Spencer, I love how you and your dad so eloquently bring to life the liturgy of "Everything is God and all things are in God." There is no end to the gazillion wondrous details we humans witness in our ordinary lives. Please keep sharing your wondrous details with us.
My daughter once asked me if I thought there was life anywhere else in the universe. All I could do was quote Dr. Sagan, from Contact: if not, it sure is a waste of a lot of space. But then a thought occurred to me: what if it took all that space and matter to make Earth exactly as it is, so we could live on it? The butterfly effect—okay, a really BIG butterfly—might happen if a single planet orbiting another star deviated by less than a mile. Of course, we’ll never know until we have the chance to ask God, Himself, if we get the chance.
But what if He placed it all out there just for us to look and wonder? He HAD to know He was creating a creature only slightly less inquisitive than Himself. And that reminds me of From The Earth To The Moon, when Lane Smith (playing the Cronkite-esque character) is asked why we went to the moon at all. His reply? “To get all those great pictures!” Maybe God just wanted us to get all those beautiful astrophotos.
My daughter is currently in the Bahamas discovering with her biology cohort from Pacific Lutheran University --and of those oceanic creatures. I only hope that her scientific mind and training is leaving room for the wonder of God, even after being stung by a Box Jellyfish (non-lethal, thank God!).
I came to Texas to study Marine Biology. 5 years later I married and almost 40 years later the ocean (not beaches, ugh) I am still enthralled. On the water or under it I feel closest to God. And yet we know less about the deepest parts of our oceans than we know about the other planets in the solar system. And yes, the ocean is home to the strangest creatures on the planet.
And yes, and yet were we not there in the beginning as spirit children helping in our childish way to design all these wonders for our future home? Learning to be creators like our parents. Does not detract from the glory of God who wants us to grow up and have eternal life like His.
I like to think God pressed Go and then sat back to see what happened, only interfering when absolutely necessary. But obviously, I could be totally wrong. I still think the many world's theory is just God's decision points.
Personally I think it’s impossible to imagine God’s thought process as it must be so beyond what we’re capable of conceiving. But if he did wind things up and let them go, he would have foreseen all the outcomes and been able to wind things up in just the way he wanted…so it comes to the same thing
Doesn’t that make us kind of irrelevant if he already knew the answer? I mean he’s outside time and space so he’s always known but if he never made the universe, would he still know? The answer is beyond human comprehension but it’s fun to ask.
Could it be that this natural universe of ours — in all its immensity and frivolity and little fishies and birdies and unanswered questions — is here and alive and so fun and full of life because of its integral interdependence with the unseen spiritual reality where our minds dwell, a world that is actually *more* real (and in many ways more fluid and alive and crazy and fun) than this one?
Could it be that both worlds are interdependent? Could it be that in this natural world we might see an image, so to speak of a spiritual reality that we can otherwise only guess at?
Might it be that in His Second Coming these things will be revealed?
If so, hopefully without giving away *all* the answers. What fun would that be? Go Eagles! 🦅
Spencer, I love how you and your dad so eloquently bring to life the liturgy of "Everything is God and all things are in God." There is no end to the gazillion wondrous details we humans witness in our ordinary lives. Please keep sharing your wondrous details with us.
It’s all akin to what my then-young son once said: “Platypuses are evidence that God has a sense of humor.”
Hahaha https://youtu.be/t_5XkPh3vXg?si=ViJoNJiyv_3uE53C
My daughter once asked me if I thought there was life anywhere else in the universe. All I could do was quote Dr. Sagan, from Contact: if not, it sure is a waste of a lot of space. But then a thought occurred to me: what if it took all that space and matter to make Earth exactly as it is, so we could live on it? The butterfly effect—okay, a really BIG butterfly—might happen if a single planet orbiting another star deviated by less than a mile. Of course, we’ll never know until we have the chance to ask God, Himself, if we get the chance.
But what if He placed it all out there just for us to look and wonder? He HAD to know He was creating a creature only slightly less inquisitive than Himself. And that reminds me of From The Earth To The Moon, when Lane Smith (playing the Cronkite-esque character) is asked why we went to the moon at all. His reply? “To get all those great pictures!” Maybe God just wanted us to get all those beautiful astrophotos.
Octopuses or Octupai? Asking for a friend. 🤣🤷🏼♀️
Octopuses!! It’s from Greek Pous (foot), plural Podes
My daughter is currently in the Bahamas discovering with her biology cohort from Pacific Lutheran University --and of those oceanic creatures. I only hope that her scientific mind and training is leaving room for the wonder of God, even after being stung by a Box Jellyfish (non-lethal, thank God!).
I came to Texas to study Marine Biology. 5 years later I married and almost 40 years later the ocean (not beaches, ugh) I am still enthralled. On the water or under it I feel closest to God. And yet we know less about the deepest parts of our oceans than we know about the other planets in the solar system. And yes, the ocean is home to the strangest creatures on the planet.
Thank you God for your wonderful gifts.
Giant Squids in Space!
You may use this royalty-free.
It’s the movie we all deserve
And yes, and yet were we not there in the beginning as spirit children helping in our childish way to design all these wonders for our future home? Learning to be creators like our parents. Does not detract from the glory of God who wants us to grow up and have eternal life like His.
I like to think God pressed Go and then sat back to see what happened, only interfering when absolutely necessary. But obviously, I could be totally wrong. I still think the many world's theory is just God's decision points.
Personally I think it’s impossible to imagine God’s thought process as it must be so beyond what we’re capable of conceiving. But if he did wind things up and let them go, he would have foreseen all the outcomes and been able to wind things up in just the way he wanted…so it comes to the same thing
Doesn’t that make us kind of irrelevant if he already knew the answer? I mean he’s outside time and space so he’s always known but if he never made the universe, would he still know? The answer is beyond human comprehension but it’s fun to ask.
Could it be that this natural universe of ours — in all its immensity and frivolity and little fishies and birdies and unanswered questions — is here and alive and so fun and full of life because of its integral interdependence with the unseen spiritual reality where our minds dwell, a world that is actually *more* real (and in many ways more fluid and alive and crazy and fun) than this one?
Could it be that both worlds are interdependent? Could it be that in this natural world we might see an image, so to speak of a spiritual reality that we can otherwise only guess at?
Might it be that in His Second Coming these things will be revealed?
If so, hopefully without giving away *all* the answers. What fun would that be? Go Eagles! 🦅
Beautiful!
Is it possible that "the kingdom of God is like..." "the necessary mental condition"?