He gave it all.

Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened. (Genesis 1:29-30 NLT)

Of course one of the most well known scriptures in the Bible is John 3:16. For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, that whosever .........

But Genesis and the creation story is right there. For God so loved the world that he created it all just for us! 

The world is falling apart. Endorsement of all types of sin is the norm and not the exception in our society. Attacks on followers of Christ are increasing. People will dissappoint you. You will dissappoint those you love. God still loves us. He loves me so much he gave his son and he created life just for me. 

Even though life is not always fair. Stress and trial by fire is a fact of life. I can always count on the love of Christ. People will let you down. I will let down those that love me. God will never let us down. He is the same today as he was yesterday and will be the same forever. I praise God for his wondeful love. I don't deserve it, but I am forever thankful for his mercy and grace.

God knows why and I'm okay with that!

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 NIV)

A group of men is playing a game of poker in a restaurant back room. As one man looks at his cards, he knows he has an unbeatable hand and will be a rich man when he lays down those cards and wins the huge pot in the center of the table. Unknown to that man, however, a fighter pilot in training has just ejected from his plane, and the plane is hurtling toward that restaurant. The man will not even get to play the hand. (Copied from 21 day extract of the Once-A-Day Devotional for Men for everyday inspiration, Zondervan Publisher)

We have this wonderful illusion we are in control of everything around us. Nonbelievers and believers act the same. We make plans, we schedule, and we fill our lives with stuff. But, we are guided by the one who created it all. Yes, he has given us free will. He let's us dig our own graves. He let's us cause our own stress, but the master plan is his alone. It's been that way from the beginning and it will be that way until the end. 

This summer I laid the best vacation plans of all time. I spent countless hours this winter, baracaded inside my house, preparing this wonderful trip. We left on a beautiful summer day filled with great expectation. God had different plans, the trip lasted about 36 hours. Stephanie fractured her elbow. The vacation never happened. God knows why and I'm ok with that! I don't need to know because I knew when I turned my life over to him, he didn't owe me explanations. He didn't have to reveal his plans to me. All I had to do was trust him and I do! Like most Christians I have asked God "Why?" But the older I get, the more I have seen how his plan truly leads to better things. I'm less likely, now, to ask why. He knows and that's good enough for me.

Praise God for his wonderful plan for my life. I renew my trust in him and turn all my plans over to him. He is the creator of the universe, he knows best, and I will not question or doubt his love for me. I will not question my path, but enjoy every moment that I get to be apart of his marvelous plan.

Ginormous!

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, (Psalm 8:3 NIV)

I'm not really sure "ginormous" is a word. But, Words can not describe the enormity of God. The psalmist tries. To consider God's fingers creating the heavens and placing all the billions of stars is incomprehensible. On a clear moonlit night its like we can touch the moon or reach the stars. God has done both. Then take it a step further, he has done these great things and yet he loves US! He desires US! He has created all these things for US! Dwell on it! The cells of our body, the atom, it's nucleus, its energy, the vastness of space, are all mysteries. But, the greatest of all mysteries, why he loves us? Why he longs for us? 

Praise God for the work of his hands, the delicate but powerful fingers that have the skill to create all things. I love you Lord and worship you! You are amazing and wonderful beyond all words!

I am not the creator of the Sun!

Acts 3

 ¹¹ While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade. ¹² When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 


I have said it before. I will say it many times. I am nothing. As a matter of fact, I am less than nothing. Peter and John would say the same thing. They had just witnessed the power of God through the healing of a lame man. To the people in the temple, John and Peter performed the miracle. John and Peter knew better.


I wish more people were like John and Peter. Our society and this entire planet is filled with people who act as if their own power and "godliness" were the reason for their success. We see it in politicians, business people, pastors, athletes, educators, musicians, actors, and almost every other walk of life. There is no power except that granted by the God of the Universe. Yet, so many people never acknowledge the giver of power. God, in his grace, provides us with gifts and blessings. Yet, we ignore him and his power. We take the credit he deserves. Can we take credit for the stars in the sky? Do we cause the sun and moon to rise and set? What power do we have to change the seasons or create a tree?  We can not take credit for these things and we certainly can not take credit for the blessings God has granted.


Dear Lord, I beg your forgiveness for my arrogance. I know you are the true giver of strength and power. You are the giver of success and failure. You hold all the answers. We have no success except through you. Thank You for those gifts. Thank You for your grace, mercy, and love. Amen!

