genesis

Whose Watching??? God’s Kids of All Ages!!!

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As I rolled into the fun trunk or treat, my first ever, I realized it’s an opportunity as well as a fun activity. This was at the local fire company, and I came to represent my little local church… and so I set up just like I set up two weeks ago at our community festival and offered rock painting plus free bible books for the kids and free scripture cards and of course snacks (I went with chips and cheese balls and rice krispie treats over straight candy)… This is the season of candy but these kids (amazingly so) are getting festivals and fun activities practically every weekend in the fall – wow – if their families bring them – and so snacks of substance is what I thought was better – (and wow the hotdog that I got from the fire company was the best free protein yum)…

So, I set up a table with some of my favorite science experiments… people have probably rarely or never seen science at events like this – the comments I got were asking if I was a science teacher (not but I am a scientist so I love to teach) and the best questions I got (which is why we have to be at the ready to be encouragers) were 1) “your church helps with homeless – how do I help this pair of people who live in their car”  – so I gave her a copy by email of resources in our community that our church put together and 2) the person having seen the children’s bible books I offered asked a bible question in a way that I could see that she didn’t want to be judged for not knowing – and I didn’t because honestly most people have not read the bible – she asked: “Did God say He would never flood the earth or never destroy the earth when the rainbow appeared?” – yeah great question and I quoted what I hoped was completely right (and checked it later) – “Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And then I cheerily talked about Revelation 21 (I had a bible handy in the giving pile and showed her the text) and that the earth would be eventually rolled away by God but a New Jerusalem (yes there is an old Jerusalem but this city will be new) will be appearing – and God will be our Light – yeah! Yeah how often do you get to casually chat about Revelation over Rice Krispie treats? YEAH!

We might be nervous to be there to answer questions but probably not as nervous as someone who gets up the nerve to ask it!

We put ourselves out there and wonder who is watching us – well – God’s children – of all ages… The frenzied nature of this world gives but small glimpses of people – and we are to see how we can encourage.

And I appreciated these community activities and these God-given gifters of candy and fun at the trunk and treat… I enjoyed the giving atmosphere (which is natural at a fire company too)… And I enjoyed a moment to be known as a church-lady (which kind of gives you that opportunity to relax and take the part) and yet out in a public space… And as for the science – well that is a great gig – a great way to start conversations about science and about curiosity – staying curious and asking questions – and that is in life and science and faith and everything…

It was an exhausting joy – and I had no idea they were doing voting, so I think it was the cutest thing for a couple of kids who came back up to me and told me that they voted for me. Sweet. And I thanked the Lord that He was still making encouragers in this world… they were cute… often in these events, some of the kids become your instant helpers and some want to teach alongside you and so you have to see if it’s a good match or if you should just take over… the ones that were helpful this time are surely the future teachers in the world, it’s nice to see that in advance. And of course, some kids just want to do it again and again and again, and that’s okay with me when I’m cleaning up,  that this is keeping them busy, and I keep one eye on them, and it becomes like science-fun babysitting, while their families are packing up their stations. . . (and PS I won 2nd prize – will put that $20 towards more snacks for next week when I become science and crafts with glitter at another trunk and treat with a friend – not a church station but still an encourager in me opportunity… FUN!!!)

ANYWAY – A BLESSING OF A DAY – IN THE SUNSHINE – IN CHILDS’ AND GOD’S PLAY…

Genesis 9:8-17 God’s Covenant With Noah

God said to Noah and sons: “As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.” Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.” So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

PS – Red Cabbage juice is made by boiling red cabbage in water and then adding some vinegar (acid, makes it pink) or adding baking soda (or other base, making it blue green) Anthocyanin is a pH indicator and changes the structure ever so slightly with acid or base.

PS – Slime is made from white glue diluted equal volumes with water and then stir and add borax laundry soap dissolved in water and wow instant slime… You might be surprised at how surprised I am that so many people don’t allow the making of slime in their houses… whereas I keep a box of borax available all the time, LOL, has lasted me years… I only learned about slime later – my kids were older so mostly I did slime with scouts… This day I put away the food coloring after the first kid used too much – pretty but scary – since these kids had on fancy costumes. just glue… My advice is not letting kids take slime home – it doesn’t last anyway – so make it, play and leave it… often it is not the kids short attention span – it is the short schedule or patience of the parents that interrupts play… I think back that it was so valuable as a child that I had seemingly long stretches of time to play…

Revelation 21 NIV

A New Heaven and a New Earth

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

The New Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb

One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Intervention by Invention, Genesis 1 on…

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In our season of fall TV viewing, there’s probably nothing more compelling than this show on Netflix about Charlie Sheen, well in small doses when one is ready to watch the train wreck rehashed and explained by the train back on his current track. Let us pray that he stays sober in all ways. It’s unbelievable that Charlie Sheen is still alive. It’s pure brokenness in the world of drugs, and money and wild lifestyles fueling addictions to self. In a ME world, it gets bad fast…

And yet Charlie Sheen is still alive, coherent to talk, and as compelling as he was to many but this next generation now wouldn’t know him and the train wrecks of today are on other media streams or already deceased. Drugs are the worst – and I pray no one starts because it proves bad again and again. All this big scale brokenness reminds us of brokenness even bigger at the level of pure evil in the world. The devil is in the disasters, but we are still able to see the warnings coming and stop and shelter and survive. We surely see life examples of devastation so that we try to steer clear.

