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Brooksyne.
Monday,
August 10, 2009
A beautiful pond on the grounds
of the Creation Museum
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"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom" (Isaiah 40:28). "For 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).
We continue our trip through the Midwest and are now in Missouri, my home state, on our way to Oklahoma where Brooksyne grew up, which we will reach tomorrow. Along the way we have tried to break up the trip with visits to well-known sites as well as visiting with friends and relatives. Today we will see several friends and Brooksyne's cousin in the Springfield area.
Friday afternoon I visited a museum I have wanted to see for some time in northern Kentucky called the Creation Museum. It is sponsored by a ministry I have often benefitted from called "Answers In Genesis". This Spring I heard Ken Ham, the founder of this ministry, at a banquet in Lancaster County.
The museum is a private entity but is similar to many publicly funded natural history museums I've toured. However it has the marked contrast of treating history from a Scriptural perspective rather than a natural, worldly perspective. Essentially descriptions include phrases such as "God created" rather than "evolved over billions of years" (as is the case in other natural history museums).
Today's second verse begins with a foundational statement consistent throughout the Scripture, "For since the creation of the world." Indeed the very first words in sacred Scripture declare, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
I read a story many years ago by Max Lucado in which he shares a conversation he had with a Brazilian farmer. The farmer lived in a very remote location, far removed from modern influences. Upon introduction Max told the old farmer "I'm a missionary" and further explained that his work was to try to get people to believe in God. The farmer exclaimed what an easy job it must be to draw people to faith in God as he spread wide his open arms to the massive evidences for creation that surrounded him.
The issues concerning origins are a source of major attack on the historic, Biblical Christian faith. Regrettably many feel they must concede in these areas in the face of seemingly apparent scientific evidence. The alternative views that are more "scientifically enlightening" compel many to look to man's errant finite knowledge rather than the God of the Universe who has unfathomable understanding and infinite creative power. I can think of nothing that exists on this earth that has infinite (never-ending) qualities, thus it requires faith on our part to grasp this aspect of God's character.
But from Genesis to Revelation the Scriptures unwaveringly and unambiguously proclaim the work of the Creator. Just in case Isaiah's readers were misinformed, uninformed, or distrusting Isaiah indisputably introduces the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as, "The Creator of the ends of the earth."
Today I, as one who is well-informed, respond by acknowledging the work of the Creator and say a solemn Amen to the apostle John when he wrote, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being" (Revelation 4:11).
"The universe declares your majesty", a line from the popular song, God of Wonders, comes to mind as I consider our Scripture text. What a remarkable blessing to see God's handiwork in His creation which is also a declaration of His majesty as seen in His eternal power and divine nature.
The Apostle Paul speaks of God's "eternal power" as one of God's "invisible qualities". Paul uses a very interesting Greek word for "eternal" in this passage. The word "aidios" means "everduring" (forward and backward). This power is constant; there's been no diminishment whatsoever from eternity past and there will be no diminishment in eternity future.
God's invisible qualities are "clearly seen, being understood from what has been made." I pray that the Lord will open every reader's eyes today to clearly see the glory of God through His handiwork and His divine power. Indeed we declare, "God of wonders beyond our galaxy, You are holy. The universe declares Your majesty, You are holy, Lord of heaven and earth!"
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father God, You physically reign in a place invisible to my eyes while Your Spirit with its invisible qualities is at work deep within my heart. Though I cannot see You I recognize Your masterful handiwork. Though I cannot touch You I feel Your divine presence. Only a God like You is great enough to mastermind the universe, yet small enough to live within my heart. Father, You have made Your wonders to be remembered and appreciated. You are gracious and compassionate; Your presence is seen and felt everywhere. I acknowledge You as the Creator of the universe and the Light of my life, for You are my Lord and Master from eternity past to all eternity future. Amen.
Special note: We are now in Missouri on our way to Oklahoma for two family reunions to be held there this week. We will be unable to prepare daily messages but hope to share one or two more this week. Here are some recollections of our trip the last several days:
As we left Uncle Don and Aunt Mary's
place he told me to look for a
collection of airplanes in a yard along I-64 along our route to Saint
Louis.
Sure enough, we passed the airplanes near Evanston
Indiana. We saw
them and then carefully backed
up along the median to take a quick photo. A man rushed out and
vigorously waved us in
for a better look. We drove to the next exit about a mile down the road
and then back a side to see the planes up close. We met Tug
who makes
the planes by hand from sheet metal. He enthusiastically gave
us a
tour of his busy workshop and had us sign his visitor's log (where we
saw names from all over the country). Several times he offered me a
beer but allowed me to settle for a cold coke instead!
A close-up of Tug's airplanes.
As I recall this one was about 7 feet across.
Sunday afternoon we were in Saint
Louis and took a
riverboat ride on the Tom Sawyer on the Mississippi River. This was
disappointingly a fake paddle-wheeler. The paddlewheel and steam stacks
were for decoration only!
I took this photo of the
arch under Eads
Bridge from the Riverboat.
The Eads Bridge was built in 1874 and is still used today.
Brooksyne and Ester travelled a tram
up to the very top of
the Arch. It's a very cramped ride so I passed up the
opportunity to ride along this time. Brooksyne took this photo of the Old Couthouse in
Saint Louis from the tiny windows at the top of the arch.
A view from the base of the Arch. Remarkably, the arch is as wide as it is high, 630' x 630'. This brings back childhood memories when we would travel to Saint Louis from Kansas City in the sixties to watch the progress as the Arch was being built. My dad was very interested in this big project.
Listen to
us share this message on your
audio player"Clearly Seen"
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom" (Isaiah 40:28). "For 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).
