This is a book about the beauty of GOD and all that He has made, and that covers every every subject you can think of from A to Z. We cover many, but there is no way to cover all of them for they are infinite.

1. A STUDY OF BEAUTY FROM A TO Z
BY GLE PEASE
A
BEAUTY OF THE APPLE
The Wisdom of the Apple Tree
by Glennie Kindred
Our folk memory and country lore is rich with reference to the apple tree's virtues.
This beautiful tree provides abundant food which can be stored for winter use, and
has many uses both in the kitchen, as a herbal remedy and as a remedy acting on
our subtle energies. The crab apple (Pyrus malus) is native to Britain and it the wild
ancestor of all the cultivated varieties. This is the original stock which the cultivated
varieties have been grafted onto. Mrs Grieve suggests that at the time of her writing
her Modern Herbal (1931) there were over 2,000 varieties of apple, but sadly with
the decline of the old orchards, many of these old varieties are lost to us now, despite
the efforts of many to save them.
The sheer extravagant abundance of apples on an apple tree in the autumn is the
key to understanding what the apple tree has to teach us. It shows us how to give all,
in total trust that all will be replenished. It teaches us to open our hearts to the
abundance in our lives. When we, like the apple tree, give all of ourselves freely and
openly, our hearts are open to receiving more. Holding back is a symptom of greed
and insecurity. The apple's message is to value and celebrate all you have in your
life. Many feelings of bitterness, irritation and anger result from feeling a lack of
worthiness. These negative feelings create a pattern of imbalance which can
significantly reduce the flow of the life force energy in your body. If you do not feel
worthy to receive certain things, the way for them to come to you will be blocked, as
you have believed it to be. By affirming and feeling thankful for what you have in
the present, you open up the channels for your own abundance.
The Apple tree is there to help all of us to keep our trust in times of lack, and
teaches us our true power is built up by giving, in open-hearted generosity. The
Apple tree's spirit can help those who harm themselves by their miserliness.
Apples are a natural remedy for te stomach, bowels and heart, the main organs of
giving and receiving. Our folk memory is rich with such phrases as "an apple a day
keeps the doctor away" and not without good reason. The malic and tartaric acids

2. of the apple particularly benefit people of sedentary habits as they neutralise the
acid products of indigestion. It is a very digestible fruit, and excellent baby food and
it aids the digestion of other foods.
A ripe, juicy apple eaten at bedtime every night will cure constipation. An apple
before bed is also good for sleeplessness and biliousness. An apple is also an
excellent dentifrice, being a food which is not only cleansing to the teeth, but hard
enough to push back the gums so the borders are clear of deposits. The valuable
acids and salts exist to a special degree in and just below the skin, so to get the full
value of an apple it should be eaten unpeeled."
ART IS BEAUTY
A. Maude Royden wrote, "This assurance of God comes to most of us through
beauty. When those of you who are blessed with a sense of music hear a sonata of
Beethoven, a fugue of Bach, some music that is really great, you are for the moment,
at least, released from the struggle and difficulty of the world; for a moment you
enter the presence of God. When those to whom ature is very dear see the
satisfying beauty of the sea, the eternal glory of the mountains, the stems of the pine-
trees going up into the shade above, they for a moment escape from the terror and
perplexity and struggle of the world. They know that there is an absolute beauty,
and that to that beauty they are akin. The greatest of all services to the world,
perhaps, is the service of the artist, who reveals to us that perfection of beauty. Yes,
sometimes I think it is even more wonderful when it comes to us though Art than
when it comes to us through ature, because when it come to us through Art, God
speaks to us through another human being, and that is, after all, the most moving
and most revealing aspect of /God that we can ever reach. Even the beauty of the
sea and the beauty of God revealed to us by the hand of some artist, the voice of
some singer, the dream of some poet; and so all churches and all services should
have in them that elemnet of beauty.
By Rev. Ron Rolheiser
In the movie "The English Patient," there's a wonderful scene, stunning in its lesson:
A number of people from various countries are thrown together by circumstance in an
abandoned villa in post-war Italy. Among them are a young nurse, attending to an English
pilot who's been badly burned in an air-crash, and a young Asian man whose job it is to
find and defuse land-mines. The young man and the nurse become friends and, one day,
he announces he has a special surprise for her.

3. He takes her to an abandoned church within which he has set up a series of ropes and
pulleys that will lift her to the ceiling where, hidden in darkness, there are some beautiful
mosaics and other wonderful works of art that cannot be seen from the floor. He gives her
a torch as a light and pulls her up through a series of ropes so that she swings, almost like
an angel with wings, high above the floor and is able to shine her torch on a number of
beautiful masterpieces hidden in the dark.
The experience is that of sheer exhilaration, she has the sensation of flying and of
seeing wonderful beauty all at the same time. When she's finally lowered back to the
floor she's flushed with excitement and gratitude and covers the young man's face
with kisses, saying over and over again: "Thank you, thank you, thank you for
showing this to me!"
And, from her expression, you know she's saying thank you for two things: "Thank
you for showing me something, that I could never have come to on my own; and,
thank you for trusting me enough to think that I would understand this, that I
would get it!
I'm grateful to Barbara icolosi, from Act One, an Institute for Christian writers in
Hollywood, for showing this film-clip and challenging all of us at the Suenens
Institute in Chicago this past summer to learn its lesson. What is that lesson?
That the church needs to do for the world exactly what this young man did for his
nurse friend, namely, (in terms of a metaphor) to point to where beauty is hidden in
darkness, be that in the darkness of old churches, ancient creeds, abandoned
liturgies, old-fashioned devotions, or two thousand year-old practices of community,
charity, justice, and forgiveness; or be that in the hidden riches within nature,
physical beauty, health, youth, art, and science. There are treasures of great beauty
hidden all over, including in forgotten places inside our churches. Our task is to
point these out to the world.
And part of that task, like the young man in "The English Patient," is to trust that
people will understand and to trust as well that they are worth all the effort we must
make to point out where these treasures are hidden.
Beauty has a power to transform the soul and instill gratitude in a way that few
things have. Confucius understood this and suggested that beauty is the greatest of
all teachers. People can doubt almost anything, except beauty.
Why can't beauty be doubted? Because beauty, like oneness, truth and goodness is a
transcendental property of being itself. "All being is one, true, good and beautiful,"
states classical philosophy. Thus, beauty needs no justification beyond itself. Beauty
can be solely for beauty's sake. Moreover, as a transcendental property of being,
beauty shows us something of God. To experience beauty is to see some of God's
color, to become homesick for heaven."
The Fine Arts By Mrs. Jane Carol Raymond
In God’s majestic design and order, there are 6 basic elements that encompass
perfect beauty, or what we are more familiar with, the fine arts. These elements of
design are: value, color, space, shape, line and texture. Art can not be accomplished

4. without these things.
Just like any other subject we teach our children, once the foundations are
understood, and the applications tried, a final work can be accomplished. The
foundations in the fine arts are the basic elements that God has created. Once these
are learned and practiced, anyone can enjoy art in their life, and ultimately
appreciate the beauty of God all around him.
Since it is God Who created each one of the elements of perfect beauty, no man in
the truest sense can be called a “master” artist. Artists, who have understood God’s
elements of design and have mastered their uses and application, are referred to as
‘master’ artists. By observing the masterpieces they have achieved, we can glean
better insight into the incredible harmony of God’s elements of design and beauty.
B
BEAUTY OF THE BIBLE
When I am tired, the Bible is my bed;
Or in the dark, the Bible is my light;
When I am hungry, it is vital bread;
Or fearful, it is armour for the fight;
When I am sick, 'tis healing medicine;
Or lonely, thronging friends I find therein.
If I would work, the Bible is my tool;
Or play, it is a harp of happy sound.
If I am ignorant, it is my school;
If I am sinking, it is solid ground.
If I am cold, the Bible is my fire;
And wings, if boldly I aspire.
Should I be lost, the Bible is my guide;
Or naked, it is raiment, rich and warm.

5. Am I imprisoned, it is ranges wide;
Or tempest-tossed, a shelter from the storm.
Would I adventure, 'tis a gallant sea;
Or would I rest, it is a flowery lea.
AMOS R. WELLS
C
COLOR AS BEAUTY
A Jesuit poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins, said it so well - "The world is charged with
the grandeur of God." It is a grandeur that is given a voice in a symphony of colors -
all of which join in a visual chorus of praise to a creator who loves us so much that
he turns death into life.
Pastor JIM HA O
"God's pulpit is the world in which we live, the earth that sustains that world - and
the people who live in it. With this in mind, I choose to reflect on the beauty of the
earth - at a beautiful time of year.
Each year in October, I take time to go "leafing." I spend time alone or with friends
simply driving to wonderful places where the glorious autumnal colors are alive and
proclaiming the glory of God - or places that are simply beautiful - whether they
have colors or not. It is an activity that I find prayerful - for it is a time when I
simply sit back, look and experience that God, in all his goodness, has given us this
beautiful world - and for no other reason than love.
Certainly we have some beautiful places in our own back yard here in the
Emmitsburg area. But we also have close to us the more mountainous parts of
Western Maryland and West Virginia that offer so much by way of natural beauty.
State and county lines do not give borders to the beauty in which we are immersed!
Beauty is everywhere - and it reminds us that God is as well!"

