness, he readily offers it and shows me what to do to make it right if I can. This can be through the bible, through a still small voice, through advice from a fellow Christian, or through little happenstances. It almost always involves my stepping out in faith in some way though. I guess for me, I don't need anymore proof of his existance than that. However, there is all kinds of proof out there. So, when Jesus was here before, he told his people to share the good news. He is coming back for us, although we don't know the day or the hour when he will come. The good news is that he wants you to come too, but he can only take those who want to come. Check out the whole story here:
http://www.biblestudytools.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?passage=mt+1&version=niv&language=en&showtools=0
OR if you have a bible you can start at the new testament with Matthew and read through to Acts. Of course, the rest of the book is great too. So, you'll want to get to that later in your journey.
Now you can't say you didn't know because, well, I just told you. Remember, no matter what you believe the truth to be, there is really only one truth. Check it out.
Also, feel free to post your questions.
Robert and I take a step of faith with our giving and decide to give our whole tithe to God. The next day we see a job application for Boys Town in Nebraska and within a week we are told they are flying us in for an interview. Neither of us had planned to do anything different...in fact, we had completely different plans, BUT we took a step in faith and went. By the end of the year, we were living in Nebraska, with our housing, food, and utilities completely covered. We were now able to give more and help kids. Coincidence?
I was just reading about my pastor in Chandler and how his little boy died at 10 years old when he was hit by a car. They asked God to show them the good that came from their sons death. First off, they found out that 10 other lives were saved from the organs that he donated. Then, someone in their family called them and told them to turn on the TV. A family was on a talk show talking about how organ transplants had saved their son and they also saw that this family had a really strong faith in God. From what the family said, they knew that this families little boy had received their son's heart. All by chance, they ended up getting to meet this family and became close friends. Coincidence?
My dad's sister (trying to prove a point) tells my dad that if God wanted him to have a new DVD player He would get it for him. Later that day, a lady from his apartment complex stops by to let him know that she thought he needed a new DVD player and handed it to him. Just another coincidence?
You know...I could go on and on here. So I guess the question is do you believe these are all just things that randomly happen? OR do you believe that there is a loving God out there that really cares about his sons and daughters? If you are not a believer, your father in heaven wants to have a relationship with you. He wants to know you intimately and lovingly. He wants to show you how much he has been willing to do for you all along. He isn't going to make you love him, but he will keep on inviting you until you agree to listen. The bible is the truth. It has always been the truth. It is God's love story to us. It shows us how without him we aren't capable of living a life even remotely close to the life that we live with him. His laws keep us from hurting ourselves and others. God sent his own son here to earth to share his good news with us and to let us know how very much he loves us and that he does not want any of us to die. He invites us all into eternal life. Unfortunately, he won't drag us kicking and screaming. We have to come willingly to him and ask him to forgive us for our sins and to come into our hearts. When we do that, we are transformed.
I have friends who tell me, Cindy, you are a completely different person now. It's like I had to get to know you all over again when you became a Christian. Well, that's what happens. He changes you from the inside out. I guess that is scary for some people. It's hard to think about not thinking the same way anymore. Sin is so enticing and fun looking. I'm not saying I don't sin anymore, I'm just saying that God has made me aware of it when I do. When I admit to him what I have done and ask for his help and forgiveness, he readily offers it and shows me what to do to make it right if I can. This can be through the bible, through a still small voice, through advice from a fellow Christian, or through little happenstances. It almost always involves my stepping out in faith in some way though. I guess for me, I don't need anymore proof of his existance than that. However, there is all kinds of proof out there. So, when Jesus was here before, he told his people to share the good news. He is coming back for us, although we don't know the day or the hour when he will come. The good news is that he wants you to come too, but he can only take those who want to come. Check out the whole story here:
http://www.biblestudytools.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?passage=mt+1&version=niv&language=en&showtools=0
OR if you have a bible you can start at the new testament with Matthew and read through to Acts. Of course, the rest of the book is great too. So, you'll want to get to that later in your journey.
Now you can't say you didn't know because, well, I just told you. Remember, no matter what you believe the truth to be, there is really only one truth. Check it out.
Also, feel free to post your questions.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Encouragement
I was having a pretty down day today. We had our annual crop walk today and I couldn't go because my hips and back were hurting really bad. I really enjoyed doing it last year, so I was kind of down. On top of that, I was really moody and blah today. So, I dropped everyone off at the church for it and then went to get something to eat. I wasn't feeling the greatest and was kind of picking at my food when a lady walked up to me and asked if I was ok. I told her that I was pregnant and just not feeling that well. She asked how far along I was and I told her almost five months. Then she put her hand on my shoulder and said, "well, this too shall pass. You know...the feeling pregnant part of pregnancy." I don't think that she knew how much that meant to me, but I almost couldn't keep from crying in the restaurant before I left. It was the encouragement that I needed at the moment. I instantly felt God's love. It is awesome that something as insignificant as a down day is important enough for Him to send me a message about. The saying "this too shall pass" actually comes from folk lore. There are several versions. I'll put one of them here so you can read it.
An eastern monarch who drew his sages together one day in his kingdom and all of his soothsayers and the wise men of the kingdom were drawn together, and he said, "You know, men, I would like you to summarize for me the wisdom of the world. I'd like you to bring it to me; I'd like you to work on it, and I'd like you to collect the wisdom of the world. I want to see it; I want to read it." And they worked for many months, and they brought back to him several volumes of what they called the Wisdom of the World, the pithy sayings of the world.
And they said, "This is it; this is the wisdom of the world."
And he looked at it, and he said, "You know, that is really good. Thank you. It's wonderful," he said, "but it's too much." He says, "Can you reduce this, like a fine French sauce. Can you reduce it to maybe a single volume."
And so they went back, and they worked, and they worked, and they worked for several months, and they brought back a single volume of the best of the wisdom of the world. And they said, "This is it."
And he took the book, and he held it gingerly in his hands, and he thumbed through it, and he read it for a little while, and after a couple of weeks he brought his wise men back together, and he said, "You know," he says, "this is really good. But what I really would like for you to do is to reduce the wisdom of the world to a sentence. Can you put it in a sentence?"
And they said, "We don't know. We don't know if we can do this."
And so finally after many more months of work, all the sages came back to him, and they had come to a unanimous conclusion that the wisdom of the world could be put into a four-word sentence. They told the king that this sentence expresses much. It is chastening in the hour of pride and consoling in the depths of afflictions. And I've reflected on this sentence this week. The sentence of their wisdom was: "This too shall pass."
