Science and our Creator God

In a Cosmic Census (click on post title for more info) scientists have estimated that some 50-billion planets are in our Milky Way Galaxy. 500-million of those planets are not too hot and not too cold to sustain life. There are 300-billion stars in our Milky Way and there are 100-billion galaxies like our Milky Way in the cosmos. So where do we take this info from here? I guess we could say as many scientists say, 'there's a good chance for life somewhere else in our Milky Way Galaxy, not to mention the other 99.99 billion galaxies in the cosmos.' Well whoopty-do! I don't doubt that God may have given the gift of life in other places in this vast universe, but that doesn't change the significance and the blessing of the life he gifted here on Planet Earth. All these Astronomical numbers just confirm an orchestration by our loving Creator God!

Present Moment, Forget Domani

There's an old popular song entitled "Forget Domani" (click post title above). Domani is Italian for tomorrow. From a life-living point of view, 'forget tomorrow' has some merit when you think about it. Spiritually speaking, living in the present moment and surrendering to God in all things is a 'forgetting about tomorrow' kind of attitude. If we seek God in our lives in all things and in every moment, tomorrow takes care of itself.

As I think more about 'forget tomorrow'; images, metaphors and the like start popping into my mind. Is it safe to say that we really only live in the present moment? Does God have a clock He goes by, or is that just a human invention? Can we imagine that all of 'Creation' is just functioning in the present moment? Was Einstein on target with his Theory of Relativity?

Humans and animals can't live in the past or in the future. Living is always a "now" thing. Yes, as humans we can make plans for the future, but nothing is guaranteed. We can look at the past for experience to help us in the present and future, but all of that takes place in the "now". If we make bad choices in the "now", our future is affected, but the determining action is now. Sometimes we get away with something in a natural world sense, but not in God's sense.

This 'Present Moment' way of thinking can help us see our lives as they relate to eternal life. Think of the present moment as a line that runs through the center of eternity/creation. Our present moment living and the living of those before and after us is a tiny space in the greater scheme of things. Imagine spirits coming out of this eternity, being born and living in a constant present moment life-line until they die in a human sense. And then, just as they came to a natural life as a spirit of eternity, they leave this present moment living as a spirit going back into eternal life as a spirit.

If we can accept this present moment way of living, our whole outlook on life is influenced positively. In our moments we ask for, receive and appreciate the love and grace of our Eternal Father who is waiting for our joyful return to His Greater Presence for Eternity. AMEN.

Accepting & Using The Strength God Gives Us

In today's fast pace living we have come to want quick service and quick fixes in our lives. We hardly have time to ponder our needs before we get impatient about their fulfillment. Our time schedule for things in our lives is way ahead of God's timing. In relationships we want instant love and gratification. In our actions we want immediate success, praise and thanksgiving.

In all of this we tend to leave out the Lord. We're too busy and frustrated to take time to invite Him into our situations in life. Surely our quick decisions and actions will get faster results than waiting for God to get involved! He is very busy dealing with all of us humans, you know. And that's in addition to managing His whole creation second by second. He doesn't have time to mess with me. If things get any worse, I'll give Him a shout.

Faith and patience in the Lord at all times and in all things is what we must achieve in our lives. We must put our worldly pressures on hold and let God do his work for us. Then we can do our part under better control and get a good result and acceptance. Isaiah says, "but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31


I experienced this in my brain tumor removal surgery and the months of recovery. I was blessed to have felt God's presence in all of the chaos surrounding my surgery. After that 10-hour surgery, 2-weeks in intensive care and a 30-day stay, I was released from the hospital. I was 50-lbs. lighter and had recovered from pneumonia and multiple blood clots. I faithfully and patiently continued my life, not knowing exactly what it would be like. Not knowing what disability I might have to deal with. Eleven months after my surgery, I hiked to the highest peak in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, Mt. Elbert (14,433-ft), with my brother and a neighbor friend.

