The US is doing badly in science according to an early 2006 Time magazine report. Ask a certain CSU professor, and he apparently launches into a 30 minute tirade about the US educational system. Campus musings aside, today in the New York Times, there was this article that explained the need for the US to get a larger particle accelorator to excel in the world of Physics. We are competing against Europe and Japan, and the delay of installing new particle accelorator would require the US scientists to study in either Europe or Japan to get the most advanced equipment available.
As I read this article, I realized something: We (the scientific community - yes, premeds are included) are on a quest for Creation - for absolute dominance of control of Creation, and the glory of discovering its secrets. The country who produces the next Nobel Laurate or the breakthrough treatment for something is hailed to be the top of the science world. We want to attain our own glory through the manipulation of Creation.
Yet, this will fail. Creation, as it moves toward a state of entropy will not yield the results we want it to. Creation will continue to mutate and decay, requiring more and more complext cures whih we will rush to design. The Creation is groaning, not for man to fix it, but for man to come to the knowledge of his Creator, so He can restore His works - both man, matter, and living things - to the way He designed them.
Dear God, I pray that the scientific community would turn around and see their Creator. That they would be on their knees prasing Him, not standing on the lecturn praising themselves. Yes, God, I pray for them, I plead for them. I plead for You to open their eyes so they can see You, so that one day, they may, with tears streaming down their faces say, "There is no one else who made the heavans and the earth - there is no one like our God." (Jer 10).
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Physical and Spiritual Birth
So, today is KT's birthday (woo hoo!) I had an awesome thought from God! It related earthly attachment and the parent - child interactions to spiritual attachment and God - child interactions.
Right.... here goes!
At birth we all have been incubating for 9 months inside the womb being provided with nutrients and other things from the mother's diet. The parent(s) mentally have been gearing up for our births and when we are born, they enter into a relationship with us. We either become securely or insecurely attached - we either feel safe and happy around our parents or we don't. This is influenced by quite a few things some of which are parenting style, circumstances outside of everyone's control, and the quailty of emotional interactions with the parent and child. This sets the stage for our development through the rest of infancy, toddlerhood, and into adulthood.
In a fallen world, so much can go wrong, and the vast amounts of intervention programs and yet - to - be - developed programs show that we have become distanced from each other because of our initial distancing from God.
However, God brought us back. Surprisingly, I think the process of our spiritual rebirth has some strong paralells to our physical birth only better!
Before we were Christian, God was feeding us and nourishing our hearts with curisities about Him, putting people in our lives that would show His presence and maybe give us those few verses from the Bible - thus, our pre - Christian 'milk and nourishment.' He developed our heart - from simple to complex thinking about Him to get it to the point where we could accept Him or not. God chose us before the Creation of the world, so He prepared for us to come into His presence.
Once we are Born Again, God truly does become our Abba (though some of us have to be taught that later), and we really do form an attachment to Him through His spirit and through relating to Him through prayer. I truly believe that though this attachment like so many others can be influenced by our first parental attachments - meaning that if one felt unsafe or unhappy with his or her parents, they may feel unsafe or unhappy with his or her teachers. However, God promises HImself as a solid Rock to attach to and our Anchor for our Souls (Hebrews 12?) Anyway, we have to walk in that faith to trust Him more and more and through this He will truly become our Refuge and Stregnth. This attachment will affect the rest of our walk with God - both here in this life and in the next. This bond is the Attachment that all other earthly attachments are a mere shadow of. This is the Attachment that was first broken, but the one that was redeemed by Jesus Christ.
Right.... here goes!
At birth we all have been incubating for 9 months inside the womb being provided with nutrients and other things from the mother's diet. The parent(s) mentally have been gearing up for our births and when we are born, they enter into a relationship with us. We either become securely or insecurely attached - we either feel safe and happy around our parents or we don't. This is influenced by quite a few things some of which are parenting style, circumstances outside of everyone's control, and the quailty of emotional interactions with the parent and child. This sets the stage for our development through the rest of infancy, toddlerhood, and into adulthood.
In a fallen world, so much can go wrong, and the vast amounts of intervention programs and yet - to - be - developed programs show that we have become distanced from each other because of our initial distancing from God.
However, God brought us back. Surprisingly, I think the process of our spiritual rebirth has some strong paralells to our physical birth only better!