6. CRAVI G FOR BEAUTY
JOH PIPER, "Why Do We All Crave Beauty?
ow how does this infinite divine beauty relate to our longing for beauty? I do
believe that deeply rooted in every human heart is a longing for beauty. Why do we
go to the Grand Canyon, the Boundary Waters, art exhibits, gardens? Why do we
plant trees and flower beds? Why do we paint our inside walls? Why is it man and
not the monkeys who decorated cave walls with pictures? Why is it that in every
tribe of humans ever known there has always been some form of art and
craftsmanship that goes beyond mere utility? Is it not because we long to behold and
be a part of beauty? We crave to be moved by some rare glimpse of greatness. We
yearn for a vision of glory. The poetry that endures from generation to generation
generally does so because it gives expression to our deepest desires. And more than
anything else in poetry, "'Tis beauty calls and glory shows the way" ( athaniel
Lee). Emerson speaks for every great poet when he writes ("Beauty"),
He thought it happier to be dead,
To die for Beauty, than live for bread.
Emily Dickinson, too, is fond of CO ECTI G death and beauty ( o. 1654):
Beauty crowds me 'til I die
Beauty mercy have on me
But if I EXPIRE today
Let it be in sight of thee.
And William Butler Yeats expresses his longing for a
Land of Hearts' Desire
Where beauty has no ebb, decay no flood,
But joy is wisdom, time an endless song.
There is in the human heart an unquenchable longing for beauty. And I am
persuaded that the reason it is there is because God is the ultimately Beautiful One
and he made us to long for himself. Even the most perverted desire for beauty—say
the desire to watch the excellence of strength and speed and skill as gladiators hack
each other to death—even this desire is a distorted remnant of a good yearning
which God put within us to lure us to himself. And we can know that our desires are
remnants of this urge for God because everything less than God leaves us
unsatisfied. He alone is the All-Satisfying Object of Beauty. Only one vision will be
sufficient for our insatiable hearts—the glory of God. For that we have been made.
And it is for this we long, whether we know it or not.
BEAUTY OF CREATIO

7. 'Extravagant Provisions
by Maurice Hamel
"See how the lilies of the field grow … not even Solomon in all his splendor was
dressed like one of these." Matt. 6:28-9
Our senses - sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell all can respond to the beauty of
form and symmetry, tone and harmony and all the richness in scent and color in
creation. Yet, around us we also see nature as scarred and battered amid the
elaborate, complex design of the Creator. The lushness of Eden, the harmony of
creation, the beauty of a summer day, those things have become tarnished,
weathered and moth-eaten.
Because the world around us makes no sense, I prayed like the blind man in Mark
10, "Rabbi, I want to see". Then I glimpsed the world a bit more as God sees it. I
saw the Grand Canyon as a garden destroyed. This huge erosional scar on the face
of the earth is a reminder to us of the judgment upon our world. A barren,
impassible ravine is cut into bare rock in a world where there once existed a
lushness and bounty. The Grand Canyon is stunning to see, yet it is a stark
reminder of the massive destruction of God's judgment on this fallen world.
How do we respond to this silent warning of God's fierce anger? We call these
hundreds of square miles of rock devoid of soil a ational Park for its vastness and
wonder. We flock to it for its beauty. Even the destructive forces of nature are awe-
inspiring. As in all that God does, it is vast, beautiful and breath-taking. God shows
his majesty and extravagance even in the desolation that has come upon this world,
whether in the bare rock of the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, or the frozen calm
that follows a blizzard. The creation is magnificent, even in its fallen condition.
We feel our smallness and wonder at the world's complexity and magnitude. God
has made it obvious that random chance could not have designed and constructed so
elaborate and intricate a system. He has made his involvement in his handiwork
obvious, yet still we fail to see his compassionate warnings to us with such obvious
reminders.
We wonder at the beauty we see in creation and at the intricate and extravagant
way that it all fits together. It is beyond what our hands could ever mold or our
mind ever imagine. Through the creation God blesses us with his favor. Just as he
clothes the lilies, he also allows us to prosper, even as we are in rebellion against
him. ature's designer and creator shows us that the meaning of creation is more
than competition, suffering for a brief time and then death. Our life is not only for
the passing on of our genes to future generations, as some joyless scientists would
have us believe. If that were the case, the world could have been created colorless,
merely in black and white. But our extravagant heavenly Father has provided us
with so much more than that.

8. Beauty Leads Truth Klamath Falls Friends Church (Quaker)
"I was driving to the gym one morning this past week, a little before dawn, and I
could see just the faintest shade of pink on the snowy peaks the other side of the
lake. The layer of ice on the lake was beginning to take on that same rosy hue and it
was so breathtaking that I almost drove off the road. I couldn't believe how
beautiful it was!
Some of my most profound God sightings have come to me when I am outdoors
walking, or running, or in this case, driving. Does beauty have this kind of an effect
on you? Beauty comes to us in so many marvelous forms. Do you ever feel your soul
awakened when you take in a sunset on the beach, or listen to a beautiful piece of
music, or when you look closely at a gorgeous piece of artwork?
Cindy Prince sent me an e-mail last week that got me thinking about this whole idea
of beauty and it's effect on us. She talked about how much she loves January, how it
is feels like a dessert-(That's a beautiful thought in and of itself) She wrote,
"January feels like a long, open, empty, quiet space. But, like a dessert there is a
richness and beauty found only when we look with the intention of seeing beauty."
How true! Others might see January as a dreary month, the post-holiday blues time
of the year. And Cindy calls January a dessert!
It makes me think of the two guys who were standing and looking over the Grand
Canyon. Seeing the great depth of that world-famous canyon, one guy was
completely awestruck as he took in the beauty and he said, "This has got to be the
most amazing and creative God thing I have ever seen!" The guy next to him looked
over the edge and spit and said, "Hey, that's the first time I ever spit a mile." ot to
diss the spitter. I'm sure that he was having great fun, but the point being, as Cindy
points out, we only find beauty when we look with the intention of seeing beauty.
I remember a time right after our daughter, Sophia, who has Down syndrome was
born, going outside for a walk. I had her in one of those little front packs, and my
neighbor, perhaps fearing some freakish sight wouldn't even look at her. Sophia was
an absolutely beautiful baby. I remember feeling so sad she couldn't acknowledge
the beauty of my daughter.
I know that sometimes I just plain miss the spectacular because I'm not looking for
it or I am distracted and preoccupied. I often allow the grind of daily life to rob me
of the eyes of wonder. When I neglect to be mindful I miss the beauty that is in front
of me.
(I would like to interject here, that there are mental health issues that prevent one
from appreciating beauty. I'm not speaking about someone here who is clinically

9. depressed. I would never want to imply to someone who is depressed that there is
something spiritually deficient in you because beauty doesn't move you.)
Over these past few days I have been pondering the enormous impact of beauty on
our souls. I have also been thinking about the ways that beauty can lead us to truth.
I've seen this happen on my own spiritual journey many times.
I remember the way beauty spoke to me when I ran the Humboldt Redwoods Half
Marathon several years ago. As I ran through those magnificent Redwood trees, I
was struck with the truth that I am not alone in this world. I felt this absolute
certainty that God exists and loves and cares about me. That I am this one little
speck in the universe and I matter to God.
Richard Rohr says, "God for some inscrutable reason shows himself in all kinds of
created beauty." I believe this is true.
The beauty of creation is one way we come to truth. I would like to read for you a
portion of Psalm 19. The Psalmist conveys this idea in a beautiful poem,
"God's glory is on tour in the skies.
God-craft on exhibit across the horizon.
Madame Day holds classes every morning.
Professor ight lectures each evening.
Their words aren't heard,
Their voices aren't recorded,
But their silence fills the earth:
Unspoken truth is everywhere.
God makes a huge dome for the sun-a superdome!
The morning sun's a new husband leaping from his honeymoon bed.
The daybreaking sun an athlete running to the tape.
That's how God's Word vaults across the skies
from sunrise to sunset,
Melting ice, scorching deserts,
Warming hearts to faith."
The Apostle Paul also wrote about beauty and truth in the beginning of his letter to
the Romans,
"The basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is! By taking
a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to
see what their eyes as such can't see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of
his divine being."
I wonder if our resistance to trust, or even believe in God, is softened by beauty. I
wonder if when we allow beauty into our souls we become more open to truth? Have
you ever felt that God used beauty to get your attention?

10. Allow me to share a little story I came across about truth and beauty.
"Once upon a time, when the angels were still walking the earth, there was a man
who resisted God Almighty. But the Lord took mercy on him and sent to him the
Angel of Truth, that he might be enlightened. And the angel descended to earth and
knocked at the window of the defiant man.
"Who are you, and what is it you wish?" demanded the man impatiently. The Angel
of Truth told him of his request, but the man slammed the window and the angel
stood outside not knowing what to do. He waited a long time, walking up and down
in front of the house, knocking again and again at the door, but nobody opened. So
he flew back to heaven feeling very sad because his visit had been without result.
Presently his sister, the Angel of Beauty, saw him and asked the reason for his
distress.
The Angel of Truth told her what had happened.
'Take courage, brother,' she said. 'What you could not achieve alone, we will
accomplish together.'
And so they both glided down to earth through the hanging garden of beautiful
stars. When they came in sight of the man's house, the Angel of Beauty said to the
Angel of Truth, 'Wait here awhile,'
And she went to the window and knocked. But the man thought it was again
someone who had come to disturb his peace and he grumbled angrily.
Then the Angel of Beauty knocked again, and it sounded like the sweet tones of a
harp, and the window shone in many-colored radiance like the stained glass
windows of a cathedral. And the man listened and looked up in astonishment from
his work, and when he saw the Angel of Beauty standing before his window, the
frown disappeared from his face and his heart was glad. He quickly opened the
window, asking,
'Who are you, my beautiful child?
'I am Beauty,' said the angel.
'Oh, come in and be welcome,' said the man, opening the door wide.
'I should like to enter,' said Beauty reluctantly. I think I should enjoy being with
you. But-'
'There is no but,' said the man. 'Whatever you wish for you shall have. Come in.'
'Very well, said the Angel of Beauty, 'But I have my brother outside. Do you see

11. him? Have you room for both of us?'
'Room for a dozen children as charming as you.'
And the Angel of Beauty flew to the Angel of Truth and said, 'Come with me,'
And so Truth and Beauty took possession of the heart of the defiant man."
When we are captured by an object of beauty, whether it's a place, a person, or a
work of art, we often mistakenly assume that the longing in our hearts is for the
beauty in front of us. I am coming to believe that the beauty that so captures our
heart is drawing us towards an Eternal Reality.
C. S. Lewis wrote, "We do not merely want to see beauty, though, God knows, even
that is bounty enough. We want something else which can hardly be put into words-
to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to
bathe in it, to become part of it."
I'm fairly certain that beauty reflects the essence of God. I think this is why it stirs
and moves us so deeply. It awakens in us an ache and longing to be united with God.
I read recently that over our lifetime our eyes will bring into focus some 24 billion
images. Isn't that amazing? Imagine for a moment that all the many images of
beauty that we have seen throughout our lives is a manifestation of God's loving
presence with us.
Looking back over this past week, can you think of an experience where beauty led
you an awareness of God? In what way has beauty taken possession of your heart
recently? May we choose to be mindful of Beauty, and the Truth she speaks into our
lives.
Let's pray… Lord, we thank you for the way you nourish our souls through Beauty.
Awaken our senses to the Beauty that surrounds us every day. And as we in this
room gather to worship and seek to build community, help us to see the reflection of
your beauty in one another. In your name, we pray, Amen."
BEAUTY IS CULTURAL DRIVE
"It was absolutely amazing. I was in West Afraca--Timbuktu to be
exact--and the missionaries were telling me that in that culture
the larger the women were the more beautiful they were thought to
be. In fact, a young missionary who had a small, trim wife waid
that the nationals had told him she was a bad reflection on him--

