Un regard et une expresion qui vous transforme, qui vous transporte au croisement des battements de son coeur à la recherche de son âme.

D'autres photos perso à venir...

I used to believe that I had a fairly good theology of creation care. I didn’t burn plastic or intentionally harm animals or the environment, and I even recycled when it was convenient. Dr. Sleeth turned my entire worldview around. In this outstanding book he lays out the fact that being environmentally conscious is not just a matter of good stewardship or exercising good management principals with what God has blessed us with, it’s essentially a matter of justice. My consumption habits, energy use, and environmental worldview affect people throughout the world. How I deal with this realization can either contribute to the problem of injustice and destruction of creation or work toward passing on a world for our children and grandchildren to enjoy. Sleeth challenges us all to first look at our own heart and attitudes realizing that care of God’s creation (the earth and everything in it) is first a matter of love. My love for God and for my neighbor have dramatic ramifications for my love and care of the Earth. He encourages each of us to examine our hearts, to question if each of our many possessions bring us closer to God, and to make our home a “mission” base for God’s work throughout the world. . Each of us can contribute to this work without even leaving our neighborhood. For instance I am able to “love my neighbor” who lives in the windswept dessert of sub-Saharan Africa by not purchasing beef from local fast food restaurants who get their meat supply from herds grazing in lands built on deforested South American rain forests.

Sleeth’s book is full of startling facts, mind boggling figures, and doable action ideas, all of which are artfully entwined with personal anecdotes from his experiences in the ER. It is a fairly quick read but definitely leaves the reader dealing with bigger personal issues after each chapter. I would encourage you to read it slowly to allow yourself time to process the ramifications of each concept in your life. One of my favorite things about this book is that fact that it is immensely practical without making one feel overly guilty. It simply presents a specific problem, whether it be too much stuff, working too much, inequality over power and water, or over-population and then Sleeth gives simple concrete suggestions we all could do (some are easier then others)to help solve it.

Overall I would recommend Serve God, Save the Planet to everyone, whatever their spiritual perspective or stance on environmental issues. It is obviously written from a Christian perspective to Christians, but it is not full of code language or deep theological topics. Instead it is a call to action for us all, and I believe speaks to the heart of something found in all humans, a deep seeded desire to connect with a story bigger then our selves and to see all things redeemed and made right. Sleeth closes his thoughts with these words:

“There is much work to be done if we are to hand our great-grandchildren a world as good as the one we got. It will take many changes and even sacrifices... I pray that we will keep in mind what is important, and that we will carve ‘God is love’ on the tablet of our hearts. We are commissioned to do God’s will o earth through loving acts of faith. With God, all things are possible.”

May we all love this world as God does. Buy this book! And then pass it along to someone else!

Je vous livre diverses œuvres crées  dans des registres assez éclectiques.

Je n'aime pas tout, mais certaines choses ont du charme ou des tripes!!!. A voous de juger...

Son site perso pour poursuivre https://www.othercriteria.com/index2.php

.

" I believe in a God that is beyond good and evil. I believe in a God who is neither black or white. I believe in a God that is grey. My God is the balance of the world. He holds one side with one hand while the other side is held by another hand. Yet, he is both within himself. He created centers for the balances of life in order to retain order: The Sun holds all the system's planets within its grasp. The Water holds the fishes. The Air holds the birds. The Earth holds us. If the center of balance is diminished, the balance is lost and therefore the elements within the balance are bound to fall. This is why we must not diminish the Water's power from the fish, or else there will be no fish to feed our children. We must not diminish the Air's power or else the flies will be no more and the birds will die. We must not diminish the Earth or else its entrails will open up and devour us. Today, we use the Water for our own good, not thinking about the future. The Air is being corrupted by pollution. The Earth is being cut open by explosives, its forests destroyed and its lands covered with roads. Today I think of these things and my heart is beating very fast for I fear we are about to break the balance of life. We are trying to escape Earth by flying away in rocket ships but what we should escape from should be ourselves and the way that we are currently living, not the Earth. "

A look at life back when he was just another face in the pond. It was easy to see he had a unique look and could play a musical instrument so a life of stardom was waiting

The latest t-shirt design from Glennz Tees.

I was struck throughout these 9 verses by the flurry of ways that Allah, as He's portrayed here in the Quran, reflects issues that the biblical reader will notice immediately. Then suddenly, at the end, there's a huge difference (a difference that a biblical reader, though not necessarily a religious Christian or Jew, might notice).