Here is another version if you are interested:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_too_shall_pass
I Corinthians 10:12 - "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."
An eastern monarch who drew his sages together one day in his kingdom and all of his soothsayers and the wise men of the kingdom were drawn together, and he said, "You know, men, I would like you to summarize for me the wisdom of the world. I'd like you to bring it to me; I'd like you to work on it, and I'd like you to collect the wisdom of the world. I want to see it; I want to read it." And they worked for many months, and they brought back to him several volumes of what they called the Wisdom of the World, the pithy sayings of the world.
And they said, "This is it; this is the wisdom of the world."
And he looked at it, and he said, "You know, that is really good. Thank you. It's wonderful," he said, "but it's too much." He says, "Can you reduce this, like a fine French sauce. Can you reduce it to maybe a single volume."
And so they went back, and they worked, and they worked, and they worked for several months, and they brought back a single volume of the best of the wisdom of the world. And they said, "This is it."
And he took the book, and he held it gingerly in his hands, and he thumbed through it, and he read it for a little while, and after a couple of weeks he brought his wise men back together, and he said, "You know," he says, "this is really good. But what I really would like for you to do is to reduce the wisdom of the world to a sentence. Can you put it in a sentence?"
And they said, "We don't know. We don't know if we can do this."
And so finally after many more months of work, all the sages came back to him, and they had come to a unanimous conclusion that the wisdom of the world could be put into a four-word sentence. They told the king that this sentence expresses much. It is chastening in the hour of pride and consoling in the depths of afflictions. And I've reflected on this sentence this week. The sentence of their wisdom was: "This too shall pass."
Here is another version if you are interested:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_too_shall_pass
I Corinthians 10:12 - "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Baby Fetty
So, we got our ultrasound yesterday and it was pretty exciting. The first image that the tech showed us was really cool because it was a side view. We could see it kicking and moving around. It looked a lot cuter from that angle than the pic that is posted here. She didn't give me a copy of that picture. The whole process took over an hour to do and seemed pretty detailed. She was taking pictures of all of the babies organs and body parts and measuring everything. So, at the end, the tech was looking for the gender and she said that she was looking for the hamburger because she thought it was a girl. I guess that is what they describe a girl as looking like. So...here is the picture of what the tech called the "hamburger." We thought that was funny. Either way, from the top pic, we are going to be having an alien child. From the bottom...the tech was pretty sure it was a girl, but not 100%. I guess her term gives a whole new spin on the term "where's the beef." :)
Friday, September 25, 2009
Is forgiveness important?
I am currently reading a book called "The Road Best Traveled" by Ray Pritchard. The chapter that I just read was called "Trapped on a Dead-end Street." It was all about the things that we do in our lives that make us feel trapped. It uses the story of the Prodigal Son from the Bible to illistrate the different ways that we can end up out of God's will and thus trapped by sin. For those of you who don't know that story...here it is.
http://www.biblestudytools.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?passage=lu+15&version=niv&showtools=0
The story begins with verse 11, but I included the whole chapter so you could see the context.
Anyway, I think the message here is that both sons were outside of God's will. In the beginning, the son who left was selfish, wanted to do what he wanted to do, and didn't care how his actions affected others. The older son stayed behind and did all the work and continually helped his father. When the younger son came home, the older one was vengeful and felt that his father should not forgive the younger son for everything that he did. The father, however, was so excited to have the younger son home after he had been gone for so long that he threw a party to celebrate and honored the younger son. The younger son had realized how much he had hurt his father and felt he was not worthy to be his son anymore. The father didn't think that at all. He have him a robe, a signet ring, cooked the best calf, and restored him to his place of honor. He was just happy to have him home. The father represents God and how as soon as we decide that we have been traveling down the wrong path... He welcomes us home.
So, back to the book. I thought it was interesting how the author pointed out how much God loves us. 1) He loves us enough to let us go. 2) He loves us enough to let us hit rock bottom. 3) He loves us enough to let us come back. 4) He loves us so much that he will run to meet us. (p 168)
On a side note...I have heard so many people talk about how if God was real, he wouldn't let all the bad things happen in the world. Logically, that just doesn't add up. When you teach your child to ride a bike, it is natural to hold on to the back of the seat so they don't fall over, but at some point you have to let go and hope that when they fall it isn't too hard. Otherwise, they never learn how to ride for themselves.
Ok, so back to the original story. On to the older son. His being outside of God's will has to do with unforgiveness. This is an area that I have struggled with for a good amount of my life. I have held onto anger and resentments that ate at me for years. Since getting to know God, I have had several breakthroughs in this area that have taught me some very valuable lessons.
First, for many years, I was very angry with my step dad. I had grown up wanting to feel worth something to him. As a kid, he said many things to me that were devaluing. I always seemed to feel that I didn't measure up and wasn't good enough in his eyes. I was a pretty chunky kid and I think in his attempt to try to make me change he made a lot of comments about that. So, when I was 19, he and I had a pretty big fight. I told him things that I always wanted to tell him and it lifted a huge weight off my chest. It seemed that our relationship got a lot better after that. Around the same time, I lost a large amount of weight. Then...over the next few years, my mom and him separated, our whole family kind of fell apart and I ended up meeting my ex and moved to Washington state. I continued to talk to him pretty regularly until he met someone new who he wanted to marry. When it came time for my wedding, I made a special call to him to tell him about a low cost flight so that he could come to the wedding. He said that he couldn't come because he didn't have the money. I knew that this wasn't true. It hurt me so bad that I never talked to him again. Several years later I got the call that he was in the hospital with cancer and I instantly didn't feel angry with him anymore and wanted to go see him. He died before I could get there. In the end, I didn't have the need to be valued by him anymore. I only wanted him to know that I loved him and forgave him. I understood that there were things that he was just unable to do because of who he was. I couldn't change him.
