Digging Deep

March 8, 2010

The Reality of Waiting

Filed under: Barb Larson, Christian Living, Encouragement — Barb Larson @ 11:39 AM

As a Christian speaker I occasionally find myself waiting in airports.  Last weekend was one of those times.  I was at the gate waiting to board my plane when a young woman made her way to the seat next to me.  She was carrying two large, stylish purses… and a large clear, plastic bag with a knot tied at the top.  Inside I could see miscellaneous clothes, a pair of tennis shoes, a laptop in a colorful case and a book titled “When Life Goes Wrong.” I smiled at her curiously when she plopped down next to me.  She tentatively returned my smile and explained, “I got bumped from my flight last night because of the snow. I paid a fortune for my three bags.  Last night they weighed my heaviest bag and said that I was good to go.  But today, when I arrived, I was told that it was overweight and that I had to carry the excess in this plastic bag.  I’m tired and I’m just trying to get home.” She added that the book in her bag explained her life at that moment.

I watched her things while she got a cup of coffee and we finally got on the plane.  I thought about how much life feels, at times, like waiting to catch a flight.  We encounter obstacles and the waiting seems enormously long.  But God tells us that the waiting has purpose—that He is working in our lives to make us more suited to our final destination—heaven.  We are going home and nothing can keep us from our timely arrival.  So be faithful even when it seems that God is taking a long time.  He hasn’t forgotten or abandoned you—he’s just working it the details in his way and it is the perfect way.  Remember the encouragement of Psalm 27:13: “I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”

March 3, 2010

Demons?

Filed under: Christian Living, Craig Smith, Spiritual Warfare — Tags: , , , , , , , — Craig Smith @ 10:54 AM

Here’s a question I just received.  I’m blogging about it today because its a question I get on a pretty regular basis.

Hi Craig,  I wanted to ask a couple of questions.  I have been told that when Paul refers to the thorn in the flesh he is referring to a person or a demonic spirit.  What do you believe about this?  Also, in regards to spiritual warfare, what material (if any) would you recommend.  We went to a Bible study called Freedom Encounter by Keys of the Kingdom International.  It seems to focus on how bound up people are and that everyone needs constant intervention in the spiritual world or even deliverance.  I agree to a point but I feel like they are looking for almost “magical” ways of being set free from the sinful self, besides obedience in Christ.  Generational curses, demonic influence…. ugh.  I was involved in the occult so I KNOW who the enemy is however, I thought I was set free in Christ.  I am sure there is not short answer to this, so if you want to refer me to study material I would be thankful!

My answer:

Hi XXXXX,

I suspect Paul is referring to a physical ailment that had a demonic origin, rather than to a person or to a demonic spirit precisely.  In other words, my best guess (though really nothing more than a guess) is that he had a disease but understood that the disease had a demonic component.  It’s interesting that the New Testament sometimes attributes particular symptoms to demons and sometimes attributes those exact same symptoms to just “being sick.”  This indicates that they did not have a simplistic or superstitious understanding of illness but a nuanced and discerning one…perhaps more so than ours!

In any event, as a Christian, evil spirits have no authority over you.  On the contrary, you can command them “in the name of Jesus” (which really just means “as a representative of Jesus possessing his delegated authority”), and they have to obey you as they would Jesus.  In that sense we are free.  However, these spirits are still present in the world and will sometimes take a particular interest in individuals.  You can kick them out of a geographical area (exorcism) but they may hang out on the periphery and look for opportunities to plague a person even though they have no real “grasp” on that individual.  Think of it this way:  a Christian has become slippery with Christ’s righteousness and demons can no longer grasp us…but they can still try to poke us with sticks, so we need to be aware of the possibility that they are operating nearby and take advantage of our authority to tell them to go away. 