In verse 29 of the Cow, we learn that God is omniscient; that is, he has knowledge of everything. Though predictable that the Quran would make sure to let us know this seemingly obvious fact, it is noteworthy that the Bible doesn't actually tell us this about God.

Jews and Christians will insist that God is omniscient - after all, how could He not be? - but show me where it says that in the Bible. It doesn't. The Jewish and Christian conception of God that developed in the centuries surrounding the year 0 was one of an omniscient and omnipotent deity, but God was not always thought of like this. In fact, there are instances in the Bible where we see that God just doesn't know certain things (in Gen. 3 He has to look for Adam and Eve and calls to them because He doesn't know where they are).

My point is that by the seventh century and the development of Islam, the concept of God in monotheistic traditions had developed in such a way that God was quite obviously omniscient, as the Quran states outright. God, we learn in these verses, is also the creator and the controller of nature.

Covenant?

One point I would love to understand better in these verses is from 27, when God's "covenant" is spoken of. A covenant was a two-party agreement in the Ancient Near Eastern world, and either the word is being used generally or I'm having some trouble with it. Can anyone tell me what the Arabic word is?

Usually a covenant is not God's, per se, but God's covenant with person x. Is it implied that this is God's covenant with mankind or individuals? Is this common language and should we understand what is being said?

Man as Creation's Culmination

It seems a bit unfair of me to compare everything in the Quran to the Bible but as one who has studied that text and since the Bible is known to the Quran, I feel justified making such comparisons. Verse 29, that God made all that lies within the earth for you, is an interesting combination of the two creation stories in the Bible.

In Genesis 1, everything is created and human beings (not Adam and Eve) are the final creations: they are the culmination of creation. In Genesis 2, a different creation story (just read them and you'll see that they are two different tales) tells us that man is created, and then everything else is created for him to enjoy.

These two different ideas - man as culmination of creation and as the catalyst for additional creation - seem to be harmonized in the Quranic verse, "God made for you all that lies within the earth."

What do these verses make you think about? The notion of resurrection is also present in these verses? What is the Muslim understanding of resurrection? Are there any notions here about God that you find are the same as or different from those expressed in the Bible?

To read about the cow, 1-10, click HERE and about the Cow 8-20, click HERE. To read about whether or not Moses wrote the Bible, click HERE.

The Cow 21-29

21. So, O you people, adore your Lord who created you, as He did those before you, that you could take heed for yourself and fear Him. 22. Who made the earth a bed for you, the sky a canopy, and sends forth rain from the skies that fruits may grow - your good and sustenance. So do not make another the equal of God knowingly. 23. If you are in doubt of what We have revealed to Our votary, then bring a Surah like this, and call any witness, apart from God, you like, if you are truthful. 24. But if you cannot as indeed you cannot, then guard yourslves against the Fire whose fuel is men and rocks, which has been prepared for the infidels. 25. Announce to those who believe and have done good deeds, glad tidings of gardens under which rivers flow, and where, when they eat the fruits that grow, they will say: "Indeed they are the same as we were given before," so like in semblance the food would be. And they shall have fair spouses there, and live there abidingly. 26. God is not loath to advance the similitude of a gnat or a being more contemptible; and those who believe know whatever is from the Lord is true. But those who disbelieve say: "What does God mean by this parable?" He causes some to err this way and some He guides; yet He turns away none but those who trangress, 27. Who, having sealed it, break God's covenant, dividing what He ordained cohered; and those who spread discord in the land will suffer assuredly. 28. Then how can you disbelieve in God? He gave you life when you were dead. He will make you die again then bring you back to life: To Him then you will return. 29. He made for you all that lies within the earth, then turning to the firmament He proportioned several skies; He has knowledge of every thing.

At the end of it though, we had the burger and the dessert taken off our bill, so I'd taken "one for the team."

Anyhow, when one of the youth prayed over the food, I was so touched by what he prayed for - normally at youth group he's very friendly, and will talk, but doesn't always seem totally comfortable - and so when he volunteered to pray, I was a little pleasantly surprised. But what he prayed for; that was the biggest and most pleasant surprise for me. He thanked God for bringing me to this school, and thanked Him for blessing them all and the school with being there and at Solid Rock, and I was so touched.