Then, there was my mom's fiance. I was extremely angry with him for several years after my mom died. For the first couple of years, it ate at me and the thought of seeing him somewhere was almost scary to me. Then I decided in my mind that I was going to forgive him because it was too hard on me to carry that burden. It wasn't real forgiveness though because every once in a while the anger would still creep in. Then, earlier this year, I was planning a trip to Phoenix. While taking a bath one night I felt like God was talking to me. He said that when I go to Phoenix, I need to visit John and extend forgiveness to him in person. I was instantly scared. I didn't want to do it. I didn't know what would happen or if I would be able to do it. So, I just dismissed the thought. On a Monday night while in Phoenix, I was driving back from my dad's house. I was getting ready to come up to the freeway exit that would lead me to my mom's fiance's house. I again felt God was telling me that now was the time to go to him and apologize for my part in the situation that had happened between us after my mom died and forgive him for his part. So I reluctantly went as my heart was racing. I pulled up and prayed, "God, please help me to do your will and keep me safe." I also called Robert and let him know where I was and what I was doing. He was a little worried too, but I told him that I felt God was telling me to do it and that I would be disobeying if I didn't. So I went to the door and knocked. He answered and looked somewhat surprised and said "hi, come on in, you're not going to yell at me are you?" I said, "no, I'm not going to yell." So I went in and we chatted with his new girlfriend for a few minutes. I then told him that I had come for a reason and that I wanted to talk to him about something. We went and sat down in the living room and I told him that I was sorry for my part in the issue that we had five years earlier. That I was more concerned with things than I was with him as a person and that I didn't take the time to consider how much pain he was in at the loss of my mom. I said that I knew that we were both under a tremendous amount of stress and suffering at the time and were not in our right minds. He then apologized to me for his part in everything and told me that if there was anything else that I wanted of my mom's that he would gladly give it to me. I didn't want anything.
The funny thing about that last situation was that Robert and I have been trying to conceive for years with no luck. The month I got home from that trip, I found out I was pregnant. I really believe that God was blessing me for being faithful to Him. That doesn't mean that if something were to happen to this child that it would be a curse. To me, just being pregnant is a blessing. I believed for many years that I would not concieve because I couldn't get pregnant. So, knowing that I can is a blessing in itself. Having the child will be a double blessing. Yes, I would be really sad if something were to happen and I hope I am past the point where something will, but I have learned that suffering and pain bring us closer to God. He shows his love the most when we need him. I pray for many wonderful years with our child, but ultimately everything happens in God's time. The good thing is that I can now say that I have no resentments that I am holding onto with anyone. God has really helped me work through that. I feel amazingly free. Thank God!
http://www.biblestudytools.com/OnlineStudyBible/bible.cgi?passage=lu+15&version=niv&showtools=0
The story begins with verse 11, but I included the whole chapter so you could see the context.
Anyway, I think the message here is that both sons were outside of God's will. In the beginning, the son who left was selfish, wanted to do what he wanted to do, and didn't care how his actions affected others. The older son stayed behind and did all the work and continually helped his father. When the younger son came home, the older one was vengeful and felt that his father should not forgive the younger son for everything that he did. The father, however, was so excited to have the younger son home after he had been gone for so long that he threw a party to celebrate and honored the younger son. The younger son had realized how much he had hurt his father and felt he was not worthy to be his son anymore. The father didn't think that at all. He have him a robe, a signet ring, cooked the best calf, and restored him to his place of honor. He was just happy to have him home. The father represents God and how as soon as we decide that we have been traveling down the wrong path... He welcomes us home.
So, back to the book. I thought it was interesting how the author pointed out how much God loves us. 1) He loves us enough to let us go. 2) He loves us enough to let us hit rock bottom. 3) He loves us enough to let us come back. 4) He loves us so much that he will run to meet us. (p 168)
On a side note...I have heard so many people talk about how if God was real, he wouldn't let all the bad things happen in the world. Logically, that just doesn't add up. When you teach your child to ride a bike, it is natural to hold on to the back of the seat so they don't fall over, but at some point you have to let go and hope that when they fall it isn't too hard. Otherwise, they never learn how to ride for themselves.
Ok, so back to the original story. On to the older son. His being outside of God's will has to do with unforgiveness. This is an area that I have struggled with for a good amount of my life. I have held onto anger and resentments that ate at me for years. Since getting to know God, I have had several breakthroughs in this area that have taught me some very valuable lessons.
First, for many years, I was very angry with my step dad. I had grown up wanting to feel worth something to him. As a kid, he said many things to me that were devaluing. I always seemed to feel that I didn't measure up and wasn't good enough in his eyes. I was a pretty chunky kid and I think in his attempt to try to make me change he made a lot of comments about that. So, when I was 19, he and I had a pretty big fight. I told him things that I always wanted to tell him and it lifted a huge weight off my chest. It seemed that our relationship got a lot better after that. Around the same time, I lost a large amount of weight. Then...over the next few years, my mom and him separated, our whole family kind of fell apart and I ended up meeting my ex and moved to Washington state. I continued to talk to him pretty regularly until he met someone new who he wanted to marry. When it came time for my wedding, I made a special call to him to tell him about a low cost flight so that he could come to the wedding. He said that he couldn't come because he didn't have the money. I knew that this wasn't true. It hurt me so bad that I never talked to him again. Several years later I got the call that he was in the hospital with cancer and I instantly didn't feel angry with him anymore and wanted to go see him. He died before I could get there. In the end, I didn't have the need to be valued by him anymore. I only wanted him to know that I loved him and forgave him. I understood that there were things that he was just unable to do because of who he was. I couldn't change him.
Then, there was my mom's fiance. I was extremely angry with him for several years after my mom died. For the first couple of years, it ate at me and the thought of seeing him somewhere was almost scary to me. Then I decided in my mind that I was going to forgive him because it was too hard on me to carry that burden. It wasn't real forgiveness though because every once in a while the anger would still creep in. Then, earlier this year, I was planning a trip to Phoenix. While taking a bath one night I felt like God was talking to me. He said that when I go to Phoenix, I need to visit John and extend forgiveness to him in person. I was instantly scared. I didn't want to do it. I didn't know what would happen or if I would be able to do it. So, I just dismissed the thought. On a Monday night while in Phoenix, I was driving back from my dad's house. I was getting ready to come up to the freeway exit that would lead me to my mom's fiance's house. I again felt God was telling me that now was the time to go to him and apologize for my part in the situation that had happened between us after my mom died and forgive him for his part. So I reluctantly went as my heart was racing. I pulled up and prayed, "God, please help me to do your will and keep me safe." I also called Robert and let him know where I was and what I was doing. He was a little worried too, but I told him that I felt God was telling me to do it and that I would be disobeying if I didn't. So I went to the door and knocked. He answered and looked somewhat surprised and said "hi, come on in, you're not going to yell at me are you?" I said, "no, I'm not going to yell." So I went in and we chatted with his new girlfriend for a few minutes. I then told him that I had come for a reason and that I wanted to talk to him about something. We went and sat down in the living room and I told him that I was sorry for my part in the issue that we had five years earlier. That I was more concerned with things than I was with him as a person and that I didn't take the time to consider how much pain he was in at the loss of my mom. I said that I knew that we were both under a tremendous amount of stress and suffering at the time and were not in our right minds. He then apologized to me for his part in everything and told me that if there was anything else that I wanted of my mom's that he would gladly give it to me. I didn't want anything.
