Deep Sea Diving Locations - Genesis or Can You Hear Me Now?

Some People God Hears And Some ... Not So Much

(or so it seems)

It all boils down to what kind of universe we live in - open system or closed. Most of our daily functioning appears to be in a closed system - cause and effect, sowing and reaping, pull-yourself-by-the-bootstraps, pay the ticket, get on the bus, no-money-no-music, no miracles, etc. In the words of William E. Henley,

I am the master of my fate;

I am the captain of my soul.

It works up to a point. But life, real life, is generally lived beyond that point of mere existence. And in that realm, mastering my fate and captaining my soul appears to exceed my skill-set. Been there, done that. Dependable results every time - one word, shipwreck. Just not cut out for that job.

Mrs. Abraham, after a brief excursion into an open universe, found herself living in a closed system again. God feels absent. It feels like He isn't listening anymore. All the enthusiastic, joyful, hopeful emotions have gone down the drain and the memory of them makes today feel even worse. Decades upon decades of waiting immersed in all the crud one human being can dish to another when they feel better, superior, more favored... multiplied countless times... smothered in self-condemnation, sense of guilt, and being such disappointment to all around, not measuring up... For waiting on God never happens in an emotional vacuum... The longer she looked at that cradle the more unbearable it became. It's like having a Garden of Eden rerun with slightly different actors. Eventually, just like Eve, Mrs. Abraham also experienced unintended consequences of her ingenious move to secure fulfillment of God's promise with her own hand.

Suddenly her servant girl became arrogant, became cocky, for she actually had what her mistress didn't and that gave her an advantage, which, in her eyes, gave her permission to despise this woman God chose to be His vessel of blessing to the nations. That didn't go to well with Mrs. Abraham. Being despised made her, hmmmm... how shall I put it?... understandably mean. So she kicked Hagar out.

Welcome to the joyful world of captaining our own ships, mastering our own souls. For, this is what happens when we live in a closed system. Cause and effect, choices and consequences. Arrogance and meanness.

However, we don't live in a closed system. We live in an open system, in the world that we must not forget that there is God.

There is God.

And He is God who hears. (Genesis 16:11) God who hears the oppressor and the oppressed. The perpetrator and the victim. The CEO and the grunt.

And He is God who sees (Genesis 16:13)

What a shocking unfolding of the story (or maybe not, for we still see it played out every day by those who call themselves by Christians).

God's chosen people forgot, chose to ignore, failed to remind themselves that their God is the God who hears. Why bother praying?

God's chosen people were so overwhelmed and swept by derision, the pain, the weariness, the harassment, the agony, the injustice, the unfairness of their emptiness that they forgot that their is the God who sees. Why bother living a life of honor, dignity. righteousness and justice?

God used an outsider, a banished slave GIRL, an outcast and a foreigner who had to return and remind them of these truths.

Indeed, Your God is the God who Hears.

Indeed, Your God is the God who Sees.

Lord Jesus, the burden of waiting for the fulfillment of Your promise sometimes feels unbearable. Just as You have revealed Yourself to a banished slave-girl, who recognized You as the God who Hears and the God who Sees, reveal Yourself to us. Thank You, thank You for Your Living word and the encouragement it brings us even this day to trust You and resist the pressure to 'help' You fulfill Your Word.

Deep Sea Diving Locations - Genesis or Nope, God doesn't Need Your Assistance

Mr. and Mrs. Abraham celebrated their ten year anniversary into their journey with God with a quiet candlelight dinner, the cradle in the corner of their tent screaming at them still empty. EMPTY! The only thing which could be heard in that room that night was the ticking of Mrs. Abraham's biological clock.

Tick-tock. TICK-TOCK. TICK-TICK-TOCK!!!

The pressure inside the cooker was reaching the boiling point. She MUST do something - anything - to help God out fulfill His promise. Speed up this incredibly slooooow process. Facilitate it by involving others who can supply what they are quickly running out. They must have misread God's will somehow. All along He's been probably expecting them to think outside the box, to take matter into their own hands and get this thing moving (Chapter 16).

Nine months later their Egyptian servant gives birth to a boy. Ishmael. Abraham's son.

It turns out that was not at all what the Lord wanted them to do. He wanted them to trust Him to accomplish His word without their ingenious assistance. It was a painful lesson. Today, we are still paying the dividends of Mr. and Mrs. Abraham's choice.

In fact, today, each of us has exactly the same choice to make - perhaps different circumstances and conditions, but essentially the same choice.

Am I going to force the fulfillment of God's Word with my own strength, power and brilliant strategies?

Or am I going to live a holy life - allowing this unbearable hole inside me to remain... empty - until the Holy Spirit comes and fills it with nothing less but Himself? Am I going to foolishly insist on my own way and my timing or trustfully, restfully surrender to His?

Will I live by the flesh, even the 'good looking' flesh, the logical. the religious, the safe, 'the-God-helps-those-who-help-themselves' flesh?

