Creation

Another biblical story. Based loosely on Proverbs 8; Psalms 74, 89, 104; Job 28, 38-41; and Genesis 1-2.

It's entirely possible that there will be a recording of this available on iTunes sometime. (Where it will join this one.)

UPDATE: Audio posted here.

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The morning stars didn’t always sing. Why would they?

Before there were any cities or buildings or people to build them,
before there were any rocks or trees or iron to build them with,
before there was light to see by, or warmth to enjoy …
before there was seeing or enjoyment at all,
before any of that, there was nothing.

No, not nothing, exactly. No-thing. No thing distinguishable or discernible or defined. The universe was like … rush hour on the subcontinent--all turmoil and tangle and congestion and humidity. Or like the bedroom of a slovenly teenager, maybe--all disarray and rebellion and noise and odor.

Wild, waste, and welter; Leviathan and Behemoth and nothing. No thing.

And in the midst of all of it, Wisdom. And hovering over all of it, God.

And God sought Wisdom.

God parted the No-thing and reached into the recesses of the deep, and extracted Wisdom. While Wisdom watched, God quieted the commotion, constrained the chaos. While Wisdom watched, God sifted through the confusion and separated light from darkness, sea from land, fish from fowl, animal, plant, and mineral one from another. While Wisdom watched, God made humans--male, female, parent, child. Then God withdrew, and rested.

Still there was chaos. Disease and injury and pain. Drought and flood, thorns and thistles and weeds and unruly plants. Dirt and rock and rubble. Still the morning stars remained silent. Still Wisdom watched.

And humans sought the withdrawn God.

Humans observed the world around them. They saw creatures of whimsy and industrious insects, and they created instruments and tools and work and play. And Wisdom watched.

Humans brought order to the rock and rubble and created places to live. They cultivated soil and vegetables and banished weeds from their fields. They created agriculture and science and technology and society and civilization. And Wisdom watched.

Humans delved deep and in the dirt and the dark they found gold and gems, precious metals and stones. They created mining and industry, and Wisdom watched.

Humans stared long into the heavens and wrested from the void language and ritual and meaning. They distinguished sound from noise and movement from motion and in the directionless discovered music and poetry and story and dance and performance. And in the midst of all of it, Wisdom.

And God grew curious and drew near and hovered over all of it, and said, “Good.”

And at dawn each day, the stars sing.

Trees, Vines, Dogs

Some pictures for your amusement.

1. Tree and vine on the morning commute

2. Cute dog and, um ...

Another Classy Confluence

Imagine my surprise, when reading an obit on the Goshen News website, to suddenly hear that George Strait is "here for a good time." The song sounds nice. Not sure an audio ad for it in the obits was the best choice.

And here's the screenshot partial proof.

What ad do you get?

Taking 1 Corinthians 9:22b too far?

Brent's Kickin' Mango Vinaigrette

• 1 medium-large mango, not quite ripe (if your fingers get sticky when handling it, it's more ripe than the one I used, but that would probably be delicious)
• extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, white vinegar, lime juice, sugar, chile powder, and garam masala to taste.

Put everything in a blender and pulse until emulsified.

(Yes, I wish I'd taken better notes while I was concocting this.)

Offer

A few questions about the "rock-like stick" I was offered yesterday morning:

• Define "rock-like." Is this stick created from minerals? Synthetic mineral-like substances?
• Is this stick useful for, say, slaying Philistine giants? What about other instances where I would typically use a rock?
• It sounds like you expect me to pay for this stick--rocks are free. What advantages does the stick have over the rock in these instances?
• What additional things could I do with a rock-like stick that I cannot do with an ordinary stick (which is also free)?
• Does the simplicity of having a single rock-like stick over needing both a stick and rock justify the cost of the newer device?
• Now that I think about it, wouldn't a truly rock-like stick be neither stick nor rock? Am I not signing up for the worst of both worlds?

I love spam.

Correlation/Causation

The spouse and I have, over the course of the last couple of years, noticed a disturbing correlation between aggressive driving (speeding up and whipping in to traffic in construction zones, passing then turning left, turning right at no turn on red intersections, weaving from one lane to another) and "In God We Trust" license plates.

Does being an aggressive driver lead one to obtain an "In God We Trust" plate as something of a ward against one's own aggressive driving? Or does professing trust in God lead one to think one's actions on the road will be rendered inert by the deity? Or is there some root cause that leads both to aggressive driving and obtaining an "In God We Trust" plate?

Or maybe I just notice the aggressive driving more because of the presence of the plate? Nah, couldn't be.