The funny thing about that last situation was that Robert and I have been trying to conceive for years with no luck. The month I got home from that trip, I found out I was pregnant. I really believe that God was blessing me for being faithful to Him. That doesn't mean that if something were to happen to this child that it would be a curse. To me, just being pregnant is a blessing. I believed for many years that I would not concieve because I couldn't get pregnant. So, knowing that I can is a blessing in itself. Having the child will be a double blessing. Yes, I would be really sad if something were to happen and I hope I am past the point where something will, but I have learned that suffering and pain bring us closer to God. He shows his love the most when we need him. I pray for many wonderful years with our child, but ultimately everything happens in God's time. The good thing is that I can now say that I have no resentments that I am holding onto with anyone. God has really helped me work through that. I feel amazingly free. Thank God!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Why?
Many people think that God should have His place. That He shouldn't be included in anything having to do with government. That He shouldn't be in schools or political arenas. I don't agree. I don't think that God in schools needs to be religious services forced on students, but I do think that a case should be made showing the evidence of His existence to students. I also think that being that the Bible is the oldest book in existence and is the only book throughout history that has consistently been burned and had threat of destruction (yet somehow there are still several original manuscripts in existence), that it should be treated as an amazing piece of literature. The other interesting thing about it as a book is that it was written over a span of 1500 years by several different authors, yet it is surprisingly consistent in its message. There is not another book like it. Discounting its literary value is tragic, yet it is done all the time because people say its is a religious book. Well...it is also a history book. A few years back, I wrote this paper for my English 102 class. It explains why I believe it is important for schools to teach intelligent design. See what you think...
Imagine coming home to find your favorite dog lying dead in your backyard, blood running down one side of his head from what appears to be a bullet wound. So, you report it to the police and after one glace the officer tells you, “Maam, it looks like your dog died of natural causes…we have nothing left to investigate.” How would you feel? Confused, let down, baffled by what looks like obvious negligence on the part of the local police department? Would you fight the officer and ask him to explain why he wouldn’t investigate further, when there was an obvious outside cause for the death of your best friend? That is where a lot of Americans are today: confused, let down, and baffled by scientist’s obvious refusal to look at the facts regarding our origin of life. They seem to have a one-sided approach to their research and anything that falls outside the realm of what “they” deem acceptable research is sidestepped or fallaciously scoffed at.
For many scientists, evolution is the be all and end all of biological science. They hold it closely and lash out at anyone who asks questions that might take away from the validity of their precious viewpoints. This isn’t to say that they are completely wrong, but it is to say that when theories are placed so high up on a pedestal it makes them very difficult to analyze against other theories. This has also made it difficult for students in our current school system to learn anything outside of this box of what is appropriate and what is not. It places the scientific academic standard up there on that same pedestal. So the question then is, “what can we do about it?” Well, if we were to teach a valid evolutionary curriculum, while also including intelligent design and other legitimate scientific theories, we would enable our students to fully understand the complete realm of biological science as it is known today.
Continuing to teach evolution in our school system is not a negative thing. There are, however, some changes that need to be made to the textbooks in order for them to hold up to current scientific evidence. For example, there is the theory that all human life was created in what is known as the “primordial soup,” which basically means that amino acids were able to be synthesized by passing an electric spark through methane gas and thus creating the proteins needed to create life (Geisler 63). Many evolutionists still force-feed us this as if it were true, but there has been absolutely no scientific evidence supporting it. In fact, in order for life to be created in this fashion, 2000 different enzymes made out of amino acids would have had to come together by chance to make up the 10 to 20 amino acids needed to make up the proteins needed to create life. The odds of this happening are 1 to the 40,000th power. In English, that is a 10 with 40,000 zero’s following it. In science, anything with odds of 1 to the 50th power or higher is impossible. At this point, we still don’t have life; we just have the proteins needed to make life (Geisler 64). If by some chance this did happen it would be similar to saying the earth forms the sand and elements needed to make glass and metal, which are used to make a wrist watch. So, over time, through random selection and chance, a watch was formed. We know this is not true and we can look at the watch and see that it was made by someone to perform a certain function. It would have never come together on its own and been able to work in the precise way that it does.
There is also a problem when we look at the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which basically says that the organization of something left alone will decrease over time, not increase. If two systems are placed together, the two will even out. A good example of this would be heat transfer. If you put a cup of water outside in the sun the water’s temperature will rise, but not become hotter than the air surrounding it. Additionally, if you pour cold water in a cup of hot water, the water will decrease in temperature, not increase. This basically means that in order for abiogenesis (the theory that all life formed from non-life) to occur, some outside system had to add something to the mix; because if left alone, life would not become more organized over time it would become less so (“Abiogenesis” 2). So, if this theory is to continue to be taught in schools it should be known to students that it is unproven.
However, lower levels of evolution have been proven through mutations and slight variations. Examples of this would be the change in beak structure of a bird, wing structure of a fly, or coloration variations in moths. These changes don’t affect the species as a whole, but do prove that genetic mutation is possible. Science has also found many fossils that suggest changes over time. There are fossil records of species that are no longer on earth that resemble species that are still here (Wieland 2). Science can speculate as to the relationship between the two based on the fossil evidence, but they cannot be absolutely certain. The fossil evidence is still compelling evidence for the theory of evolution. It does not, however, point to the original hypothesis that Charles Darwin had when he wrote Origin of the Species where he indicated that all creatures came from the same ancestors, but it does advocate for lower level evolutionary changes. These ideas should continue to be taught in schools because there is valid research and documented findings.