And yet, they said that people were paying money to see the train wreck in Charlie Sheen. And surely others paid much more of the price to try to rescue him over and over…  So, who are the helpers? The Netflix documentary mentioned his father, Martin Sheen who suffered immensely through these episodes of his son (although not interviewed for this series, the record as plenty of intervention attempts). His ex-wives are interviewed as they are surprised too that he is still alive. Even the former drug dealer to Charlie was recruited to help step Charlie down in intervention that “thought outside the box” and mixed lower and lower doses of crack until Charlie was able to step back up onto the sidewalk… It’s a story of rebuilding the tracks back or at least putting the train car upright. And there are victims of time, like his children, who will never regain a normalcy that rarely existed. If you wish for someone else’s life for yourself, DON’T. Take the cards handed to us and make our best plays. Our known is usually better than the unknown. 

Intervention by invention, those helping Charlie Sheen were also helping themselves in rescuing someone they love. Charlie’s one quieter non-media brother interviewed stated over and over again about the love that was given. LOVE came first, in the middle, and will be the lasting force forever. 

Intervention because of LOVE began at the time of creation, when God created the heavens and earth and separated darkness by instilling LIGHT and direction and motivation and sharing the LOVE. Genesis sounds like poetry of creation – so clearly over and over again intervention by invention and pre-prepared rescue was already planned as the Way. Intervention by invention is what got Adam and Eve back on track, Jacob and sons back to building nations, Moses back on the mountain, David back to praising God, and each and every person (past, present and future) to be rescued by Jesus. Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life – and Light of the World to overcome all darkness. God Wins.

Intervention by invention at conception and for perception and surely by perspiration. It is hard work to block out darkness, but time and time again, day after day, it is done and shown and lived and all for the love of shining the way.

Let us pray all trains get back on track, all people get the pulling up they need, and that the people themselves WANT to pick up their mat and roll it up and keep walking forward as Jesus commands – and “sin no more” for the sake of the whole story of saving. We do love to watch the dawning of a new day – and today is that day for so many – we pray. We pray for all who are lost to see they are found, pray for all who are wayward to want forgiveness and reconciliation and to be taken back into the fold of the Lord as children wanting for their Father God. And we pray that we remember that the LOVE is given by God so we will love until it hurts. Intervention is by Invention.

God is LOVE – and no matter which earthly train gets wrecked, we won’t ever get off HIS track from His LOVE. 

Amen

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The History of Creation – Genesis 1:1-19 NKJV 

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the third day.

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. So the evening and the morning were the fourth day. …

Remembering a Great Lady and One of God’s Tribe!

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My neighbor passed away. She was ninety-one years and had been full of life until her slow decline… Three years ago I think, she had broken her hip twice and her house flooded and I don’t know how many other things. And that’s when her family decided to pull her out and put her in an assisted living facility which she absolutely loved. Three meals a day and bingo and manicures and physical therapy and socialization!!! She never looked back. She lived life in the present and seemed to let the past stay in the past…  Yes, even when she left her house, most of her stuff was left behind which did get donated, except I kept her green towel and she gave me some statues and a big bowl. And of course lots of laughter and great memories. She was the first neighbor we met years ago now.

She also was Jewish and although I didn’t see her practicing holidays much, we talked about God all the time being in charge. I did come across a Jewish scripture book when I cleaned out her house. Her house is gone and the new house replaced it and a new family… and that’s the way life goes… We are here but for a moment. What is remembered is our wonderful fun loving tribes of folks and I’m so grateful I got to be in her tribe and that of my neighbors.  

Now, being of the Jewish faith, Jesus, fully man and fully God, was also from a tribe – the tribe of Judah, Jesus called “The Lion of Judah”. The tribes of God – they are pillars of regular people being chosen to do big things for God – including be fruitful and multiply the children of God. The 12 tribes and then Jesus took 12 disciples. 12 is a good number!

The tribes (from Abraham then Issac then Jacob) were set into the world by the 12 children of Jacob – from 4 mothers – children including Joseph and his dreamcoat (for which my first VBS this year is about) – and then Moses coming from that tribe to pull them out of Egypt some 400 years later (for which my second VBS is about) – imagine that 400 years is a long time – and imagine that God has known all these things for from before forever ago and way past forever from now – it is unbelievable but God knows His Plan. And He knows the plans for us too – so enjoy the people you enjoy – make peace with your neighbors and you will be blessed – take time to be in the moment  – and enjoy life…

And may your own tribe thrive!!!

Amen

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Genesis 22:14-18 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.” The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”