For me, the biggest and best moment was just that prayer, but the rest of the time was really great too, and I caught a glimpse of how youth ministry becomes mutually-edifying fellowship, because I was truly blessed by these fantastic people that God has made and so graciously allowed my life to be part of theirs.

Phenomenal.

I love that my room is the place where young people can be found after school. However, marking's started to kick my ass so I'll just have to keep on top of it all by doing it as soon as humanly possible. Getting one's ass kicked by homework assignments is not a fun thing.

Anyway, what reminds me transient islands is that a few friends of mine, earlier this year, told me they lived on one of those islands. They didn't really live there all the time, but it's where they call home. "Alberraao", Hotep told me, was its name. And it was good. It was a nice-sounding name, and these islands are usually nameless.. they'd have random names, at best. It takes time to have a real name, as you know. So it was good to have a name for it. I think Hotep is the one who named it. He cares so much about names, and he's one of two people who would always remind me of the importance of names.

"It's amazing, when you reflect about it" (he could have simply said "when you think about it", but Hotep has this way of talking). "I mean, no matter how you study it, it's just a piece of earth (dirt, basically), wet, with its surface a bit less wet than its inside, for being a bit cooked in the sun. Why did it appear from the heart of the river in the first place? And, more amazingly, it's wandering: I've seen it go with the flow to the North, then against it to the South, and a bit to the East, then to the West. It never merged with the mainland. And it didn't break into pieces!!". My favorite philosopher was blabbing nonsense as if it were the most amazing thing in the world. "You don't get it, do you? The river flow moves the island one dust or mud piece at a time, but it doesn't just dissolve. It remains together. And the pieces the island lets go, it makes sure it grabs one or more to replace it!! It is alive!! It persists!!! Ok, You know what I think? Why it is staying together? To do something, to fulfill a Reason. A Reason that all its particles need to fulfill. That's why they came together. A Reason. And that's why they move together. This common Reason is what we call soul or spirit. This island is alive, I tell you. This island is alive. It's the only sense I can make why all its parts went together in all those travels and stayed together!".

I am quite tolerant of my crazy friends, especially the bunch who told me they lived in Alberraao. Well, as long as their craziness remains entertaining. "How did God create you?", he asked from no where. "From earth," I answered obligingly as is my habit with those I like and trust when telling me their thoughts. He remained silent, so I added "He created all humans from earth that was (cooked) like pottery. That's what the Quran teaches, and before it the Bible, and before them Ancient Egyptian wisdom." He remained silent but I had nothing to add this time. "Breath. You forgot Breath. Soul. God brought the earth and created people by
blowing Soul into the mud."

I looked at Alberraao. Indeed, why not? It came up from the depths of chaotic waters as one piece, and it moved as one piece, and came back as one piece. It had soul. That mysteriously intangible substance. You couldn't see it but you could see its effects, its actual manifestation. Amen. Belief beyond matter. Such an amazing race, we are, getting shocked by seeing with our own eyes what we supposedly believed in, the whole of our lives, without seeing! Creation. God giving Soul to an inanimate object, making it out of "nothing".

"So, it is alive. I won't argue. So why don't you call it Hayaa then?". "It's not its aliveness that awed me, but its Purpose. Its unique story. How its aliveness makes it move all around, to find something, to do something, that we as humans could barely understand. And we can barely communicate with it. And yet if we could.. aah!.. if only we could.. what story would we hear!"

He seemed to have finished, but after a while he returned from his dreaming.. "I have been watching this island for years now, and I am just starting to realize how amazing its story is.. its secret and sacred mission that God whispered into it with the initial Breath of Life.. its life Purpose.. It's not its being alive that amazes me, but rather its unique yet incomprehensible purpose is what truly intrigues me.. For the island already taught me that Soul is Purpose, and that every living being has a Purpose, as unique and interrelated to other lives' Purposes as each being's Soul is unique and interrelated to all other Souls.. This is why more than seeking a story, I am seeking the secret and silent essence, the Heart, of the Storyteller.. revealing his true story, sometimes in what is said, often in what is not.. I'm listening to the island telling me all its adventures, one at a time.. why it was created.. what it is looking for in all those adventures along the Great River's banks.. what it faced searching for this secret thing.. what held it strong against dissolving back into the vast shapeless dark depths it came from.. what made it call onto me to come live in it.. what made it call the others.. what made it call you.. I am listening and will tell you what I know already.. but you look tired.. I will leave you to rest now.. let's continue some other time.."