Intelligent design (ID) is also a valid theory that should be taught to our students. There are many theories inside the theory, but ultimately ID advocates believe that the complexity found in all living organisms is too great to have been caused by random selection and genetic drift. In addition, ID advocates believe that the origin of the universe and ultimately Earth had to have been caused by an outside agent or intelligence. In the past century, there has been a lot of light shed on this topic in the scientific community. In the 1920’s, William Hubble documented evidence that showed that while on its way to earth, light stretched, which pointed towards an expanding universe. Then in the 1960’s microwave background radiation was discovered, which set the Big Bang theory as the standard for the evolution of the universe and concluded that the universe had a beginning (Witt 3). It is important then to study what caused that beginning. Since we know that it would have been nearly impossible for it to happen as described by the Darwinian model of evolution, we must ask ourselves how the universe came to be? This question remains unanswered, but intelligent design is one very valid theory.
We can look at the different organisms that are here on earth to see if we can recognize intelligent design among them. One way to do this is to evaluate them between two theories of complexity, irreducible complexity and cumulative complexity. Irreducible complexity means that something is complex in that all of the elements that make it up are necessary in order for it to function. A good example of this would be a mousetrap. The hammer, spring, holding bar, catch, and platform are all needed in order for it to function. If one item is removed, it fails to perform the function it was designed to perform. Cumulative complexity means that something is complex, but any of the items that make it up could be removed and it would still function. A city would be a good example of this because if you continued to reduce its resources and people, it would still function as a community. So, if we test this theory with a simple organism such as a bacterial flagellum we would see that it contains many elements, including a whip-like motor with an acid-powered rotary engine, a stator, O-rings, bushings, and a drive shaft; included in this are 15 proteins, all of which are needed in order to function. Natural selection would only work in a cumulatively complex system, not an irreducibly complex one. Irreducibly complex systems indicate design (Dembski 8).
Still, some people believe that bringing intelligent design into the school system is just an attempt by Creationists to reintroduce religion. While it may be true that there are similarities between the two, one big difference is that creationism states that God created the heavens and the earth while intelligent design says that the earth was created, but we do not know by whom or what. Creationists are happy to embrace intelligent design because it doesn’t conflict with their beliefs, but it also doesn’t conflict with the beliefs of over 90% of the people in the United States. According to a general study in 1998, only 8.3% of Americans either don’t believe in a higher power, don’t know, or feel that there is no way to find out. Everyone else has some form of belief in something greater than they are (Utter 128). In a personal interview, Duane Cross, pastor of Hope Covenant Church put it this way, “it seems as if schools have jumped on the concept (intelligent design vs. evolution) only recently, but it is building. The more scientists discredit evolution, the more embolden Christian educators become. The doubts (evolution) and the belief (creationism) have always been there, but science itself is stirring the pot and is asking, ‘if not evolution, then what’ Christians are more than happy to raise their hands and say, ‘Teacher, I know the answer to that question.’”
Truthfully, the science of intelligent design is being completely overlooked because of the prejudices against Creationists. In part, this could be because there is generally a huge misunderstanding of what creationism really is. First off, “many people assume that Creationists are non-thinkers and anti-intellectual. Part of this is their fault for not engaging intellectually, but part is the assumption on the other side that they function only on blind faith” (Cross). The media exacerbates this misunderstanding because most of them still think that Creationists all believe in the basic 6000-year-old world with a 6-day creation. While some Creationists do hold this belief, it is far from the majority. There are many that don’t dispute scientist’s claims of an older Earth. In the English Standard Version of Genesis, God created the heavens and the earth all within the six days as stated by many, but then it goes on to say in Genesis 2:4, “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens” (ESV). As you can see, it uses the same word “day” in both the single days used for creation and the plural form encompassing the total time when everything was created. Also, in this section of the Bible, God created days one through three before He even created the sun, moon, or stars. So our day would not have been created yet and thus the meaning of “day” is completely up to interpretation. Day one could have been the 24-hour period that we usually think a day to mean or it could have been meant as a span of time. This flexibility in Genesis allows for evolution. The part of the theory that is really in question and has continued to stump evolutionists is the part that says you cannot create life from non-life (Cross). So the controversy between Creationists and Evolutionists strictly lies in how we came to be.
Intelligent design says that the earth was created by something or someone more intelligent than we are. It doesn’t discount genetic drift or species mutations offered by evolution, but it does take into account the appearance of design that is apparent in scientific research. Many scientists admit to the appearance of design and even say that everything is too complex to have come into being otherwise. According to Richard Dawkins, author of The Blind Watchmaker, “Biology is the study of complicated things that give the appearance of having been designed for a purpose” (Dembski 1). Since Evolutionists cannot prove the “primordial soup” theory and Creationists cannot prove the "6000 year-old earth" theory, maybe we can look at where the two meet.
However, many people contend that intelligent design is a new development and thus has not had enough scientific study to be valid. This is not a true statement though. The idea of intelligent design actually goes back to Socrates and Plato, and the term “intelligent design” as an alternative to blind evolution was used as early as 1897. At that time, Oxford scholar F.C.S Schiller wrote an essay in which he stated, “It will not be possible to rule out the supposition that the process of evolution be guided by intelligent design” (Witt 1). So, the debate between design and evolution actually started back then. In the past, science was always about finding truth around design. When Darwin first introduced his theories of evolution, his biggest adversaries were the official scientific establishment, while many of his supporters were clergymen (Midgely 23).
By teaching both evolution and intelligent design in schools we could promote scholarship without compromising people’s belief systems, or lack there of. As stated before, for the most part, people believe in something greater then themselves. A survey done by CBS in November of 2004 showed that 65% of all Americans favor the teaching of creation along with evolution (CBS 1). While intelligent design differs from creation in the sense that it does not ascribe the “who” of creation, it is clear that American’s want more information, not less. This could be accomplished by introducing additional text into the classrooms and allowing teachers to discuss differing theories around the issue. By allowing students and teachers to discuss the theories and controversies openly, we would enable them to actively learn and understand the whole scope of the issue. Students would be able to view it from all perspectives instead of the prescribed one. The only costs involved in the change would be in editing textbooks to include more information. Such a small cost would definitely be worth it since it would promote open discussion and active learning in our science classes. It would also require students to look at the theories themselves and make decisions based on the evidence presented.