 I don’t think anyone really knows all the rules of this stuff:  i.e., how far do they have to go away when we cast them out of a place, how much can they poke us, etc.  What I know is this:  as a believer you have absolute authority over evil spirits.  Because of this they will be less direct in their efforts.  This, of course, assumes that there are still demons interested in you, personally, which there may not be.  Any spirits that were interested in you while you were involved in the occult may well have moved on to an easier target.  There are a limited number of these spirits (though I have no idea how many) and they are neither omniscient nor omnipotent.  They have to be in nearby in order to do their thing.  The same applies to Satan himself.  I’m always amused at how many people who say things like “Satan has really been giving me a hard time” as though he was either omni-present or was personally following them around.  I’m almost positive that Satan himself has no idea who I am! J

 We live in fallen world and much of the pain and difficulty we face is a result of that, rather than spiritual attack.  However, our sin does give evil spirits a “foothold” in our lives (Eph. 4:26-27), so it’s important that we stay holy so that we can stay free.  In other words, it’s a balance:  there are spirits who will try to hurt us, so we need to be aware of them and take up the authority we have over them.  But evil spirits are not the cause for every problem we have, either.  As C.S. Lewis said, we need to be aware of them without being in awe of them.    

Is this at all helpful?

Craig

March 1, 2010

Finding A Great Christian Speaker, Part 2

Filed under: Christian ministry, Christian speakers — admin @ 7:30 PM

 What kind of speaker do you want?

The second thing to do when trying to find a Christian speaker is to decide what you’re looking for.  Most Christian speakers fall into two broad categories:  equipping and inspiring.  Christian speakers who fit into the “inspiring” category will generally be fun and encouraging to listen to, but relatively short on biblical content.  Christian speakers who fit into the “equipping” category will generally have more in-depth teaching from the Bible.  Of course, there’s no reason why a Christian speaker can’t both equip and inspire audiences, but the unfortunate truth is that this combination of gifts is rare.  They’re out there, but they’re not common…and they’re not necessarily cheap.

 As with so many things in life, you may have to strike a balance.  When it comes to booking a Christian speaker, you will often juggle three things:  ability to engage, ability to equip and cost.  You can get someone who isn’t very engaging but is a solid teacher for relatively little money.  You can also get someone who is engaging but relatively shallow without spending much.  To get someone who is able to engage audiences and then give them life-changing teaching, you’re going to have to pay a professional-level fee (though this shouldn’t be a burden; see above).

February 22, 2010

Finding a great Christian speaker

Filed under: Christian ministry, Christian speakers — Tags: , , , — admin @ 4:54 PM

Finding a Christian speaker for your event can be a daunting task.  A quick search on the internet will generate several thousand pages of possibilities, but how do you narrow down that list to a manageable size?

 Over the next few days, we’ll explore some important considerations as you look for a Christian speaker for your upcoming event.

Begin with your budget in mind

The first thing to do when trying to find a Christian speaker is to get some idea what your budget is.  It’s not uncommon for churches to think they should be able to get a professional speaker to their event for next to nothing because “it’s ministry.”  Others think that they should be able to get a Christian speaker cheaply because “they’re only speaking for 30 minutes three times…why should I have to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars for an hour and a half of work?” 

 There are two things to keep in mind when you’re thinking about what a Christian speaker will cost:

 1.  While Christian speaking is ministry – and most professional Christian speakers think of it in precisely this way – it is also how they make their living.  To be available to fly around the country or around the world on weekends and, often, during the week, these individuals can’t work a regular job.  So, while they consider speaking a ministry, they also have to make a living doing it.  Remember the Apostle Paul’s instruction:  For the Scripture says, “YOU SHALL NOT MUZZLE THE OX WHILE HE IS THRESHING,” and “The laborer is worthy of his wages.” (1 Timothy 5:18). 

 2.  You can’t think about a speaker’s honorariums as an hourly wage.  Yes, you’re paying them for 3 or 4 talks of a fairly short length each, but you’re also paying them to be at your event which means time away from family and time away from other sources of needed income.  Think about it this way:  if you pay a speaker a $1500 honorarium for 3 talks of 30 minutes each, that would be $500 per talk…pretty good wages!  But wait: the speaker had to leave home at 8:30 am to catch the plane to your city, then drive to the event location, meet people at the event, speak, hang out between sessions, etc.  By the time the weekend is over, the speaker has essentially been “on the clock” for maybe 40 hours.  That’s only $37.50 per hour.  Still not a bad wage, but remember, speaking isn’t like working at most jobs.  Most speaking engagements only happen on the weekends, so during the week, professional Christian speakers often have no income at all.  And, even the most popular Christian speakers may only get 2 or 3 bookings a  month, so the honorariums they get paid for their weekend engagements have to go pretty far!

