DateLine (1/31/07 – Nanuet, NY)
The appointment is 7:00 on Saturday night. Two back to back session s of Andy Griffith on WFBC TV4. I realize that appointment TV is a little old fashioned in the Ti-Vo age, but Saturday night normally is downtime for me anyway. Besides, I don’t have Ti-Vo. Generally I’m not that much into TV now but there is something relaxing about sharing this time with my friends from Mayberry; Andy, Barney, Goober, Floyd, and the gang. Occasionally after Andy Griffith goes off I’ll flip over to public TV and watch Lawrence Welk returns. In my video library I have DVDs of 50s TV icons like Ozzie and Harriet and 60s TV like Dragnet.
Now I’m fully aware that some of you have no idea about some of the shows that I’ve referring to. If you’ll go to either Google, YouTube, or Wikipedia you can get the rundown on some of these classics. What is it about these shows some 40-50 years after they originally aired that entice me to devout valuable time to watch. The only conclusion that I can draw is that they bridge me back to a time during the innocence of childhood. These shows imprinted me at a time when life was easy. For me it’s an escape of sorts, a time when now in the middle of a complex time starved life I can retreat almost instantly into an idyllic state of mind; an oasis in time.
It’s not the escapism that I wish to emphasize but the power of imprinting. I’ve read stories and have seen documentaries on television where newborn animals are fooled into thinking that a female of another species is their mother when the other species is the first thing that they see. This phenomenon is so powerful that it can alter the laws of nature. What’s the point? As Christians we have an amazing opportunity to imprint our world. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus calls it being “salt and light.” We literally can be a conduit between people and God. We can be the bridge that people cross for the first time to reach an idyllic life; the Christian life. Idyllic is not defined as the world defines it; but when viewed from the perspective of eternity there is nothing like it. This bridge is not an escape backward like my TV watching, but a leap forward to a time in the future when we will literally reign like Kings. There have been countless saints who have profoundly influenced my life; some aware of their effect and some not; school teachers, pastors, Sunday School teachers, friends, family, work mates, and fellow parishioners.
I saw one of the most influential pastors of our time being interviewed on television during the holidays. He told the interviewer that at one time He considered becoming a politician. After careful examination he determined that politicians were not influential enough in our society; hence not worthy of the life commitment. He deduced that the most influential positions in the society were those that were changing the culture; at the time he observed that to be movie starts and musicians. At some point God impressed him that pastoring a church presented an opportunity to radically alter the culture. He committed his life’s journey toward that end. Now I’m not saying each of us should aspire to be a pastor; that’s for you and God to determine. But I am saying that each of us have a tremendous opportunity to influence people right where we live, work and play. The truth is you’re imprinting someone whether you know it or know; either positively or negatively.
Our challenge is simple. Go forth and make a positive imprint. It’s a bridge to eternity.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Haunting Flaws
I can’t escape them. They confront me every day of my life. When I walk into the room I cringe. There for all to see are my flaws fully exposed. I can’t avoid them, the room is fundamental to daily existence. Nobody likes to have their flaws on display but sometimes it’s unavoidable. When I was 25 years old, I built the kitchen cabinets that are in our kitchen. I had tackled minor woodworking projects before but never anything of this magnitude. So I learned to build kitchen cabinets in my kitchen; literally. I transported borrowed power tools from my Dad’s shop to what is now the dining room portion of the kitchen of the house that Harriett and I were building and began the process, by trial and error, of constructing kitchen cabinets from scratch.
Unfortunately a by-product of my do-it-yourself project is intimate knowledge of every flaw; major and minor. The typical observer may not even see them but I do. Every little flaw screams at me as I pass by; Ha! Ha! Ha! – look at what you did. I’m haunted by their existence. Oh, I’ve learned to cope with them; some days are better than others. While I do acknowledge their existence I will not point them out to you. You’ve have to discover them for yourself, I’m not going to facilitate my humiliation.
While it’s true that I may be overhyping my deeply felt dissatisfaction with my handiwork, it has parallels with a spiritual condition that exists in each of us. Unfortunately, regardless of personal faith in God or spiritual maturity, we all suffer the flaws of a fallen sin nature. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9. Our condition is genetic; we inherited them from our ancestors. Try as we would to ignore, control, suppress, hide or cure them, we cannot rid ourselves of them. We brought them into the world with us and we live with them our entire existence. They humble us and humiliate us. They are an inextricable part of our humanity.
