The Existence of God

Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” And Proverbs 14:6 says, “The LORD has made everything for its own purpose even the wicked for the day of evil. I have had the opportunity of dialoging with many people who claim to be atheist, agnostics or unbelievers in the blogosphere. Many site the lack of evidence that God exist as their reason or justification for not embracing the Christian faith. There are forums upon forums available that discusses faith and the lack of it. One day after responding to a post in a forum on faith, God began to reveal some very interesting things to me. It was at this time that I was led to see the most solid evidence for the existence of God; purpose and the life.

The greatest opponent of the account of creation is the theory of evolution. When I attended public school, the theory of evolution was introduced to us as the scientific explanation of the origins of life. However most who embrace this theory today will tell you that the theory of evolution does not deal with the origins of life, they also will tell you that the theory of evolution does not deal with the functions of our solar system that provides many important element that has been created to sustain life. As I continued through the discussion with my cyber friends I began to take notice of what those who rejected faith in God were actually saying. Although they claim that their lack of faith is a result of the lack of proof for the existence of a supernatural God, their embrace of the theory of evolution does not satisfy anything either. It only gives a person reasons to not believe God exist. Hum, now why would anyone want to do that? Actually from what I have learned from these very well versed opponents, although this is not what they have expressed, is that their unbelief is a matter of choice. God is more than evident and His existence is very distinct and precise in the working of man, of the earth and of the solar system that works outside of earth.

The two great evidences of life and purpose fully correlates to the existence of a supernatural God. In Genesis 1-5, God explains the manner in which life came to be.

“1(A)In the beginning (B)God (C)created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was [a](D)formless and void, and (E)darkness was over the surface of the deep, and (F)the Spirit of God (G)was [b]moving over the surface of the waters. 3Then (H)God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4God saw that the light was (I)good; and God (J)separated the light from the darkness. 5(K)God called the light day, and the darkness He called night And (L)there was evening and there was morning, one day.”

From the beginning we can see that God’s creation of all things was deliberate and for a purpose. He separated light from darkness for a purpose, so that there would be night and day. In this very first event the significance of purpose comes to life. Next God says this in Genesis:
Then God said, "Let there be an (M)expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." 7God made the [c]expanse, and separated (N)the waters which were below the expanse from the waters (O)which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.”
So why does God create day and night and a heaven? We see not only that God is revealing that purpose is set in motion, but that there is also purpose in the order in which He establishes each key element in this purpose. What if He would have created man first before anything else? The very fact that our minds can quickly visualize the purpose in creation allows us to see the evidence of His existence. There is also a purpose in what He created each day.

Then God said, "(P)Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let (Q)the dry land appear"; and it was so. 10God called the dry land earth, and the (R)gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, "Let the earth sprout (S)vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them"; and it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

At this time the things that were created could exist just beautifully, but what would be the purpose of these things existing alone? The earth now had water and land and plants, God’s power to create is now evident. It’s all done, but who would have knowledge of this, except for God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. And as we now know God did not stop there He continued.
Then God said, "Let there be (T)lights in the (U)expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for (V)signs and for (W)seasons and for days and years; 15and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth"; and it was so. 16God made the two great lights, the (X)greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made (Y)the stars also. 17(Z)God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18and to (AA)govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

God is now working in creation outside of earth. He is now working outside the earth in outer space bringing life to the vast galaxy that no man has ever been able to grasp or explain. And what does He do? He puts lights in the expanse, lots of them - so many that they can not be numbered. However we see that God has a purpose for this as well. But for what reason would He need to create these lights and seasons? And the amazing thing is that He just places them up there in certain places to give light to the earth in a certain manner. And one thing that really stood out to me is that God never said how long these lights will shine. No one else can tell us either and it is evident that God made it that way for a purpose. Ask any evolutionist how long will the sun, stars and moon shine.

Then God said, "Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens." 21God created (AB)the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." 23There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

The theory of evolution holds no substance to the creation of this earth that is explained in Genesis. God gives His commands that this first life that has been created would go forth and increase. He did not say to be fruitful and multiply for a thousand years, or a hundred thousand years, He just commanded them to begin reproducing themselves. But what is evident is that He began with a certain population of species and many of those species continue to reproduce in the same manner to this day. They all began producing in their likeness with their faculties for the purpose they would serve on this new earth God has just created. Still God’s purpose in creation has not been fulfilled and He continues on another day.