 So, what’s an average cost for a professional Christian speaker?  There may not be any such thing.  The cost depends on many factors including the speaker’s popularity, experience, etc. 

 Our advice is to look for a speaker with a sliding scale for honorariums.  What this means is that the speaker doesn’t have pre-set fees but works with the event organizers to find an agreeable rate.  At Shepherd Project, our speaker fees vary depending on:  how many people will be at the event, are attendees being charged for the event, what is the purpose of the event, et.al.  For evangelistic events where no one is being charged to attend, our rates are lower than for huge conferences where thousands of attendees are being charged hundreds of dollars each to attend.  Typically, our speaker honorariums run from $800 to $2000 (including travel costs) for weekend events.

 As you think about speaker honorariums, keep in mind that some speakers include their travel costs in the honorarium and others tack those costs on top of the honorarium.  Make sure you find out which it is.  At Shepherd Project we always quote all-inclusive deals that have already accounted for travel costs so you don’t have any unexpected fees to pay later.

To skip ahead and read the rest of this article right now, click here.

Olympic Imperfection

Filed under: Susan Rieske, Theology — Susan Rieske @ 3:47 PM

I love the Olympics. I love everything about it: the athletic excellence, the patriotism, the personal stories, the competition…all of it. And I’m not even a huge sports fan. But the Olympics, well…it’s different. For this year’s Olympics, my excitement began as it always does with the opening ceremony. And even though it was tinged with the sadness over the death of the Georgian Olympian, the ceremony was filled with the usual excellence of opening ceremonies…until the end, that is. Until the glitch.

As usual, the ceremony culminated in the great final event: the lighting of the Olympic cauldron. Four Canadian sports heroes were to simultaneously light the cauldron through giant pillars that were to rise up out of the floor. However, to everyone’s dismay, one pillar did not come up. The door failed to open. What the Canadians planned as a stunning display of perfection actually became a stunning display of imperfection. The grand finale of the night was somewhat soiled. It was still amazing, yes, but not perfect.

Perfection is an interesting term. Many moments during this Olympics will be considered perfect and others considered not so perfect. But what makes something perfect? If it has no mistakes? No glitches? No blemishes? Perhaps. But isn’t perfection somewhat in the eye of the beholder? Something one person might consider perfect, another might not consider perfect, right? If perfection is indeed in the eye of the beholder, than the beholder somehow determines perfection. In the Olympics, the judges are the primary ones who determine perfection, although as we know, they almost never issue a perfect score in anything, do they? Their standards of perfection are very high.

As I think about Olympic perfection, my thoughts are drawn towards God’s view of perfection. What are his standards? As a perfect God, we might guess that he must have extremely high standards of perfection. In fact, the Bible says this very thing. That to God, perfection means absolutely no mistakes, no errors, no blemishes…100% perfect. And this is the kind of perfection he asks from us. Yes, a standard of perfection even higher than that demanded by the Olympic judges.

Why? Well, for one reason, because he himself is so completely and wholly perfect, only things that are perfect can be in close relationship with him. If anything imperfect were to come in close contact with God, it would, in theory, soil him.

My two oldest children are very different. My son is quite neat and orderly. As for my daughter…well…not so much. This is never quite as evident as when they go out to play. My son can spend the day outside on the muddiest of days and come in perfectly clean. However, with my daughter, it seems as if dirt jumps off the ground and clings magnetically to her. She cannot look at dirt without getting dirty. If my daughter and dirt are in the same universe, dirt will find her instantly. This is why to keep her clean, we need to keep her far away from anything that even approximates dirt.

That is kind of how it is with God. For God to stay clean, to stay perfect, he has to stay far away from dirt. And of course I am not talking about physical dirt, but spiritual dirt. Something the Bible calls “sin.” And his home, heaven, needs to remain pure and imperfection-free. No dirt. No sin. Nada. Nothing.

Hence, the problem with us and God. We all want to be in heaven, someday, right? I have yet to meet a single person who says after death, they don’t want to be in a happy, pain-free, perfect place. But if we are all imperfect (and does any of us really think we are not?), how in the world can we ever get anywhere near a perfect God who by his nature necessitates complete perfection?