AgencyNet Interactive ne vous laissera pas indifférent.

Naviguez dans son environnement original et vous découvrirez différentes de ses créations comme Roxy Hunter ou OwnyourC comme vous avez déjà pu le découvrir auparavant.

Bonne visite et navigation! ;-)

The human body is such a wonderful invention but its not invincible. We are made of a billion miracles that we take for granted until something goes a little off course then we start questioning why.  I think we get it backwards.  If we take a step back and look at the complexity of the human body and the mechanisms that must all work together for us to take one single breath, to see the beauty of a sunset, to hear the sweet melodies of our children singing, to taste ice cream, to smell the perfume of honey suckle, or to feel the warm touch of someone who loves us.  Its simply amazing!  We should be asking WHY does this all this stuff work together so well.

Why do flowers have scents?  And why do I get the joy of being able to smell them?

Why do children sing? And why is that a sensory input that is so beautiful to hear?

The list could go on and on.  Each question becoming a testament to the miracles that we take for granted.  And more sadly, miracles that we explain away as happen chance - the eventual outcome of millions and millions of years of happy accidents.

Does it really seem plausible that the ability to 'feel' love for another human being developed as a genetic mutation along some lost chain of events mired in an unknowable history?

There are some very intelligent people who may think me a fool for having such thoughts but I am willing to live under that pronouncement because I would rather live a life of continual awe of creation.  And I will not fear death because I know that even greater things wait for me after this twinkling of life.

What about creation amazes you?

--Czeslaw Milosz, Milosz's ABC's

The author/composer/poet/community which produced the text we know of as Genesis 1 observed many things.  Just one of these is the uniqueness of humans in relation to our environment.

Day and night, earth and sky, sea and land, vegetation, and fruits, creatures great and tiny, both in the sea and on land...

And then behold - human beings.  These humans are at the pinnacle of creation and are invested with the task and responsibility of governing the entire earth.

*** *** ***

That is an ancient text/song/poem, and the world is very much a different place - we've got a lot more technology, for example.  But maybe in a few important ways, not much has changed?

Our planet is a mixture of peace and war, beauty and wreckage, feasting and famine, truth and deception, order and chaos (you might say 'light' and 'darkness').

Who will govern it?

Who will speak, think and act against war, wreckage, famine, deception and chaos?

Who will speak, think and act for peace, beauty, feasting, truth and order?

*** *** ***

We have the ability to govern the earth.  The rest of the earth is waiting (you might say 'groaning').  The sea-lions, the trees, the ants, the pandas, the grass...  they all wait for humans to rise up and govern them with wisdom and justice.

We also have the ability to govern ourselves.  We have the ability to control our desires (whether they be for excess power, excess wealth, excess food or excess sex).  We have the ability to control our thoughts and actions.

May we do so.  May we be truly and fully human.

May God help us.

Strong wind

i see beautiful colours,

Shining. Bright and vivid,

A rainbow

Above the forest

i am standing in the drops

i am standing in the flames.

            God is the best painter

            Creation biggest trip.

Over the river,

Ball of fire going down,

In the mist it is standing.

A baby laugh,

Rolling over mother Gaya

i am standing in the gusts

i am standing  in this gate

            God is the best painter

            Creation biggest trip.

                                   and the fire…

and the fire

it brings a light,

It makes the shadows dance.

i am standing in the middle

But i am not the centre

i’ve got to humble.

Wouke's place 8.2008

I know personally the confusion a young woman is facing when she finds out she is pregnant and it is unplanned. But I have to say it really angers me that "Planned" Parenthood has become the default place for  women to go. These young women are programmed their whole lives by the entertainment industry, news media, academia etc. that Planned Parenthood is good. This is a lie. This lie carries on to further, that Planned Parenthood=Good * Pregnancy Care Centers=Bad.  This is such an illustration of what the Bible says that will occur in these end days. Isaiah 5:20 illustrates what God thinks of this: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"

Can you imagine how twisted the minds of young people have become? This poor girl apparently thinks that a Pregnancy Care Center is evil  in their mission of  trying to help women through an unplanned pregnancy situation with love, free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds, wise counsel... And yet she and many think erroneously that Planned Parenthood is good. Planned Parenthood does sound nice, I suppose. It is a very euphemistic name or "eugenic" name to be more correct. But what they do is refer women and young girls for ABORTIONS. And that is all they do. Other than giving out free birth control pills and encouraging women to be as sexually free as they wish. And when their "sexual freedom" has conceived via sin of fornication a human life, then Planned Parenthood conveniently sends them to a place where they can destroy the evidence of their sins i.e. their unborn babies.

