Seasons

Chesterton's Poem

2009-08-10T21:55:00.000-07:00

Here dies another day

During which I have had eyes, ears, hands

And the great world round me;

And with tomorrow begins another.

Why am I allowed two?

Immortal Invisible

2009-08-10T13:41:00.000-07:00

"What is essential is invisible" - The Little Prince

"Indeed, these are the mere edges of His ways

And how small a whisper we hear of Him!

But the thunder of His power who can understand?" -Job 26:14

"By the word of the Lord the heavens were made

And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth." -Psalm 33:6

God spoke the Universe into existence as the expression of His divine will

"By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of the things which are visible." -Hebrews 11:3

"...by faith he [Moses] forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he endured as seeing Him who is invisible." -Hebrews 11:27

"Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." -I Timothy 1:17

"He [Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation." -Colossians 1:15

"In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life and the life was the light of men and the light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not comprehend it." -John 1:1-5

Romans 1:20

2009-08-10T09:38:00.000-07:00

"For since the creation of the world His [God's] invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse." -Romans 1:20

While most Christians emphasize learning about God via His special revelation (i.e. The Bible), most fail to attribute the study of general revelation (i.e. Creation) as a way to "clearly see" God's "invisible attributes." We overlook this truth so often.

You see, I was robbed. The joy I have now discovered from studying science was stolen from me as a child. The truth was suppressed, clouded, and twisted by the lens of secular materialism. My well-intentioned teachers dryly distributed these lenses to their students. The lenses turned vivid colors to boring shades of gray. They turned my curious mind to mush, for I was told that in reality, the universe has no purpose and there is nothing that exists besides matter, space, and time.

What my teachers and I did not know was this: As scientific knowledge of the world has grown exponentially during the modern era (ironically fueled most often by secular materialists), so has risen clear evidence of an intelligent Creator responsible for the miraculous phenomena we call the universe.

I could spend my entire life pursuing the meaning of how creation speaks clearly of God's invisible attributes. What are those attributes of God we see from nature? "His eternal power and divine nature..." but there's more!

Here's some summarized evidence for characteristics of God we find in creation:

(taken from Strobel's Case for a Creator)

COSMOLOGY: The cause of the universe must be an uncaused, beginning less, timeless, immaterial, personal being endowed with free will and enormous power.

PHYSICS: The creator is intelligent and has continued involvement with his creation since the Big Bang.

ASTRONOMY: The creator was incredibly precise in creating a livable habitat for the creatures he designed. This logically implies his care and concern for them.

BIOCHEMISTRY: Affirms the Creator's activity after the Big Bang also shows that he is incredibly creative.

EVIDENCE FOR CONSCIOUSNESS: Established the creator as rational, helps understand his omnipresence, and even suggests life after death.

In addition, one purpose we can see in all this is that humans have been designed uniquely to be able to explore the world the creator has designed and in turn discover him through it.

Here's the list of the "invisible attributes" of God we clearly see from creation. Scripture is cited with each characteristic to show how both general and special revelation are perfectly consistent:

1) CREATOR

Psalm 102:25 "In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands."

2) UNIQUE

Deuteronomy 4:35 "You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other."

3) UNCAUSED AND TIMELESS

Psalm 90:2 "Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God."

4) IMMATERIAL

John 4:24 "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

5) PERSONAL

Genesis 17:1 "When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless."

6) FREEDOM OF WILL

Genesis 1:3 "And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light."

7) INTELLIGENT AND RATIONAL

Psalm 104:24 "How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures."

8) ENORMOUSLY POWERFUL

Nahum 1:3 "The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet."

9) CREATIVE

Psalm 139:13-14 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."

10) CARING

Psalm 33:5 "The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love."

11) OMNIPRESENT

I Kings 8:27 "But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!"

12) HAS GIVEN HUMANKIND PURPOSE

Colossians 1:16 "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him."

13) PROVIDES FOR LIFE AFTER DEATH

Isaiah 25:8 "he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken."

More Quotes

2008-07-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

"She's so spiritually minded, she's no earthly good!" - My mother

"What consumes your thoughts controls your life"

Settlin' - SugarLand

2008-07-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

I ain't settlin' for just getting by
had enough "so-so" for the rest of my life
tired of shooting too low
so raise the bar high
just enough ain't enough this time.