(AC)Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind"; and it was so. 25God made the (AD)beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 26Then God said, "Let (AE)Us make (AF)man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them (AG)rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

27God created man (AH)in His own image, in the image of God He created him; (AI)male and female He created them. 28God blessed them; and God said to them, "(AJ)Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29Then God said, "Behold, (AK)I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30and (AL)to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food"; and it was so. 31God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very (AM)good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

And here we see God’s final creation and the evidence of His existence, mankind. God created an image of Himself in man. So every time we look into each others eyes we are seeing someone who reflects what God is like. If God does not exist then we do not exist because He says we were made in His image. We see the attributes of God revealed in us as we begin to relate to other humans. But we are not divine beings because we can not create on our own. Life comes to man by the power of God. As I look back at the manner in which God created all things everything now works exactly as He purposed it in the beginning. The celestial bodies that God created outside of the earth work in complete unison with life on earth. The sun and the moon fulfill its purpose in giving light to the earth because God has given man certain senses that will function with the stars and the moon and the night and the day, and all those things that work within our atmosphere.

The theory of evolution works with random occurrences it does not require uniqueness and does not require purpose. Now anyone should be able to see these things in how life works, but many do not because they have chosen to reject God. Romans tell us that this will happen.
Romans 1:18, “For (AJ)the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who (AK)suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19because (AL)that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20For (AM)since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, (AN)being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.

21For even though they knew God, they did not [c]honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became (AO)futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22(AP)Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23and (AQ)exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and [d]crawling creatures.

For many years I have racked my brains trying to understand why it is that God is real to some and not to others. I have been a Christian for over 17 years now and have read Roman’s so many times, but it has never clicked until now. We are the evidence God has supplied for His existence. Through the specific and unique purposes that exist in all things we can see God’s divine nature and eternal power. We see His eternal power in the fact that He placed the sun and the moon in the heavens and they have remained there, no one can knock the moon out of the sky and no one can stop the sun from shining. However God says in His own timing He will do just that, He has given command for all things to exist and He will give command for all things to cease existing. The evolutionist can not tell you how or why it is that the beings God created in heaven work so well with what He has created on earth. There insistence on proof is an excuse for their rebellion, because if they really wanted to find evidence of the existence of God all they need to do is take a look in the mirror.

The Michael in All of Us

Yesterday as I was sitting at a water park celebrating my church’s anniversary I received a text message from a family member saying that Michael Jackson had died. I immediately flipped my phone close and shared this information with my husband. It was the usual response almost everyone who had received this text may have had, “guess who just died” I asked him. His first response was the President, no silly not the President. My hysterical look gave him the hint that it was someone really important whose presence was no longer with us. I gave him a couple of more chances to guess who, then I shared with him that it was Michael Jackson. The look on his face was, stop being silly Michael Jackson is not dead. Now he could envision some pretty important people passing from us, but not Michael Jackson.

After the news began traveling through the information highway via text messaging the conversation quickly changed from the small talk of friends and family to the inquiries as to what happened to Michael Jackson. Another strange thing happened almost immediately. Everyone appeared to be slowly going back in time to the good ole days of the 60’s when the Jackson Five were the household name in entertainment. By the time we had arrived back home cable news and the internet was jammed pack with tributes and searches about Michael Jackson. It was as if everyone was personally acquainted with this man. And not only that, but he left a smile on everyone’s face who knew him through his songs and through his talents. Even in his dark times the life of Michael Jackson brought intrigue and marvel to many.