Before we were Christian, God was feeding us and nourishing our hearts with curisities about Him, putting people in our lives that would show His presence and maybe give us those few verses from the Bible - thus, our pre - Christian 'milk and nourishment.' He developed our heart - from simple to complex thinking about Him to get it to the point where we could accept Him or not. God chose us before the Creation of the world, so He prepared for us to come into His presence.
Once we are Born Again, God truly does become our Abba (though some of us have to be taught that later), and we really do form an attachment to Him through His spirit and through relating to Him through prayer. I truly believe that though this attachment like so many others can be influenced by our first parental attachments - meaning that if one felt unsafe or unhappy with his or her parents, they may feel unsafe or unhappy with his or her teachers. However, God promises HImself as a solid Rock to attach to and our Anchor for our Souls (Hebrews 12?) Anyway, we have to walk in that faith to trust Him more and more and through this He will truly become our Refuge and Stregnth. This attachment will affect the rest of our walk with God - both here in this life and in the next. This bond is the Attachment that all other earthly attachments are a mere shadow of. This is the Attachment that was first broken, but the one that was redeemed by Jesus Christ.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Trust
1. I had a job interview and won't find out until next week.
2. I haven't had any calls from places in Denver where I applied.
3. If I get the job in Ft. Collins, I need to find a place to live
4. I think my flash drive is in my room with my whole life on it.
What do these four things all have in common? Trust. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation" Isiah 12:2
"I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him" Isaiah 8:7
(source: Biblegateway.com)
Aha! I think I will do my quiet time on Trust today since apparently I need it. I think I was planning on doing my quiet time, but I honestly don't know if I had it since I don't remember. So, this will do. The first thing that came to my mind regarding trust was the Isrealites since I was doing a search in the Old Testament. More specifically, I was thinking about the Golden Calf scene. What happened was this: Moses was taking orders from God for 40 days while the Isrealites were on their own. We could say, "How STUPID they were to build a calf when God was around them and behind them in pillars of smoke and fire and parted the red sea and...." But, I can say, "How STUPID am I, who sees God in every aspect of biology and chemistry and organic chemistry and physics, who has God's Spirit and who has access to God's Word to not trust in Him for these things."
Yes, I can say that now because I am now right with God. But when I am away, my flesh takes over. When I am away in my mind from God, I can freak out. Yes, several HDFS models would say that I have more of a cause to be insecure or have a difficult issue with trust because of my past. I will not deny that. But God is bigger than my past. God who has taken away my sin is bigger. My brain most certainly knows this, but when the rest of me - when I panic, do I really remember that? Maybe. Maybe not. It seriously depends. When my hope is in something else besides God - when my hope is in my memory (trying to remember what I did with my flash drive) or in my interviewer (for the job) or for the leasing office (for the place in Ft. C's if I am to live here) or for the Human Resources department in Denver (for the Denver jobs), my hope obviously isn't in God. When it is in both, it ends up stabilizing out with my flesh AND my spirit having more of an equal equalibrium. With each side gaining strength, and with each side fighting to become dominant, my flesh and spirit will struggle. Apart from God.
God, I seriously have no idea what I did with my flash drive, actually, I'm assuming it's in my purse in the dorms, but I'm not sure. Sounds like a trivial request, but could You please protet it with all my ASSIGNMENTS and RESUMES and stuff for the RESEARCH PAPER on it? Just asking You for this makes me trust You more. And, God, I know I felt peace right after the interview. I know I did, and I know I gave it to You in the bus. But, as these things go, I tend to take it back... so I give it to You yet again. If I end up working there - cool. If not, You had a better plan. That's it. The End of Story. Same with the Denver thing. And God, I know You provided the perfect place for me in the Lory Apartments last summer, I pray I see Your hand again at work with my living situation and I can yet praise You and give You Your glory. God, in a way, I'm thankful that I don't have my assignments or the research paper to distract me, so I can come back fully to You - just like You wanted it to be and just like I need it to be so I can come back to that true Rock - true Secure Person, true Anchor, and thus give You glory. God, You really do give me peace, and I praise your for it. Allelua!!!! :)
2. I haven't had any calls from places in Denver where I applied.
3. If I get the job in Ft. Collins, I need to find a place to live
4. I think my flash drive is in my room with my whole life on it.
What do these four things all have in common? Trust. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5
Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation" Isiah 12:2
"I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him" Isaiah 8:7
(source: Biblegateway.com)
Aha! I think I will do my quiet time on Trust today since apparently I need it. I think I was planning on doing my quiet time, but I honestly don't know if I had it since I don't remember. So, this will do. The first thing that came to my mind regarding trust was the Isrealites since I was doing a search in the Old Testament. More specifically, I was thinking about the Golden Calf scene. What happened was this: Moses was taking orders from God for 40 days while the Isrealites were on their own. We could say, "How STUPID they were to build a calf when God was around them and behind them in pillars of smoke and fire and parted the red sea and...." But, I can say, "How STUPID am I, who sees God in every aspect of biology and chemistry and organic chemistry and physics, who has God's Spirit and who has access to God's Word to not trust in Him for these things."