Our "quickness" should be in turning to God. When we do that first, he prepares our spirit so we have faith and patience. The quick expectation we should seek is a faith in God's comfort, peace, and grace in our affliction. David sang to the Lord, "On the day I called, you answered me, you increased my strength of soul. Psalm 138:3

Things That Lie Above (click here for photo info)

In many old primitive cultures, ascents to the tops of major mountain peaks were not made by people, even though it was possible. Those high peaks were thought to be where God(s) lived and were forbidden to humans. If only we could look up today with our binoculars and see our God on the mountaintop. Or maybe, since we imagine God as creator of the universe and beyond, we will one day be able to see God somewhere out in the Universe with one of our fast-improving telescopes fixed to a rocket.

God saved me a mountain climb and lots of rocket fuel when he visited me in the hospital during my brain surgery some years ago. His presence through His Spirit was so powerful that He convinced me that He did exist and that I would spend my time in His Kingdom for eternity. As we live out our lives here on His Planet Earth gift to us, we don't need telescopes or binoculars to connect with Him. He is at our side in every moment that we live. We must be sure that we turn our attention to Him in every moment, so we don't miss an opportunity for a blessing in all aspects of our lives.

Making Today A Good Ole Day!

A preserved historical place along with a knowledge of the activity among those who lived there touch us in a special way and challenge our thoughts about eternal life. Looking at this present day photo of the General Store and Post Office in St. Elmo, Colorado, (click on posting title for more history) we think about the lives of those who lived and worked here along America's Continental Divide. The town was founded in 1880 as a base for gold and silver mining. It reached a population of 2000 people before becoming a "ghost town" in the 1920's.

The buildings that have been preserved in St. Elmo, help us to identify with those who have gone before as we ponder what their lives were like and if their spirits are with our creator God as we hope that ours will be. All of history and preserved historic sites affect us and challenge us in this way. What will our legacy be? What will the future generations say about us? What will we do in our time that sets a standard for those who follow and shows our love for the Lord? Will the interest of future generations be in what we stood for or just what our buildings looked like? We have a good example in St. Paul the Apostle whose life in the Lord exploded throughout the World. His persistence in spreading the Gospel in spite of the road blocks changed the world. As he said, "..........So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with the weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong." II Corinthians 12:9-10 NRSV

On The Edge Of Good And Evil

Good and Evil are sometimes so close that we have a hard time knowing what to do in life. We can only seek and trust God to show us the way to go. A close friend's daughter is on a missionary visit to an African country. Obviously, she is exposed to many things she is not used to seeing in America. On her blog (click on this posting title above) she tells about little children with bowls or containers being all around the markets and other public places begging. The containers are used to hold the money they beg for on behalf of Islamic leaders and teachers to whom their parents have given them. The leaders exist on this money collected and if a child comes back to them with no money, they are severely beaten and not fed. My friend's daughter choses to give money to each child that asks. Her goodness overcomes the evil, in that the children will be saved from beatings and starvation. So it is in our lives in this World. We are constantly challenged as to how to react to things around us. We are in conflict to judge or not to judge, complain or not complain, help or not help, forgive or not forgive, sin or not sin, give or not give. This human predicament is only resolved through a close relationship with God in our daily living. He will guide us if we allow him to do so. This is our ultimate choice: to trust Him or not trust Him.

COACH GOD

In reading quotes from Thomas Merton recently (click on title above to view), I was reminded of the simple fact that God is inside of me in my spirit. As my creator, he is intimately with me and interested in me. He loves me as a work that he intentionally created. The "free will" that He gave me upon my creation allows Him to stay on the sideline while I play the game of life. Like most sideline coaches He runs out on the field sometimes in enthusiasm or dismay. I must learn to understand His joy and His dismay and react properly to both. As He continues to coach me through His Spirit like a worldly coach, I must seek to understand what He envisions for me in the game of my life. For me to reach my potential is important to God, my coach. He sent His Son to help me know the rules of the life game and the way it should be played. If I ignore the fact that I can't play the game without His coaching, then I am alone and out of my league. There will be no championships. Unlike our worldly coaches, God resides in us and leaving the locker room doesn't separate us from Him. God is a package deal in that He is also our Cheerleader.

All Ears For The Holy Spirit In Our Believing

In Acts 19:1-7 we follow Paul on a journey to Ephesus. There he found some disciples and he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" They said, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit". As the conversation went on, the disciples said that they had been baptized by John. Paul explained that John had baptized them into repentance and to believe in the one who was to come after him. When Paul later baptized them in the name of Jesus, the Holy Spirit came upon them.