I ain't settlin' for anything less than everything

Offering - Third Day

2008-07-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

Magnificent, Holy Father, I stand in awe of all I see
of all the things you have created, still you choose to think of me.

And who am I that You should suffer Your very life to set me free,
The only thing that I can give You, is the life You gave to me.

This is my offering, dear Lord, this is my offering to You God.

I will give You my life, for it's all I have to give
Because You gave Your life for me.

Dulcemente Quebrado

2008-05-26T07:26:00.000-07:00

Miro a la cruz
ella me sostendre
de su sufrimiento bebere
de su obra contare

mi Salvador en ella
todo maltratado
demostro que Dios
es justia y amor

en la cruz tu me cautivas
suavemente me arodillas estoy
sin palabras enamorado

dulcemente quebrado

y sin merecer el regalo de la vida
Cristo me has salvado
por medio de la cruz
tu me has llamado
de la muerte a la vida

tu ira me y decia
hoy por la cruz reconcillados

en la cruz tu me cautivas
suavemente me arodillas estoy
sin palabras enamorado
dulcemente quebrado

Further on...

2008-01-12T15:24:00.000-08:00

Timothy Ferris points out in "The Whole Shebang" that often people consider the "indeterminacy principle" as representing the difficulty of accurately measuring the locations and trajectories of particles, but "the point is not that it is hard to find out just where, say an electron is, but that the electron has no exact location. Depending on how it is measured, an electron can look specifically as a pinpoint or as vague as a cumulus cloud."
Furthermore, relating this concept to the Quantum Zeno effect, we know that it is impossible to separate the observer from the thing observed - they are one and the same system. If observed continuously, an unstable elementary particle would never decay...
In the same way, since the brain is a quantum system, focusing on a given idea holds its pattern of connecting neurons in place and the idea does not decay as it would if it were ignored.
Ironically, the action of holding an idea in place is truly a decision you make, leading to the Stapp and Schwartz "Decision Model" based on the VonNeuman interpretation of Quantum physics that "a particle only probably exists in one position or another and that measurement causes a 'Quantum collapse' where the experimenter has chosen a position for the particle, thus ruling out other positions."
Interestingly, Stapp and Schwartz modeled free will from this concept and claimed it to be analagous to thought processes. Attending to or "measuring" a thought holds it in place and "collapses" the probabilities on one position. The model assumes the existence of a mind that chooses the subject of attention, parallel to the quantum collapse that assumes the existence of an experimenter who chooses the point of a measurement.

I found this theory to be interesting, but not conclusive in itself, yet postulating the mechanism for thought processes between the mind and brain is a fascinating subject...the compelling evidence for a non-material mind separate from the brain presented in "The Spiritual Brain" convinced me of the mind's metaphysical identity and its interactions with and surprising power over the physical brain.
It is so ironic that while scientists with a materialist view of reality cannot fathom anything outside of the brain, in reality, the majority of people in the world operate assuming the existence of a free-will, "choice," and the truth of the power of the mind's belief overcoming the circumstances. Perhaps a broad generalization, but the simple "mind over matter" saying is nothing new and in fact quite a simple concept that did not necessitate the discovery of Quantum physics to divulge.
It amuses me when scientists conclude what the common man has known all along...

Quantum Neuroscience

2008-01-09T06:57:00.000-08:00

I am in the middle of reading a fascinating book called "The Spiritual Brain; A Scientist's Case for the Existence of the Soul" by Mario Beauregard, Ph.D. and Denyse O'Leary.
In the first part of the book, Beauregard and O'Leary apply the principles of quantum physics to neuroscience, and the conclusions are startling. Determinism's relation to human action was always a sort of enigma for me, perhaps because proponents of the theory commonly mistake all the laws of the universe to obey classical, Newtonian physics. However, from Heisenberg's uncertainty principle in modern physics, we know that electrons do not definitely exist in space and time; they are a cloud of probabilities and their existence at any one point is only potential. When electrons pass from one state to another, they don't "pass through" the space in between... rather there is nothing in between. Fully aware of this, I did not consider the consequences of modern physics in the natural sciences such as the study of the human brain. We know that the synapses or the spaces between neurons in our brains conduct signals with ions, which function according to the rules of quantum physics and not classical physics.
The authors of "The Spiritual Brain" assert: "determinism is dispelled right away as the basic level of the universe is a cloud of probabilities, not of laws...in the human brain we are not driven to process a given decision...we experience a "smear" of possibilities."
There's so much more here but I have to go do real work now...