12. he obviously was not providing well enough for her. A proverb in
that part of Africa says that if your wife is on a camel and the
camel cannot stand up, your wife is truly beautiful." Fan The
Flame, J. Stowell, Moody, 1986, p. 119
D
BEAUTY OF DAW
Kalidasa:
Listen to the Exhortation of the Dawn!
Look to this Day!
For it is Life, the very Life of Life.
In its brief course lie all the
Verities and Realities of your Existence.
The Bliss of Growth,
The Glory of Action,
The Splendor of Beauty;
For Yesterday is but a Dream,
And To-morrow is only a Vision;
But To-day well lived makes
Every Yesterday a Dream of Happiness,
And every Tomorrow a Vision of Hope.
Look well therefore to this Day!
Such is the Salutation of the Dawn!
The Beauty of Dirt
Dirt? Beautiful? We have endless commercials for cleansers of every kind –
products that kill germs on your hands, your countertops, your toilet bowl, your
laundry, your underarms, your teeth. We have formulas that make your floors
shiny, your windows sparkling, your car like new. How can dirt be beautiful in the

13. face of all we do to stamp it out?
I live in the country. I am literally surrounded by dirt. My five acre plot is a chunk
out of a huge, mile-long and half-mile wide field. Across the street from me is
another field the same size. o, I am not exaggerating. My closest neighbors are a
half mile one way, and a mile the other way.
That’s a lot of dirt. It blows in the windows when things are dry. Did I mention I
live on a dirt road, too?
I ride my bike early in the morning, once around the block. That’s five miles. The
dirt has just been turned over. There is a fresh, springy smell of earth that brings to
mind fruitfulness, production, the greenness of plants and flowers that follow
plowing and planting.
The dirt is a lovely rich chocolate color. There are hawks soaring above it. I can see
for two miles. Just seeing the expanse of the fields gives my soul space somehow. I
feel like I could run forever with space like that. Jump and perhaps catch one of
those hawks. Maybe even accomplish my impossible task list for the day.
It’s similar with dirt in the library. We put in new carpet two years ago. The lighter
colored parts get ugly and dirty, especially in winter, with all those slushy boots.
Know where? Right in front of the online catalog computers. There's a dirty spot
right in front of my desk, too.
If you follow the footprints, you’ll see that they surround the internet machines as
well. They go up the stairs, stopping in front of the magazines and newspapers desk.
They also beat a path to the Local History room.
They continue to the third floor. They are obvious on the floor under the suitcase
arch over the Children’s Room entrance, and into the Sights and Sounds
department with all its wealth of music, computer programs and videos.
There’s dirt all over the book covers. There are fingerprints on the newspapers and
magazines. The computer keyboards need cleaning all the time.
Why does this make me happy? Because it means that the library is working. We
are doing our job. People are using the facility. They are checking out materials.
They are using the technology. They are walking the floors and using the space for
it’s intended use.
With all the concern about libraries becoming obsolete, I find the evidence, dirty as
it is, comforting.
Who said dirt can’t be beautiful?
April 19, 2005 | Permalink

14. E
BEAUTY OF EXCELLE CE
Exodus 31
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 "See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of
Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill,
ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- 4 to make artistic designs for work in
gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all
kinds of craftsmanship.
God used Bezalel to make/create: Bezalel's art was where man met God since the
very presence of God dwelt with his art. His art combined fine materials and
tremendous symbolism pointing to Christ. His bronze altar for sacrifices pointed to
Christ, our sacrifice. The laver, where priests washed and were cleansed before
entering the Holy Place and presence of God, pointed to Christ our forgiver of sin.
His golden lampstand pointed to Christ the Light of the World. The Table of the
Bread of the Presence of Life pointed to Christ the Bread of Life. The Alter of
Incense pointed to Christ our incense, the beautiful fragrance to the Father, through
whom our prayers ascend to His throne.
"After creating man and woman, God proceeded to create a covenant in which they
could also create in their image and likeness. Upon seeing his beautifully crafted
lover-friend, Adam recognized God's masterpiece and spoke of her in a poem. The
first words we have from any man were rhythmic beauty crafted deep from his
heart in response to the beautiful creation of God. From Genesis onward the
remainder of Biblical history shows painting, sculpting, music, architecture, crafts,
poetry, psalms & drama as elements of the redemptive process.
author unknown
BEAUTY OF EYES
Kathy the writer

15. How fortunate for me!!
I met the most beautiful
pair of big brown eyes
I'd ever laid sight on...
...eyes that seemed
to gleam so bright...
bringing light
to the darkness of my day.
Those big brown globes
filled with life
with love
and laughter
and a passion so deep
enough
to pierce my tough existence
an warm my lonely heart.....
I will never forget
the most beautiful pair
of big brown eyes
I'd ever laid sight on...
The most beautiful eyes
that ever laid sight on me.
F
FLOWER BEAUTY
Of Flowers in Matt. 6:29. Mary Howett wrote,
God might have bade the earth bring forth
Enough for great and small,
The oak tree and the cedar tree,

16. Without a flower at all.
We might have had enough, enough,
For every want of ours,
For luxury, medicine, and toil,
And yet have had no flowers.
Then wherefore, wherefore were they made,
All dyed with rainbow-light,
All fashioned with supremest grace,
Upspringing day and night:-
Springing in valleys green and low,
And on the mountains high,
And in the silent wilderness
Where no man passes by?
Our outward life requires them not-
Then wherefore had they birth?-
To minister delight to man,
To beautify the earth.
The Rhodora
On Being Asked, Whence Is the Flower?
In May, when sea-winds pierced our solitudes,
I found the fresh Rhodora in the woods,
Spreading its leafless blooms in a damp nook
To please the desert and the sluggish brook.
The purple petals, fallen in the pool,
Made the black water with their beauty gay;
Here might the red-bird come his plumes to cool,
And court the flower that cheapens his array.
Rhodora! if the sages ask thee why
This charm is wasted on the earth and sky,
Tell them, dear, that if eyes were made for seeing,
Then Beauty is its own excuse for being:
Why thou were there, O rival of the rose!
I never thought to ask, I never knew;
But, in my simple ignorance, suppose
The self-same Power that brought me there brought you.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

17. G
BEAUTY I GE ESIS CHAPTER O E
Each of the subjects below could be expanded greatly,
and some of them will in the rest of this study. Here we
just point out how the whole creation began with beauty
of every kind.
GE . 1:1
THE BEAUTY OF TIME
THE BEAUTY OF HISTORY
THE BEAUTY OF EW BEGI I GS
THE BEAUTY OF CHA GE
THE BEAUTY OF MATTER
THE BEAUTY OF GOD
THE BEAUTY OF HIS CHARACTER
THE BEAUTY OF HIS CREATIO
THE BEAUTY OF THE HEAVE S

18. THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH
GE . 1:2
THE BEAUTY OF FORM
THE BEAUTY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
THE BEAUTY OF THE WATERS
GE . 1:3
THE BEAUTY OF WORDS
THE BEAUTY OF LIGHT
GE . 1:4
THE BEAUTY OF SEEI G
GE . 1:5
THE BEAUTY OF DAY
THE BEAUTY OF IGHT
THE BEAUTY OF PROGRESS
GE . 1:6-7
THE BEAUTY OF DIVISIO
GE . 1:8

19. THE BEAUTY OF THE SKY
GE . 1:9
THE BEAUTY OF ORDER
GE . 1:10
THE BEAUTY OF LA D
THE BEAUTY OF SEAS
GE . 1:11
THE BEAUTY OF PLA TS
THE BEAUTY OF TREES
GE . 1:12
THE BEAUTY OF FRUIT
GE . 1:13
THE BEAUTY OF EVE I G
THE BEAUTY OF MOR I G
GE . 1:14
THE BEAUTY OF ORDER

20. GE . 1:16
THE BEAUTY OF SU
THE BEAUTY OF MOO
THE BEAUTY OF STARS
GE . 1:20
THE BEAUTY OF SEA LIFE
THE BEAUTY OF BIRDS
GE . 1:22
THE BEAUTY OF REPRODUCTIO
GE . 1:24
THE BEAUTY OF A IMALS
GE . 1:26
THE BEAUTY OF POWER
THE BEAUTY OF MA
THE BEAUTY OF MA 'S COMPLEXITY
GE . 1:27

21. THE BEAUTY OF GOD'S IMAGE
GE . 1:28
THE BEAUTY OF SEX
THE BEAUTY OF POWER
GE . 1:29
THE BEAUTY OF ABU DA CE
GE . 1:30
THE BEAUTY OF FOOD
GE . 1:31
THE BEAUTY OF VERY GOOD
THE BEAUTY OF COMPLETIO
Genesis 1
The Beginning
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the
earth.