Or will I wait... and wait... and wait... watching for the wind from above, being on the look-out for the coming of His Spirit... until He comes... no matter how long it takes?

Lord Jesus, we are so impatient, so unacquainted with Your ways of carrying out Your will. In the world of speed and efficiency, strategies and control, You seem painfully slow for us. We want You to get on with our program. You wait for us to turn to You so that we can become the kind of people You need us to be in order to serve Your purposes in this broken world. Empower me, O Lord, to come and keep coming to You, and receive mercy and grace to live life of unshakable faith, unfailing courage and humble dignity which brings glory to Your Name.

Deep Sea Diving Locations - Genesis or When God Chooses an AARP Member

In the book of the Beginnings, God places a direct call to a guy named Abraham when he was 75 years old, gives him specific instructions to leave everything behind. However, other than a promise that through him He will start a nation which will become a blessing to the entire world, fails to provide details as to either the destination or the stops along the way (Genesis 12).

Curiously, this seemed to be quite enough for Abraham to follow through on God's simple instructions:

Get out of there!, or:

Leave!, or:

Out!

Seventy-five year old?!! No spring chicken by any, ancient or modern standard. Living in the society that worships youth and discards anything older than a year, I can't help but wonder what took God so long? Why did He choose to skip over and seemingly waste all those valuable years of youthful strength when Abraham could have been of such great service to Him? Why not start with an Eagle Scout instead of an AARP member?

We have no written record that Abraham argued, questioned, demanded explanation or anything of the sort you and I may hurl at the Almighty when presented with such unreasonable proposition. Nothing of that nature. We don't know if Mr. and Mrs. Abraham had a late night discussion over this either. All we know is that they did as they were told (and brought their nephew along with them?).

Mr. and Mrs. Abraham didn't have any children which was no small pain and embarrassment in the patriarchal culture they lived in. In today's world many couples chose to remain childless, either though contraception or abortion, in order to pursue their personal dreams and lifestyle of freedom and luxury not accessible to those who are raising a family. But, such was not Abraham's time at all. No children meant you are a dried up twig, ready to be cut off and burned. No hope. No future. No legacy. Life squandered. Wealth wasted. Dead end. Off the cliff.

Perhaps the very presence of this constant pain and the burden of shame helped them realize that, despite their roots and their wealth, there was really nothing of true value and significance holding them down. This might have made it just a tad easier to pack their Samsonites and say their good-byes to their friends and family at their send away party. There were raised eyebrows there, I am sure, and the questions, like,

What about your 401K?, and

Will you have life insurance?, and so on and so forth.

Everyone, of course, knew that Mr. and Mrs. Abraham have definitely lost their minds and gone off the deep and. And who could blame them, for they are without an heir, you know. Of course, the party guests didn't realize that attached to the word about leaving was also an invitation to a baby shower.

So, Mr. and Mrs. Abraham set out. Hope. Fear. Thrill of adventure. Battles to fight. Allegiances to refuse (Genesis 14). More one-on-one talks with the Almighty. More promises. More waiting.

Lord Jesus, how different is Your way and Your timing for our lives from the clock and the methods we employ. We are in such a rush, so eager to accomplish so much for You. But, You work from eternity for eternity, with purpose and leisure that escape our grasp. For, when something is as important as carrying out the will of the Almighty, we feel the sense of urgency, even panic to do it. And when we rest in Your sovereignty, we fall asleep and lose the sense of importance in walking in Your footsteps. Help us Lord to carry out Your will with the same purposefulness and leisure commanded by Your Spirit, resisting both the panic and the snooze button of our fleshly nature. For Your glory both now and forever, for the blessing of all around us, both far and near. Amen.

Same Difference - or NOT (Change in Strategy - From Stick to Carrat Cake) Part 5

The rat, of course, was far, far from being stupid, and he could think fast on his ratty little feet. He looked away from the red-hot glare of the angry birds, stared into some imaginary distant hole in the playroom's ceiling, blinked several times, sighed deeply and turned his gaze back to the silent animals. You could hear a pin drop in that room. The front row of birds swore they saw his eyes glistening with teary mist.

Then the rat shook his head, as if trying to compose himself, or come back to reality from some very emotionally moving vision. Clearing his throat, he begun to speak with a deep, grieving voice.

I see... I see... he choked up, stopped for a moment and then continued again. I see a lot of pain and suffering in front of me... A lot of brokenness and incompleteness... I see some important parts of us missing.... And this... this... Suddenly his face contorted into a scowl and his voice thundered,

This makes me angry!

The listening animals' eyes popped wide open! What does he mean by this?!! The birds angry just seconds ago looked at each other utterly confounded. They have never experienced this kind of showmanship.

