Creator of Biological Wonders

Today I spent some time marveling at the vast diversity of life, from bacteria to bats, amoebas to marmots, and poison dart frogs to duck-billed platypi. I thanked Him for squids and for tentacles. They're really quite interesting. He thought of all this and more and actually made it. Think about it. Not like when a man sits down and widdles a twig into a figurine. God uses atoms to create life. The closest we humans come to that is procreation.

Some might say that scientists have done that in the lab. But they've only used what God already made: He originally created it. He imagined birds, each in its unique color scheme, and then made it. Wow! I bet He had fun making this little guy in Grapevine, TX.


On a more serious note, my recent encounters with "cross" necklaces has been quite alarming. A month or so ago I played guitar for my friends' wedding in Mitchell, IN. As I pulled into the town, I noticed I was over an hour early. About the same time I saw some skateboarders going the opposite way down the street. I pulled over and asked if I could skate with them. I got out my board and we rode to the local bank and hit up a manual pad/gap. They had never skated with anyone from the "big city"; it was a good little session. One of the guys had a very shiny gold cross on his neck. I told him that I liked his necklace, and here's what He said:

"Thanks. Yeah, it's fourteen carats. I got it for seventy-five percent off. I banged the jeweler's daughter and she gave me the discount." Then he laughed.

That was not the response I was expecting. To say the least, it broke my heart.

I was subbing at my old junior high on Tuesday, and noticed quite a few young black men running through the halls and one in my class with long gold chains and thick, three inch gold crosses with embedded jewels in them.

I'm not saying that I am incapable of mocking the cross of Jesus, I'm just saying it's much easier to notice the ways others publicly demean it. Jesus said to take up our cross daily. It wasn't an adorn yourself with precious material and make sure everyone knows your status kind of statement. He carried His cross in obedience to God, who led Him to the hill of Calvary where He shed the last of his blood by being hung to death on a wooden cross that He was nailed to by the Roman soldiers who mocked Him. Is that what rappers like Lil' Wayne are doing? I can't say, but I know for sure that Jesus would not be inducing children to idolize and fixate on women in a completely carnal and perverted way.

He shed His blood. Not like when I get a splinter and there's a sliver of blood which I quickly cover with a bandage. He spilled blood. Imagine filling a large glass with water, and then spilling it all on the floor. Yeah, Jesus spilled His blood. He did it because He was being obedient to God. He followed in response to God. Carry your cross? Gold necklace that is completely overpriced?

I don't use this word often, because of it's strong meaning to me, but I mourn for the generation that is growing up idolizing popular culture icons like these. I am brought to tears for the reckless mention of satan/lucifer in society, and especially amongst young people.

For me to be a failure doesn't requisite that I have Jesus; He is required for me to be triumphant.