Evening

2008-01-06T19:19:00.000-08:00

I just finished "The Man Behind the Mask; Journey of an orthopaedic surgeon" by Dr. Mallory
and I want to start my writing here with a few quotes from a man I look up to as having a wise and honest perspective of the "evening" stage of his life. After leading a successful career in orthopaedic surgery, a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease nearly uprooted his steadfast character. After wrestling with the diagnosis and the options, he took an inspiring perspective to his condition that I want to remember:
"I am more history and legacy than I am actual reality. My physical impairments construct a barrier that allows me to translate myself to a more distant influence, which is less intense, less judgmental, less expecting, but nevertheless curious and continuing...I'm living a fulfilling life even in a failing body. I see no reason for cynicism, doubt or despair. I do not allow to take root in my mind any thoughts that might lead to depression. For myself, I have determined that depression, the modern-day mental illness, is a self-centered mind-set; it is seldom provoked but is tolerated as an attitude. It promotes preoccupation with self, and its effects can be reversed promptly when one considers others first. I attempt to capture depressing thoughts and reverse them; this reversal encompasses a fundamental sense of gratitude for what already has come to pass, and for the unshakable confidence in the present and the future, that life is an episode and not a condition." -Dr. Thomas Mallory, M.D.

That's a perspective I'd like to adopt...especially when the sun is setting, my eyes are getting dim, and the "episode" of my life is in its final encore.

Welcome

2008-01-06T18:51:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Ursula's random musings, quotes, thoughts etc.
I hope your time spent here is worthwhile.
Sometimes, it just feels necessary to write things down. Words in general, but especially writing carries so much power. Unfortunately we live in an age of overload on just about everything, including information, knowledge and "words." I don't claim to have all the answers, but I do aim to actively pursue the truth. I hope at least a tiny part of these words strung together will be meaningful to more than just myself.

Quotes and Lyrics

2008-01-02T19:20:00.000-08:00

"Our sanctification does not depend upon changing our works, but in doing for God's sake that which we commonly do for our own." -Brother Lawrence

"[God] seems to do nothing of Himself which He can possibly delegate to His creatures. He commands us to do slowly and blunderingly what He could do perfectly and in the twinkling of an eye." -"Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World"

"We only trust people we know. If you are struggling to trust God, it may be because you don't really know God." -Martha Tennison

"Kelly I don't think
I've ever wanted as much
to be free as
I've wanted to be known

The things I hate
when I look at my life
the worst is my
being alone."

"Mi socorro ha sido tu
En la sombra de tus alas
yo me gozare

Mi alma esta pegada a ti
Porque tu diestra
me ha sostenido"

"The dreams I dream for you,
are deeper than the ones you're clinging to
more precious than the finest things you do
If you relent the treasures you pursue...

Let the old dreams die
like stars that fade from view
and take the cup I offer
and drink deeply of the dreams I dream for you"

-Point of Grace

"All my reaching and yearning and striving is not to belong to Christ (which has already happened) but to complete what is lacking in my likeness to Him" - John Piper "The Passion of the Christ"

Pearls before Swine

2008-01-01T18:50:00.000-08:00

my fists clutched tightly
rich white jewels
so proudly thought
I'd nothing to lose
such costly pearls I threw away
never imagined I'd hear you say...

oh my child in time, you'll understand
how this thorn inside, like a grain of sand
transforms to riches in your Maker's hands

selfish passions, obsession blamed,
drawing closer to the enticing flames
my jewels fell down
with arms thrust wide
I thought he loved me
but I guess he lied

oh my child in time, you'll understand
how this thorn inside, like a grain of sand
transforms to riches in your Maker's hands

into the mud
my pearls sand deep
as he came trampling
them all 'neath his feet
torn and broken to my knees I fell
praying escape from this evil spell

oh my child in time, you'll understand
how this thorn inside, like a grain of sand
transforms to riches in your Savior's hands

He came and filled my empty soul
with jewels more radiant than before
the painful lesson learned only in time
never again cast pearls before swine,
never again cast my pearls before swine

oh my child in time, you'll understand
how this thorn inside, like a grain of sand
transforms to riches in your Savior's hands

-Ursula Brush

"Do not give what is holy to the dogs nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them beneath their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces." Matthew 7:6