Sea Lily

Psalm 77:11-13 -- "I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds. Your ways, O God, are holy. What god is so great as our God?"

image: Mt Everest - www.kentoncool.com

If ever there was living proof of a modern day miracle it has GOT to be Stephen Hawking. In 1963 his doctor told him that he'd contracted Motor Neurone Disease and that he would most likely only have two years left to live.

How many years have passed since Hawking was given that news? 52? And yet, from his own lips in his book, A Brief History of Time, came the words: "In that case, it would not be necessary to appeal to God to decide how the universe began. This doesn't prove that there is no God, only that God is not necessary."

Hawking reiterated this point when he said: So long as the universe had a beginning, we could suppose it had a creator. But if the universe is really completely self-contained, having no boundary or edge, it would have neither beginning nor end: it would simply be. What place, then, for a creator? [from the book:The Grand Design]

Why in the world are "we" spending so much time trying to prove that God isn't needed or that He doesn't exist? What possible good can come from that?

image: www.kentoncool.com

I tell you what - it was all I could do to keep myself from throwing something at the television as scientist after scientist spat out mathematical theorems and "reason" to exclude God from the amazing wonders that we call our Universe! [How The Universe Works on H2]

COME ON! What place, then, for a creator?! What place?!

Deep breath. Must NOT have stroke due to stupid people .... 

World record holder and all around COOL guy, Kenton Cool, has been to the summit of Mt. Everest successfully more than anybody else I know. From the top of the world, he's taken some pretty incredible pictures AND collected some pretty cool rocks for the geologists at Cambridge University - per the show, How The Earth Was Made. [also on H2] When back at "normal" sea level, Cool produced a rock that made international news. From a humble microscope planted on an ordinary lab table - there was projected an extraordinary image of a paper thin slice of rock. As interesting as this rock was - of even greater interest was a tiny fossil buried deep inside the compressed crystals, clumps of organic material, and lots of other stuff. 

The fossil? ...A sea lily.

image: Sea Lily [www.theepochtimes.com]

That's right - A SEA LILY. At the top of the world. Covered in snow. Surrounded by rock, frozen rivers, and big, big bright blue sky. In air so thin that no living thing can survive without the help of an oxygen tank and really warm clothing - there was discovered the ghost of a creature that lives on the floor of the ocean. 

Amazing! Simply amazing! And yet, nay sayers would use this evidence to exclude our most Amazing God - the creator of said sea creature, of giant mountain. of big, big bright blue sky. ...of Kenton Cool, even! How -- HOW can anyone look at that sliver of fossil and the vast majesty of the world's tallest mountain and NOT just - drop everything and praise God?

And furthermore .... 

In an explosion of excitement and some unique images of our celestial neighbor - came the news from NASA - that there is evidence of water on Mars!

image: www.nasa.org

Leapin' Lizards!! Water!! On MARS!! CHECK. IT. OUT!!!

...and people say that these amazing things are proof that "God is not necessary"?

How is lightning not jumping from the sky to strike these people on the head? If I were lightning - I would jolt a head or two on principal!

My fellow Earth creatures, fellow walking/breathing things that God hath, indeed created -- I, for one, will take today to be in complete and utter awe of my Creator. I will remember the deeds of my Lord. I will meditate on all of God's amazing and wonderful works! I will consider how very, very GREAT is God!

Thank you, Lord - for rainy mornings. For good hot coffee. For the cardinals at the bird feeders and the salt blowing in from the beaches.  For the stars that twinkle at us from beyond our planet and for the ability to look upon them with eyes wide open. For water on Mars. For rocks from Mt Everest. For good friends. For the church body and fellowship. For the freedom to sing Your Name and pray openly. For blooming flowers. For green tree frogs stuck to windows that allow eyes to witness throbbing little tummies moving with the beat of tiny hearts. For air conditioning on hot and humid days. 

Thank you, Creator - for the blood of Jesus Christ. For forgiveness. And for Your endless love that envelopes us - in spite of our numbing arrogance and the biting words of denial and betrayal. 

You, O God, are Great. Wonderful. Amazing.

And very, very necessary.