I am angry to see so much undeserved suffering! I am angry that parts are missing! I am angry at the pain! And I am telling you today - he paused, adding drama to his words, as if the poor animals needed more drama - I am going to do something about it! I, he pounded his little inflated chest with his front claws, I myself will fix it! I will help you. I will SAVE you all! I will make you... WHOLE - again!

He closed his eyes dreamily and lifted his head, as if already savoring the moment of their wholeness and well-deserved worship and adoration he will receive from all his grateful subjects.

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

2 Corinthians 11:13-15

Same Difference - or NOT (Angry Birds) Part 4

One would think that the Owl's fate would forever silence any thought of opposition or rebellion against what turned into rat's dictatorship over the playroom. At first, all the evidence confirmed the dominance of fear. Deadly silence replaced the usual sounds of laughter, and singing and friendly bickering.

The birds huddled together in the closet moaning and crying softly in disbelief.

There must be something - anything - we can do... there must be...

Perhaps, we could set up a round-the-clock watch... Always have at least one of us awake and on guard to ensure that this... this .... The white heron's voice cracked...

Yes, absolutely! Why didn't we think of it sooner?

The other animals joined a 24-hour vigil, emboldened by the feathery compassion of the birds. The vigil apparently stopped the series of daily carnage which greatly encouraged the animals who have begun to see themselves more and more as powerless victims of cruel fate than lovingly adopted members of an amazing family.

The Owl's life, however, seemed to be hanging by a very thin thread. The attack turned out to be not only humiliating, but also life-threatening. The animals huddled, and prayed, and prayed and huddled, and watched each other's back.

As the day turned into the night which turned into another day, the real possibility of losing the wise Owl forever weighed heavily on everyone's heart. Their sorrow simmered and churned, settling deep down inside and slowly transforming itself into something they didn't realize they had in themselves.

As the rat took his usual spot in the center of the playroom, ready to dish out his daily dose of dread and intimidation, he was faced with a row of glaring angry birds, backed up with an entire army of crippled creatures.

The rat scanned the rows of suddenly proudly determined animals in various degrees of disfigurement, and realized that he had seriously miscalculated, for things were not working out according to his plan.

He needed a new strategy and he needed it fast.

Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.

I Peter 5:8-9

Same Difference - or NOT (Rat on Rampage) Part 3

The atmosphere of fear that paralyzed most animals seemed to only boost the rat's confidence. Each morning he stood taller and taller in the middle of the playroom - which now looked more like a hospital ward with all the animals nursing their injuries, shell-shocked by unexpected turn of their fortunes. Their idyllic world of song, frolicking, laughter and joyful banter looked more like a distant dream rather than lived-out reality.

The rat's daily sermons made them feel all the worse about their dismal situation, despite the fact that he used many of the same words from the familiar stories they all grew up listening to since the day each of them was brought into the family. The stories they remember were the noble stories of love, and dignity and sacrifice. However, coming from the rats mouth the words and the message seemed to be all jumbled up.

If somebody takes one of your eyes, you should give him the other also! He stared at the terrified rabbit who squinted with the one eye he had left.

And if you see your brother's fin causing him to stumble, the rat paused fixing his gaze on the already traumatized Dolphin, chop it off! For that is true love and courage.

When the Wise Owl tried to protest, the rat sternly cut her off.

Your reputation for wisdom has gone into your head, Owl! The rat growled. Then he glared at the rest of the animals and gave them a solemn warning,

Listen, all of you! For I don't want to repeat it more than once. Pride goes before destruction... He let the last word linger in the air of which suddenly there seems to be a dire scarcity inside the playroom.

The following morning, the Wise Owl woke up naked and exposed, a sea of tawny feathers that used to cover her body strewn all around the playroom. The rest of the birds spread their wings to cover their humiliated friend and help her to the corner of the closet where there was still some semblance of safety. They all knew that what happened to the Owl was only a warning of much worse fate that could overtake any one of them.

Some things he writes are difficult to understand. Irresponsible people who don't know what they are talking about twist them every which way. They do it to the rest of the Scriptures, too, destroying themselves as they do it.

2 Peter 3:16

Same difference - or NOT Part 2

Nobody knows when and how the Rat arrived in our family. He might have been a leftover from some garage sale or some kid might have left him behind and we were never able to determine who the owner was. He was the only rodent in our large and very diverse crew of stuffed animals. When he first arrived, perhaps the rest of the animals didn't treat him quite as he expected. I am sure he felt lonely and marginalized. Especially by the puppies who always seem to get most affection and attention of humans and admiration of other animals. He was usually so very quiet, some animals assumed that he was either really stupid or he couldn't talk. They were very wrong about both.

The first time we saw him wearing a claw-made white 'coat' speckled with large black spots, sporting a bright red collar we were actually amused. He looked nothing like the Dalmatian puppies, for it was obvious that he was a rat! At least it was obvious to humans. The stuffed animals, however, are not humans and their brains are filled with, well, stuffing... they forget so easily and one can't really expect them to be display much intelligence or even common sense. They all humored the Rat's antics and let him play this strange game of charade.