There are several major differences in my woodworking flaws and my spiritual flaws. I could tear out the cabinets and start over with better skills; erasing any evidence of their existence. We cannot so easily deal with our sin nature. Paul lamented, ”For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will.” Romans 7:18-19. If Paul couldn’t outrun his nature we don’t have a prayer. I could excuse my woodworking prowess by feigning lack of experience; but there is no excuse for our spiritual shortcomings. “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Romans 1:20
But here’s the best part; God gives us provisions for coping. In the short term “if we confess our [flaws] He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.” 1 John 1:9. In eternity as Christians we can be comforted in this life that at our personal judgment day at the end of our life He will permanently deal with the problem. While I cannot conceal the flaws in my handiwork or in my life, God has promised me that when it counts the most He will rebuild me with a new body; flawless to the core. “He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body. . . “ Phil. 3:21
Haunted by your flaws? "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18.
Unfortunately a by-product of my do-it-yourself project is intimate knowledge of every flaw; major and minor. The typical observer may not even see them but I do. Every little flaw screams at me as I pass by; Ha! Ha! Ha! – look at what you did. I’m haunted by their existence. Oh, I’ve learned to cope with them; some days are better than others. While I do acknowledge their existence I will not point them out to you. You’ve have to discover them for yourself, I’m not going to facilitate my humiliation.
While it’s true that I may be overhyping my deeply felt dissatisfaction with my handiwork, it has parallels with a spiritual condition that exists in each of us. Unfortunately, regardless of personal faith in God or spiritual maturity, we all suffer the flaws of a fallen sin nature. “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9. Our condition is genetic; we inherited them from our ancestors. Try as we would to ignore, control, suppress, hide or cure them, we cannot rid ourselves of them. We brought them into the world with us and we live with them our entire existence. They humble us and humiliate us. They are an inextricable part of our humanity.
There are several major differences in my woodworking flaws and my spiritual flaws. I could tear out the cabinets and start over with better skills; erasing any evidence of their existence. We cannot so easily deal with our sin nature. Paul lamented, ”For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will.” Romans 7:18-19. If Paul couldn’t outrun his nature we don’t have a prayer. I could excuse my woodworking prowess by feigning lack of experience; but there is no excuse for our spiritual shortcomings. “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” Romans 1:20
But here’s the best part; God gives us provisions for coping. In the short term “if we confess our [flaws] He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins.” 1 John 1:9. In eternity as Christians we can be comforted in this life that at our personal judgment day at the end of our life He will permanently deal with the problem. While I cannot conceal the flaws in my handiwork or in my life, God has promised me that when it counts the most He will rebuild me with a new body; flawless to the core. “He will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body. . . “ Phil. 3:21
Haunted by your flaws? "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Isaiah 1:18.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Let the Chips Fly
DateLine (1/17/07 – Nanuet, NY)
A few weeks back during a wind storm one of the trees in the woods behind my house fell into my neighbor’s yard. Since it was my tree, I felt responsible to remove the debris. This past Saturday Kyle and I pulled out my old chainsaw, adjusted the chain, filled it with gas and oil, and headed over to clean up the mess. Before cranking up the chainsaw I took a look at the chain to determine if it was sharp enough to get the job done. As far as I could tell it was in good shape. But my experience with chainsaws has taught me that you can’t always tell by touch and sight whether a chainsaw chain will get the job done. I’ve laid into a tree only to find myself cutting sideways when a chain was over sharpened on one side.
On this day, I fired up the saw, moved toward the downed tree, and dropped the bar against it. As it sliced into the horizontal trunk like a steak knife in hot butter, it threw out a steady stream of long well formed chips. The only way to tell if a chainsaw chain is up to the task is to try it out and observe the results. A sharp chain kicks out a long steady stream of uniform chips.
The church has a similar challenge. It is possible to look like a Christian; one can even sound like a Christian. It is possible to impersonate a Christian such that it’s near impossible to tell if someone is an imposter or the genuine article. As a matter of fact, Jesus warns us against trying, We are encouraged to leave it up to God to judge one’s faith and sincerity. But the Bible does give us some very strong clues. It’s a lot like my experience with the chain saw. One of the primary purposes of the church, and therefore church members, is to share the Gospel with our contemporaries. Jesus warned us in the Sermon on the Mount that those who tout themselves as Christians, especially setting themselves up as church leaders, but seem to be interested in everything but spreading the Gospel, are probably not worth the DVD that their image is recorded on. It’s like a fruit tree that doesn’t bear fruit. The inward condition of a person will be evident in the “fruit” that they produce for the Kingdom of God.
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers. Luke 7:15-23
While it’s not a recommended practice to set ourselves up as judge of others, God gives us this tool so that we can discern leadership that may try to lead us astray. If you have questions about the sharpness of a chainsaw, put it to the test and see what the chips look like. If you have a question about those who set themselves up as church leaders; inspect their “fruit.”