I had a nephew whom we had nicknamed “Bad”, after the song “Bad”, by Michael Jackson. Every time the song would play and Michael would end the song with “Who’s Bad?”, he would reply, “I’m Bad”, so we nicknamed him “Bad”. Not that he was a bad child but because he loved the song by Michael Jackson. In my younger days I loved to dance and one of the person’s I always imagine being able to compete against was Michael Jackson. I love his song “Dancing Machine”, which was replaced by his 1980’s hit, “Don’t stop till you get enough”. Today, I am really not thinking about the controversies that plague Michael at one time in his life. Nor was I really concerned about his turn to substance abuse, or the many other news flashes we received through the tabloids. I think all of us who either grew up with the Jackson Five or new Michael through his later career, have been able to connect with him in some way. His amazing talents in the art of composing, and performing music will always be something we will remember about him, but how about the tragedies in his life?

There was something about Michael Jackson that caused him to experience his longings in a very inward manner. When one looks upon his performances, the intensity in which he performs is incredible to behold. Every major crisis that happens to us as a group causes me to mature in the manner in which I live my own life and the same thing has happened in this instance as well. Everyone will be talking about how he died behind closed doors, and what really killed him, and the strange controversies that surrounded him, and so on and so forth, but what does that say about us. There are many who place actors and performers and those in the spotlight on a pedestal as if they were immortal. They are not, these people breath, sleep and exist just like the rest of us. But I wonder how many of us all things being constant as in Michael’s life, would act any different when placed in the same situation? No one can answer that question honestly because we don’t know nor will we ever know because we are not Michael Jackson, nor can we be him. Through Michael’s tragedy I have been able to see that humans can drive each other to utter madness. What if every human being would allow the next human being to just be who God created them to be? No expectations. No preconceived notions. No judgments. I wonder how many suicides, homicides, mental breakdowns, bouts of depression would exist. We all must have a very well balanced set of morals within this context as it would only result in more of the same episodes from the list above. We all know that man is not perfect and we all have controversy in our lives. We are not celebrities so our laundry is not hung out for the world to get a whiff of but we all have it.

When I thought about all the speculations the death of Michael Jackson would bring out I also thought about something Jesus said when the Pharisees brought to Him a woman who had been caught in adultery, John 8:7 says, “So when they continued asking Him, He raised Himself up[a] and said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” What I am learning from this tragedy is the same lesson I believe Jesus was trying to teach the Pharisee. Okay, this person sinned, and what are you going to do about the sin this person has committed. What can you do about it? Oh and what will I do about your sin as well? The answer to all of these questions would be nothing. Yet we get personally offended when other people sin as if we are going to punish that individual. Now of course, I am actually talking about myself here, but while we are all going through this tragedy together, it would be a great experience if we all learn something good from it together as well.

Paul says it like this in Romans 15:1-3, “We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. 3 For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached You fell on Me.”[a] We have seen there were many places in Michael Jackson’s life where he was obviously weak and confused unable to make sound choices and decisions. But again, he is no different than any of us because as 1 Corinthian 10:13 says, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

One of the tendencies I have seen amongst Christians is that of believing that Scriptures such as those above apply only to the next person, whoever the other person may be. We must first apply these standards to our own lives before we can begin to apply them to someone else’s life. So I believe that the “Michael” in all of us is that remembrance that we will all mess up, we will all fall short, and when that happens and it will; what will the response be? Our experience in this life with Michael and others, can teach us that we must remember the delicate state of all of us in our humanity. We must remember that we are all but a short distance away from the loony farm, if it was not for the grace of God.

We must remember that as Michael is leaving his legacy of all sorts with us, we too will one day leave behind a legacy. I think about if I could influence the world like this man, what would I want the world to remember about me? For me, I would not want people to remember me personally, but the person I represented through my life, that person being Jesus Christ. If I could have an impact on how people behaved like Michael did, I would want them to all behave with reverence to the God who created us. He gave us Michael and all of his many talents and abilities in the arts. Instead of harping on the wrongs and eccentric behaviors of Michael Jackson, I encourage you to remember that one day, your time to leave will come as well and when it does what will be the legacy of your life. Just as soon as the next day comes to us or the next minute or hour, someone else will fall and what will the response be?

Will assumptions arise? Will accusations arise? Will you even ask how you can make that person’s plight more bearable? Or will you start the gossip will spinning? In this God will teach us all a lesson about our attitudes towards each other and the quick nature to judge and point the finger, and position ourselves for the great stone toss. I believe that God will use Michael’s life to be a blessing to all of us in different ways as we go forward in this life. But there will always be a little bit of Michael’s life left within our own and I hope when that time of reflecting comes it will cause you to add a good statement to the legacy you are creating for yourself, for your family, loved ones and friends.

