Mutations and other changes

As I see it…
Mutation: I first became aware of the term in junior high school. I first understood the term in college. Simply, it is a word that describes change. It is most frequently used in the scientific world to describe change that takes place as presented in an evolutionary context. But that is not the purpose of this article. Instead, I want to delve into the theological usage of the term. In that case, we go in the opposite direction. Instead of talking about things that change, we talk about a God who is changeless. For that we use the term: immutable. For created objects and beings, change is matter of our existence. That is, since we are made of a host of composite parts, almost by definition we are subject to change. That’s what composite elements/obstacles do, they change. Change also means that you can either gain or lose something (in time). For humans, that can cover a host of items: weight, color, size, skin tone, maturation, etc. If you’re made of parts, sooner or later, those parts will change, decay, cease functioning, lose flexibility…you get the picture! Change is also a mantra of sorts in our modern culture. Rarely do people stay in the same place for their entire existence. And recently, more rarely do people remain in the same vocation, or even field of endeavor. When change happens, the question of adaptability comes in to play. For Christians, adaptability is joined with faith to explore God’s direction and purpose. But why would faith then enter the picture? Basically for one reason, since God is immutable, he’s the only one we can trust to know how to handle “mutation.” Whether the influences of change are external or internal, God has all the bases covered. The immutability of God appears in its most perfect beauty when viewed against the mutability of men. In God, no change is possible; in men, change is impossible to escape. Neither the man is fixed nor his world, but he and it are in constant flux. So writes Tozer. If we’re going to handle the inevitability of change, then we must trust the God who does not change. For, we live in and are creatures of a world system he has designed; and he has designed change as part of that system. Faith then, makes the journey a whole lot more pleasant!

Facebook | Keith Megilligan: Better alive or dead?

Facebook | Keith Megilligan: Better alive or dead?

The LORD snowed last night

As I see it…
The Lord snowed last night. The blanket of white crystalline was just enough to cover the ground and a little more. It really was a beautiful sight. The snow was light enough to be pushable; you needn’t shovel it. That’s good for us cardiac types. It was also just deep enough to clearly distinguish deer tracks; each duplicate set was in close proximity and arranged in a delicate pattern. The branches and leaves of evergreen were covered enough that the appearance of neatly arranged marshmallows rested on each protrusion.
The Lord snowed last night. It was another reminder of his marvelous creativity. I wonder how many of us creatures who have been made in his image took time to marvel at and thank the Lord for snowing. It’s a good thing children love it; there may not be too many above the height of four feet or the age of 12 that get enamored any more with God’s whiteness. I know the birds appreciate it. I heard their pleasant chirps and serenades as I rearranged God’s white blanket a little. I believe they were encouraging me to be careful and not desecrate Deity’s divine delicacies.
The Lord snowed last night. He’s been doing it for thousands of years. Of course he’s experienced with such atmospheric displays, but it’s still beautiful to see and a wonder to behold. Sadly, we can only enjoy occasional bursts of his cold whiteness. There are mountain ranges and cold climes worldwide that, without us ever realizing it get powered frequently, deeply and without fanfare. God is good at what he does. None of us, with even the combined energy of sheer willpower could generate one snowflake. Yet, without thinking about it, God can cover hundreds of square miles inches to feet deep in a matter of minutes or hours. God is good at what he does!
The Lord snowed last night. And, the psalmists rejoiced. They have been telling us for millennia how wonderful, powerful; even inspiring the Lord is when he snows. What’s that you say? You don’t believe me? Well listen to the writer of Psalm 147: Praise the LORD…He gives snow like wool; He scatters the hoarfrost like ashes. He casts forth His ice as fragments; who can stand before his cold? Who, indeed!

Ministry in the midst of tradgedy

It's virtually impossible to recount the horror, devastation and "lostness" of the earthquake that recently impacted Haiti. However, if you would like a GREAT first hand account of what it was like to minister in Jesus name in the hours that immediately followed Haiti's national nightmare, PLEASE read this blog: http://totheleastofthese-laura.blogspot.com/
If it does not touch your heart to pray and open your eyes to what God can do in the midst of grief, nothing much will.

Banana Spiders and other delicacies....