Our country has been going downhill and lying to its children for so long that the young people really do see Good as Evil and Evil as Good. Woe unto this country. One landmark in our degradation was when the US took prayer out of schools in 1963. One can see the downward spiral that has occurred from that alone. Not to mention teaching the kids in public schools the Theory of Evolution as if it were absolute fact and scientific truth.

I must say that being taught  Evolution really did mess up my mind and helped to shape my whole worldview. I can remember taking Honors Biology in 1986 with Ms. Hanes. She stood there and showed us the drawings of Ernst Haeckel. A German Evolutionary Biologist from the 19th century.

Haekel's postulation used to be called the "recapitulation theory". It has long been eliminated from "real" scientific literature, but it is still being presented as a scientific reality by some evolutionist publications, including school textbooks. And it was so in my middle school text book in 1986.  The term "recapitulation" is a condensation of the dictum "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny".

This theory of Haeckel's postulates that living embryos re-experience the evolutionary process that their pseudo-ancestors underwent. He theorised that during its development in its mother's womb, the human embryo first displayed the characteristics of a fish, and then those of a reptile, and finally those of a human.

It has since been proven that this theory is completely bogus.It is now known that the "gills" that supposedly appear in the early stages of the human embryo are in fact the initial phases of the middle-ear canal, parathyroid, and thymus. The part of the embryo that was likened to the "egg yolk pouch" turns out to be a pouch that produces blood for the infant. The part that had been identified as a "tail" by Haeckel and his followers is in fact the backbone, which resembles a tail only because it takes shape before the legs do.

These are universally acknowledged facts in the scientific world, and are accepted even by evolutionists themselves. George Gaylord Simpson, one of the founders of neo-Darwinism, writes: Haeckel misstated the evolutionary principle involved. It is now firmly established that ontogeny does not repeat phylogeny. (For full article see expert from book Harunyahya).

I mention this scientific stuff because, again, as I said, it affected me and my worldview and thusly my life-choices. As an intelligent and bookish pre-teen taking an Honors Biology class, I took what they taught me as fact.  Now I see that I was lied to and deceived mostly because the people that were teaching me were also lied to and deceived and were simply repeating and teaching what they had been taught as fact.

I shudder to think how many public schools still teach Evolution as fact. I know that in recent years there has been some progress in persuading some to also teach Intelligent Design. But this is limited. And so much damage has already been done. 

Is our nation going to be like the nation Israel? In Isaiah Chapter 5. God clearly shows us that though Israel was planted as a beloved vineyard, that it brought forth wild grapes. Isn't that just like the U.S.? God has so richly blessed and cared for this country and planted it as a Christian Nation from its inception. But look at it now. Wild, Wild, Wild.... And God says in Isaiah 5: 20-23  Woe, Woe Woe!

5:20  Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!

5:21 "Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!"

5:22 "Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink

5:23 "Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!"

It goes on to say in verse 25: "Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still."

If our Holy and Righteous Lord has stretched out his hand in anger to Israel, then what do you think He will do to a nation who teaches lies and does abominations such as mass murder of innocents?

I think we, as a nation, have been warned. But if we go on with Pride and Impudence our county will continue to be destroyed, even utterly. God is not mocked.

"....Cursed are you above all the livestock....Cursed is the ground..." (Genesis 3:14a, 17b).

God created order, life and light out of a chaotic, inanimate and dark earth.  By divine act, life emerged from nothingness, light appeared in the darkness, and order reshaped the chaos. The formless empty darkness became an ordered light-soaked reality teaming with life.

God created a garden on his earth (Eden) where life, community and peace reigned. What he created was "very good." And God rested in his creation, enjoying his world and delighting in his people.

The story in Genesis, however, moves from peace to violence, from community to suspicion, from life to death. Chaos enters human experience, evil grows in the womb of human freedom, and human death becomes a reality on God's good earth.