Thankfully, the Bible gives us a solution for this in Jesus, the only human who truly was perfect. We have the ability to make a trade with him: our imperfect life for his perfect life. One moment in time, one decision, one commitment, one expression of need, one sincere prayer of surrender, asking for Jesus’ perfection to become ours, and it’s done. Jesus takes our imperfection and gives us his perfection. After that point, God no longer looks at us and sees imperfection. Even though we continue to make mistakes, he sees perfection. We gain what every Olympian can only dream of: a perfect score. And we have instant access to a perfect God and can live with him forever in a perfect heaven. No imperfection then will enter there. Nothing is soiled. All remains pure…clean…perfect.

So have you asked Jesus to make the trade? Will God look at you and see your imperfection or will he see Jesus’ perfection? That day we stand before him will truly be the finale of our lives. I hope it is a stunning display of perfection.

February 17, 2010

Awake

Filed under: Christian Living, Craig Smith — Tags: , , — Craig Smith @ 9:46 AM

I’m at my home church this weekend, something I really value since the whole Christian speaker gig keeps me on the road and away from home too many Sundays.  This weekend I’ll be serving as lead worshipper.  As I’ve been preparing, I’ve been thinking about a new song we’re going to do:  Christ Is Risen by Matt Maher.  If you haven’t heard it yet, you should definately check it out.

Somewhat ironically, though the song is a bit edgy, the text of the song is borrowed in large measure from the words of John Chrysostom who preached during the late 4th and into the early 5th century.  A liturgical reading from Chrysostom, still used today in Greek Orthodox churches, has the people say:  “Christ is risen from the dead, conquering death by death, and to those in the tombs, bestowing life.”

Matt Maher has turned this into an invitation.  His chorus reads:  Christ has risen from the death, conguering over death by death, come awake, come awake, come and rise up from the grave!

I love that line!  I don’t know if Chrysostom or Maher had it in mind, but this line reminds me of

Isaiah 60:1-5: 

This passage is most directly a promise to the nation of Israel as a nation, but it contains hints of glory that are applicable to all of God’s people whether Jewish or not.  I am particularly struck by the call to “Arise, shine, for your light has come” and the promise that kings will come to “the brightness of your rising”.

Am I fully awake?  Can the world discern the brightness of my rising?

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2 “For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you. 3 “Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 “Lift up your eyes round about and see; They all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, And your daughters will be carried in the arms. 5 “Then you will see and be radiant…

“Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2 “For behold, darkness will cover the earth And deep darkness the peoples; But the LORD will rise upon you And His glory will appear upon you. 3 “Nations will come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 “Lift up your eyes round about and see; They all gather together, they come to you. Your sons will come from afar, And your daughters will be carried in the arms. 5 “Then you will see and be radiant…

This passage is most directly a promise to the nation of Israel as a nation, but it contains hints of glory that are applicable to all of God’s people whether Jewish or not.  I am particularly struck by the call to “Arise, shine, for your light has come” and the promise that kings will come to “the brightness of your rising”.

Am I fully awake?  Can the world discern the brightness of my rising?

February 15, 2010

Jesus & Joy

Filed under: Biblical Studies, Christian Living, Craig Smith, Encouragement, Theology — Tags: , , , , — Craig Smith @ 11:19 AM

I’ve been thinking about joy a lot lately.  I have not been thinking about all the technical distinctions we try to make between “joy” and “happiness”, though I suppose there is some validity in those distinctions.  No, my thoughts have been more about whether or not joy is  really evident in the Christian community.  “Christian community” is probably too broad.  As a Christian speaker and teacher, I get to go to a lot of different churches and Christian events where the presence of authentic joy is kind of hit-or-miss.  Some places seem to bristle with joy.  Others are as joyless as a funeral parlor.

It seems to me that there are two types of joyless Christians:  those who realize something is missing and those who wear their joylessness like a badge of honor.  I don’t really mind the first type.  In fact, I love being able to share things that God has taught me about joy and passion and purpose in the hope that God will use that ministry to awaken something in my stuggling brothers and sisters. But that second type of joylessless I have very little patience for.  And at least part of my lack of patience with those who seem to think that following Jesus – at least in this life – is supposed to be a somber, bleak affair comes from Jesus’ description of his own ministry:

A   We played the flute for you and you did not dance

          B   We sang a dirge for you and you did not mourn

          B’   John came neither eating nor drinking and they say “He has a demon.”