Then, one day, the Rabbit woke up with one of his eyes missing. The next day the Dolphin's fin was gone! One by one, the animals were maimed and nobody knew how it happened or who's done it. Instead of songs and sounds of joyful playing, fear and suspicion descended on the animals. Nobody knew who they should trust. The rat, suddenly quite outspoken, turned out to be very smooth with words and exhibiting the type of intelligence that left most animals in dizzy daze. He insisted he should be appreciated and admired despite the fact that he was different. He was also very emphatic that everyone should trust and not question his loving motives and intentions since, as is the common knowledge, all animals belonged to the same owner. Some animals shook their head in agreement, for indeed the words were familiar and sounded right. But, nobody seemed to be able to escape the feeling that something was terribly wrong and not a single animal was able to put their paw on it.

The carnage continued night after night and soon there was hardly an animal left without a limb missing. Some, like the Old Horse were ripped open with his stuffing strewn around the room like out-of-season snow. As the time marched on, there remained only one question in the feeble stuffed animal's minds:

Who is going to be next?

Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Acts 20:28-30

Same difference Part 1

Our daughter has two almost identical Dalmatian stuffed animal dogs. She goes through phases when she likes to carry them around on the family errands. I gave up trying to wrestle them out of her hands, not really minding extra passengers, especially since they don't bark and usually provide welcome distraction from ongoing bloody battles between her and her brother. As we rode on, I was informed that their names were Pocahontas and Hokey.

They are VERY different, you know, she frowns.

How's so? I ask looking in the rear-view mirror.

Well, this one has white ears with black spots and this one has black ears.

Oh, wow! I never noticed that before. Paying attention to details is definitely not my strong suit.

Oh, yes! she continues on. Also, this one has an American flag, which means that she comes from America, and this one doesn't. After a short break she concludes with a sigh,

They are very different, but they still love each other very much.

And why is that? I wonder what love's got to do with it.

Because they both have the same red collar, she answers simply.

Now, that makes perfect sense to me, I laugh to myself at the irrational logic of this unlikely cause of affection. And then it dawns on me,

Well, of course! Even though they are so different or, rather, may appear to be despite the fact that in reality they are very much alike, they have the same collar. Which means, they have the same Owner and Master. And having the same Owner and Master should make them love each other despite their differences.



Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. I John 4:7,8

Complete Idiot's Guide to Life and Disappointments

Even though nobody in our family can be described as picky, it’s still hard to find a food everyone truly enjoys. We all eat pizza, but I am not nearly as big on it as my kids are, and we all eat Thai, but my kids are not nearly as big on it as my husband and I are. We all like Mexican, but each of us has a distinct preference as to both what we want in our burrito and how it’s rolled up.

But, there is one thing we all absolutely love – and that’s sourdough bread. In our house, heaven smells like toasted sourdough with butter on it. Our love affair with sourdough might have stemmed from my husband’s Northern California roots or from my Croatian aunt’s home-madepanja, and we just passed on this shared sourdough gene to our children. Call it nature or nurture, the fact remains that we can easily polish off an entire loaf in one sitting. Now, the grocery store price for a loaf of good sourdough runs approximately four times as much as regular white or even whole-wheat bread. This puts us in somewhat of a quandary and, no pun intended, feeds our passion for more.

So, several weeks ago when I stopped by our local library, it wasn’t a total surprise when with a corner of my eye I spotted Complete Idiot’s Guide to Artisian Breads, I heard it call my name.

Hey, you! You, YOU - I am talking to you - don’t act as if you can’t hear me!

I looked around to make sure nobody is disturbed and discreetly moved few steps away, towards the shelf with foreign movie DVDs.

Stop right there! Pick me! Pick ME!

Shhhh! Stop yelling! I growled. This is a public library!

Few people looked in my direction. I waited until everyone was back to whatever they were doing before I continued, this time making sure nobody is overhearing the conversation.

You are talking to the wrong person, buddy. I snarled under my breath. I am NOT a baker. I am a BURNER! I am the Killer of all yeast. I am the Destroyer of everything that crosses our oven’s door. It’s hopeless. I am sorry. Go home with somebody else.

No, no, no. You got it all wrong. You are EXACTLY my kind of a person. See, Complete IDIOT’S Guide…

I don’t appreciate being called an idiot in a public place, I whispered through my teeth.

Oh, stop being so sensitive and just take me with you… I’ll…

I grabbed a bunch of DVDs in front of me and dropped them into the basket. Then I stepped back to the shelf with the rowdy impostor, picked him up like a used Kleenex and dropped him under the pile.

Alright. Just stop barking. If you insist, I’ll bring you with me.