We have much in common with these disciples, even though most of us have heard of the Holy Spirit. Living our lives in Christ is difficult for us as we try to connect with how he would want us to live. Our calling seems so obvious, but we have a hard time living into it. When we are baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, we get a special gift in the Holy Spirit. Unlike most gifts, however, we're not sure what to do with it.

That's when we need to remember that in order to benefit from the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we must surrender our control in all things and trust in the wonderful communication gift we have with the Lord, through the Spirit. The Lord will guide us through His Spirit, but we must learn to listen for this communication with all of our senses. The more we can do this, the better our life in Christ.

Don't Go It Alone -- Seek Christian Community

We underestimate our value to each other. We search for a relationship with God and don't understand why He doesn't seem to answer. We don't think that these folks around us can be of any use in our lives. Many are annoying and opinionated. Many just don't appeal to us and don't seem to have anything in common with us. Even the folks we are drawn to seem a little superficial and we are afraid to open a deeper relationship with them.

Those who have placed themselves in Christian Community know the blessings received when things go wrong in their lives. God continues to use each of us to bless others when we turn to Him and recognize our role. God does His work, but we have to do our work in order for things to jell.

Christian Community is a means of raising the spiritual experience and connectedness of individuals and groups of individuals. Community is one of the ways of living that helps us in seeking God in our lives, and in so doing allowing God to use each of us to communicate His Love, Grace and Will to His Children.

Covering Our Negatives With Positives

The Bible is full of instructions on how we should live our lives in a good and just way. One of many examples is in Leviticus 19:11: "You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; and you shall not lie to one another. And you shall not swear falsely by my name, profaning the name of your God. I am the Lord."

In a recent Bible study and reflection, I was reminded of a way that we can deal with all the negatives that come out of our sinful nature. I have accidentally used this method to overcome anger, dissatisfaction, criticism and other afflictions in the past, but I have not thought of it in such a broad and intentional way. The more I have tried to abandon to God in every aspect of my life, the more I have been able to use positives to overcome negatives in my life.

We should approach every moment in our lives as a wonderful gift from God, no matter what is going on at any given time. It all begins with compassion for or forgiveness of the another person. We must be abundant in love if we hate or are angry. We must acknowledge another's needs when we are full of selfishness. We must look for the good in the people we dislike. There is a family story credited to my Great Grandmother that is a good example of positivity: There was a man that was considered an odd-ball troublemaker in my great grandmother's small town. The fellow had recently died and my grandmother was at a gathering with some town friends discussing the life of this fellow. After listening to all the negative talk about this fellow and his life, my great grandmother spoke up with her thoughts. She said, " You know, he was a good whistler." We need to look for the "good whistler" in everyone and everything.

Choosing Where To Put Down Our Roots

"Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious and it does not cease to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17: 7-8) One would think that everyone knows when they make a choice in life that is bad. Our farmers know when and how to plant. Yet, our prisons are overflowing, society and politics corrupt, marriages and families are breaking apart. Why do we keep putting our roots down in the desert? We know there is no hope of bearing fruit in the desert soil, but we keep trying to control the uncontrollable. Our history is full of stories concerning bad choices; poor human planting places. We just can't trust in the Lord in all things. It's like playing the lottery with a one in a million chance when we decide to test the dry soil one more time. What is it about our minds that allows us to continue to repeat bad planting times and places? Jeremiah goes on to say in 17: 9-10. "The heart is devious above all else; it is perverse--who can understand it? I the Lord test the mind and search the heart, to give to all according to their ways, according to the fruit of their doings."

Things To Think About

"For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace" Romans 6:14 +++ Sometimes it is helpful to keep asking ourselves the same questions over and over. It's so easy to let the world distract us from what we should be focusing on. When this happens we lose the opportunities for God's Grace. Questions: Do I have a sense of urgency about getting right with God? Do I think that there is always time to fix things and make me right? Do I feel that I can ultimately control things on my own? Do I think that God is such a great Father that He'll put up with me for awhile and give me some time to get it right? Do I think that I'm guaranteed life and will live a long time? Do I have a sense of accountability to God? Do I underestimate my worth to God in this life? Have I lost my Spiritual self-esteem? Do I act like this is my last day in this life? How much am I willing to gamble that I will live a long time and can put off seeking God in my life? If I choose to leave God out of my daily life, what am I missing? Is it better to trust God than to trust myself with my life? How do I get God more into my daily life? Is it as simple as surrendering to Him in all things; then waiting and watching for His leadership in my life through His Grace?