Yes, I can say that now because I am now right with God. But when I am away, my flesh takes over. When I am away in my mind from God, I can freak out. Yes, several HDFS models would say that I have more of a cause to be insecure or have a difficult issue with trust because of my past. I will not deny that. But God is bigger than my past. God who has taken away my sin is bigger. My brain most certainly knows this, but when the rest of me - when I panic, do I really remember that? Maybe. Maybe not. It seriously depends. When my hope is in something else besides God - when my hope is in my memory (trying to remember what I did with my flash drive) or in my interviewer (for the job) or for the leasing office (for the place in Ft. C's if I am to live here) or for the Human Resources department in Denver (for the Denver jobs), my hope obviously isn't in God. When it is in both, it ends up stabilizing out with my flesh AND my spirit having more of an equal equalibrium. With each side gaining strength, and with each side fighting to become dominant, my flesh and spirit will struggle. Apart from God.
God, I seriously have no idea what I did with my flash drive, actually, I'm assuming it's in my purse in the dorms, but I'm not sure. Sounds like a trivial request, but could You please protet it with all my ASSIGNMENTS and RESUMES and stuff for the RESEARCH PAPER on it? Just asking You for this makes me trust You more. And, God, I know I felt peace right after the interview. I know I did, and I know I gave it to You in the bus. But, as these things go, I tend to take it back... so I give it to You yet again. If I end up working there - cool. If not, You had a better plan. That's it. The End of Story. Same with the Denver thing. And God, I know You provided the perfect place for me in the Lory Apartments last summer, I pray I see Your hand again at work with my living situation and I can yet praise You and give You Your glory. God, in a way, I'm thankful that I don't have my assignments or the research paper to distract me, so I can come back fully to You - just like You wanted it to be and just like I need it to be so I can come back to that true Rock - true Secure Person, true Anchor, and thus give You glory. God, You really do give me peace, and I praise your for it. Allelua!!!! :)
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Our Bodies Declare the Glory of God
Today Premedica went to Body Worlds II at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Part of Psalm 8 was on there: Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet
Here is that psalm in full: (from eSword, accessed 4/9/06)
Psa 8:1 To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
Psa 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
Psa 8:3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
Psa 8:4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Psa 8:5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
Psa 8:6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
Psa 8:7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
Psa 8:8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
Psa 8:9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
The rest of the quotes in the exhibit had clear humanistic leanings saying that man is superior. There was one that said something about how the body was awesome, and the soul was somewhere in the body... Anyway, if anyone looked at Pslam 8 in full, it glorifies neither the creation or even man who was ordained to rule over creation, but it ends by exalting the Creator Himself because all these things: The bird of the air, things on earth, things in the heavens, and mankind are a reflection of His glory and His attributes. Several times at Body Worlds, I prayed for God's spirit on the people passing through, and that they wouldn't pay much attention to the quotes, but only pay attention to the specimens and that they would seek the Creator that they reflect.
Here is that psalm in full: (from eSword, accessed 4/9/06)
Psa 8:1 To the choirmaster: according to The Gittith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
Psa 8:2 Out of the mouth of babes and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.
Psa 8:3 When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
Psa 8:4 what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?
Psa 8:5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
Psa 8:6 You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,
Psa 8:7 all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
Psa 8:8 the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
Psa 8:9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
The rest of the quotes in the exhibit had clear humanistic leanings saying that man is superior. There was one that said something about how the body was awesome, and the soul was somewhere in the body... Anyway, if anyone looked at Pslam 8 in full, it glorifies neither the creation or even man who was ordained to rule over creation, but it ends by exalting the Creator Himself because all these things: The bird of the air, things on earth, things in the heavens, and mankind are a reflection of His glory and His attributes. Several times at Body Worlds, I prayed for God's spirit on the people passing through, and that they wouldn't pay much attention to the quotes, but only pay attention to the specimens and that they would seek the Creator that they reflect.
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