I used self-checkout as fast as I could and virtually ran out of the library, leaving both librarians and customers equally baffled behind. We drove home in silence. I unloaded the library cargo into our reading basket where the Guide sat squeezed between Pirates Past Noon and The Gollywhopper Games untouched for several days. One late afternoon I heard a murmur…

I-am-waiting… I-am-waiting…. I am waaaaiiiitiiiing….. I-am-WAITING!

I sat down and pulled the Guide up.

Well, thank you! He said politely. I almost got suffocated there, at the bottom of the basket.

I wasn’t going to apologize.

What do you want from me? I asked.

What do I want?!! What do you think? I didn’t come all the way from the library to sit at the bottom of your book basket and smell stinky Pirate’s feet! Let’s get the kitchen dirty! Let’s bake some bread!

We already went through this. I was tired. I am not a baker. End of story.

But all of you LOVE to eat, especially sourdough. C’mon, it’s really not that hard. Just try it.

As I opened the book and flipped through the pages in front of me a faint aroma of baked bread begun to tickle my nostrils. Sourdough dinner rolls, ciabattas, crusty sourdough boules, garlic-rosemary focaccias….

Fine! I’ll give it a try. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I know it’s not going to work, but I am willing to try. Where do I start?

Starter! You start with a starter. The Guide said with a huge grin. Clever, isn’t it?

I could tell that he was in his element.

Ha, ha. Very funny. I said grimly and turned to the Sourdough Starter page. The instructions seemed simple enough – three ingredients in all.

I think I can handle that, I said as I headed towards the pantry.

And so we begun. I fed my little ‘pet’ every day, like a brand-new parent, all worried whether I am doing it right, whether it’s too cold, or too warm, if I should feed it more often or less. We gathered around it and peeked under the lid, whispering to each other as if it’s a sleeping baby tucked under a cozy blanket.

The romance went on for about three or four days and then things turned south. At first, I noticed a slight discoloration. Then the smell. Which got worse. And worse.

This isn’t working. I told my husband. I think I should just pitch it.

Don’t pitch it! Use it. Responded my always cautious, methodical, polar-opposite mate.

Use it?!!! Are you crazy? Use it for what – rat poison? It’s bound to ruin the dough!

It’s SOUR dough, remember. It’s SUPPOSED to be sour.

I understand ‘sour’… but, this… this is… UGH!

It’s just flour and yeast and water – no big loss … it’s worth giving it a try. Whatever you make, babe, I will eat.

I looked at my taste-testing superhero suspiciously, for ordinarily I am the one in our family encouraging craziness. I savored the spot like ill-fitting shoes.

This is what it feels like to be the other person in my off-the-wall adventures. I pondered.

I got a mixing bowl out of the cupboard and looked up the Sourdough bread recipe. I mixed the flour, yeast, salt, butter and water, hesitating for a moment before I poured the gray, smelly goop in.

This is insanity! I am ruining a perfect batch... before I could finish the sentence I heard the familiar voice taking my train of thoughts into an altogether different direction.

...of plain, boring, white bread, high on air and low on substance by giving it depth and texture and character and personality you all love so much. Hon, the making of sourdough is just like the making of life. You stick with common ingredients, you get common results. But, if you take risks, embrace the bitter and the sour, mix it all well in, you might very well get an exceptional result. You make the choice.

Are you now presuming to be The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Life and Disappointments?

Oh, no. Not at all! A much more comprehensive edition of that volume has already been published long time ago. In fact, I’ve seen several copies on a bookshelf in your study – quite dusty, if I may add. And I am not referring to your housekeeping habits. Perhaps you can check it out some time… the same way you did with me…

With that, the Guide fell silent. I waited awhile, hoping with all my heart that he would say something more, challenge some other deeply rooted prejudice of mine with his grace and truth. But, he didn’t. It was as if with this his role in my life was fulfilled and adding anything else would betray his greater purpose.

I finally turned away and slowly walked towards the bookshelf.

Kings and Chronicles - Who Really Writes the History

Over the years I have had a privilege of receiving quite a few official announcements about certain personnel changes delivered in a typical bureaucratic cadence accompanied with the usual politically correct verbiage. Sometimes I am a privy into what is really going on behind the scenes, and sometimes I can only scratch my head. Since I am fully aware that curiosity killed many a cat, I generally don't seek out undisclosed information knowing I am better off remaining ignorant on certain matters, especially when I can rest in the fact that God knows and He is never fooled by 'official announcements'. And I never cared for publicly humiliating anybody, no matter how well deserved it might be. Tabloids are full of such stories, and none of us is more noble or loving for reading them

I must start with a disclaimer here, for there is much more to both Kings and Chronicles than what I share here. I give credit to all four books for playing a major part in my freshly aroused love of history. When accompanied with reading the prophets, one gets to enjoy quite a geo-political-religious-psychological feast that gets to be very personal at times... But, I also understand that not everyone shares my weird taste for this form of spiritual nourishment...

