Act Three-Battle for the Heart

September 14

Close your eyes.  Think back to the vastness of space when God was just hovering and had  yet to create our universe.  When God began to create heaven and earth...darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Genesis 1:2

Water mesmerizes me.  What lies beneath is can be such a mystery and what soars across and over it such a delight to behold.  When it is calm it has soothing powers and when it is stirred its destructive powers are unstoppable.  The video above was taken as I sat on our dock and beheld a blue heron soaring in and landing on the boat house roof next door.  What I didn't realize, until it appeared on my iPad screen as I was filming the first bird flying across the water, was there was another bird perched in the same area. They  Enjoy the view!

And God said, "Let there be light, and there was light."

Eldredge paints enchanting picture after picture with the words he uses to describe creation in this chapter.  Truly you heart will thrill if you buy this book.  He writes:
"We have grown dull toward this world in which we live; we have forgotten that it is not normal or scientific in any sense of the word. It is fantastic.  It is a fairy tale through and through.  Really now. Elephants? Caterpillars? Snow? At what point did you lose your wonder of it all?
Even so, once in a while something will come along and shock us right out of our dullness and resignation.  We come round a corner, and there before us is a cricket, a peacock, a stag with horns as big as he.  Perhaps we come upon a waterfall, the clouds have made a rainbow in a circle round the sun, or a mouse scampers across the counter, pauses for a moment to twitch its whiskers at you, and disappears into the cupboard. And for a moment we realize that we were born into a world astonishing as any fairy tale.  A world made for romance."  God is romancing us!

Take time today to be blown away by the intricacies of God's creation. Right now I hear birds chirping, a woodpecker pecking and fish jumping.  The sun is coming up, a sassy pink crape myrtle tree is bursting with joy, while the dogwood trees behind her are changing from their summer greens to their fall goldens.  Forgive me Lord for the mornings I awaken and enjoy all these sensations and never take the time to say "thank you" and praise you.  The senses you have given me allowing me to take all this in are amazing in their own right.  Thank You that today I can see, smell, hear, taste and touch YOU in all these experiences.

This third chapter in Epic is so loaded with goodness... it will take a few days to share.

Wednesday morning I awakened singing "Good Morning, Good morning, it's a beautiful morning" then the lyric switched to "Make today matter for your kingdom, Father."  What a great way to start a day!

For some exceptional insight into the validity of creation check out Chip Ingram's series "Why I Believe in Creation" at http://livingontheedge.org/broadcasts