The transistion from shalom to chaos, initiated by the human desire for autonomy, is what I mean by the "curse."  It is the language God uses as he addresses the serpent and the man in Genesis 3.  The serpent is cursed (3:14b) and the ground is cursed (3:17b).

This is not scientific language. It is metaphor for the reintroduction of chaos into God's good creation. It is a metaphor for brokenness, for the vandalism of shalom (as Cornelius Plantinga calls). It is a detour from the divine intent for life, peace and community into death, violence and tyranny.  The cursedness of Genesis 3 anticipates the human spiral into inhumanity in chapters 3-11.  Humanity, designed to image (represent) God in the world as co-regents over God's good creation, became in its own eyes a god who could reach into the heavens and make a name for themselves (Genesis 11:4). Humanity became its own curse as they lived in a broken world.

The curse, or brokenness, is played out over and over again in the human drama.  It is a story of death, destruction and dehumanization. Rather than imaging God, they create their own images to worship. Their images are not merely idols of wood and stone, but superstructures of greed, power, and genocide. They shed innocent blood.  They build palaces on the backs of the poor.  They seize power for its own sake.  They will themselves to power, wealth and violence.

This is the human condition. It has become natural to human beings, their "second nature." Though designed for good--for peace, community and joy, they are warped toward evil--violence, tyranny and anguish.

But the grace of God does not leave us in our hurt and bondage. Rather, God acts to redeem, restore and renew.

My favorite scene in Mel Gibson's The Passion of Christ is when Jesus, carrying the cross, falls to his knees under its weight.  His mother runs to him and their eyes lock.  With blood streaming down his cheeks and holding the symbol of Roman power and violence, Jesus says, "Behold, Mother, I make all things new." 

This is the promise of God. It will be the eschatological act of God in the new creation, in the new heavens and new earth. There the old order will have passed away and the voice of God will declare:  "I am making everything new" (Revelation 21:5a).

A day is coming  when there will be "no more curse" (Revelation 22:3).  There will be no more darkness--the glory of God will fill the earth with l ight. There will be no more violence--the nations will receive healing and walk by its light. There will be no more death, mourning or tears--the Tree of Life and the Water of Life will nourish the people of God forever.

A day is coming when the curse will be reversed, revoked and rescinded.

"There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain" (Revelation 21:4b)

"No longer will there be any curse" (Revelation 22:3a).

I catched the trailer for this movie last week or something, and couldn't help but take a sneak peek at this new comedy! Plus, who would miss a film with the hilarious Eddie Murphy in it!!

In the 'Meet Dave', Eddie Murphy plays 2 characters: The spaceship and the captain of this so-called spaceship. It so happens that the captain and his ship mates control this large ship (in the form of Eddie Murphy) and comes to Earth on a mission to retrieve back an orb that got itself on Earth.

In the movie, each part of this Ship(Eddie Murphy)'s body is controlled by a team of these aliens - the right arm one or a few of them, the left another team, the mouth several of them. Quite awkward, but that's what makes it a movie!

You could see how in the movie, they portrayed how difficult it is to control this creation of theirs (the spaceship in the form of human) - to understand its surroundings, how to interact with other people the size of the spaceship, in what way to move the limbs, and much more. It took much more than several of them to control this spaceship! Even with that amount, they were unable to fully control the spaceship the way a real human being is like.

The human is a complicated creation

This made me think how we, humans, could function so well without anything inside controlling us inside our bodies, *LOL* :-D ...Probably with hundreds of thousands of little beings inside us, it would still be inadequate to manage a sophisticated creation like us. That's the beauty of Allah'

s creations :-) . Now, that was thinking about 1 human being. Try to key in 1 x the number of the world's population. That doesn't include all the other living things on this planet - plants, animals, insects. Then there's the microscopic world - amoebas, bacteria, platlets, AND MANY MORE!!! woah, I'm overwhelming myself!! phewh! HE (Allah) doesn't need help at all controlling all this... SUBHANALLAH.

Honestly, it began as one of the scariest experiences of my life so far!

I was talking to a fellow pastor on the phone when the blood-curdling scream took place! "Tim! Tim! Tim! Come here NOWWWWW!", my wife, Donna, yelled in a strained and scarey voice! I almost dropped the phone mid-sentence and felt the impending fear of having to confront the unknown! "What's the matter?", I responded as I scrambled out of my seat and headed toward the stairs. "Hurry! Hurry! Hurry! I need your help!!! Nowwwww!!!", she compelled me!