22. JFB
1. In the beginning--a period of remote and unknown antiquity, hid in the
depths of eternal ages; and so the phrase is used in Pr 8:22, 23.
God--the name of the Supreme Being, signifying in Hebrew, "Strong,"
"Mighty." It is expressive of omnipotent power; and by its use here in the plural
form, is obscurely taught at the opening of the Bible, a doctrine clearly revealed in
other parts of it, namely, that though God is one, there is a plurality of persons in
the Godhead--Father, Son, and Spirit, who were engaged in the creative work (Pr
8:27; Joh 1:3, 10; Eph 3:9; Heb 1:2; Job 26:13).
created--not formed from any pre-existing materials, but made out of nothing.
the heaven and the earth--the universe. This first verse is a general introduction
to the inspired volume, declaring the great and important truth that all things had a
beginning; that nothing throughout the wide extent of nature existed from eternity,
originated by chance, or from the skill of any inferior agent; but that the whole
universe was produced by the creative power of God (Ac 17:24; Ro 11:36). After this
preface, the narrative is confined to the earth.
View 1: The Re-creation (or Gap) Theory. This view maintains that Genesis 1:1
describes the original creation of the earth, prior to the fall of Satan (Isaiah 14:12-
15; Ezekiel 28:12ff). As a result of Satan’s fall the earth lost its original state of
beauty and bliss and is found in a state of chaos in Genesis 1:2. This ‘gap’ between
verses 1 and 2 not only helps to explain the teaching of Satan’s fall, but it also allows
for a considerable time period, which helps to harmonize the creation account with
modern scientific theory. It does suffer from a number of difficulties.32
View 2: The Initial Chaos Theory. Briefly, this view holds that verse one would be
an independent introductory statement. Verse 2 would describe the state of the
initial creation as unformed and unfilled. In other words the universe is like an
untouched block of granite before the sculpter begins to fashion it. The creation is
not in an evil state, as the result of some catastrophic fall, but merely in its initial
unformed state, like a lump of clay in the potter’s hands. Verses 3 and following
begin to describe God’s working and fashioning of the mass, transforming it from
chaos to cosmos. Many respectable scholars hold this position.33
View 3: Precreation Chaos Theory: In this view (held by Dr. Waltke), verse one is
understood either as a dependent clause (“When God began to create … ”) or as an
independent introductory summary statement (“In the beginning God created … ”).
The creation account summarized in verse one begins in verse two. This ‘creation’ is
not ‘ex nihilo’ (out of nothing), but out of the stuff existing in verse 2. Where this
comes from is not explained in these verses. In effect, this view holds that the chaotic
state does not occur between verses one and two, but before verse one of an
unspecified time. The absolute origin of matter is, then, not the subject of the
‘creation’ account of Genesis 1, but only the relative beginnings of the world and
civilization as we know it today.34

23. BEAUTY OF TIME
Bunyan says this was the first thing God created. All before was eternal and not
limited to time. God's plan was to bring what can be redeemed from time into
eternity. He knew there would be a fall and loss of beauty in all creation, but he also
knew much beauty would be worthy of being preserved and brought into the eternal
kingdom. All in time is limited and will come to an end.
Time began with the creation of matter. The world of matter and space did not exist
before creation and it is not eternal. Time is a thing of creation. In time we have
movement and progress, and so it is the world we know and experience, which did
not exist before creation.
CLARKE
In the beginning] Before the creative acts mentioned in this chapter all was
ETER ITY. Time signifies duration measured by the revolutions of the heavenly
bodies: but prior to the creation of these bodies there could be no measurement of
duration, and consequently no time; therefore in the beginning must necessarily
mean the commencement of time which followed, or rather was produced by, God's
creative acts, as an effect follows or is produced by a cause.
TIME IS always the greatest prison of humain being ! Our life, Happiness and Sorrows
are always under constrainst of Time. Birth, Death, joung, grown up, old age ... are all
within the power of Time !.
Without Time a baby could never be grown up and nature could never be as beautiful as
today ...
TIME
NATURE NEEDS TIME TO DEVELOP ITS BEAUTY
Rosebud
by Jef Peace
Before the blossom is the bud
a promise of the beauty to come
Left alone to grow as nature intends
it will surely bloom
But if the petals are pried apart
by even a caring hand
The bud will then wither and brown
Oh Foolish Man!
Let the rosebud be
Let her grow on her own

24. Then enjoy her beauty
when the she is grown.
Robin Sharma Robin Sharma
Time is a beautiful commodity. It is part of the hardware of life. What you do with it
shapes, in so many ways, what your life looks like. And yet, while almost every one
of us wishes for more time, we misuse the time we have on hand.
I am no guru, you know that. But I have become pretty good at using my time well.
Time wasted is time lost and the big idea on time is that once it is lost, it can never
be regained.
I recently read that John Templeton, the celebrated financier, never went anywhere
without a book in his briefcase. This way, if he found himself in a long line, he could
use the downtime to read, learn and grow
I want to be clear: I am in no way suggesting that every minute of your days, weeks,
months need to be scheduled. Be spontaneous. Be playful. Be free. I am a free spirit
at heart. I just find that the people who have the most time for fun are those who
know how to plan and use their time well.
BEAUTY OF EW BEGI I G
The very first beauty of the Bible is that God decided to do a new thing and create
what he had not created before. It was the beginning of reality as we know it. There
was reality before this, but it is a hidden reality to us. Creation was the beginning of
all that we know of life and beauty. If God had been content with things as they
were, we would not exist, nor would the universe. Thank God for this new
beginning, for it was the origin of all we know as beautiful.
Help Me To Believe in Beginnings
God of history and of my heart, so much has happened to me during these
whirlwind days: I've known death and birth; I've been brave and scared; I've hurt,
I've helped; I've been honest, I've lied; I've destroyed, I've created; I've been with
people, I've been lonely; I've been loyal, I've betrayed; I've decided, I've waffled;
I've laughed and I've cried. You know my frail heart and my frayed history - and
now another day begins.
O God, help me to believe in beginnings and in my beginning again, no matter how
often I've failed before.
Help me to make beginnings: to begin going out of my weary mind into fresh
dreams, daring to make my own bold tracks in the land of now; to begin forgiving
that I may experience mercy; to begin questioning the unquestionable that I may
know truth to begin disciplining that I may create beauty; to begin sacrificing that I
may make peace; to begin loving that I may realize joy.

25. Help me to be a beginning to others, to be a singer to the songless, a storyteller to the
aimless, a befriender of the friendless; to become a beginning of hope for the
despairing, of assurance for the doubting, of reconciliation for the divided; to
become a beginning of freedom for the oppressed, of comfort for the sorrowing, of
friendship for the forgotten; to become a beginning of beauty for the forlorn, of
sweetness for the soured, of gentleness for the angry, of wholeness for the broken, of
peace for the frightened and violent of the earth.
Help me to believe in beginnings, to make a beginning, to be a beginning, so that I
may not just grow old, but grow new each day of this wild, amazing life you call me
to live with the passion of Jesus Christ.
--author unknown—
ew Beginnings
By Judy Rushfeldt
ext to our living room window a hibiscus plant flaunts four citrus yellow blossoms,
bright as parrot's feathers. Tomorrow, the blooms will wilt; the following day, they
will shrivel like dried prunes. ext week, several new blooms will parade their
exotic finery.
Hawaiians call the hibiscus, "Queen of the Tropics". The problem is, we don't live
in the tropics. My husband, Brian, and I live in Calgary, Canada, where the climate
is not exactly conducive to growing tropical flora. Several plants died before we
finally mastered the technique for cultivating the hibiscus. But we kept trying, for
the Queen of the Tropics had cast her spell on us.
My hibiscus does more than brighten my home. It is a constant reminder of new
beginnings. Each bloom that shrivels and dies is a precursor to new growth and
beauty.
Spring is a season of new beginnings. It evokes thoughts of renewal and hope for a
better future.
I don't know what this past year has been like for you. Perhaps you feel like the
shriveled hibiscus flowers - haunted by dreams and hopes that once bloomed bright
with promise, only to wilt in regret and disappointment.
Eugene Peterson paraphrases one of my favorite Bible verses in The Message,
"…Anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is
gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the
relationship between us and him."
Spring is a reminder of the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, the opportunity to
begin life anew as a child of God. I accepted this gift 22 years ago, at the age of 24. I
discovered peace without measure, grace that empowers, love that heals and faith
that spurs me forward.
Christ promises that all those who come to Him will experience "rivers of living
water" in their innermost being. Living water washes away the dead leaves of
disappointment, painful memories, bitterness and regret. It quenches our thirst for
intimacy with God. Most exciting of all, it nourishes new buds of potential, ripe with
the promise of bright new blossoms of joy and purpose.

26. This evening I noticed a fifth blossom on my hibiscus. I can't wait to see what
tomorrow brings.
Judy Rushfeldt is an author, speaker, and online magazine publisher who has been
writing for 25 years. Her passion is to inspire and equip women to reach their dreams.
Her latest book, Making Your Dreams Your Destiny - a woman's guide to awakening
your passions and fulfilling your purpose, is now available in quality bookstores. You
may also order online with your credit card or by mail, fax or toll-free telephone by
clicking here: MakingYourDreams.com
BEAUTY OF CHA GE
We teach that God in unchangeable, but this refers to
his character and attributes and not to his actions. He is
eternal and did not have the physical universe for who
knows how long? He is spirit and not physical, but he
chose to begin time and the creation of a physical
universe and he called it good. He changed all that was,
and later he entered the physical world himself and
became flesh in Jesus Christ, and so change is the
reason for all we know of existence and of all we know
of salvation in Christ. Change is the biggest blessing
possible. Thank God for change.
BU YA
(Gen 1:2). The earth was without form, &c., without
order; things were together on a confused heap; the
waters were not divided from the earth, neither did
those things appear which are now upon the face of the
earth; as man, and beast, fish, fowls, trees, and herbs;
all these did afterwards shew themselves, as the word of
God gave them being, by commanding their
appearance, in what form, order, place and time he in
himself had before determined; but all, I say, took their
matter and substance of that first chaos, which he in the

27. first day of the world had commanded to appear, and
had given being to: And therefore ‘tis said, God said,
Let the earth bring forth grass, herbs, trees, &c., (v 12)
and that the waters brought forth the fish, and fowl,
yea, even to the mighty whales (vv 21,22). Also the earth
brought forth cattle, and creeping things (v 24). And
that God made man of the dust of the ground (3:19). All
these things therefore were made of, or caused by his
word distinctly to appear, and be after its kind, of that
first matter which he had before created by his word.
Observe therefore, That the matter of all earthly things
was made at the same instant, but their forming, &c.,
was according to the day in which God gave them their
being, in their own order and kind. And hence it is said,
that after that first matter was created, and found
without form and void, that the Spirit of God moved
upon the face of the waters; that is to work, and cause
those things to appear in their own essence and form,
which, as to matter and substance, was before created:
THE BEAUTY OF MATTER
God said it is good and it is folly to hate and reject
matter, for this is to be more spiritual than God, and
that is folly in the ultimate. Matter is good according to
God.
BEAUTY OF GOD
1. BEAUTY OF HIS CHARACTER
Psalm 135:3
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praise to