A few weeks back during a wind storm one of the trees in the woods behind my house fell into my neighbor’s yard. Since it was my tree, I felt responsible to remove the debris. This past Saturday Kyle and I pulled out my old chainsaw, adjusted the chain, filled it with gas and oil, and headed over to clean up the mess. Before cranking up the chainsaw I took a look at the chain to determine if it was sharp enough to get the job done. As far as I could tell it was in good shape. But my experience with chainsaws has taught me that you can’t always tell by touch and sight whether a chainsaw chain will get the job done. I’ve laid into a tree only to find myself cutting sideways when a chain was over sharpened on one side.
On this day, I fired up the saw, moved toward the downed tree, and dropped the bar against it. As it sliced into the horizontal trunk like a steak knife in hot butter, it threw out a steady stream of long well formed chips. The only way to tell if a chainsaw chain is up to the task is to try it out and observe the results. A sharp chain kicks out a long steady stream of uniform chips.
The church has a similar challenge. It is possible to look like a Christian; one can even sound like a Christian. It is possible to impersonate a Christian such that it’s near impossible to tell if someone is an imposter or the genuine article. As a matter of fact, Jesus warns us against trying, We are encouraged to leave it up to God to judge one’s faith and sincerity. But the Bible does give us some very strong clues. It’s a lot like my experience with the chain saw. One of the primary purposes of the church, and therefore church members, is to share the Gospel with our contemporaries. Jesus warned us in the Sermon on the Mount that those who tout themselves as Christians, especially setting themselves up as church leaders, but seem to be interested in everything but spreading the Gospel, are probably not worth the DVD that their image is recorded on. It’s like a fruit tree that doesn’t bear fruit. The inward condition of a person will be evident in the “fruit” that they produce for the Kingdom of God.
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers. Luke 7:15-23
While it’s not a recommended practice to set ourselves up as judge of others, God gives us this tool so that we can discern leadership that may try to lead us astray. If you have questions about the sharpness of a chainsaw, put it to the test and see what the chips look like. If you have a question about those who set themselves up as church leaders; inspect their “fruit.”
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Digital Death Spiral
DateLine (1/10/07 - Nanuet, NY)
Seems like I was spending more and more time waiting for computers to boot up, browsers to render websites, and applications to launch. What happened to those zippy new computers that I removed from their original boxes just months ago? Over the holiday weekend I spent too much time in front of multiple computers healing them from the “digital death spiral;” removing old unused programs, deleting unused files, defragmenting files systems, updated spyware, tweaking firewalls, updating antivirus defenses.
It didn’t happen overnight but steadily occurred over a period of time. I probably could have stemmed the tide by paying more attention to routine recommended maintenance practices, but, hey, computers are made to improve our lives making us more productive and to make life easier. Who wants to spend their time “under the hood” doing maintenance on the things. My motto is boot up, log on, and surf away.
The sad reality of these enablers of modern living is that their finest moment is in their finely tuned pristine state right out of the box. From that day on, they frustrate the user by continuously degraded performance. The more programs we load, web sites we visit, emails we open, and files we download, the more de-tuned the beast becomes; finally succumbing to the “digital death spiral.” I’ve seen computers in such bad shape that it takes 10-15 minutes just to boot up. What originally was a state of the art speed demon now plucks along like someone had poured molasses into the case. Eventually it gets to the point where we only have two choices; get rid of it or rebuild it. Defensive use and routine maintenance will prolong the inevitable but the system will eventually succumb to the spiral; if for no other reason than the latest operating system or monster application which requires more raw computer power than is contained in the system.
My holiday choice was to nurse my systems back to health by performing some much needed maintenance. Whatever the choice, it’s typically not a quick fix; many times requiring hours of time invested. Aren’t you amazed at the similarities between our own personnel predicament and the computers that “we” have created. One could argue that our finest moment is the first day of our life. We were cute, cuddly, soft, and innocent as proud parents gleefully introduced us to our new “home.” Unfortunately we began our own death spiral on the day of our birth.
Our physical death spiral is undeniable; the aging process takes it toll over the course of our life and it irreversible. It’s fascinating that we will spend literally billions of dollars to decelerate the aging process which in the big picture has minimal effect. Equally fascinating is the natural downward spiral of our spiritual lives. The more sin that we’re exposed to, the more tainted entertainment that we view, and the deeper we allow ourselves to be drawn into unhealthy lifestyles the more we fall short of our own personal potential that was so celebrated at our birth and the more estranged we are from a source of nourishment for our souls.