A’   The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they say, “Here is a glutton and a drunkard…”

Here, in Luke 7:32-34, Jesus contrasts his own ministry with John the Baptist’s by the use of a chiasm (where the first half of the passage corresponds in reverse order to the second).  Joh played a dirge by not eating or drinking (i.e. he didn’t celebrate) but Jesus came playing a flute and inviting people to dance by eating and drinking (i.e. he celebrated).  Of course, Jesus spoke this to a hostile audience who rejected both John and Jesus, but the way Jesus characterized his own ministry is fascinating, isn’t it?  Jesus came playing a flute, eating and drinking…in other words, Jesus’ ministry is a celebration of God’s involvement in our world. 

How can we possibly respond to that kind of ministry with anything less than authentic joy?

February 12, 2010

What Kindergarten Taught me about Valentines’ Day

Filed under: Christian Living — Tags: , — Stacey Tuttle @ 10:16 AM

They say that everything you need to know you learned in Kindergarten.  As a single facing another Valentine’s day alone, I tend to feel that this is a holiday that doesn’t apply to me.  However, my friend was talking this week about her kindergartener’s upcoming Valentine’s Day party and it changed my perspective.  In Kindergarten, you bring Valentines and candy to your whole class. It isn’t about having someone romantic in your life.  In Kindergarten it’s just about spreading a little love to everyone you know.    The Bible says in Matthew 13:44 that, “they will know we are Christians by our love.”  So, in light of that, maybe what I learned in Kindergarten about Valentine’s Day really is all I needed to know!

So, that brings me to a brief look at what it is to spread a little love to everyone I know, such that others will know I’m a Christian by the love I give.  There are different kinds of love, and certainly, we don’t need to spread more of the romantic love to everyone we know.   So, what is the kind of love that God wants us to be spreading?  While the Bible is full of advice on this topic, I think just a couple short verses will be enough to steer us straight and get us started. 

Phil 2:3-4, “Do nothing out of selfishness or vain conceit, but in humility, consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”  I must admit, it’s a struggle to really grasp considering others better than myself.  I mean, it may be easy with some people, but there are others … people I don’t like or maybe don’t respect their lifestyle, or whatever the case may be…and those people I struggle to truly consider better than myself.  We have a natural instinct for self-preservation it seems.  And the command to look to the interests of others often feels as if it flies directly in the face of that natural instinct.  But if people saw us truly living out this verse, wouldn’t they have to notice something different about us?  Wouldn’t they be likely to see that it was Christ in us that enabled us to love? 

John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.”  Pretty hard to do if you don’t begin to consider others better than yourself and look to their interests and not just your own.  This is revolutionary love.  Whether a person lays their life down for a specific person or a group of people, it’s the stuff of heroes.  It’s what Jesus did for us, and as we do it for others people cannot help but see Him in us.  Thus, they know we are Christians by our love.

And while I am on the topic of Jesus laying his life down for us, let me mention here that Jesus was the ultimate Valentine.  He loved more purely and truly than any ever has.  He pursued a romance with mankind so desperately that He gave his life for it.  And he continues his pursuit of your heart today.  So, whether you have a someone to spend your Valentine ’s Day with or whether you are single like me, let me encourage you not to forget that Jesus is the ultimate romancer of your heart.  He longs to be your valentine, to shower you with His love.  And when you know you are loved by Him, overflowing with the love He lavishes on you, you will find that letting it spill over to those around you will be so much easier. 

May Valentine’s Day forever be a reminder of the lover of your soul who gave His life to win your love.  And may you remember the lessons of Kindergarten – that Valentine’s Day is about showing love to all of those around you.

Leap Year: What would YOU grab?