28. his name, for that is pleasant.
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and
divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been
made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not
honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and
their foolish heart was darkened (Romans 1:20-21).
CLARKE
general definition of this great First Cause, as far as human words dare attempt
one, may be thus given: The eternal, independent, and self-existent Being: the Being
whose purposes and actions spring from himself, without foreign motive or
influence: he who is absolute in dominion; the most pure, the most simple, and most
spiritual of all essences; infinitely benevolent, beneficent, true, and holy: the cause of
all being, the upholder of all things; infinitely happy, because infinitely perfect; and
eternally self-sufficient, needing nothing that he has made: illimitable in his
immensity, inconceivable in his mode of existence, and indescribable in his essence;
known fully only to himself, because an infinite mind can be fully apprehended only
by itself. In a word, a Being who, from his infinite wisdom, cannot err or be
deceived; and who, from his infinite goodness, can do nothing but what is eternally
just, right, and kind. Reader, such is the God of the Bible
The creation account describes the character and attributes of God. egatively,
Genesis one corrects many popular misconceptions concerning God. Positively, it
portrays His character and attributes.
* God is sovereign and all-powerful. Distinct from the cosmogonies of other
ancient peoples, there is no creation struggle described in Genesis one. God does not
overcome opposing forces to create the earth and man. God creates with a mere
command, “Let there be … ” There is order and progress. God does not experiment,
but rather skillfully fashions the creation of His omniscient design.
* God is no mere force, but a Person. While we must be awed by the
transcendence of God, we should also be His immanence. He is no distant cosmic
force, but a personal ever-present God. This is reflected in the fact that He creates
man in His image (1:26-28). Man is a reflection of God. Our personhood is a mere
shadow of God’s. In chapter two God provided Adam with a meaningful task and
with a counterpart as a helper. In the third chapter we learn that God communed
with man in the garden daily (cf. 3:8).
* God is eternal. While other creations are vague or erroneous concerning the
origin of their gods, the God of Genesis is eternal. The creation account describes
His activity at the beginning of time (from a human standpoint).
* God is good. The creation did not take place in a moral vacuum. Morality was
woven into the fabric of creation. Repeatedly, the expression is found “it was good.”
Good implies not only usefulness and completion, but moral value. Those who hold
to atheistic views of the origin of the earth see no value system other than what is

29. held by the majority of people. God’s goodness is reflected in His creation, which, in
its original state, was good. Even today, the graciousness and goodness of God is
evident (cf. Matt 5:45; Acts 17:22-31).
Many attempts have been made to define the term GOD: as to the word itself, it is
pure Anglo-Saxon, and among our ancestors signified, not only the Divine Being,
now commonly designated by the word, but also good; as in their apprehensions it
appeared that God and good were correlative terms; and when they thought or
spoke of him, they were doubtless led from the word itself to consider him as THE
GOOD BEI G, a fountain of infinite benevolence and beneficence towards his
creatures.
The original word µyhla Elohim, God, is certainly the plural form of la El, or hla
Eloah, and has long been supposed, by the most eminently learned and pious men,
to imply a plurality of Persons in the Divine nature. As this plurality appears in so
many parts of the sacred writings to be confined to three Persons, hence the doctrine
of the TRI ITY, which has formed a part of the creed of all those who have been
deemed sound in the faith, from the earliest ages of Christianity. or are the
Christians singular in receiving this doctrine, and in deriving it from the first words
of Divine revelation. An eminent Jewish rabbin, Simeon ben Joachi, in his comment
on the sixth section of Leviticus, has these remarkable words: "Come and see the
mystery of the word Elohim; there are three degrees, and each degree by itself
alone, and yet notwithstanding they are all one, and joined together in one, and are
not divided from each other." See Ainsworth. He must be strangely prejudiced
indeed who cannot see that the doctrine of a Trinity, and of a Trinity in unity, is
expressed in the above words. The verb arb bara, he created, being joined in the
singular number with this plural noun, has been considered as pointing out, and not
obscurely, the unity of the Divine Persons in this work of creation. In the ever-
blessed Trinity, from the infinite and indivisible unity of the persons, there can be
but one will, one purpose, and one infinite and uncontrollable energy.
"Let those who have any doubt whether µyhla Elohim, when meaning the true God,
Jehovah, be plural or not, consult the following passages, where they will find it
joined with adjectives, verbs, and pronouns plural.
"Gen. i. 26; iii. 22; xi. 7; xx. 13; xxxi. 7, 53; xxxv. 7.
"Deut. iv. 7; v. 23 Josh. xxiv. 19 1 Sam. iv. 8 2 Sam. vii. 23 Psa. lviii. 12 Isaiah vi. 8
Jer. x. 10; xxiii. 36.
"See also Prov. ix. 10; xxx. 3 Psalm cxlix. 2 Eccles. v. 7 xii. 1; Job v. 1 Isa. vi. 3; liv.
5; lxii. 5 Hosea xi. 12, or Hos. xii. 1 Mal. i. 6 Dan. v. 18, 20 vii. 18, 22."-
PARKHURST.
As the word Elohim is the term by which the Divine Being is most generally
expressed in the Old Testament, it may be necessary to consider it here more at
large. It is a maxim that admits of no controversy, that every noun in the Hebrew

30. language is derived from a verb, which is usually termed the radix or root, from
which, not only the noun, but all the different flections of the verb, spring. This
radix is the third person singular of the preterite or past tense. The ideal meaning of
this root expresses some essential property of the thing which it designates, or of
which it is an appellative. The root in Hebrew, and in its sister language, the Arabic,
generally consists of three letters, and every word must be traced to its root in order
to ascertain its genuine meaning, for there alone is this meaning to be found. In
Hebrew and Arabic this is essentially necessary, and no man can safely criticise on
any word in either of these languages who does not carefully attend to this point.
I mention the Arabic with the Hebrew for two reasons. 1. Because the two languages
evidently spring from the same source, and have very nearly the same mode of
construction. 2. Because the deficient roots in the Hebrew Bible are to be sought for
in the Arabic language. The reason of this must be obvious, when it is considered
that the whole of the Hebrew language is lost except what is in the Bible, and even a
part of this book is written in Chaldee. ow, as the English Bible does not contain
the whole of the English language, so the Hebrew Bible does not contain the whole
of the Hebrew. If a man meet with an English word which he cannot find in an
ample concordance or dictionary to the Bible, he must of course seek for that word
in a general English dictionary. In like manner, if a particular form of a Hebrew
word occur that cannot be traced to a root in the Hebrew Bible, because the word
does not occur in the third person singular of the past tense in the Bible, it is
expedient, it is perfectly lawful, and often indispensably necessary, to seek the
deficient root in the Arabic. For as the Arabic is still a living language, and perhaps
the most copious in the universe, it may well be expected to furnish those terms
which are deficient in the Hebrew Bible. And the reasonableness of this is founded
on another maxim, viz., that either the Arabic was derived from the Hebrew, or the
Hebrew from the Arabic. I shall not enter into this controversy; there are great
names on both sides, and the decision of the question in either way will have the
same effect on my argument. For if the Arabic were derived from the Hebrew, it
must have been when the Hebrew was a living and complete language, because such
is the Arabic now; and therefore all its essential roots we may reasonably expect to
find there: but if, as Sir William Jones supposed, the Hebrew were derived from the
Arabic, the same expectation is justified, the deficient roots in Hebrew may be
sought for in the mother tongue. If, for example, we meet with a term in our ancient
English language the meaning of which we find difficult to ascertain, common sense
teaches us that we should seek for it in the Anglo-Saxon, from which our language
springs; and, if necessary, go up to the Teutonic, from which the Anglo-Saxon was
derived. o person disputes the legitimacy of this measure, and we find it in
constant practice. I make these observations at the very threshold of my work,
because the necessity of acting on this principle (seeking deficient Hebrew roots in
the Arabic) may often occur, and I wish to speak once for all on the subject.
The first sentence in the Scripture shows the propriety of having recourse to this
principle. We have seen that the word µyhla Elohim is plural; we have traced our
term God to its source, and have seen its signification; and also a general definition
of the thing or being included under this term, has been tremblingly attempted. We

31. should now trace the original to its root, but this root does not appear in the Hebrew
Bible. Were the Hebrew a complete language, a pious reason might be given for this
omission, viz., "As God is without beginning and without cause, as his being is
infinite and underived, the Hebrew language consults strict propriety in giving no
root whence his name can be deduced." Mr. Parkhurst, to whose pious and learned
labours in Hebrew literature most Biblical students are indebted, thinks he has
found the root in hla alah, he swore, bound himself by oath; and hence he calls the
ever-blessed Trinity µyhla Elohim, as being bound by a conditional oath to redeem
man, &c., &c. Most pious minds will revolt from such a definition, and will be glad
with me to find both the noun and the root preserved in Arabic. ALLAH is the
common name for GOD in the Arabic tongue, and often the emphatic is used. ow
both these words are derived from the root alaha, he worshipped, adored, was
struck with astonishment, fear, or terror; and hence, he adored with sacred horror
and veneration, cum sacro horrore ac veneratione coluit, adoravit. - WILMET.
Hence ilahon, fear, veneration, and also the object of religious fear, the Deity, the
supreme God, the tremendous Being. This is not a new idea; God was considered in
the same light among the ancient Hebrews; and hence Jacob swears by the fear of
his father Isaac, Gen. xxxi. 53. To complete the definition, Golius renders alaha,
juvit, liberavit, et tutatus fuit, "he succoured, liberated, kept in safety, or
defended." Thus from the ideal meaning of this most expressive root, we acquire the
most correct notion of the Divine nature; for we learn that God is the sole object of
adoration; that the perfections of his nature are such as must astonish all those who
piously contemplate them, and fill with horror all who would dare to give his glory
to another, or break his commandments; that consequently he should be
worshipped with reverence and religious fear; and that every sincere worshipper
may expect from him help in all his weaknesses, trials, difficulties, temptations, &c,;
freedom from the power, guilt, nature, and consequences of sin; and to be
supported, defended, and saved to the uttermost, and to the end.
Here then is one proof, among multitudes which shall be adduced in the course of
this work, of the importance, utility, and necessity of tracing up these sacred words
to their sources; and a proof also, that subjects which are supposed to be out of the
reach of the common people may, with a little difficulty, be brought on a level with
the most ordinary capacity.
In the beginning] Before the creative acts mentioned in this chapter all was
ETER ITY. Time signifies duration measured by the revolutions of the heavenly
bodies: but prior to the creation of these bodies there could be no measurement of
duration, and consequently no time; therefore in the beginning must necessarily
mean the commencement of time which followed, or rather was produced by, God's
creative acts, as an effect follows or is produced by a cause.
Created] Caused existence where previously to this moment there was no being. The
rabbins, who are legitimate judges in a case of verbal criticism on their own
language, are unanimous in asserting that the word arb bara expresses the
commencement of the existence of a thing, or egression from nonentity to entity. It
does not in its primary meaning denote the preserving or new forming things that