Unlike our physical death march, I’m happy to report that our spiritual journey does not have to be a downward spiral. Much like a good computer maintenance strategy; i.e. don’t load more programs than you have to, keep spyware up-to-date, keep antivirus up-to-date, be cautious about emails that we open, and be cautious about web sites that we visit; we can make positive steps to insure that our spiritual journey is an upward spiral. Those positive steps involve submitting ourselves to our creator and recognizing Him as Savior and Lord. Only God himself can shield us from spiritual death. Where do we start? Let me show you a little bit of God’s soul maintenance routines.
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Want to “coo” like a new born baby. Put your soul in the hands of the Master today.
Seems like I was spending more and more time waiting for computers to boot up, browsers to render websites, and applications to launch. What happened to those zippy new computers that I removed from their original boxes just months ago? Over the holiday weekend I spent too much time in front of multiple computers healing them from the “digital death spiral;” removing old unused programs, deleting unused files, defragmenting files systems, updated spyware, tweaking firewalls, updating antivirus defenses.
It didn’t happen overnight but steadily occurred over a period of time. I probably could have stemmed the tide by paying more attention to routine recommended maintenance practices, but, hey, computers are made to improve our lives making us more productive and to make life easier. Who wants to spend their time “under the hood” doing maintenance on the things. My motto is boot up, log on, and surf away.
The sad reality of these enablers of modern living is that their finest moment is in their finely tuned pristine state right out of the box. From that day on, they frustrate the user by continuously degraded performance. The more programs we load, web sites we visit, emails we open, and files we download, the more de-tuned the beast becomes; finally succumbing to the “digital death spiral.” I’ve seen computers in such bad shape that it takes 10-15 minutes just to boot up. What originally was a state of the art speed demon now plucks along like someone had poured molasses into the case. Eventually it gets to the point where we only have two choices; get rid of it or rebuild it. Defensive use and routine maintenance will prolong the inevitable but the system will eventually succumb to the spiral; if for no other reason than the latest operating system or monster application which requires more raw computer power than is contained in the system.
My holiday choice was to nurse my systems back to health by performing some much needed maintenance. Whatever the choice, it’s typically not a quick fix; many times requiring hours of time invested. Aren’t you amazed at the similarities between our own personnel predicament and the computers that “we” have created. One could argue that our finest moment is the first day of our life. We were cute, cuddly, soft, and innocent as proud parents gleefully introduced us to our new “home.” Unfortunately we began our own death spiral on the day of our birth.
Our physical death spiral is undeniable; the aging process takes it toll over the course of our life and it irreversible. It’s fascinating that we will spend literally billions of dollars to decelerate the aging process which in the big picture has minimal effect. Equally fascinating is the natural downward spiral of our spiritual lives. The more sin that we’re exposed to, the more tainted entertainment that we view, and the deeper we allow ourselves to be drawn into unhealthy lifestyles the more we fall short of our own personal potential that was so celebrated at our birth and the more estranged we are from a source of nourishment for our souls.
Unlike our physical death march, I’m happy to report that our spiritual journey does not have to be a downward spiral. Much like a good computer maintenance strategy; i.e. don’t load more programs than you have to, keep spyware up-to-date, keep antivirus up-to-date, be cautious about emails that we open, and be cautious about web sites that we visit; we can make positive steps to insure that our spiritual journey is an upward spiral. Those positive steps involve submitting ourselves to our creator and recognizing Him as Savior and Lord. Only God himself can shield us from spiritual death. Where do we start? Let me show you a little bit of God’s soul maintenance routines.
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31
"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. Isaiah 1:18
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16
Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Psalm 51:7
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Want to “coo” like a new born baby. Put your soul in the hands of the Master today.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Some Disassembly Required
DateLine (1/3/07 - Nanuet, NY)
I’ve shared with you before that when I was young I liked to take things apart. I was fascinated by the “secrets” that existed deep within anything electronic or mechanical. Unfortunately I did not always get the “thing” back together. It was a whole lot more exciting to tear it apart than it was to put it back together. All too often I’d break it while trying to disassemble it; patience was not one of my virtues. Sometimes brute force is the “quickest” way to achieve the result, especially if the objective is short-sighted. My reputation within the family was to hide my “activities” in a shoebox full of leftover parts. But I can tell you this, I learned a lot about how things worked.