The Backwardness of Liberal Progressivism

Hello everyone, my sabbatical has been a good one. Life is still as busy as ever but I believe that I am back in a place where I can make time for one of my most favorite pass times. I have not totally set aside my blogging interest as I have taken part in the local Houston blogosphere. I have found that a liberal, is a liberal no matter where you are. The election of President Obama brought progressivism to the forefront of American life. Now that the progressives have had a full blown fête, with their chosen one, and a free-for-all in forging their socialist policies, American’s are beginning to realize that drinking at the fountain of progressivism has a rather sour taste to it. The pathway of progressivism in America is not something that happened with the election of President Obama. Since the days of FDR and various progressive movements since that time, many progressive policies have been woven into the fabric of American life. These new policies of progressivism promised American’s better and brighter days ahead.

Progressivism infected every major institution in American life. Like an oversized octopus nothing was immune from the suction of its tentacles. It infected religion, public school, government, family life, economics, medicine, law, the environment and even food and drug regulations. The government would serve as the conduit of this new deal with American idealism and progressivism was well on its way. Everyone fell for this new way of thinking that would make America a more civilized and intellectual society. Fast forward to 2009 and as I take time to assess the condition of our country, our regard for faith, our state of being, our moral compass, the state of the family, our education systems, our economy and the impact of progressivism, it does not appear that we as a nation has done much progressing. In fact, in my view American has gone backwards in the worst way.

Progressivism had at its core the vision of an America free from God and His principles. Even worst is the tendency to separate man from His creator, as if mankind created itself. Each decade since the 1960’s has brought forth both restrictions of religious freedoms and a rejection of core Biblical principles by the hands of liberal progressives. The striking down of prayer in school, the legalization of abortion, the sexual freedom movement, woman’s liberation and gay rights agenda’s are all tenants of the liberal progressive movement. The framers of our nation envisioned a very different America; one that would progress by the good hand of her Creator. One in which its citizens respected each individual because they were divinely created with certain inalienable right. One in which each person would assess his or her moral attitude to promote a more perfect union. The progressives saw this dependence on God and religion as creating a backwards way of living for the citizens of America. After dismantling the religious nature of our country the progressives turned to destroying the family structure and then finally indoctrination through the various school systems.

According to Divorce Magazine, http://www.divorcemag.com/statistics/statsUS.shtml, the divorce rate in the US has increase steadily in the last 4 decades, subsiding only in 2005. This can be traced back to the liberal ideologies of feminism and their attitudes towards a women’s role in the family and the workplace. Since the legalization of abortions in America over 43 million children has lost their lives.(http://www.abortionno.org/Resources/fastfacts.html) Before the 1966’s there were no cases of school shootings by youth in the United States. (http://abcnews.go.com/US/Story?id=3045893&page=2). Before June of 1981, there were no reports of aids in the United States, (http://www.cdc.gov/mmWR/PDF/wk/mm5021.pdf), since that time there has been over 700,000 cases of AIDS reported in the US of which, over 400,000 have died. The first five cases were those of homosexual men.

Liberals like to equate conservative principles with backwardness. But these statistics show that America has certainly gone backwards in embracing the liberal policies of the left. Is it progressive to transition from being a country that once held to high moral standards and reverence to God to one where God is no longer welcome? It is progressive to go from a country of freedom to one that is ruled by the iron first of its dictator? I would think that progression involves a constant path in becoming better and not worst. The nationalization of our American institutions and the fall of the free market as we have known it do not portray a nation of progress. Socialism is the most backward process for a nation that once thrived on free market capitalism. So what do you think? Has liberal progressivism benefited America? Do you think that America will ever regain it’s power in the free market again? I would like to hear what you think.

Could it be?