Gift Bashing

In this gift of life we see the negativity that captures us. We wonder why the love that we are capable of, doesn't get practiced as we ply this gracious life, both you and me. Our need to control this gift is sure; to this we cannot seem to die.

The self-centeredness we fight both day and night is a pattern, one that seems to be our plight and the consequences we do reap, that ultimately come to pass. The actions we so freely take, and leave so many lost in our wake, are always nasty in their toll.

This right we exercise is so precise; that we find it so easy to be cruel. Forgiveness and love are not to be found; for we are not looking for a way, to bless a brother or a sister in our lives. Instead we seek to find a point of disagreement; that we can make another pay a price.

We deliver pain without a thought about it. That we're a gift to each other we've forgot. The lessons are there, we've read and seen. If we'd only remember the things that we've been taught; our need for each other we must brightly see.

And in each other things will come to be. These things of life that keep us bound eternal, do bless us through the stumbling blocks of life. And then you can see the Christ in me and I in thee.

When Life is a Blur...............

I recently retrieved my digital camera from the cabinet where it is stored so I could assist a friend in getting a personal photo that was required for a position that she was applying for. It's a great camera that has performed well for several years. As I was putting it into use, I found that the display was blacking out and when I took a few pictures, they were very blurred and distorted. I ended up having to send the camera to the factory for replacement of a faulty part. Hopefully, in a few weeks I'll have my camera back and be able to take the wonderful pictures like it has captured in the past. As I viewed the blurred photos, it was fun to try and figure out just what those blurred images looked like in their distorted state. The first thought I had about one photo was "The 3 Wise Men Come To New York City". After coming up with a few more ideas about what those distortions had come to look like, I began relating this faulty camera blur situation to life.

As we live our lives in this world, we utilize all the wonderful senses that God has given us to negotiate our actions and observe the world around us. Every now and then our camera lens breaks down and our world starts to look different to us. This is when we are separated from God and become helpless to save ourselves. We rely on our own ability to control, but to no avail. Matthew Chapter 6, verses 22-23, helps us understand this separation from our Lord in saying, "The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!" In seeking a constant relationship with God, we can guard against the "faulty lens" problem. Abandoning to God in all that we do, makes our pictures of life look great and allows us to be used to help others.

Another Trip Around The Sun

In my retirement I celebrated a birthday recently and my nephew, Cody, sent me an email that wished me a happy birthday and added, "enjoy another trip around the Sun." I think the "trip around the sun" thought for a year of life, has been used for many years. In our popular culture, there have been several songs written and sung by noted artists using all or a part of that phrase as the theme. While on the surface the "trip around the Sun" phrase is a cute way of expressing a year of our lives, it has a much deeper meaning that involves our creation and our belief system concerning a "creating spirit" in our lives. As the Gospel of John begins at verse one, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...........in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it."

As we ponder this gift of life and where it all comes from, we can come to understand our Creator God in a deeper way, just as the ancients did in their primitive way of observing the earth and sky above them. Not having a theology per se, they were able to have some understanding that the vastness around them couldn't be an accident. In fact, that their own minds and bodies were remarkable in and of themselves. While we think of long airline flights to different parts of the country or the world, we are actually always on a flight that makes a complete orbit around the Sun in one year, yet is never ending. While things go wrong in space and in our lives, it is hard not to feel the power that is all around us, and like the ancients we have continuous feelings of something great in our lives and feel comforted by His Spirit. Unlike the ancients we have access to many resources, including the Bible, that help us better understand this loving Creator God.

PROMISE - my psalm

Jesus, on your cross you have blessed me; God has lost all His memory of my life lived in Sin. Oh Your death brings forgiveness and a promise I see. Yes, Your light shines -- New life begins.

Save me from my many temptations; when I look at my sad self I see I've not begun; to turn to You as I know that You want me to.

Help me seek You, in my life.

Every time I turn to things that aren't desirable for me; Your angels fly over to watch and warn me, I know You won't ignore me.