Filed under: Christian Living, Faith & Culture, Movies — Tags: , — Stacey Tuttle @ 10:01 AM

Review by: Stacey Tuttle

 The pivotal question in Leap Year is when Declan asks Anna if her house was burning and she had 60 seconds, what would she grab.  Interestingly, we don’t ever know Anna’s answer to that question.  However, her search for an answer changes how she has evaluated the men in her life.  She watches as her fiancé, Jeremy, scrambles to grab electronics – cell phone, iPod, computer, camera, etc. – thinking there is a possible fire in the building.  Certainly, we understand to a point – it’s hard to replace a phone or computer – all the work and files and contacts, etc.  But it was all centered around possessions and work and accomplishments.  This is starkly contrasted with Declan who said he would grab a ring, significant in that it was a family heirloom and had belonged to his mother.  Declan was sentimental and put little stock in name brands and titles.  Anna had to choose: did she want to spend her life with a man who would be married to his job and possessions, or to a man who would be married to her and his family?  One guy might make better money, but the other was nearly guaranteed to take better care of her.  One would know her taste in shoes, the other would know her heart. 

It’s a simple question, but can reveal so much about a person.  It’s a great question to ask – whether it’s in response to Leap Year or just in casual conversation – if you only had a few minutes, the house is going down in flames, what would you grab?  See what matters most to the people around you.  It can lead to some great discussions about their priorities and what fulfills them (or what they think fulfills them!).  It’s a great question to ask for a natural segue from your culture into areas of faith.

February 10, 2010

One Little Bug

Filed under: Apologetics, Faith & Culture, Susan Rieske — Tags: — Susan Rieske @ 8:29 PM

Some conversations I’ve been having lately have sent my thoughts drifting in the direction of science. In particular, I’ve been thinking about one little bug: the Bombardier beetle. Okay, even if you don’t like bugs, hang with me for a few minutes, for this little bug is a fascinating creature. What makes it so fascinating is how it defends itself, which is what gives the beetle its name (notice the bomb in Bombardier). How this happens is the fascinating part. I’ll do my best to explain this simply for you, especially if you are not a science person. Here it goes…

Two chemicals, good old hydrogen peroxide and another chemical called hydroquinone, are produced and stored in the beetle’s abdomen. When threatened by an enemy, these two chemicals enter into a mixing chamber where they combine with enzymes, and a violent chemical reaction begins. The fluid boils, gases are released, and an enormous amount of pressure builds up. At the same time, the valves from the explosion chamber close to protect the bug’s internal organs. In less than a fraction of a second from when this process begins, the boiling, smelly poison shoots out in a series of explosions and often the fluid is able to be aimed in several directions to hit the bug’s enemy. The enemy is scorched. The bug is saved. And that, in a nutshell, is how it’s done.

The whole process is pretty amazing, isn’t it? But why is this little bug significant enough to be written about on a Christian speaker’s blog? Well, this little beetle is discussed in a number of Christian circles because it points to a creator at work in the universe. In fact, this little beetle with a brain smaller than a pea has made quite a stir among the big brains in the scientific community.

Why? Well as many have argued, a system like this could not have come about by a series of small changes without a designer, as many evolutionists claim. This complete system of the two separate chemicals, the well insulated thick-walled mixing chamber, the valves to protect the beetle, and all the other tiny little details must be in place for the defense mechanism to work properly. If one single little part is missing or defective, it will not work. Not to mention, it must work well enough so the beetle doesn’t become a suicide bomber! In fact, if this process was developed through a series of random mutations and other small changes, somewhere along the way, the beetle would have become toast. And dead bugs don’t evolve. Thus, we see how difficult it is to explain how a gradual process like evolution is going to produce this little beetle. How could this system ever have worked unless it came into existence at once and fully? For those who refuse to believe that there is an intelligent designer in the universe responsible for life, they have to grapple with this small but mighty bombardier.

In my science background, I have been taught the arguments of those who believe that we came into being through random evolution. I have studied the responses of evolutionists to the detailed complexity found in nature, including that of the Bombardier beetle. But none of them satisfy and many of them seem quite far-fetched. Greater minds than mine will state the same. But the more I study the complexities of nature, the more I am convinced that the most believable theory is that they come from a complex creator…a great intelligent designer. Moreover, these complexities, including those of this little bug, display God’s creative power that should draw us to him. As the Bible says, “…since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” (Romans 1:20)

This is our God: the great Creator who is able to perfectly arrange all these tiny parts in the belly of a beetle to create an amazing little creature. Astounding. And the implications for our daily, seemingly mundane little lives? Well, just think about it.

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