Okay, I know I said that I was taking a sabbatical, but I was thinking about something I wrote to my friend just now and decided to leave you all something to ponder. I have not been paying a lot of attention to the Tiller killing, we who value life knows that this man has taken away his share of life from this world. I am reminded of what Jesus told Peter as he cut off the ear of the slave of the High Priest. Matthew 26:52 says, "Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword." Dr. Tiller's sword was the instruments he used in sucking out the lives of those babies. Galatians 6:7 says, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." Now a liberal who reads this will totally erase from their memories the deaths of the many babies that were suffered at the hands of Dr. Tiller, to say that I am a mean-spirited and hateful person. I really don't care what the death squad thinks anymore.

One of the things I have realized in this hostile environment towards Christians is that we have taken to much time appeasing the opposition. Does anyone win with such a strategy? But this is not what this blog is about. I am a person who does not trust the government. With the power at the disposal of this institution the government can get away with anything and we will never know, unless they want us to know. Obama and the Democratic Party will stop at nothing to win. They are seeing that main street America is revolting against their Prozac politics and the next election cycle can cost them major defeats if things do not change. The most damaging in my opinion is the survey that came out which said that a majority of Americans are becoming pro-life.

The abortion issue has been the pedestal of liberal politics and losing in that area could mean losing big at the voting booth. And they are not going to just sit back and let their well strategized coup of America slip out of their hand. I was thinking with America beginning to embrace the sanctity of life, why would anyone in the pro-life movement want to act out in such a way now. There is no need for it. Remember Emanuel's motto? Let me remind you. "Never waste a crisis." Would not this be the opportune time for the "abortion is the only choice" crowd to change the sentiments towards pro-life? America has already spoken loudly about gay marriage and the left knows that this is a dangerous issue to use as its icon.

Losing the fight on the abortion front cost big bucks to the power machines of the left. Could this all be a set up, to tarnish the message that the left knows Conservatives will use in the coming campaigns? I would not put it pass the left to commit such an act against one of their own, in an attempt to prevail over their opponent. I did not hear anything about the suspect as we usually do when such a thing happens. One of the things we know about those who are extreme on any side is that they will not cower in stating their reasons for committing such an act. PETA, ELF, the KKK, gangs, and any other group that kills because they believe its for the good of others, will stand behind their actions. Not a word has come from the suspect that is charged with killing this doctor. This just all wreaks with the stench of liberal malice. As I was searching through Internet headlines I found this clip from MSN.com:

"Already reeling from the failure to dominate last year's election and worried their cause won't be at the center of the hearings on President Obama's first Supreme Court nominee, anti-abortion leaders feared that backlash from George Tiller's death could temporarily silence the abortion debate."

Nah! Why would anyone want to silence the abortion debate? If it cost you millions in election donations, I can think of a few greedy politicians. In viewing the reporting of this incident, the media talking machines of the left are using this as a sounding board to paint a very bad picture on conservatives. Why is this suspect not speaking out like one would usually do had it been an attempt to send a message? Why is the MSM only spinning this story as a political stumbling block for the GOP? Think about it. Then let me know what you think. Could it be?

A New Direction

Hello everyone,

I hope your week is beginning on a great start. I just wanted to give you all a heads up on some changes I have made. After thinking about my last post, I found that my passion to write was still not at the level in which I would actually like it to be. I desire that my writing be informative and thought provoking, not just silly and cynical. I must say that the theatrics provided by our current administration has rendered me bit cynical. This is actually not all the Obama Administrations fault, God has His way of testing us to ensure that we are applying the Word of God which we profess to our everyday lives and situations. So with that I am going to take a sabbatical from blogging. I will check back on a daily basis to see what all of you are doing, but until I get to a more focused place I am going to leave the great skill of blogging up to all of you. I do believe that there are great things coming on the horizon that will give us great material to blog about, but I am currently just fed up and pretty tired of the irresponsible actions that are taking place in our government.

Obama has shown his radical tendencies and we will just see more of the same for the next four years. We do need to take up the practice of praying for this great country, for our fellow citizens and for God to raise up a standard of leaders that will lead this country back to the admirable place it once held in our world. So keep the wheels of the blogosphere turning with great conservative commentaries as you all do an incredible job. And I will be here to cheer you all on. Have a great rest of the week.