That was all my heart could take and I was, quite frankly, ready to hurt someone or kill something! Maybe the "rat" (that I had suspected was living in the garage for all these 9 years in this house), had finally come out to tangle!! Well, he was going DOWN! Or should I say I was going to send him UP to his home with Jesus!! Ha-Ha! :-) You know how those needless and worrisome fears about the "boogey-man" are! :-) (NO! There is no "rat" in my garage - Donna wouldn't allow it!)

I told my phone guest to hold on (or sreamed it in their ear), as I zoomed down the stairs ready to defend, protect and serve my woman and family!! As I bounded from the last step to the main floor and rounded the corner towards the dining room, I got the surprise of my life and almost went to see Jesus in the shock! There in the dining room stood my immediate family and a couple of the neighborhood children, peering around the corner with glee and delight, as they yelled out "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!"

Arrrggghhhh - The deception! Oooohhhh - The lie of misperception!!!! Aaaaahhhhh - the needless fear!! And......Yes! Yes! Yes! - the FUN and JOY of my Inclusion, and the toothy smile radiating from beneath my "Happy Birthday" dunce cap!!!! :-)

Talk about one of the greatest, fun, inclusive and enjoyable family moments we've ever had!! My phone guest heard every scream and word, and enjoyed it all immensely!! All this explained the "weird" moments I had experienced throughout the day and the elaborate cooking and cake-baking Donna had been up to! You may be asking why this birthday celebration came as such a surprise to me. Well, besides just being clueless sometimes, my birthday was actually about a week earlier where we had been serving others and enjoying each other at Higher Ground camp. We can't forget the "tom-foolery" my family had engaged in to throw me off as well! :-)

Now to God and German Chocolate Cake. Besides preparing some of my favorite food, my wife fixed my absolute favorite dessert - a huge German Chocolate Cake! For as long as I can remember, whenever my birthday had been celebrated in childhood, someone had always prepared me a German Chocolate Cake. In my marriage of 17years, and primarily due to religiosity, we really hadn't celebrated birthdays as much as we SHOULD HAVE! We've been trying to change that lately and celebrate the Father, Son and Spirit's destiny for each family member to exist in distinction and inclusion with Him and each other.

Not only did this cake stir up many wonderful, childhood memories, it was the most delicious version of the cake I had ever eaten!! I am not joking when I say I could taste the love in it! The entire cake was almost devoured within the first two days by anyone who got a taste of it, and that's no joke! I had to play guardian and protect it so that I might savor its sumptuous, out-of-this-world, deliciousness for as many days as possible, and I DID!! :-)

This cake was sooooo subtly distinct, and filled with sweetness and love, that I have been unable to refrain from remarking positively about it ever since! My wife is used to hearing my compliments on her food (and everyone else's compliments!), and she REALLY IS a gifted chef, but she is not that good and gifted BY HERSELF!! That cake is so memorable that I not only preached about it, but am now writing about it!

How is it that I could be so apparently obsessed with, thrilled and INSPIRED by, the taste of a German Chocolate Cake? It's just a physical thing isn't it?  Here one day - gone the next! How is it that I could say with such certainty that my wife is a good cook and baker but not as good as that cake tasted?! How come wonderful memories and joy-filled emotions were released in my human body, giving me a sense of ecstasy, after eating that cake?

BECAUSE GOD THE FATHER, SON AND SPIRIT ARE IN CHOCOLATE CAKE!!! IN FACT, THIS TRIUNE GOD CREATED, SUSTAINS AND FILLS ALL THINGS, INCLUDING GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE!!! THAT'S WHY!!!

That is the simple and complex reason behind the joy that can be found IN everyone and everything! The Father created every piece of food in existence, including the taste buds, saliva and eyeballs to enjoy it with! Jesus sustains every atom in the universe in His very Being and Person! The Holy Spirit is present everywhere to share the Communion of the Father and Son with all people and things!

Enjoy how Eugene Peterson describes this beautiful Truth in "The Message" version of the scriptures:

 15 We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God's original purpose in everything created. 16 For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels - everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. 17 He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. 18 And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body. 19 So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. 20 Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe - people and things, animals and atoms - get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the Cross.