Your light, is the light I must search for; I must look for the new life, that brings peace and ends Sin. Oh Your light shines and shows me that my darkness will end, and eternal life begins.

For all my days in my old ways You will not make me accountable; for when I seek You and turn my life on over, there's nothing insurmountable.

You find it so easy to love me even though I've strayed far from

all the ways that You've shown. You have touched me and now I know the promise You keep.

I will never be Alone.

(c) 1999 by Robert Halsey Pine, Pious Bob, LLC

Hang Up the Gloves

When we read 1-Timothy 6:3-8 we can pick out some characteristics of people that seem to engulf all aspects of our lives. We may even be contributors. Our churches are not immune from this. We see these locally, nationally and internationally. They are at the root of the problems in our lives and in the world. The list begins: conceit, a craving for controversy and disputes about words, envy, dissension, slander, base suspicions, wrangling, mindful depravity, untruthfulness. St. Paul writes to Timothy that these do not, "agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that is in accordance with godliness." We are called to love one another and as St. Paul reminds us as we try to control this natural life, "for we brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it;" Man's attempt to control up to death is folly and a huge distraction to a meaningful relationship with our creator God, that can be enjoyed here and now and holds the greatest treasure achievable.

The Everlasting Gift

Some say that our faith in God is based on made-up principles and stories that have been used to control human beings over the centuries. Others say that religion is like a drug that allows us to see what we can't understand about our existence. People of faith are sometimes viewed as weak in their fear of death and the need of something to help them understand their mortality. The fact that religion is sometimes practiced and preached for the wrong reasons, however, speaks more to the sinful nature of man than to it's truth.

We are beautiful and complicated creations of a loving God that wants us to love Him back. Unlike the animals He created, He chose to give us the gifts of reason and free will. He doesn't force us to love Him, but he is always there when we turn to Him for love and support. The pain that this gift of life sometimes gives us is negligible in His sight for He created us out of His love, loves us in our natural life, and will keep us in His love when we are finished in this mortal gift. If we can understand His love in this way, we can achieve His comfort and joy in this worldly life.

In The Heart of Christianity, Marcus Borg uses a metaphor from Celtic Christianity, "thin places", to describe those places and situations in life that are, "a means whereby the sacred becomes present to us.......a means of grace." Thin places could be physical locations as well as people, the arts, times of illness, and suffering.

Dear God

Dear God,

You sent Jesus our Lord to save humanity. In our sin we didn't know what life's meaning should be. In living this life we can grasp eternity. And when our world crashes in, we have a remedy. You are there for us in all things we do when we turn to you. Your love is like nothing else we can view and you want us to know it's true. Then, when we must die you'll lift us up, yes up into the sky and you'll show us your love like we've never seen, eternally.

Thank You,

Your Loving Child

(photo from Hubble Space Telescope "the perfect storm in swan nebula")

Moving Toward Peace

Our humanness carries with it pride, fear, anger, doubt, worry, envy and control to name a few. We have a way out from the impact these have on us, but we can't quite trust our Lord all the time. We can whittle away at these day by day, piece by piece, but we'd rather put up with them than move toward the best method for their removal. Yes, it's difficult for us, but we must be willing to give up control and turn ourselves over to the Lord. That means turning ourselves in with a "Self-Arrest". The problem for us is that we don't want to surrender. A Presbyterian minister of the mid to late 1800's named Theodore Ledyard Cuyler http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/theodore_L,_cuyler/ once said, "Every step toward Christ kills a doubt. Every thought, word, and deed for Him carries you away from discouragement." And Jesus said, "For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it." Matthew 16:25

The Uphill of Life's Journey in Christ

I was leading a Bible Study lesson at a Drug & Alcohol Rehab center. The lesson was based on 2Corinthians 5:16-21. St. Paul says in part, " So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" We talked about how when we accept Christ in our lives how we think differently and act differently. This new creation allows God to go deeper into our spirit, yes deeper than just our consciousness. We also talked about the challenge, not to let ourselves reach out or back to the old things and ways before we accepted Christ. One of the participants asked this question as we talked: "Does this turning to Christ and becoming something new happen in a short period of time?" My answer back to him was that our seeking God in our lives is a work in progress and is not attained easily without a huge commitment or our part. I said that we will never reach perfection in this. He seemed relieved.

