Sunday, April 30, 2017

New challenge...God as Creator

Overwhelmed
I see the work of Your Hands
Galaxies spin in a Heavenly dance oh God
All that You are is so overwhelming
I hear the sound of Your Voice
All at once it’s a gentle and thundering noise oh God
All that You are is so overwhelming
I delight myself in You
Captivated by Your beauty
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You
God, I run into Your arms
Unashamed because of mercy
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You
I know the power of Your Cross
Forgiven and free forever You’ll be my God
And all that You’ve done is so overwhelming
I delight myself in You
In the Glory of Your Presence
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You
And God I run into Your arms
Unashamed because of mercy
I’m overwhelmed, I’m overwhelmed by You
You are Beautiful, You are Beautiful
Oh God,…

I chose this song, Overwhelmed by Big Daddy Weave because it expresses for me some of the awe I feel when I consider God’s creation, the work of His hands.
There are some people who seem to feel that science is incompatible with belief. I am a technical writer, to be specific, I write about the functional properties of food ingredients in manufacturing systems. I tend to have a logical mind. That could be why sketch challenges help me when crafting, it is like a formula that helps me organize my stamping thoughts.
When I look at the universe and the world around me, everything I find out shouts that there is a creator; that the God of the universe, who is so much bigger and more powerful than I could ever understand, made the universe and what is in it.
Consider just two recent discoveries, one on a scale almost impossible to imagine and one on the microscopic level.  this article in the New York Times talks about the rate at which the universe is expanding. The expansion is accelerating really, at an astounding rate, one that baffles the scientific establishment. That’s because this acceleration defies all the known laws of physics, specifically Hubble’s constant. We either have to reexamine physics or accept the theory that something called “dark energy” causes this anomaly…something the scientists haven’t ever found and cannot prove. Or you can believe that God as creator drives this phenomenon. Many places in the bible tell of his works, for this specifically there are a few passages in the old testament. One of my favorites Isaiah 40:22 "It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a ten to dwell in."
From the vast expanse of the universe, let’s move to something a bit smaller, the dragonfly. Dragonflies eat mosquitoes and bugs that are full of germs and bacterial agents. With every meal or snack, they’re exposed to bacteria that could and should kill them. Yet using microscopy techniques that delve into the nanostructure of the wing’s surface, researchers have discovered that dragonfly wings kill bacteria. They’re trying to harness this knowledge to improve antibacterial surfaces for various medical treatments.
I see the hand of the creator in all of this, frankly in everything around me. A creator who not just made the universe and dragonflies, but made me, down to the inner workings of every cell in my body. And this is the same God who loves me and sent his only son to die for my sins. If you have questions about how any of our design team members came to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, please ask. For me, part of it is the incontrovertible evidence of my senses. As it says in Romans 1:20 New Living Translation “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”
This week’s theme is God as creator. We have a sketch challenge so you can choose to create whatever you feel would fit into that sketch. We invite you to play along and we welcome your thoughts on God as creator.

Now for the sketch and some inspiration from our design team members:
Note that the circle in the middle just stands for the image you choose to put there. Some of our DT members flipped the sketch on its side and I moved the sentiment because I smudged the front panel. 

First up, Diane Noble










Traci Major



Now it is your turn!






3 comments:

  1. I read through the whole blog to see if I could post more than one entry for a challenge. I didn't see anything about that so I'll go ahead and post a 2nd entry. Feel free to delete either of them if only one is allowed. Thank you for your devotional. I loved that you brought it down from the universe to a dragonfly. I've been watching the hummingbirds out my studio window and stand in awe of God's love for all creatures.

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  2. No limits...we are happy to have your creations as inspiration. The mire the better especially as we are just launching this challenge site. Thanks, Deanna!

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  3. Thanks for the inspiration. LOVE that song and the info about the dragonfly was sooo interesting! Beautiful work DT! To God be the glory!

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