Intelligent design seeks to explain a part of science that evolution has failed in explaining. That’s it. That’s where design ends. It explains the beginning. The thousands, millions, or billions of years that have passed since then are completely up to evolution to sort out. We can look at evolution and see what doesn’t make since, but we can also see what does. We can’t discount hundreds of years of scientific research on either side. As stated earlier, there are many things that science has unsuccessfully tried to prove with regards to evolution. Until these theories have some good evidence to support them, intelligent design is the most probable answer for the origin of species. Evolution and other scientific theories can then explain the remaining elements by filling in the gaps of history with documented evidence found thus far. This would give students a fuller understanding of science, life on this planet, and the history of earth, while also showing them that it is all still a learning process. Scientists have spent many years studying species, making claims, reevaluating hypotheses, and then making new claims. The age of the earth is continually changing. One scientist will claim to have found something that proves the earth is billions of years older than originally thought and then another will review that data and refute it. So, through these many years, one of the biggest truths discovered is how very little we all know. Science is ever changing, always learning, just as we are. A truth that is discovered today will be discarded tomorrow. Once we can get past the religious concepts of evolution and the prejudices against the ideas of intelligent design, our students can begin to really learn what science is about, the search for truth. The two adversaries, intelligent design and evolution, can co-exist and even help each other to discover new scientific truths in the future.
“Abiogenesis.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 11 Apr 2006, 20:03 UTC. 25 Apr. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abiogenesis&oldid=48003875>.
Cross, Duane. Email interview. 22 Mar. 2006
Darwin, Charles. The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. London: Penguin Classics, 1985.
Demski, William A."Science and Design.” 1998. First Things 86. 02 Feb. 2006
Geisler, Normal, and Ravi Zacharias. Who Made God? And Answers to Over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Good News Publishers. 03 Feb. 2006 <http://bible.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible>
Midgley, Mary. Evolution as a Religion: Strange Hopes and Stranger Fears (Revised Edition). Florence, KY, USA: Routledge, 2002. eLibrary. 1 February 2006. Path: Basic Search; Title.
Utter, Glenn H. and John W. Storey. The Religious Right: A Reference Handbook. 2nd ed. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2001. (BR526.U88 2001)
Wieland, Carl. “Book Review: The Beak of the Finch.” Answers in Genesis. 1995. 24 Apr. 2006.
Witt, Jonathan Ph.D. “The Origin of Intelligent Design.” Discovery Institute. 2006. 03 Feb. 2006 < command="view&id="3207">
“Poll: Creationism Trumps Evolution.” CBS News 22 Nov. 2004, CBS News Text. 24 Apr. 2006.
Imagine coming home to find your favorite dog lying dead in your backyard, blood running down one side of his head from what appears to be a bullet wound. So, you report it to the police and after one glace the officer tells you, “Maam, it looks like your dog died of natural causes…we have nothing left to investigate.” How would you feel? Confused, let down, baffled by what looks like obvious negligence on the part of the local police department? Would you fight the officer and ask him to explain why he wouldn’t investigate further, when there was an obvious outside cause for the death of your best friend? That is where a lot of Americans are today: confused, let down, and baffled by scientist’s obvious refusal to look at the facts regarding our origin of life. They seem to have a one-sided approach to their research and anything that falls outside the realm of what “they” deem acceptable research is sidestepped or fallaciously scoffed at.
For many scientists, evolution is the be all and end all of biological science. They hold it closely and lash out at anyone who asks questions that might take away from the validity of their precious viewpoints. This isn’t to say that they are completely wrong, but it is to say that when theories are placed so high up on a pedestal it makes them very difficult to analyze against other theories. This has also made it difficult for students in our current school system to learn anything outside of this box of what is appropriate and what is not. It places the scientific academic standard up there on that same pedestal. So the question then is, “what can we do about it?” Well, if we were to teach a valid evolutionary curriculum, while also including intelligent design and other legitimate scientific theories, we would enable our students to fully understand the complete realm of biological science as it is known today.
Continuing to teach evolution in our school system is not a negative thing. There are, however, some changes that need to be made to the textbooks in order for them to hold up to current scientific evidence. For example, there is the theory that all human life was created in what is known as the “primordial soup,” which basically means that amino acids were able to be synthesized by passing an electric spark through methane gas and thus creating the proteins needed to create life (Geisler 63). Many evolutionists still force-feed us this as if it were true, but there has been absolutely no scientific evidence supporting it. In fact, in order for life to be created in this fashion, 2000 different enzymes made out of amino acids would have had to come together by chance to make up the 10 to 20 amino acids needed to make up the proteins needed to create life. The odds of this happening are 1 to the 40,000th power. In English, that is a 10 with 40,000 zero’s following it. In science, anything with odds of 1 to the 50th power or higher is impossible. At this point, we still don’t have life; we just have the proteins needed to make life (Geisler 64). If by some chance this did happen it would be similar to saying the earth forms the sand and elements needed to make glass and metal, which are used to make a wrist watch. So, over time, through random selection and chance, a watch was formed. We know this is not true and we can look at the watch and see that it was made by someone to perform a certain function. It would have never come together on its own and been able to work in the precise way that it does.
There is also a problem when we look at the Second Law of Thermodynamics, which basically says that the organization of something left alone will decrease over time, not increase. If two systems are placed together, the two will even out. A good example of this would be heat transfer. If you put a cup of water outside in the sun the water’s temperature will rise, but not become hotter than the air surrounding it. Additionally, if you pour cold water in a cup of hot water, the water will decrease in temperature, not increase. This basically means that in order for abiogenesis (the theory that all life formed from non-life) to occur, some outside system had to add something to the mix; because if left alone, life would not become more organized over time it would become less so (“Abiogenesis” 2). So, if this theory is to continue to be taught in schools it should be known to students that it is unproven.
However, lower levels of evolution have been proven through mutations and slight variations. Examples of this would be the change in beak structure of a bird, wing structure of a fly, or coloration variations in moths. These changes don’t affect the species as a whole, but do prove that genetic mutation is possible. Science has also found many fossils that suggest changes over time. There are fossil records of species that are no longer on earth that resemble species that are still here (Wieland 2). Science can speculate as to the relationship between the two based on the fossil evidence, but they cannot be absolutely certain. The fossil evidence is still compelling evidence for the theory of evolution. It does not, however, point to the original hypothesis that Charles Darwin had when he wrote Origin of the Species where he indicated that all creatures came from the same ancestors, but it does advocate for lower level evolutionary changes. These ideas should continue to be taught in schools because there is valid research and documented findings.