I've converted an operations diagram to a spiritual one with the intent to show how challenging our journey in the Lord is. Even with constant study and spritual nourishment, it takes lots of effort and discipline to move up the slope of seeking God in our lives.

All His Children are Worth Loving and Forgiving

I have been involved in Kairos Prison Ministry Int'l, Inc. for many years. A significant part of this ministry has been 3-day retreats held inside a prison with 40 some inmates per retreat. Our team-cooks prepare and deliver six terrific meals and lots of homebaked cookies for the inmates and the team inside the prison over the 3-days. Our team bonds and trains in our specific retreat format beginning 2-months before the retreat with meetings (that include much prayer) totaling approximately 30-hours. The team recruits lots of outside prayer partners as we prepare and for support during the time we are with the inmates. The team brings it's love for God and for each other into the prison and directs that love to each of the 40-inmates. We never ask any inmate what he is serving time for. Many of them have never felt loved in their entire lives. They are shocked and blessed that our team members are willing to give up time with our families to come to prison and love them in the name of God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. By following Jesus' call in Matthew 25: 31-46 where He says, "I was in prison and you visited me..........Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me", our team provides a blessing and is blessed in doing so. Christian communities are building inside prisons all over our nation and the world. God knows no barriers when He seeks to love and be loved by His children. While many in the world want to take God out of everything, many inmate lives are changed and the recidivism rate for those who participate in the retreats drops significantly compared to the general prison population. Jesus' Great Commission to, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations", includes the least of His children.

Is That You God?

Mark 4: 30-31 tells us that Jesus said, "With what can we compare the Kingdom of God, or what parable will we use for it? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown upon the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes the greatest of all shrubs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade." Here he compares us to the mustard seed, that while starting off small and undeveloped, we have the potential to become the fullest as we are fulfilled in our growth experience in God's Kingdom.

My personal experience in understanding God's Eternal Kingdom came out of chaos. The events surrounding my brain tumor removal in 1993, which included the prayers of my Christian Community and my own prayer brought about a revelation to me from God through His Spirit. He gave me a glimpse into His Kingdom as His Spirit, our Holy Comforter, brought me a peace in which I was not concerned about living or dying, but joyful in the knowledge of His Eternal Kingdom. This was for me a blessing that confirmed His Word, the Gospel, that I may have sometimes doubted or questioned. A greater sensitivity for my need to seek God's Will in my life and in the World came upon me. My listening skills began to improve greatly concerning Him.

Participating in the Kingdom of God

The Gospel of Mark 4:26-29 works to help us understand how this finite 'skin & bones' of our natural life is converted and continues to become eternal. It helps us better understand God's Kingdom as Jesus says, " The Kingdom of God is as if someone scattered seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how................" My understanding of this is that Jesus is using a mystery of nature; that which results from the scattering of seed that grows out of the dirt into something useful and wonderful to be harvested. This is to show us how the miracle of our creation, our birth and life is also a beautiful mystery. However with God's children, the nourishment of growth is through God's Love and Grace not rain and sunshine. His Love and Grace is the Word He has given us through the Gospel. By partaking of this 'spiritual rain and sunshine', we grow in Him with our brothers and sisters in seeking His Will in all that we do. This brings us to the harvest, which is our moving on from this natural life that was the beginning of His Kingdom for us, to eternal life in His presence.

The Unknown Place And Road To It

In saying that He would go and prepare a place for the Disciples, and that they know the way to the place, Thomas was honest in saying, " Lord, we do not know where you are going." Jesus then nailed it down for them. He said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him." Thomas didn't have a corner on the doubting market. Phillip then said to Jesus, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus then went on to answer in a dozen different ways to get His message across to them.

So how do we as spiritually challenged humans dig our way out of this doubting posture? The answer is simple. We don't. God gives us the attribute of discernment. What is discernment? Webster tells us that it is, "the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure." Add a little Holy Spirit to this for fuel and we're off. But looking back to when our parents dropped us off at school for the first time, did we have doubts about what we were getting into? Did we find it hard to buy into the meaning behind all of it? Was it better the next day, and the next? It took longer for many of us to adjust, but at some point we discerned that the purpose was good and outweighed any discomfort, so we bought in.