Back to the opening paragraph and official records... The Books of Kings and Chronicles remind me a lot of such 'official' and 'unofficial' versions of the same events. The former describes the condensed version of 'government approved record' of historic events. The latter gives us a peek into what God, who reads our innermost thoughts and intentions of our hearts like an open book, knows is going on behind closed doors. It's like reading a column in Wall Street Journal and a personal diary of the main character that the column writes about side by side... Don't you ever wonder about the stories behind the news clips or am I the only one?

I used to be terrified of such knowledge, such exposure. I would bristle when others would quote that character is who you are when no one is looking. I was appalled at the discrepancy a visible presence of just one person makes in how I conduct my life. And it was perplexing that God's presence, even though invisible yet equally real, didn't seem to affect much change.

Today, for some reason, awareness of such intimate knowledge is an incredible source of comfort and hope. I can release my grip on demand for justice and fairness into His perfectly capable hands. I can rest in His timing. For God is a meticulous book-keeper. The insufferable wrongs will be fully and completely righted. Moreover, the Scripture says that not even a glass of water goes unnoticed by Him when given out of love and reverence for Jesus Christ. Regardless of whether anybody else sees it or not.

What the Great Flood, the Hurricanes and Tsunamis all have in common?

What amazes me the most whenever I read God's Word is how over and over again God chooses deeply flawed individuals to be His instruments. There are few noble men and women, to be sure, but for the most part one can't help but cringe when reading public accounts of their colossal stupidity on display for all to see. God, on His part, seems to reveal no shame or concern as to the embarrassment that His people are to Him and His reputation. On the contrary! This might be because it becomes quite impossible to confuse Him with His people, and one clearly recognizes that if there is anything good, noble and holy anyone can detect in these shady characters, it must be of God, for in and of themselves, they seem incapable of any true goodness and morality.

For some reason, this gives me great comfort when I feel overwhelmed by the flood of vanity, ignorance, arrogance, insecurity, pettiness and jealousy that threatens to overtake my life. These flawed individuals didn't have it easy either. Just consider, we barely make it to Chapter 4 and there is a homicide in the first family! And by chapter 7 the humanity has gotten so irreparably rotten God decides to unlock all the double-pane windows holding the water above the sky (Genesis 1:7) and flood the earth?!!! Now, how would you feel if you were God and the creation which just a couple of chapters ago you called 'very good' is flushed down the cosmic toilet?!!

I remember several years ago when the levies gave out in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina and the entire city of New Orleans was flooded. I remember the shock, the pain, and grief and weeping over the devastation, the loss of lives - both human and animals - and this was just one city....

I remember the tsunami in Thailand and another which struck Japan not too long ago... Both forever changed not only the landscape of these countries but also the landscape of the people's minds and hearts... The horror-ridden stories of survivors, the recurring nightmares one doesn't wake up from... A face of a woman survivor telling her heart-wrenching story of needing to let go of one of her children in the overpowering waves because she couldn't hold onto both anymore... There is a rock in the pit of my stomach just hearing her account... but that was just one of many and their stories went on, and on, and on...

I remember when we lived through three hurricanes that visited central Florida in a few short weeks... It was a newsworthy story that was transmitted around the world. For a short time our ADHD global village heard about it, but then everyone else moved on with their lives while the rest of us remained stuck in a time warp, dealing with no power, empty grocery stores (never thought I would live to see this day in the United States of America!), the mountains of yard waste framing the streets like snake-infested walls, construction damage repairs, insurance claims, re-roofing,...

As I reflect on this, I feel like with each of these experiences I get a glimpse here and a quick look there what it must have been like for Noah the survivor of the great flood, and his three sons with their families... for they were people just like us - the same weaknesses, the same or similar challenges... And I experience the truth of John Donne's words:

No man is an island,

Entire of itself.

Each is a piece of the continent,

A part of the main.

If a clod be washed away by the sea,

Europe is the less

As well as if a promontory were.

As well as if a manor of thine own

Or of thine friend's were.

Each man's death diminishes me,

For I am involved in mankind.

Therefore, send not to know

For whom the bell tolls,

It tolls for thee.

True as this may be, this is not how and where the story ends. For, ultimately, the same God of Hope whom Noah trusted with his life, and the life of his family, is the God who gives us

the silver lining behind every cloud,

a rainbow after every storm, and

a promise of resurrection from the dead

at the end of every, even the worst day

nourishing the hope that

that day

the last tear will be wiped away...

and all will be well

For the earth will be filled

with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD

as the waters cover the sea.

Habakkuk 2:14

Dangerous Discipline of Bible Reading 101 History is His Story!

those who ignore history

are bound to repeat its mistakes

As I said, starting to read Bible as objective, specific, geographic, chronology of events - both personal and national, even global - was... well, eye opening, to say the least. This not only revolutionized my view of history in general, but also redefined my own personal history. Of course, the effect of such drastic paradigm shift reaches far beyond my view and understanding of the past, for they spill into my to-day and reorient my perception of the future.