32. had previously existed, as some imagine, but creation in the proper sense of the
term, though it has some other acceptations in other places. The supposition that
God formed all things out of a pre-existing, eternal nature, is certainly absurd, for if
there had been an eternal nature besides an eternal God, there must have been two
self- existing, independent, and eternal beings, which is a most palpable
contradiction.
µym h ta eth hashshamayim. The word ta eth, which is generally considered as a
particle, simply denoting that the word following is in the accusative or oblique case,
is often understood by the rabbins in a much more extensive sense. "The particle ta
," says Aben Ezra, "signifies the substance of the thing." The like definition is given
by Kimchi in his Book of Roots. "This particle," says Mr. Ainsworth, "having the
first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet in it, is supposed to comprise the sum
and substance of all things." "The particle ta eth (says Buxtorf, Talmudic Lexicon,
sub voce) with the cabalists is often mystically put for the beginning and the end, as
a alpha and w omega are in the Apocalypse." On this ground these words should be
translated, "God in the beginning created the substance of the heavens and the
substance of the earth," i.e. the prima materia, or first elements, out of which the
heavens and the earth were successively formed. The Syriac translator understood
the word in this sense, and to express this meaning has used the word yoth, which
has this signification, and is very properly translated in Walton's Polyglot, ESSE,
caeli et ESSE terrae, "the being or substance of the heaven, and the being or
substance of the earth." St. Ephraim Syrus, in his comment on this place, uses the
same Syriac word, and appears to understand it precisely in the same way. Though
the Hebrew words are certainly no more than the notation of a case in most places,
yet understood here in the sense above, they argue a wonderful philosophic
accuracy in the statement of Moses, which brings before us, not a finished heaven
and earth, as every other translation appears to do, though afterwards the process
of their formation is given in detail, but merely the materials out of which God built
the whole system in the six following days.
The heaven and the earth.] As the word µym shamayim is plural, we may rest
assured that it means more than the atmosphere, to express which some have
endeavoured to restrict its meaning. or does it appear that the atmosphere is
particularly intended here, as this is spoken of, ver. 6, under the term firmament.
The word heavens must therefore comprehend the whole solar system, as it is very
likely the whole of this was created in these six days; for unless the earth had been
the centre of a system, the reverse of which is sufficiently demonstrated, it would be
unphilosophic to suppose it was created independently of the other parts of the
system, as on this supposition we must have recourse to the almighty power of God
to suspend the influence of the earth's gravitating power till the fourth day, when
the sun was placed in the centre, round which the earth began then to revolve. But
as the design of the inspired penman was to relate what especially belonged to our
world and its inhabitants, therefore he passes by the rest of the planetary system,
leaving it simply included in the plural word heavens. In the word earth every thing
relative to the terraqueaerial globe is included, that is, all that belongs to the solid
and fluid parts of our world with its surrounding atmosphere. As therefore I

33. suppose the whole solar system was created at this time, I think it perfectly in place
to give here a general view of all the planets, with every thing curious and important
hitherto known relative to their revolutions and principal affections.
OBSERVATIO S O THE PRECEDI G TABLES
I Table I. the quantity or the periodic and sidereal revolutions of the planets is
expressed in common years, each containing 365 days; as, e.g., the tropical
revolution of Jupiter is, by the table, 11 years, 315 days, 14 hours, 39 minutes, 2
seconds; i.e., the exact number of days is equal to 11 years multiplied by 365, and
the extra 315 days added to the product, which make In all 4330 days. The sidereal
and periodic times are also set down to the nearest second of time, from numbers
used in the construction of the tables in the third edition of M. de la Lande's
Astronomy. The columns containing the mean distance of the planets from the sun
in English miles, and their greatest and least distance from the earth, are such as
result from the best observations of the two last transits of Venus, which gave the
solar parallax to be equal to 8 three-fifth seconds of a degree; and consequently the
earth's diameter, as seen from the sun, must be the double of 8 three-fifth seconds,
or 17 one-fifth seconds. From this last quantity, compared with the apparent
diameters of the planets, as seen at a distance equal to that of the earth at her main
distance from the sun, the diameters of the planets in English miles, as contained in
the seventh column, have been carefully computed. In the column entitled
"Proportion of bulk, the earth being 1," the whole numbers express the number of
times the other planet contains more cubic miles, &c., than the earth; and if the
number of cubic miles in the earth be given, the number of cubic miles in any planet
may be readily found by multiplying the cubic miles contained in the earth by the
number in the column, and the product will be the quantity required.
This is a small but accurate sketch of the vast solar system; to describe it fully, even
in all its known revolutions and connections, in all its astonishing energy and
influence, in its wonderful plan, structure, operations, and results, would require
more volumes than can be devoted to the commentary itself.
As so little can be said here on a subject so vast, it may appear to some improper to
introduce it at all; but to any observation of this kind I must be permitted to reply,
that I should deem it unpardonable not to give a general view of the solar system in
the very place where its creation is first introduced. If these works be stupendous
and magnificent, what must He be who formed, guides, and supports them all by the
word of his power! Reader, stand in awe of this God, and sin not. Make him thy
friend through the Son of his love; and, when these heavens and this earth are no
more, thy soul shall exist in consummate and unutterable felicity. See the remarks
on the sun, moon, and stars, after ver. 16.

34. Why I Love God
--Joe McKinney
What draws me toward God?
God is all-knowing but not a “know-it-all”
God is The Holy One but not “ holier-than-thou”
God is Good but not “a goody-two-shoes”
God is Almighty but not a “show-off bully”–
God is Omniscient, , Holy, Merciful, Omnipotent, Just, Righteous and all that is
quite impressive but it isn’t really what draws me to Him. In fact, being impressed
with His might sometimes has made me feel like keeping my distance.
I remember the signs on the side of the road, sometimes painted on
roofs of barns, along old Highway 41A from ashville to
Chattanooga? I’m not talking about those that ended in “Burma
Shave” or “See Rock City”, but rather those that read “PREPARE
TO MEET THY GOD!” I remember how that was a scary thought for
me because actually I was even afraid of God. That may be why some
folks are so afraid to die. They don’t really know God and so the
thought of standing before Him to be judged is terrifying. Just think
about it. We will soon meet Him, our Omnipotent, Omniscient,
Omnipresent Creator God, face to face. How will you feel? What
emotions will dominate your heart at that moment? I was afraid to die
- until I came to really know Him as a loving Father.
I love God because He loves the unlovely Romans 5:5-8 :
“ ow hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been
poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. For
when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the
ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for
a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His
own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for
us.”
“While we were yet sinners, Christ died for the ungodly.” Jesus died
for sinners, reprobates, the foul-mouthed, bigots, criminals,
perverts. There are no unlovable people in this world, only unlovely
people. The proof is that God loves us all. Everyone is able to be
loved by God. You can prove that it is so in your life. Find someone
who really disgusts you. Talk to them. Ask about their life. Volunteer
to help them in some way. Touch them. The result may be
unpleasant. Don’t be disappointed if they don’t transform themselves
immediately into a good, sweet person. ot all frogs are princes
waiting to be kissed by a princess.
I remember a couple of times when I tried this exercise. When I lived
in Recife, Brazil,there were hundreds of glue sniffing boys and girls
who roamed the streets, putting big slivers of broken glass in the

35. faces of women so they would turn over their purses or watches. I got
mad at one of them one day. I stopped at an intersection. This one
reached in through the open window of the car and grabbed my
watch off my wrist. It hurt my wrist and my ego. How dare he? I
jumped out of the car and chased him down. I could have thrown him
in the sewage canal beside the road. I caught up to him, grabbed him
by the arm, whipped him around and almost fell over from the stench
of glue. His eyes were glazed over. All anger left and in its place was
only sadness.
One day a group of them were fighting in the church parking lot. They had sticks,
broken glass and spikes. Jesus was on my mind so I decided to try to be a big
brother to one of them. We sat in the church prayer garden and I tried to talk some
sense into him, “You’re killing yourself. Don’t you know what glue does to brain
cells?” He knew but was past caring and went on his way. I doubt if the boy is still
alive. But at least I tried.
Jesus tried, too, but he did more than spend an hour in a prayer
garden talking to a little lost boy. He extended his arms to be nailed
to a cross for all the little lost boys who would ever be born in misery
and die in despair. That is the God whose love drew me to Him.
I love God because He is full of compassion We read it in the Bible but to know it we
have to feel it in our lives. Go sit in a hospital waiting room. Preferably General
Hospital and preferably the emergency room. Sit quietly and watch. Listen to the
pain and agony. Hear the crying. See the blood. It might seem distasteful at first,
even nauseating. If it is the emergency room of a government hospital, all the folks
who come in the doors may not have bathed and perfumed their bodies beforehand.
You’ll know when you have stayed long enough for this exercise to begin to take
effect. You will begin to lose the disgust and feel the hurt. Tears may come to your
eyes. But stay a while longer and turn your thoughts to God. What is happening to
you on the inside is the awakening and growth of compassion. You are starting to
feel what the great God of the Universe feels in His heart. You are now getting in
touch with Him.
If we want to be like God we will stop looking at people according to
who they used to be but who they are now. Once we’ve got that one
down we can learn to look at people not according to what they are
now but what they can become. When we’ve got that one down, we
can stop looking at people according to what they can become but
according to what they need. ow we have come to the example of
Jesus Christ.
So in the hospital waiting room…you are in touch with God. There you are
beginning to feel what He feels. You are looking at folks like He looks at folks. ot
as somebody who needs a bath but somebody who needs to be hugged. ot in terms
of what they have done or what they are worth but in terms of what they need.
You’ll know that the exercise was fruitful when you, like God, stop just looking and
rise up to touch.
I love God because He loves me

