When I attended my first Autism Research Institute conference, my head literally ached from multiple hours of presentation after presentation of autism-related microbiology, enzymatic therapies, cellular functions and molecular gut distress. If you are a parent trying to understand the science behind what is going on with your child, you know what I mean! Autism parents attending these conferences get a quick induction into molecular biology.
God as Designer on a Molecular Level:
I remember looking at vivid slides of cells, proteins and molecules in a presentation by Dr. Elizabeth Mumper that were so strangely beautiful. Sitting there, I could scarcely breathe as the as I took in those images. They seemed …so…divine.
Human Neural Stem Cells
Credit: Corey Seehus, BrainCells Inc., USA
These cells are so small that a subcellular imaging system is necessary to capture their beauty. Who can create such a complex, intricate beauty on such a infinitely small scale? GOD CAN.
God as Designer of the Universe:
The Crab Nebula
Credit: NASA, ESA, J. Hester and A. Loll
(Arizona State University)
The above picture of the Crab Nebula was taken with the Hubble Space Telescope, a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. Located at a distance of about 6,500 light-years from Earth, the nebula has a diameter of 11 light years. (A light year is equal to just under 10 trillion kilometers.) It expands at a rate of about 1,500 kilometers per second.
Do you see what I see?
He’s the Designer of All Things: Big and Small!
It is hard for my mind to grasp just how incredible God is. God’s handiwork extends throughout the vastness of universe. And yet, He is present in the minuscule details on levels that we cannot even see or begin to fathom. My expectation is that just as God has designed the immenseness of the universe, He is also the artist of infinitely small details. Mankind will never be able to fully comprehend just how great God is!
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.
Day after day they pour out speech;
night after night they communicate knowledge.
Paula Wiseman and Andrea Moriarty are teaching me a thing or two about authentic Christian living! They’ve been writing about how their faith plays out each typical day, giving readers an inside look at real Christianity. Each day as I have read their posts, I have learned something new.
Today Andrea posted a clip from Mary Poppins. I hope she doesn’t mind, but I going to pick up on that theme and include my favorite clip from this movie, one that reminds me of the contrast between worldly living and Christian living. Here, executive and father Banks has just been fired from his banking job and is bemoaning the loss of his dream:
So, what does this have to do with authentic Christianity? Let me explain: Authentic Christianity means living in an upside down world. Things that seem important in the typical world are usually the least important things by Christian standards. For example, power, prestige and money mean little when compared to showing compassion and love to those in our circles. Christian economics is based on a heavenly exchange rate, one the world simply does not understand.
But here is where things get tricky for me as I live out my faith: I can’t shut out the world. The pressure to succeed and get ahead is preached at me every day through commercials, magazine articles, on billboards and in all of the over-the-fence conversations with the Jones’, you know, that family down the street that I can never quite keep up with. So it is often a daily struggle to keep my priorities in check:
For all the pagan world is [greedily] seeking these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Only aim at and strive for and seek His kingdom, and all these things shall be supplied to you also. Do not be seized with alarm and struck with fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom!
Luke 12:30-32 (Amplified Bible)
Almost every day I wonder if I am doing all that I could be doing. I wonder if I am missing opportunities because I choose to work out of my home as a part-time consultant (rather than work full time) so I can be here to help Elise and Alec with their homework after school. We have financially struggled so much this year that I have nearly thrown in the towel and sought full-time work. I have questioned myself and my motives. But all the while I know that God has me right where He wants me: here at home. Working part-time may not be your God-given calling, but it is mine.
Authentic Christian living is upside down living:
“But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.”
Luke 22:26 (New Living Translation)
That kind of living makes no sense to the world. It’s crazy living. Radical living. But living this way brings the divine into life. It’s like God miraculously squeezes more life into each day. By living this way, Christians find joy that is often missed by others, as God makes sure that we don’t miss out on the sweetest moments of life. Our friend Burt (in the clip above) knows this truth and as he shares the following precious advice to Mr. Banks:
You’ve got to grind, grind, grind
At that grindstone
Though child’ood slips like sand through a sieve
And all too soon they’ve up grown
And then they’ve flown
And it’s too late for you to give…
When I look around and fear that I am not getting ahead, I have to remind myself that I don’t have to measure up to the world’s standard of success. My treasures are not of this world, but every bit as real.