What once used to be the most boring, out-of-date, instant-insomnia-healer became by far the most rewarding social media hub full of losers and socially awkward freaks just like me. The more I hang out with the likes of Job, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Jeremiah, Daniel, Peter, Paul, John and ultimately Jesus, the more I find them fully 'relatable', even more so than most of my contemporaries...

For these guys are certainly not what I call 'social thermometers' - people governed by majority opinions, polls or the latest political and religious band-wagon all their friends are jumping on. They strike me more like spiritual thermostats, with the Lord God Himself their only setting, to which (or rather to Whom) they refer, and relate, and respond in all the changing circumstances of their ever-turbulent lives.

And I find their God far more reliable and trustworthy than all the pundits interviewed on CNN combined, although at times difficult to see and comprehend for His unorthodox ways of dealing with humanity.

And I am struck by the fact that this God is anything but

aloof,

absent,

impotent,

mute or

deaf.

In fact, I find Him the most

passionate,

engaged,

observant,

active,

loving,

unpresumptuous person

with great sense of humor who is also

infinitely patient

towards any idiot like you or me foolish enough to

turn his or her back on the clamor of this world for two and a half seconds and

tune in to His wavelength and

recognize the game of charade everyone is playing and

grasp the overwhelming weight of evidence that speaks for

this seemingly invisible and

seemingly inaudible

reality.

And, to our amazement,

in His presence,

we find we grew an extra ear and

developed an additional eye

and we can actually hear Him speak to us

and we can actually see Him who is invisible

and there

in His presence

find

rest...

and more rest...

and

joy

inexplicable joy...

and

contentment...

contentment that surpasses any satisfaction

we may have when we finally

get what we always wanted,

when our thirst is quenched with water

when our hunger is sated with food

when our loneliness is ended with embrace...

And to our surprise

we discover

that

In Him

and Him alone

we are home

at last.

History - The Unusual and Cruel Punishment of BOREDOM!

Throughout my education, history was my least favorite subject. One word summarizes the reason - boring!

Born and raised in a monolithic political party system I was taught that there is only one truth, and that truth is held, expounded and taught by the Communist Party. Needless to say, all the major events were interpreted through this narrow filter of truth and all dissenters were... well, either mocked, scoffed at, socially and politically ostracized or, if they were causing too much trouble and were perceived as a threat to "peace", sent on a very long vacation on a very small shrub-less island far, far away.

I was explained that 'we' are the good guys and everyone else, including the aforementioned dissenters are the bad, bad guys. No God. No soul. No eternity. Jesus? A myth. Some kind of ancient, irrelevant freak. Not worth wasting your time on it while you have more important things to do in building brotherhood and unity based on.... Hmmmm? Never went that deep into it...

These beacons of light and truth had their work cut out for them, for sure... Imagine trying to eradicate God out of all art... out of all literature... Imagine reading Dostoevsky while dismissing a possibility of the existence of God?!! Imagine looking at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and saying it's all a charade conjured up by the ignorant, uneducated masses. Of course, the implication is that those lowly 'they' are so very much unlike us, THE educated, THE enlightened, the pinnacle of Darwin's evolutionary ladder, the fittest to survive and consequently powerful enough to rule and make history according to our ingenious design!

However, there was no such 'ingenious design'. Just vaguely covered up greed, immorality, arrogance and abject stupidity exalted to positions of leadership and authority. Upheld by either bribery and manipulation or fear and intimidation. So we can all live happily ever after.

That was my 'historical' background before I met Jesus Christ and begun to read the Bible not as a random compilation of fairy tales, myths and legends but as a verifiable historical account.

Starting to read Bible as objective, specific, geographic, chronology of events - both personal and national, even global - was... well, eye opening, to say the least.

Think of the movie Sixth Sense.... If you've seen it, you'll know that the information revealed at the end of the movie changes everything, so you absolutely have to go back to the beginning and watch the entire movie again from the perspective of this new paradigm.

This is exactly how I felt once I realized that the Bible is a historical book, deeply rooted in specific times and places, real (perhaps maybe even too real for my taste!) people like you and me ... and most importantly, real, living, active, observant, passionate God who is not aloof, and not absent, and not impotent and mute and deaf, as some people think Him to be.

Deep Sea Diving Locations - The Beginning or How We Got So Badly Screwed Up?

The Book of Beginnings.

Isn't it what we all want to know? How it all started?

As an infinitely ambitious college student, I was determined to discover the origin of life. This is why I pursued double-major in Comparative World Literature and English Language and Literature. The comprehensive scope of the studies gave me a strong hope that some day I would surely find what I was looking for. During that time my Dad almost got killed in a head-on collision with an out-of-control public transportation bus. In the days while his breath was precariously suspended between what we, a family of atheists, thought we knew of life and what we didn't know of death, my pursuit of the origins moved from the sphere of philosophy and literature into the realm of medical science. Genetics was just emerging on the scientific horizon at the time, and I became one of the fifteen students awarded a full scholarship in the Molecular Biology and Genetics program at the University of Belgrade. It is that summer that I had a head-on collision with the Originator of Life Himself.

