paravanes:meditations

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” –Genesis 1:1 In the beginning of what? In the beginning of anything we can know, understand, or appreciate, there is God. God is creating, making, loving, shaping, sustaining, and breathing life into everything we know or can know. Imagine Eden: everything is fresh, perfect, and peacefully fulfilled in its functioning. Two human beings enjoy perfect communication and sharing, relate to each other happily and directly and without any misunderstanding or mis-communication. No thoughts are hidden. In the same way, these persons relate to their Creator and God. There is work to do, but the work is joyful, expressive, richly rewarded, and enjoyable. Extraordinarily intelligent, these humans have loving custody and care of all created things. Adam is wise enough to name every living, moving being brought to him by God. Eve is Adam’s perfect companion. As wise and worthy as her husband, Eve is lovingly cherished, and together

Where I live, it is Sunday morning, around 11am EST. Imagine this. It's Sunday morning. You go to church. Your neighbors see you and your family (or maybe just you) leave home for your regular, weekly trek to Sunday morning worship service in a building that looks like a traditional church. You may have even been seen going to a midweek Bible class or prayer meeting. What happens during the following week changes your life forever. Your job disappears. You no longer own your business. Your professional or trade license is taken away and voided. Your children are no longer safely able to attend their school. Perhaps state officials even come to your home to remove your children from your legal custody. Your bank or investment accounts have been frozen. Property you own has been seized by the state.  You cannot use your passport to travel. You have been labeled a criminal. What is your offense? You have affirmed in your life and actions that "there is no God

Psalm 23 (KJV) 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.  6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. ***************************************** Am I doubting how, where, and why God leads me? It's tempting to do this, because I have been trained to believe I must plan my own life, plan my course of action, and determine to accept only certain outcomes that meet my standards and my preferences. When the Psalmist David writes "The Lord is my