We all know what it looks like. Everyday we see televangelists on the air talking about politics, the mission field, crimes and the eternally lost criminals who commit them.
The media, in fact, provides the most prominent representation of Christianity to the general public. But fame and Christianity are uneasy partners and sadly, so many times the power of a public pulpit leads to an untimely fall, one that is captured by cameras and transmitted around the world. The spotlight has cast a sour light on our faith, illuminating a religion that appears self-serving, money-centered and steeped in hypocrisy.
But is this true Christianity?
What does it mean to live a Christian life? Are Christians perfected, never to sin again? Are we more concerned with our professional lives–our career track, our personal taxes, our plans for the summer– or are we overflowing with compassion for those who hurt? Do we live and plan for the future, or do we live on a daily basis, actively searching for what God is doing around us at any given moment, and jumping in to join Him?
What does living a Christian life look like on a daily basis? What does it look like at the supermarket or in our cubicles? What does it look like when we are worn and tired and cannot pay our monthly bills? When our kids are asking for more than we can give? What does it look like when we have been treated wrongly by those we love? What is Christianity….really?
The Authenticity Challenge: What Living a Christian Life REALLY Looks Like
I am calling for at least 12 bloggers who are willing to take a two week Authenticity Challenge with me. I am asking for at least 12 bloggers to commit to posting at least once a day about an event that occurred and how your Christian faith helped you deal with the situation. I am not looking for extraordinary events, although if one should find you, by all means writing about it! Instead, I want to know how Christianity effects us in small, subtle and often-overlooked ways. Our God is present with us at every moment and each day we are here, we are purposed by God. What does that look like?
No Sugar-Coated Christianity, Please!
Every day presents challenges. I am asking for authenticity in written posts with the focus being on God at work in and through your day. Did you seek God in Scripture, or did life get too busy? If you snapped at a cashier, write about it. Why did you do it? Did you feel that gentle tug of the Spirit when you snapped? What did you learn from the interaction? Did you seek forgiveness?
I am looking for writers to be extraordinarily sensitive to the workings of the Spirit within the ordinary events of the day.I am not looking for sugar-coated Christianity. Let’s get real with our faith and share it! Are you up to it?
What is the Purpose, Anyway?
A good question! This project has come to my heart because I believethe world is desperateto see what real Christianity looks like. The only true example of Christianity is described in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John by studying the life, actions and experiences of Jesus Himself. And the rest of us? We are merely works in progress. However, we do have this: a tangible relationship with that sole, perfect example of Christianity: Jesus. This relationship is real and present on a daily basis in the lives of Christians. This is what I want you to write about! True Christianity is a faith of daily experiences, daily progress, daily introspection and adjustment, and most of all, daily validation that we are, indeed, vastly loved by the Father.
The second purpose: By spending two weeks of intensely focusing on God’s presence in the everyday events around me, I know that I will learn to view life in a different way: God’s way. The process of seeking God all around me will seep deep into my soul so that it becomes entirely natural way to view the daily events of my life. In the process I want to allow God to wring out any hypocrisy from my own life so I can live out my faith authentically, just as Jesus did. I am expecting God to show up and teach each committed blogger some amazing truths about Who He is, Where He is working around us, and How our lives can be fulfilled by living within His purpose.
So do you want to join me?
The challenge begins on Monday, January 25th and ends on Monday, February 8th. Any bloggers who would like to journey with me must be committed to post on a daily basis–either at the end of a particular day or in the morning of the following day– writing about how Christianity played out in your life on that day.
I need at least 12 bloggers to commit, but I will be thrilled if more bloggers join in. We can share our blog addresses in the sidebars. When it is all over, I’ll ask you to write about how this experience affected each of you. Please feel free to recruit blogging buddies in this journey by directing them to this post. If you are willing to take a two week journey with me,just comment below with your name and blog address. I will add your blog addresses so we can journey together. Please forward and share!
Comments from Readers … or your turn to talk!