36. One big turning point for me came when my first son was born.
Maybe you were a good child, obedient and respectful toward your
parents, or perhaps you had those occasional wild streaks of youthful
independence. It doesn’t matter. For sure you did not know and
appreciate your parents the way you did when your own first child
was born. As I looked through that chicken wire glass window into
the hospital nursery, I looked upon the most precious creature in the
universe. I could not take my eyes off his little hands, his face. I was
mesmerized. I would easily have given my life for him then and there.
He was the healthiest, most beautiful baby in the whole room. I loved
him and it dawned on me that my parents, one day, looked at me in
the same way. I wasn’t the first-born but what happened with the first
was repeated with all the others. The only difference is that we are
prepared for this experience with the other children. So I really began
to understand my parents. I could never be unappreciative again. And
then it hit me – that’s the way my heavenly father looks at me, his
child. He really loves me!
What makes me really love God
Linda and I have two sons and a daughter who are missionaries in
João Pessoa, Brazil. In September 1998 my oldest son Joey and his
wife Edda were blessed with the birth of a little girl. Brienna Joyce
Mckinney. As soon as she was born, it was obvious that she had some
serious problems. She was born with 3 number 18 chromosomes. They
called it Edward’s syndrome. Physically, it appeared that there were
some deformities – her little ears were way too low on her head. Her
forehead seemed too large and broad. Her hands were misshapen and
her neck just wasn’t right. Inside was worse –a hole in her heart. Her
lungs under developed, her intestines out of place, She could not suck,
swallow or eat. Her parents loved her anyway. They prayed for her
healing or at least her survival. Edda gave her a blood transfusion. I
will never forget what I saw, on the outside looking in through the
window of the intensive care nursery. My son Joey and his wife Edda,
standing beside the little incubator, his hands reaching through holes
in the incubator, rubbing Brienna’s back, singing softly to her over
and over –“you are so beautiful to me”. After a five week struggle,
her heart stopped beating for the last time. She went straight from
that intensive care incubator to the arms of Jesus!
I have thought about that scene often since then. It still touches my
heart because I can see myself in that incubator in the hospital
intensive care. My problem was not a birth defect but a result of my
own choices. I was deformed with sin. Just like Brienna, there was a
sentence of death hanging over my head. Hers was physical and mine
was spiritual. Just like Brienna, what was messed up on the outside
paled in comparison to what was messed up on the inside. I was not
prepared to meet my God. But Jesus stood by me and softly, sweetly
sang – “You are so beautiful to me.” And then Jesus swapped places

37. with me!
As Isaiah wrote (Isaiah 53:5-8 ) “But He was wounded for my
transgressions, He was bruised for my iniquities; The chastisement
for my peace was upon Him, And by His stripes I was healed. I, like
a sheep, had gone astray; I had turned to my own way; And the
LORD has laid on Him all my iniquity. He was oppressed and He
was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to
the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He
opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from
judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off
from the land of the living. For the transgressions of Joe Mckinney
He was stricken.”
(The only change here is that I just made it personal to me.)
There is more.
I gave my life to Jesus when I was 13 years old. I knew I was a sinner
and was afraid to die. When I finally got the courage I went forward
, confessed my faith in Jesus as God’s Son and was baptized so all my
sins would be washed away, calling on the name of the Lord. What I
did not know then, Jesus already knew. He knew that I would sin
more after being saved than before being saved. He knew that and he
still took me in and made me one of His own. His love is so great!
There is no way I can resist so great a love as that. What about you?
Can you?
“You are so beautiful to me Even though I can’t see You with my
eyes.
Your Majesty, The Glorious One, Our King Divine, God’s Very Son,
I bow before Your Holiness, And marvel at Your Righteousness
But it’s what I can see You do That really draws me close to You:
The lame who walk, the blind who see, The wild one in the tombs set free.
The leper touched, the child raised up, The night you drank the bitter cup.
Compassion, love and purity, So merciful, humility.
The tears that flowed for sinners lost, The price you paid upon the cross.
E’en though abused by those You love You still want them with You above.
All this and more is why I sing To You who are my Lord and King
You are so beautiful to me. I want to praise You with my life.”
Just knowing someone's name, of course, does not mean that we know him or her in
any depth. The majority of us know the names of leading politicians. Even
prominent men and women in other countries may have names that are well-known
to us. But simply knowing their names—even how to pronounce them correctly—
does not in itself mean that we know these people personally or know what kind of
people they are. Similarly, to know the only true God, we need to get to know and

38. admire his qualities.
Though it is true that humans will never be able to see the true God, he has kindly
had recorded for us in the Bible many details about his personality. (Exodus 33:20;
John 1:18) Certain Hebrew prophets were given inspired visions of Almighty God's
heavenly courts. What they describe portrays not only great dignity and awesome
majesty and power but also serenity, order, beauty, and pleasantness.—Exodus
24:9-11; Isaiah 6:1; Ezekiel 1:26-28; Daniel 7:9; Revelation 4:1-3.
Jehovah God outlined some of his attractive and appealing qualities to Moses, as
recorded at Exodus 34:6, 7: "Jehovah, Jehovah, a God merciful and gracious, slow
to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth, preserving loving-kindness for
thousands, pardoning error and transgression and sin." Don't you agree that getting
to know about these qualities of God draws us to him and makes us want to know
more about him as a person?
While no human will ever be able to see Jehovah God in his resplendent glory, it is
recorded that when Jesus Christ was a man on earth, he actually reflected the type
of person that Jehovah God, his heavenly Father, is. On one occasion Jesus said:
"The Son cannot do a single thing of his own initiative, but only what he beholds the
Father doing. For whatever things that One does, these things the Son also does in
like manner."—John 5:19.
So we can deduce from this that Jesus' kindness, compassion, mildness, and warmth
as well as his strong love for righteousness and hatred of wickedness are all qualities
that Jesus observed in his Father, Jehovah God, while Jesus was with him in the
heavenly courts before becoming a man on earth. Thus, when we truly come to
know with understanding the full meaning of the name Jehovah, we surely have
every reason to love and bless that sacred name, to praise and exalt it, and to trust in
it.
Beautiful God
( igel Hemming)
You are warm like the sunshine
On a bright summer day
You are clear as the blue sky when the clouds have rolled away
You are gentle as the evening breeze
That blows against my face
And I love to be with You, Beautiful God
Oh I love to be with You, Beautiful God
You protect me with Your arms of love

39. And You take away my fear
I’m reaching out my hands to You
’Cause I know that you are near
Lord I’ll whisper words of tenderness
Which only You can hear
And I love to be with You, Beautiful God
Oh I love to be with You, Beautiful God
As my love for You grows strong
Close to You is where I long to be
As I gaze into Your eyes
Such a look of pure delight I see
Lord You’re smiling at me
Copyright © 1998 Vineyard Songs (UK/Eire). All rights reserved. International
copyright secured.
avigation: S Shawn McDonald Beautiful
As I look into the stars
Pondering how far away they are
How You hold them in Your hands
And still You know this man
You know my inner most being, oh
Even better than I know, than I know myself
What a beautiful God
What a beautiful God
And what am I, that I might be called Your child
What am I, what am I
That You might know me, my King
What am I, what am I, what am I
As I look off into the distance
Watching the sun roll on by
Beautiful colors all around me, oh
Painted all over the sky
The same hands that created all of this
They created you and I
What a beautiful God
What a beautiful God
And what am I, that I might be called Your child
What am I, what am I
That You might know me, my King
What am I, what am I

40. That You might die, that I might live
What am I, what am I, what am I, what am I
What am I
What am I
What am I
What am I
What am I
Embracing a Beautiful God. By Patricia Adams Farmer. St. Louis: Chalice Press,
2003. 123 pages.
Today's mainstream and progressive Christian churches face a spiritual and
theological crisis. Deeply committed to justice and social transformation, they often
neglect the theological reflection and spiritual formation that enables persons to face
the challenges of personal and global change over the long haul. It has long been my
belief that the renewal of the church requires a convincing vision of God's presence
in the world, the affirmation that we can experience the Divine in everyday life, and
a practical path to experiencing God in the ordinary as well as dramatic moments of
life.
Patricia Farmer's Embracing a Beautiful God makes a significant contribution to
the renewal of mainstream and progressive Christianity, as well as the integration of
spiritual formation, theological reflection, and social concern. First, Farmer paints a
theological portrait of the world in which we live. God is in all things and all things
are in God. God is the Artist of the Universe, whose aim is to incarnate beauty in
every moment of experience. God inspires all things toward beauty, provides
support and inspiration in difficult times, and eternally treasures our attempts to
become partners in God's aim at beauty. second, Farmer believes that we can
experience both beauty and the ultimate source of beauty in our everyday lives. We
live, move, and have our being in God. God can be experienced in a sunset along the
Pacific, two cats on a church doorstep, a conversation with a friend, and in facing
disease with courage, hope, and creativity. She reminds us that divine omnipresence
is not an abstract doctrine, but a reality that can be experienced each moment of the
day.
Farmer also provides a path to experiencing God's beauty in our midst.
It is as simple as opening your eyes, listening with your inner ear, savoring the taste
of chocolate, feeling the warmth of the sun on your skin, or smelling coffee brewing.
Farmer invites us to consider the lilies, the birds of the air, and the cats that follow
their flight. She realizes that awakening is not always easy, so she suggests that we
take "beauty breaks," intentional moments in which we encounter divine beauty by
setting aside time simply to embrace God's wonder. She also invites us to experience
God's presence through intercessory prayer, meditation, walking prayer, and

41. simply breathing. Indeed, Farmer invites us to pray without ceasing, and shows us a
way to weave the moments of our lives together so that every breath might be an
encounter with God's presence in your self, a neighbor or spouse, or a non-human
companion.
Rooted in process theology and metaphysics, Embracing a Beautiful God makes
process thought come alive in the concrete world in which we live. Process-relational
thought is not a philosophical abstraction, but a way of seeing and being that calls
us to experience God in every encounter and invites us to become God's partners in
bringing beauty to the world.
Although Farmer recognizes that life can be painful - parents die, children are born
with disabilities, cats are abandoned, and terrorists plunge us into fear and hatred -
she also recognizes that even within the life's most chaotic and destructive moments,
there is a subtle force - a Gentle Weaver - whose love seeks healing and
transformation in all things. This Holy Adventurer, the Divine Artist, invites us to
be partners and co-creators. Our acts of kindness and prayers really do make a
difference to others and to God. In the divine-human synergy, the God who gives
life and beauty to all things depends on our prayers and partnership to create a
world in which God can be more active in bringing forth beauty, intensity,
creativity, and love.
Fanner's book practices what it preaches. It speaks of beauty in a beautiful way. It
invites the reader to take a "beauty break" and then lures us on the path to beauty.
It reminds us that theology is the lived experience of God in our lives and our lives
in God's care. It inspires us, with Mother Teresa, to do something beautiful for God.
Patricia Farmer's book is a creative and inspirational contribution to the growing
literature in process spirituality. Her work is unique in its narrative quality and
intuitive spirit. This book "walks the talk" and invites the reader to be a pilgrim as
well. I have used this book for a course in preaching and worship as an example of
how everyday life can become the material from which we share the gospel message.
Inspired by Patricia Farmer, I invite my spiritual formation and theology students
to take "beauty breaks" as part of each extended seminar class. It is also a valuable
resource for spiritual formation and theological reflection groups, retreats, and
personal devotion. Perhaps its greatest gift is its simple invitation to the reader to
see divine beauty and then bring it forth from its many hidden places. In so doing,
we embrace a Beautiful God.
Bruce G. Epperly
Lancaster Theological Seminary
Copyright Christian Theological Seminary Winter 2004