Intelligent design (ID) is also a valid theory that should be taught to our students. There are many theories inside the theory, but ultimately ID advocates believe that the complexity found in all living organisms is too great to have been caused by random selection and genetic drift. In addition, ID advocates believe that the origin of the universe and ultimately Earth had to have been caused by an outside agent or intelligence. In the past century, there has been a lot of light shed on this topic in the scientific community. In the 1920’s, William Hubble documented evidence that showed that while on its way to earth, light stretched, which pointed towards an expanding universe. Then in the 1960’s microwave background radiation was discovered, which set the Big Bang theory as the standard for the evolution of the universe and concluded that the universe had a beginning (Witt 3). It is important then to study what caused that beginning. Since we know that it would have been nearly impossible for it to happen as described by the Darwinian model of evolution, we must ask ourselves how the universe came to be? This question remains unanswered, but intelligent design is one very valid theory.
We can look at the different organisms that are here on earth to see if we can recognize intelligent design among them. One way to do this is to evaluate them between two theories of complexity, irreducible complexity and cumulative complexity. Irreducible complexity means that something is complex in that all of the elements that make it up are necessary in order for it to function. A good example of this would be a mousetrap. The hammer, spring, holding bar, catch, and platform are all needed in order for it to function. If one item is removed, it fails to perform the function it was designed to perform. Cumulative complexity means that something is complex, but any of the items that make it up could be removed and it would still function. A city would be a good example of this because if you continued to reduce its resources and people, it would still function as a community. So, if we test this theory with a simple organism such as a bacterial flagellum we would see that it contains many elements, including a whip-like motor with an acid-powered rotary engine, a stator, O-rings, bushings, and a drive shaft; included in this are 15 proteins, all of which are needed in order to function. Natural selection would only work in a cumulatively complex system, not an irreducibly complex one. Irreducibly complex systems indicate design (Dembski 8).
Still, some people believe that bringing intelligent design into the school system is just an attempt by Creationists to reintroduce religion. While it may be true that there are similarities between the two, one big difference is that creationism states that God created the heavens and the earth while intelligent design says that the earth was created, but we do not know by whom or what. Creationists are happy to embrace intelligent design because it doesn’t conflict with their beliefs, but it also doesn’t conflict with the beliefs of over 90% of the people in the United States. According to a general study in 1998, only 8.3% of Americans either don’t believe in a higher power, don’t know, or feel that there is no way to find out. Everyone else has some form of belief in something greater than they are (Utter 128). In a personal interview, Duane Cross, pastor of Hope Covenant Church put it this way, “it seems as if schools have jumped on the concept (intelligent design vs. evolution) only recently, but it is building. The more scientists discredit evolution, the more embolden Christian educators become. The doubts (evolution) and the belief (creationism) have always been there, but science itself is stirring the pot and is asking, ‘if not evolution, then what’ Christians are more than happy to raise their hands and say, ‘Teacher, I know the answer to that question.’”
Truthfully, the science of intelligent design is being completely overlooked because of the prejudices against Creationists. In part, this could be because there is generally a huge misunderstanding of what creationism really is. First off, “many people assume that Creationists are non-thinkers and anti-intellectual. Part of this is their fault for not engaging intellectually, but part is the assumption on the other side that they function only on blind faith” (Cross). The media exacerbates this misunderstanding because most of them still think that Creationists all believe in the basic 6000-year-old world with a 6-day creation. While some Creationists do hold this belief, it is far from the majority. There are many that don’t dispute scientist’s claims of an older Earth. In the English Standard Version of Genesis, God created the heavens and the earth all within the six days as stated by many, but then it goes on to say in Genesis 2:4, “These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens” (ESV). As you can see, it uses the same word “day” in both the single days used for creation and the plural form encompassing the total time when everything was created. Also, in this section of the Bible, God created days one through three before He even created the sun, moon, or stars. So our day would not have been created yet and thus the meaning of “day” is completely up to interpretation. Day one could have been the 24-hour period that we usually think a day to mean or it could have been meant as a span of time. This flexibility in Genesis allows for evolution. The part of the theory that is really in question and has continued to stump evolutionists is the part that says you cannot create life from non-life (Cross). So the controversy between Creationists and Evolutionists strictly lies in how we came to be.
Intelligent design says that the earth was created by something or someone more intelligent than we are. It doesn’t discount genetic drift or species mutations offered by evolution, but it does take into account the appearance of design that is apparent in scientific research. Many scientists admit to the appearance of design and even say that everything is too complex to have come into being otherwise. According to Richard Dawkins, author of The Blind Watchmaker, “Biology is the study of complicated things that give the appearance of having been designed for a purpose” (Dembski 1). Since Evolutionists cannot prove the “primordial soup” theory and Creationists cannot prove the "6000 year-old earth" theory, maybe we can look at where the two meet.
However, many people contend that intelligent design is a new development and thus has not had enough scientific study to be valid. This is not a true statement though. The idea of intelligent design actually goes back to Socrates and Plato, and the term “intelligent design” as an alternative to blind evolution was used as early as 1897. At that time, Oxford scholar F.C.S Schiller wrote an essay in which he stated, “It will not be possible to rule out the supposition that the process of evolution be guided by intelligent design” (Witt 1). So, the debate between design and evolution actually started back then. In the past, science was always about finding truth around design. When Darwin first introduced his theories of evolution, his biggest adversaries were the official scientific establishment, while many of his supporters were clergymen (Midgely 23).
By teaching both evolution and intelligent design in schools we could promote scholarship without compromising people’s belief systems, or lack there of. As stated before, for the most part, people believe in something greater then themselves. A survey done by CBS in November of 2004 showed that 65% of all Americans favor the teaching of creation along with evolution (CBS 1). While intelligent design differs from creation in the sense that it does not ascribe the “who” of creation, it is clear that American’s want more information, not less. This could be accomplished by introducing additional text into the classrooms and allowing teachers to discuss differing theories around the issue. By allowing students and teachers to discuss the theories and controversies openly, we would enable them to actively learn and understand the whole scope of the issue. Students would be able to view it from all perspectives instead of the prescribed one. The only costs involved in the change would be in editing textbooks to include more information. Such a small cost would definitely be worth it since it would promote open discussion and active learning in our science classes. It would also require students to look at the theories themselves and make decisions based on the evidence presented.