We continue our trip through the Midwest and are now in Missouri, my home state, on our way to Oklahoma where Brooksyne grew up, which we will reach tomorrow. Along the way we have tried to break up the trip with visits to well-known sites as well as visiting with friends and relatives. Today we will see several friends and Brooksyne's cousin in the Springfield area.
Friday afternoon I visited a museum I have wanted to see for some time in northern Kentucky called the Creation Museum. It is sponsored by a ministry I have often benefitted from called "Answers In Genesis". This Spring I heard Ken Ham, the founder of this ministry, at a banquet in Lancaster County.
The museum is a private entity but is similar to many publicly funded natural history museums I've toured. However it has the marked contrast of treating history from a Scriptural perspective rather than a natural, worldly perspective. Essentially descriptions include phrases such as "God created" rather than "evolved over billions of years" (as is the case in other natural history museums).
Today's second verse begins with a foundational statement consistent throughout the Scripture, "For since the creation of the world." Indeed the very first words in sacred Scripture declare, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
I read a story many years ago by Max Lucado in which he shares a conversation he had with a Brazilian farmer. The farmer lived in a very remote location, far removed from modern influences. Upon introduction Max told the old farmer "I'm a missionary" and further explained that his work was to try to get people to believe in God. The farmer exclaimed what an easy job it must be to draw people to faith in God as he spread wide his open arms to the massive evidences for creation that surrounded him.
The issues concerning origins are a source of major attack on the historic, Biblical Christian faith. Regrettably many feel they must concede in these areas in the face of seemingly apparent scientific evidence. The alternative views that are more "scientifically enlightening" compel many to look to man's errant finite knowledge rather than the God of the Universe who has unfathomable understanding and infinite creative power. I can think of nothing that exists on this earth that has infinite (never-ending) qualities, thus it requires faith on our part to grasp this aspect of God's character.
But from Genesis to Revelation the Scriptures unwaveringly and unambiguously proclaim the work of the Creator. Just in case Isaiah's readers were misinformed, uninformed, or distrusting Isaiah indisputably introduces the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as, "The Creator of the ends of the earth."
Today I, as one who is well-informed, respond by acknowledging the work of the Creator and say a solemn Amen to the apostle John when he wrote, "You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being" (Revelation 4:11).
"The universe declares your majesty", a line from the popular song, God of Wonders, comes to mind as I consider our Scripture text. What a remarkable blessing to see God's handiwork in His creation which is also a declaration of His majesty as seen in His eternal power and divine nature.
The Apostle Paul speaks of God's "eternal power" as one of God's "invisible qualities". Paul uses a very interesting Greek word for "eternal" in this passage. The word "aidios" means "everduring" (forward and backward). This power is constant; there's been no diminishment whatsoever from eternity past and there will be no diminishment in eternity future.
God's invisible qualities are "clearly seen, being understood from what has been made." I pray that the Lord will open every reader's eyes today to clearly see the glory of God through His handiwork and His divine power. Indeed we declare, "God of wonders beyond our galaxy, You are holy. The universe declares Your majesty, You are holy, Lord of heaven and earth!"
Be encouraged today,
Stephen & Brooksyne Weber
Daily prayer: Father God, You physically reign in a place invisible to my eyes while Your Spirit with its invisible qualities is at work deep within my heart. Though I cannot see You I recognize Your masterful handiwork. Though I cannot touch You I feel Your divine presence. Only a God like You is great enough to mastermind the universe, yet small enough to live within my heart. Father, You have made Your wonders to be remembered and appreciated. You are gracious and compassionate; Your presence is seen and felt everywhere. I acknowledge You as the Creator of the universe and the Light of my life, for You are my Lord and Master from eternity past to all eternity future. Amen.
Special note: We are now in Missouri on our way to Oklahoma for two family reunions to be held there this week. We will be unable to prepare daily messages but hope to share one or two more this week. Here are some recollections of our trip the last several days:
Saturday
afternoon we stopped in
Louisville Kentucky to
visit my Uncle Don and Aunt Mary. They moved to this area last year to
be near their daughter Stella. We used to visit then in Higginsville
MO. Uncle Don is my Dad's youngest brother and the only one still
living. In fact he's my only living Uncle on either side of the family.
We had a great Lasagna meal followed by an "Out of This World
pie",
true to its name! Uncle Don is very mechanically inclined and helped
me with a battery problem we had just before we left on our trip.
He
had just the right tools for my mechanical problem. I am always
inspired (and personally challenged) by Uncle Don's neatness; a
character trait I recalled from childhood
visits to their home. To this day I still look forward to seeing his
garage with his organized, tidy layout of useful tools. He was my Dad's
favorite brother and was
especially a blessing to my mom and dad in their final years.
As I recall this one was about 7 feet across.
The Eads Bridge was built in 1874 and is still used today.
A view from the base of the Arch. Remarkably, the arch is as wide as it is high, 630' x 630'. This brings back childhood memories when we would travel to Saint Louis from Kansas City in the sixties to watch the progress as the Arch was being built. My dad was very interested in this big project.
Today's Suggested Music and Supplemental Resources
Click on the link to open and play.
(In some cases you may also need to click again to start the song.)
"God of Wonders"
Video Chris Tomlin
The Creation Museum For those with a greater desire to study the wonders of creation from a Scriptural perspective I urge you to visit Answers in Genesis.
Other visitors comment on Tud's roadside airplane collection.
Some photos and information of the Arch being built. Another informative site.
The Creation Museum For those with a greater desire to study the wonders of creation from a Scriptural perspective I urge you to visit Answers in Genesis.
Other visitors comment on Tud's roadside airplane collection.
Some photos and information of the Arch being built. Another informative site.
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Mission Statement:
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I have been redeemed and I make it my life's goal to please the Lord.
My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and
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