42. God's Beautiful Artistry
I spent a good part of this holiday weekend paddling around a creek, the Glebe near
the Potomac River & the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. The peacefulness of this quiet
time alone with God's creation was refreshing. The water, the shoreline, and the
birds are still fresh in my mind. When I got home yesterday, I started reading
(again) Edith Schaeffer's The Hidden Art of Homemaking. In the very first chapter,
"The First Artist", Mrs. Schaeffer writes ...
Think of the mobiles of God, the Artist, brought forth by the wind that He created.
The wind, blowing in the trees, swaying the grass, bending a field of wheat as a
ballet, rising again, bending again. The spray of the ocean, wild waves against rocks
bringing forth a curve of spray, a mobile of spray.
Mrs. Schaeffer's words expressed the awe that I felt this weekend at the beauty of
God's artistry. I took my pocket Bible with me as I paddled. I would often drift in a
quiet spot, reading God's Word, praising and thanking Him. My journal entries
were filled with moments of God's ever-present work ...
* The wind swept across the water so that I could finally tell which was the
reflection and which was not.
* As the wind swept through the trees, leaves rustled out of their slumbering
position, some quietly drifting down to the ground or into the water.
* On the pier where we fished, a Swallow had built a nest. The Swallow flew
about us frantically all weekend, almost pleading with us to take our fishing &
conversation to some other spot. I am sure she was not happy as we quietly watched
one of her baby birds hatch.
* I came upon a family of Mallards, all lined up tallest to smallest. The father
duck took off, quaking loudly, almost as if to distract me away from his family.
* I was startled when what I had thought was an attractive piece of driftwood
took off flying and "honking" across the water...it was a Great Blue Heron.
* I saw something gliding through the water and paddled to see if it was an otter
or beaver or such. Yikes! It was a snake gliding through the water.
I hope that you too can take some time soon to be awed and refreshed by God's
beautiful artistry all around you!
O LORD, our Lord,
how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings
hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies,
that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers,
the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him?

43. and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels,
and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands;
thou hast put all things under his feet:
All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea,
and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
O LORD our Lord,
how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
- Psalm 8
July 6, 1998
© 1998 by Kathy Ridpath
Reflection #2 on 'Beautiful One' by By the Tree
You opened my eyes to Your wonders anew.
You captured my heart with this love
Because nothing on earth is as beautiful as You.
Do you need revival? When I was a kid, we had "revival meetings" at our church
every summer. I thought, Christians need to be revived each year just after the
watermelons come on the market. Well, I was partly right, Christians need to be
revived.
Revival is not just for lazy do-nothing Christians. It is not just for backsliders or
those who have stopped going to church. Revival and renewal are for all Christians.
Who among us fully understands the wonders of our God? Who fully comprehends
His majesty, His power and His plan? Revival restores to us the passion of our
salvation. It is a spark granted by God to stoke the flame of our love for Him.
Revival empowers us to take the next step in following His plan for our lives.
As I have gotten older, though I am like a child in much of my understanding, this I
have come to realize-revival is like a second wind.
When I was young my parents had a small farm. On that land they had 3 acres of
strawberries. In the summer those strawberries had to be picked twice a day. I
remember working with my mom in that strawberry patch. I would be hot and
sweaty, counting how many plants there were between where I was and the end of
the row. And my Mom would say, "Suzy, let's take a breather, I need to catch my
second wind." We would get a glass of cold water from the pump in the yard (yes,
we had a well with a pump in the front yard) and go up to the porch. That water
was crystal clear and ice cold. Mom and I would talk and laugh about Dad and his

44. "few" strawberry plants. And soon our second wind came to us, like a breath of
fresh air on that hot summer day. That is what revival is. It refreshes.
Jesus said:
"Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest"
(Matthew 11:28 ASB).
Peter preached it like this:
"Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that
times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord;" (Acts 3:19 ASB).
In the song "Beautiful One," the group By the Tree sing: You opened my eyes to
Your wonders anew. That is revival.
Do you need to be revived? Do you need a time of refreshing in His presence? Then
consider your life, repent of any sin and wait upon the Lord. He will refresh, revive
and renew your life. He will breathe new life into you and into your dreams. He will
lift you up and let you see His wonders again. When He does, you may find yourself
like By the Tree singing that He is the beautiful One.
-Suzy C.
Scripture Reference: Matthew 11:28; Acts 3:9
Calvin on the plurality of God,
"God." Moses has it Elohim, a noun of the plural number. Whence the
inference is drawn, that the three Persons of the Godhead are here noted;
but since, as a proof of so great a matter, it appears to me to have
little solidity, will not insist upon the word; but rather caution
readers to beware of violent glosses of this, kind. They think that they
have testimony against the Asians, to prove the Deity of the Son and of
the Spirit, but in the meantime they involve themselves in the error of
Sabellius, because Moses afterwards subjoins that the Elohim had spoken,
and that the Spirit of the Elohim rested upon the waters. If we suppose
three persons to be here denoted, there will be no distinction between
them. For it will follow, both that the Son is begotten by himself, and
that the Spirit is not of the Father, but of himself. For me it is
sufficient that the plural number expresses those powers which God
exercised in creating the world. Moreover I acknowledge that the
Scripture, although it recites many powers of the Godhead, yet always
recalls us to the Father, and his Word, and spirit, as we shall shortly
see. But those absurdities, to which I have alluded, forbid us with

45. subtlety to distort what Moses simply declares concerning God himself, by
applying it to the separate Persons of the Godhead. This, however, I
regard as beyond controversy, that from the peculiar circumstance of the
passage itself, a title is here ascribed to God, expressive of that
powers which was previously in some way included in his eternal essence.
2. BEAUTY OF HIS CREATIO
Revelation 4. 11: Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power;
For you have created all things, and for your pleasure they were and are
created.
When God created the heavens and the earth and all that abound therein He
revealed His love of beauty through His grand design.
When we look into the heavens at night, standing in awe at the twinkling
magnificence of the Universe we know that God loves beauty. When we watch
the fluttering butterfly as it pauses to alight on a wildflower we know that God
loves beauty. When we delight in the smile on a child's face we know that God
loves beauty. When we lie on our backs in the forest and look into the branches
of a towering oak we know that God loves beauty.
Take a moment to reflect on the beauty which surrounds us in the natural world
with which we have been blessed: The moon, the stars, the sun, the clouds, the
trees, the birds, the flowers, the grass, the ocean. The list is infinite for God has
created a Universe of infinite beauty.
Tragically, greed and ignorance are plundering and destroying the beautiful world
given to us by God to protect and preserve for all generations. In the beginning,
God was worshipped at altars erected in places of great beauty in tabernacles of
nature and wilderness cathedrals. Today, people proclaiming to love God defile
His great works to build ugly houses of worship. Oftentimes wonderful and rare
remnants of Eden are scraped bare by bulldozers in order to erect tacky
churches with vast expanses of concrete. How sad that must God make when
He looks down and sees the great beauty of His Creation defiled.
Please help protect the beauty of Creation. Please demand that your tithes and
offerings at your house of worship not be used to make God cry. In those
unfortunate cases where disrespectful people before you have plundered the
beauty of nature to build an ugly church or temple, please insist that part of your
contribution be used to restore that which was destroyed. God will smile upon
you for blessing Him by respecting His great gift of beauty.

46. The beauty of the unchangeable creator is to be inferred from the beauty of
the changeable creation
"Question the beauty of the earth, question the beauty of the sea, question the beauty of
the air, amply spread around everywhere, question the beauty of the sky, question the
serried ranks of the stars, question the sun making the day glorious with its bright beams,
question the moon tempering the darkness of the following night with its shining rays,
question the animals that move in the waters, that amble about on dry land, that fly in the
air; their souls hidden, their bodies evident; the visible bodies needing to be controlled,
the invisible souls controlling them; question all these things. They all answer you, 'Here
we are, look ; we're beautiful.'
Their beauty is their confession. Who made these beautiful changeable things, if not one
who is beautiful and unchangeable? Finally in man himself, in order to be able to
understand and know God, the creator of the universe; in man himself, I repeat, they
questioned these two elements, body and soul. They questioned the very thing they
themselves carried around with them; they could see their bodies, they couldn't see their
souls. But they could only see the body from the soul. I mean, they saw with their eyes,
but inside there was someone looking out through these windows. Finally, when the
occupant departs, the house lies still; when the controller departs, what was being
controlled falls down; and because it falls down, it's called a cadaver, a corpse. Aren't the
eyes complete in it? Even if they're open, they see nothing. There are ears there, but the
hearer has moved on; the instrument of the tongue remains, but the musician who used to
play it has withdrawn.
So they questioned these two things, the body which can be seen, the soul which cannot
be seen, and they found that what cannot be seen is better than what can be seen; that the
hidden soul is better, the evident flesh of less worth. They saw these two things, they
observed them, carefully examined each one, and they found that each, in man himself, is
changeable. The body is changeable by the processes of age, of decay, of nourishment, of
health improving and deteriorating, of life, of death. They passed on to the soul, which
they certainly grasped as being better, and also admired as invisible. And they found that
it too is changeable; now willing, now not willing; now knowing, now not knowing; now
remembering, now forgetting; now frightened, now brave; now advancing toward
wisdom, now falling back into folly. They saw that it too is changeable. They passed on
beyond even the soul; they were looking, you see, for something unchangeable. So in this
way they arrived at a knowledge of the god who made things, through the things which he
made."
St. Augustine, Sermons, 241, Easter: c.411 A.D.
Prayer:
O God, You are never far from those who sincerely search for You. Accompany those
who err and wander far from You. Turn their hearts towards what is right and let them see
the signs of Your Presence in the beauty of created things.