Intelligent design seeks to explain a part of science that evolution has failed in explaining. That’s it. That’s where design ends. It explains the beginning. The thousands, millions, or billions of years that have passed since then are completely up to evolution to sort out. We can look at evolution and see what doesn’t make since, but we can also see what does. We can’t discount hundreds of years of scientific research on either side. As stated earlier, there are many things that science has unsuccessfully tried to prove with regards to evolution. Until these theories have some good evidence to support them, intelligent design is the most probable answer for the origin of species. Evolution and other scientific theories can then explain the remaining elements by filling in the gaps of history with documented evidence found thus far. This would give students a fuller understanding of science, life on this planet, and the history of earth, while also showing them that it is all still a learning process. Scientists have spent many years studying species, making claims, reevaluating hypotheses, and then making new claims. The age of the earth is continually changing. One scientist will claim to have found something that proves the earth is billions of years older than originally thought and then another will review that data and refute it. So, through these many years, one of the biggest truths discovered is how very little we all know. Science is ever changing, always learning, just as we are. A truth that is discovered today will be discarded tomorrow. Once we can get past the religious concepts of evolution and the prejudices against the ideas of intelligent design, our students can begin to really learn what science is about, the search for truth. The two adversaries, intelligent design and evolution, can co-exist and even help each other to discover new scientific truths in the future.
“Abiogenesis.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 11 Apr 2006, 20:03 UTC. 25 Apr. 2006 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abiogenesis&oldid=48003875>.
Cross, Duane. Email interview. 22 Mar. 2006
Darwin, Charles. The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. London: Penguin Classics, 1985.
Demski, William A."Science and Design.” 1998. First Things 86. 02 Feb. 2006
Geisler, Normal, and Ravi Zacharias. Who Made God? And Answers to Over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Good News Publishers. 03 Feb. 2006 <http://bible.crosswalk.com/OnlineStudyBible>
Midgley, Mary. Evolution as a Religion: Strange Hopes and Stranger Fears (Revised Edition). Florence, KY, USA: Routledge, 2002. eLibrary. 1 February 2006
Utter, Glenn H. and John W. Storey. The Religious Right: A Reference Handbook. 2nd ed. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2001. (BR526.U88 2001)
Wieland, Carl. “Book Review: The Beak of the Finch.” Answers in Genesis. 1995. 24 Apr. 2006
Witt, Jonathan Ph.D. “The Origin of Intelligent Design.” Discovery Institute. 2006. 03 Feb. 2006 < command="view&id="3207">
“Poll: Creationism Trumps Evolution.” CBS News 22 Nov. 2004, CBS News Text. 24 Apr. 2006
Monday, September 14, 2009
Baby news!
Well...we are into week 14 and get to have an ultrasound in 2 more weeks. I am seriously looking pregnant now. What a blessing!
Something interesting...
I decided tonight, that since I am spending a decent amount of time reading the bible lately, that I should try to begin to memorize some of it. I started with the beginning. In doing this, I came across something that struck me as interesting. I have seen this before and wondered about it, but my dinner conversation tonight with our boys made me think a little more about it. We were talking about God and how he is also Jesus and the Holy Spirit. That they are one. I explained to them that they can kind of relate it to ourselves in that we are a body, mind, and spirit. That these are all part of the whole, but are still separate. That after we die, our spirit is still alive, but our body dies. So then, later this evening, I started reading Genesis and it was odd how it made me understand the trinity a little more without even talking about it. So, Genesis begins with:
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Here, it says the earth was formless and empty. Yet, the earth as we know it is a round planet orbiting in space. So anyway, Genesis continues with:
3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day.
Now this is very interesting because it doesn't say that God created the Sun, the moon, and the stars and there was light. It only says that He created light and separated it from the darkness. Yet, somehow, there was evening and morning which equaled the first day. You may say that whoever wrote Genesis just left that part out, but wait...lets look ahead to day 4.
14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day.
So, we have two whole days devoted to creating light. The first is just the light...the second is the explaination for the light. Notice that, there was evening and there was morning on day two just as there was on day four. There was, however, no sun on day two to rise in the morning to show that it was morning. Yet, it was still morning. Alright, I hope you are following me here. Now...lets go back to that earth thing. Here is a little more of the Genesis poem in action:
6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day.
9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning--the third day.
So, days 2-3 are devoted to giving form to the earth, yet there was still earth on day one before what we would define earth as existed. This is a great explaination of how God is outside of our rules. He created the rules. So, the question of how can God be God, man, and spirit all at the same time is easily answered when you see that this same being can create light without a source, the earth without a form, evening and morning without anything to differentiate them, and thousands of lifeforms with a few words. When you aren't playing Monopoly, do you still pass Go and collect $200? No...those are the rules for Monopoly. Just because a certain rule applies to life for us, doesn't mean that it applies to Him. He is outside of time, He sees all things, He knows all things, He made all things.
1Co 2:11
For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
Isa 55:8
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.
Job 11:7-9
7 "Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? 8 They are higher than the heavens--what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave--what can you know? 9 Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Here, it says the earth was formless and empty. Yet, the earth as we know it is a round planet orbiting in space. So anyway, Genesis continues with:
3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning--the first day.
Now this is very interesting because it doesn't say that God created the Sun, the moon, and the stars and there was light. It only says that He created light and separated it from the darkness. Yet, somehow, there was evening and morning which equaled the first day. You may say that whoever wrote Genesis just left that part out, but wait...lets look ahead to day 4.
14 And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 God made two great lights--the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening, and there was morning--the fourth day.
So, we have two whole days devoted to creating light. The first is just the light...the second is the explaination for the light. Notice that, there was evening and there was morning on day two just as there was on day four. There was, however, no sun on day two to rise in the morning to show that it was morning. Yet, it was still morning. Alright, I hope you are following me here. Now...lets go back to that earth thing. Here is a little more of the Genesis poem in action:
6 And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse "sky." And there was evening, and there was morning--the second day.
9 And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning--the third day.
So, days 2-3 are devoted to giving form to the earth, yet there was still earth on day one before what we would define earth as existed. This is a great explaination of how God is outside of our rules. He created the rules. So, the question of how can God be God, man, and spirit all at the same time is easily answered when you see that this same being can create light without a source, the earth without a form, evening and morning without anything to differentiate them, and thousands of lifeforms with a few words. When you aren't playing Monopoly, do you still pass Go and collect $200? No...those are the rules for Monopoly. Just because a certain rule applies to life for us, doesn't mean that it applies to Him. He is outside of time, He sees all things, He knows all things, He made all things.
1Co 2:11
For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man's spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
Isa 55:8
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.
Job 11:7-9
7 "Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? 8 They are higher than the heavens--what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave--what can you know? 9 Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea.
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