As I see it…
Banana spiders and Dominican cockroaches: if you’ve ever traveled to or lived in a tropical climate, such critters are relatively common residents of the land. On the one hand you should not be surprised to encounter this semi-select group of God’s creatures. On the other hand it’s nice to be warned in advance that such encounters can indeed take place. First the good news: banana spiders are only interested in mosquitoes; and their hard-shelled 12th cousins are only interested in night life and crumbs (I think!). Now the not-so-good news: banana spiders (mature ones, that is) are the size of a grown man’s hand; Dominican cockroaches (like some of their Floridian kin-folk) have the ability to fly, coming complete with landing gears and head lights. As the King James folks would put it, “my hap was to light” upon one each at the same time about midnight. I was not startled so much as I was frozen in time. Neither of these critters was concerned at the fact that I had turned on the light: the spider refused to move and the cockroach continued scurrying around as if my presence was inconsequential. I took care of my business, obtained a glass of water, making sure no other critters were in the glass, took my pills and quietly backed out of the kitchen and turned off the light. I did not bother to look over my shoulder to see if either was following me. My midnight encounter has caused me to wonder: Since I wasn’t present at creation, I have no idea why my Heavenly Father chose to make such “living creatures which crawl upon the face of the earth” (I certainly hope it was because of the fall, not before it!). He certainly doesn’t need my permission. But, it is a mild inconvenience to have to share the same continent or even island with the likes of these arthropods. The hymn writer explored the fact and praised our Lord for “all creatures, great and small.” I wonder if he ever came face to insect with a banana spider before he penned such words?

Spice and your devotional time

As I see it…
How would like to spice up your devotional life? I know, it doesn’t sound very spiritual to speak about our time with the Lord as “spicy.” However, my intent isn’t to cheapen, it’s to enliven. I try to read a mixture of godly sources with my Bible reading each day. Nothing, and I mean nothing, exceeds or replaces my Bible reading; but it’s good to hear other voices speak of our mutual journey with the Lord. I have read men like Tozer, O. Chambers, Vance Havner, DA Carson, CS Lewis, Chuck Swindoll and others down through the years. I have even waded into the sometimes unusual waters of those who have been called church mystics. But recently, I’ve expanded devotional borders even further. It’s at this point that I would like to encourage my fundamentalist friends to take a deep breath, elevate your feet higher than your head and then continue. Recently I’ve explored the writings of men (and a few women) who have established their Christian renown in Roman Catholic (and other denominational) circles. There are those, for example, who have argued that CS Lewis was a little too “catholic” for their liking. Wherever you land on that argument, you cannot deny his Christian apologetic genius. In turn, his heritage included men like GK Chesterton, Augustine, Athanasius, Ambrose and the like. You can get a taste of these contributors and many others in the book, From the Library of C. S. Lewis. Some of the content is philosophical drivel, but just some. Much of the content exposes the fountains from which Lewis drank. Interestingly enough, the title of Lewis’s own spiritual journal is derived from his reading of Richard Baxter (a Puritan giant of letters in his own right), Mere Christianity. I have found that many of these writers/authors have contributed much to my Christian and apologetic thinking. But then, discernment is always the key when reading anyone. (By contrast, I have a few fundamentalist-authored books whose content hasn’t really done all that much to raise my spiritual thermometer. This is said not to pronounce judgment, just an opinion from a country preacher.) The proof, they say, is in the pudding. In this case, looking beyond the labels and into a person’s soul certainly will affect the impact of their contribution to your life. So, are you ready for a little spice?

Haiti

Our daughter has a ministry next door to Haiti. The Dominican Republic and Haiti share an island but their existence is worlds apart. There is a mountain range that essentially serves as a natural border between the two countries. The DR side is lush and green. It's towns and villages are populated by a medium-class to a poor but vibrant people. The Haitian side manifests a poverty that defies description. The land is barren and the government, for much of its history has been plagued with corruption. Several years ago, the nation declared Voodoo as its national religion. Tonight, the country marks its second night of a meager yet mass survival. Sadly, their worse days may not as yet have happened. As we met for our midweek prayer time tonight, we started by reading emails and blogs of various Christians who tried to describe the devastation that now marks their land. My thoughts went to Jonah and Nineveh. Prayer is sprinkled throughout that brief little OT book. The prophet prays, the pagan sailors pray, and the inhabitants of Nineveh even learn to humble themselves before the Lord. No matter their background, each and every one in this small book lift their voices in prayer. As Port-au-Prince cries out tonight for help, many have cried out to the God of creation on their behalf to grant them comfort and aid. My prayer for Haiti is that the God of Scripture will show them a benevolence and redemption that their practice of Voodoo could never comprehend let alone display.