While in my “discovery” phase there was a by-product to my penchant for disassembly. I realized that by examining these wonderful inventions and appliances of modern living I was learning something about the engineers, designers, and assemblers of these devices. Shoddy design, materials or workmanship could not be hidden as the guts of the devices were laid bare. On the other hand an excellent design could be compromised by shoddy craftsmanship in fabrication and assembly (i.e. loose bolts, misaligned parts, etc.) Some designs were so simple in concept yet valuable in application that they screamed elegance. The complexity of some devices reflected the genius of the person who conceived the design. The ingenuity and creativity of the repair person was sometimes evident. My father inherited my grandfather’s garden tractor after his passing. The tractor was literally being held together by bobby pins. At some point a critical electrical component had failed and my grandfather had repaired it from components snatched from my grandmother’s dresser. Resourcefulness is a great virtue in the country.
The greatest “engineer”, “designer”, and “assembler” of them all has laid out His handiwork before us and implicitly requested that it be examined. Psalms 19:1 states, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Much like my childhood experience all of us have a wonderful opportunity to learn about God through nature. Nothing has received more scrutiny by humans than this natural world that we call home. This complex and wonderful world screams of the handiwork of God. Some of God’s characteristics can’t be directly examined. "God's eternal power and character cannot be seen. But from the beginning of creation, God has shown what these are like by all he has made. That's why those people don't have any excuse. They know about God, but they don't honor him or even thank him" (Romans 1:20, 21). The crowning creative achievement of God is man himself; created in the image of God. In spite of mortal flaw called sin we see the faint image of a loving benevolent God in ourselves.
To really get to know God you have to get beyond a casual glance at an amazing sunset. We can’t begin to appreciate the nuance of the complexities of creation, and therefore the wonderment of the creator, until we get up close and personal. We won’t appreciate the image of God until we stare deep into the souls of his creation to see His reflection. This only comes through forging deep interpersonal relationships with other people. To really get to know God, “some ‘disassembly’ is required.”
Go ahead, look for yourself. Don’t worry yourself about the fallout of “disassembling” God; even if you could “literally” take God apart, He’d never fit in a shoebox.
I’ve shared with you before that when I was young I liked to take things apart. I was fascinated by the “secrets” that existed deep within anything electronic or mechanical. Unfortunately I did not always get the “thing” back together. It was a whole lot more exciting to tear it apart than it was to put it back together. All too often I’d break it while trying to disassemble it; patience was not one of my virtues. Sometimes brute force is the “quickest” way to achieve the result, especially if the objective is short-sighted. My reputation within the family was to hide my “activities” in a shoebox full of leftover parts. But I can tell you this, I learned a lot about how things worked.
While in my “discovery” phase there was a by-product to my penchant for disassembly. I realized that by examining these wonderful inventions and appliances of modern living I was learning something about the engineers, designers, and assemblers of these devices. Shoddy design, materials or workmanship could not be hidden as the guts of the devices were laid bare. On the other hand an excellent design could be compromised by shoddy craftsmanship in fabrication and assembly (i.e. loose bolts, misaligned parts, etc.) Some designs were so simple in concept yet valuable in application that they screamed elegance. The complexity of some devices reflected the genius of the person who conceived the design. The ingenuity and creativity of the repair person was sometimes evident. My father inherited my grandfather’s garden tractor after his passing. The tractor was literally being held together by bobby pins. At some point a critical electrical component had failed and my grandfather had repaired it from components snatched from my grandmother’s dresser. Resourcefulness is a great virtue in the country.
The greatest “engineer”, “designer”, and “assembler” of them all has laid out His handiwork before us and implicitly requested that it be examined. Psalms 19:1 states, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” Much like my childhood experience all of us have a wonderful opportunity to learn about God through nature. Nothing has received more scrutiny by humans than this natural world that we call home. This complex and wonderful world screams of the handiwork of God. Some of God’s characteristics can’t be directly examined. "God's eternal power and character cannot be seen. But from the beginning of creation, God has shown what these are like by all he has made. That's why those people don't have any excuse. They know about God, but they don't honor him or even thank him" (Romans 1:20, 21). The crowning creative achievement of God is man himself; created in the image of God. In spite of mortal flaw called sin we see the faint image of a loving benevolent God in ourselves.
To really get to know God you have to get beyond a casual glance at an amazing sunset. We can’t begin to appreciate the nuance of the complexities of creation, and therefore the wonderment of the creator, until we get up close and personal. We won’t appreciate the image of God until we stare deep into the souls of his creation to see His reflection. This only comes through forging deep interpersonal relationships with other people. To really get to know God, “some ‘disassembly’ is required.”
Go ahead, look for yourself. Don’t worry yourself about the fallout of “disassembling” God; even if you could “literally” take God apart, He’d never fit in a shoebox.
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