Marianas Trench

"The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the world's oceans, and the lowest elevation of the surface of the Earth's crust. It is currently estimated to be up to 10,971 m (35,994 ft) deep. It is located in the western Pacific Ocean, to the east of the Mariana Islands. The trench is about 2,550 kilometres (1,580 mi) long but has a mean width of only 69 kilometres (43 mi). It reaches a maximum-known depth of about 10.91 kilometres (6.78 mi) at the Challenger Deep, a small slot-shaped valley in its floor, at its southern end,^[1] although some unrepeated measurements place the deepest portion at 11.03 kilometres (6.85 mi).^[2] If Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth at 8,848 metres (29,029 ft), were set in the deepest part of the Mariana Trench, there would be 2,076 metres (6,811 ft) of water left above it.^[3]The Mariana Trench is located in the Pacific Ocean, just east of the 14 Mariana Islands (11"21' North latitude and 142" 12' East longitude ) near Japan.   As you probably already know, it is the deepest part of the earth's oceans, and the deepest location of the earth itself.  It was created by ocean-to-ocean subduction, a phenomena in which a plate topped by oceanic crust is subducted beneath another plate topped by oceanic crust.

The deepest part of the Mariana Trench is the Challenger Deep, so named after the exploratory vessel HMS Challenger II; a fishing boat converted into a sea lab by  Swiss scientist Jacques Piccard. "

The explanation of how this trench was formed is amazing. This trench is nearly 36,000 feet below the surface of the ocean. We have not gone to visit this location for many years. The pressure exerted on a submarine would literally crush it into nothingness if not completely designed properly. It is also amazing that this trench is considerably deeper than Mount Everest is tall. 

God the creator is so wonderfully amazing. If I were to create and construct the Earth, it would have been boring. God is so much more creative in designing this planet we live on. He didn't just create a perfect circle with perfect symmetry. God has created this planet for us with his loving an powerful hands. He is the ultimate creator. Everything fits together just perfectly. He created us the same way, but our sinfulness has scarred that creation and we need to get back to him in order to overcome those imperfections. God did not mess up, we did! Thank You Lord for creation. Thank You for creating this planet with all the meticulous details. You are amazing, Father!

I think that I shall never see..........

Revelation 7 (The Message)

 ¹ Immediately I saw Four Angels standing at the four corners of earth, standing steady with a firm grip on the four winds so no wind would blow on earth or sea, not even rustle a tree. ^2-3Then I saw another Angel rising from where the sun rose, carrying the seal of the Living God. He thundered to the Four Angels assigned the task of hurting earth and sea, "Don't hurt the earth! Don't hurt the sea! Don't so much as hurt a tree until I've sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads!"

Here's an oldie but a goodie. I hadn't read this poem in a while. But, with the fall season in full swing and nearing it's climax, the beauty of the trees always brings me back to this poem:

I THINK that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree whose hungry mouth is prest
Against the sweet earth's flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
And lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear
A nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain;
Who intimately lives with rain.
Poems are made by fools like me,
But only God can make a tree. Joyce Kilmer. 1886–1918 I have been so blessed to view many of Gods great wonders. I have traveled this great country and marveled towering mountains, the greatness of deep gorges, and the open expanse of the rolling prairie. Even with all these travels, I can't imagine anything more stunning than the change of color in the fall. We always talk about the beautiful metamorphosis of a Butterfly. Is the metamorphosis of a tree less amazing? In the winter, we completely ignore the tree. It's dead and lifeless. Valueless? In the spring, I start to recognize the trees. Some of them flower and I'm always interested in seeing the buds because I know the weather is changing.  This recognition is short lived. Once late spring hits and summer temperatures take over, I again, take for granted these wonderful creations of God. I might enjoy the shade on a hot day, but rarely do I take much time to admire the tree. But, when Fall comes and the leaves explode in color, I'm instantly amazed with their presence. Trees quietly go about their lives. They are as reliable as the rising and the setting of the sun. We take them for granted in all seasons. They slow down the power of the drifting snow and provide shelter from the heat and cold. Once a year, they provide the greatest fireworks display we could imagine. Our wonderful God created the tree. They are true gifts of a powerful God.  Take the time to enjoy the tree. Slow down. Take a walk through the woods. Admire this quiet creation. Admire and Praise the God who created them.  We sometimes take him for granted as much as we take the tree for granted.  We ignore the tree in the winter. We ignore God when things are going well. He's with us in every season. He loves us and cares for us even when we don't acknowledge his presence. Nothing can separate us from his love. He is more majestic than the tree. Dear Lord, Thank You for your creation. We take for granted all your wondrous creation. Help us to stop. Help us to slow down and admire this world you've given us. You are an amazing and powerful God. We take you for granted too. Please forgive us. Help us to take the time to worship you, to love you, and to love your creation. Amen!