But, I am getting a little distracted...

We all ask ourselves the big questions at some point in our lives or another:

Where did I come from?

Where am I going?

Why is my life such a train wreck? Is there hope for me, even me?

In the Book of Beginnings the foundations are laid out for us. For this is where we see the Artist at work.

Brooding. Pondering. Mapping. Waiting.

Stirring. Moving.

Then we hear the Word of God.

Spoken.

Bam!

And it was so!

If this is not power, I don't know what is. I try this every day with my children, and, I tell you, my word with them carries approximately the same power as a discarded AAA battery.

We see the marvel of creativity at its best. The wonder. The fireworks! The Awe. The Glory. The Joy.

The Rest.

And we also see... The mystery.

The crack.

The Enemy.

The deception.

The fissure.

The brokenness. The pain. The banishment.

I look over these first few pages and in them I find this incredible destiny to be a reflection of... GOD?!!? - His character, His person, His heart and His brain on this Earth! The amazing calling somehow both resonates deeply and intimidates me to the nth degree ... for, despite this noble destiny, I also see the mirror of my soul - my mind and my heart - shattered by pain, injury, lies, betrayal, lust, fear, shame...

In this soil of the first few chapters of the Bible, I find the root of all your screw-ups and mine - you name it - marital issues, parenting, comparison, sibling rivalry, communication, blame-shifting, cover-up, murder.

And, lest we think that our redemption is just an afterthought of the mind of God, a scrambled-together patch-up solution to the cosmic experiment gone badly wrong, in these pages we also see the price.

The battle.

The scar.

The price that the One and only hope for our redemption, healing and life is going to pay... has paid... so that you and I can have life that is life indeed.

And so The First Book of Moses Commonly Called Genesis becomes a place I keep returning to whenever I feel lost, or confused, or bewildered along the journey, its truths drawing me back home like a powerful rubber-band of naked, unsanitized truth.

Choosing your Diving Location

It is my firm belief that

Every part of Scripture is

God-breathed and

useful one way or another -

showing us truth,

exposing our rebellion,

correcting our mistakes,

training us to live God's way.

Through the Word of God

we are put together and

shaped up for the tasks God has for us.

(2 Timothy 3:16,17 Message)

Now, I also understand that many people (yours truly included) have gotten lost in the deep weeds of genealogies, or laws, or even certain imageries that seem to be waaaay beyond our ability to grasp (try Ezekiel 1 if you don't believe me). However, rather than throwing the entire book across the room and leaving it there to collect dust-mites and attract silverfish, I have been encouraged to be patient, stick with what the Lord Jesus has revealed and explained, and slowly build on this knowledge and understanding until He illumines the more obscure portions of the Scriptures. As a result, the margins of my Bible are filled with question marks to be addressed at some later date according to God's wisdom and timing.

This approach has served me very well over the years. Believe it or not, many, many of those questions have been answered to my intensely argumentative satisfaction! And now you can toss me just about anywhere between the covers of my Bible, and I would find the diving location oh, so deliciously satisfying the effort and very much living up to the promise of 2 Timothy passage I quoted above.

In the spirit of intentionality and being systematic, we must address the issue of going back to the beginning, since the beginning is generally a good place to start.

Now, I must add a disclaimer here. I took probably a decade or so to read through the New Testament over and over again after I had my initial head-on collision with Jesus Christ. During that decade I paid quick visits to more familiar portions of the Old Testament - like Psalm 23, the Book of Proverbs, famous quotes from the Book of Isaiah, and, O.K. I admit I was sneaking into Song of Solomon under my bed cover, even though I wasn't married at the time.

Having finally gotten to a place where I felt I could trust the heart and the brains of the Author of this book, I got to a place where I felt I could go to the Book of Genesis without my deeply ingrained former atheist, 'scientific' bias totally warping my perception and give it a fair shot as to the possibility of how it all started.

And even with all this, the scoffer in me would still argue from time to time, and roll my eyes, and dismiss altogether the revelation of the first few pages of the Bible.

Now, I promise you, if this is the attitude of your heart and your intellect as you approach God's Word, you are wasting your time. You'll get NOTHING out of it, and you will be worse off for reading it, than not reading it at all. My friendly recommendation to you is, "Stop it!" No one has argued with God and ever won the argument. And, trust me, you are not going to go into history as the first... just one in the string of many ignorant idiots who tried and failed to their own demise.

Anyway, having failed many a time in my arguments with my Creator, I finally got my attitude adjusted as to the issues of arrogance, prejudice and bias. I was ready at last to actually benefit from the most amazing story unfolding before my very eyes.

And so, Genesis, the late bloomer in my study of God's Word becomes one of my "favorite children".