dispensationalists

I was reading an article about dispensationalists teaching that preserving the earth was not necessary because the rapture is coming and the declining environment is just a sign of that. This to me goes completely against what God would want. If God masks himself in nature then why would he want his creation destroyed? His creation is a pert of him and a part of us and to believe that destroying the environment is good is to believe that it is good for us to lose touch with him.

#12

“To the faithful, the healing power of Christ and that of the earth itself are indistinguishable here at the sacred place”

This is something I loved reading because it is something I feel often. When I go into the woods God’s creation becomes a way for God to talk to me. I go into the wilderness searching for healing and nurturing and I come out feeling refreshed. I know that God is the only one who can provide that, yet I still credit it to the wilderness.

technology

We talked one day early in the semester about how we are connected to technology and how that separates us from nature. As I prepare to go hiking this summer I realize how strange it will be going into the woods for two weeks and not having any of the things my daily life revolves around. As I begin my day here at school I always wake up, check my AIM and jump in the shower. Although AIM might be the least of my worries on the trail, a SHOWER is certainly something I will be missing. Other than that I can remember on shorter hiking trips the other things I miss and how I make up for not having them. As you hike there is no big stove in the wilderness, but we make up for it by bringing something smaller and less effective. There is no TV in the wilderness but there are friends to talk to and animals to watch. Overall this is just me noting that although I am about to enter the wilderness for a couple weeks I realize that I can’t separate myself from technology.

#10

I was reading an article the other day on sequoia’s in the redwood forests and it made me think about how God masks himself in earthly things. These struck me as a great example of how God shows us himself on earth. They are the most impressive tree I had ever heard of. Living thousands of years, growing to be over 300 feet, they are here when we enter the earth and here when we leave it. Although they are not eternal like God they do last longer than we do. I can see why many people worship natural things when I think about how great some parts of nature are. Not only these sequoias hold many features that are superior to man but also there are animals that over power men and other plants that have been around longer than men.

leaves and memories

Leaves are my favorite part of nature. When I was little me and my grandpa used to take me hiking and he started teaching me what trees were which based on what their leaves looked like. I used to go outside when I was little and watch little bugs munching on the leaves. On weekends me and my family used to go up in the mountains in the summer and in the spring, when the leaves were green and when they were full of colors. Basically Every time I walk outside and take the time to notice where I am I have a great day because as long as there are leaves around I have something to think about and remember.

hiking trip

I went hiking over spring break with my family in Roanoke and had a really great day. We hiked about 4 hours and the sites were beautiful until the end when we came to some overlooks and all you could see were mining spots. This brought to my mind the destructive nature of humans in their relationship with the environment. Early in the hike I saw a mink and a few deer and at the top I found an environment that those creatures could no longer live in. This made me think about discussions we have had about man moving into new environments and made me wonder if man would one day consume all land and completely ignore what all other creatures of the earth needed. I came to no conclusions though.

#6

“we belong and do not belong to nature”
-Making Nature Sacred

I wrote briefly earlier about the temporary nature of the flesh, however there are other ways that we are and aren’t of the earth. In the Bible God makes man of the earth, in this obvious physical way we are immediately related to the earth. We are also related to the earth in a way that we too were made. We are separated from the earth however in that God breathed into us and set man apart. This belonging and not belonging to the earth is a confusing idea to me and it makes me wonder if it is this that makes us always at odds with the earth. Man constantly seems to be struggling to find his place in relationship to the earth and therefore he often corrupts and destroys and damages the earth. Perhaps if man could find a better way to relate to the earth he would stop being so confused about whether or not he is of or not of the earth.

culture

While reading Making Nature Sacred we began to discuss what culture was and one conclusion we made was that culture and nature affected each other. I think this is very interesting especially in regards to nature affecting culture. In Hebrew Bible class the other day we were studying the Assyrians and Prof. Strehle pointed out that their land was not very fertile and that was the reason why they became a robber state. This effect of the land grew not only into them being a robber state but they actually became a state of great violence. The violence was not only in their actions but it seeped into their art too. Often their art consisted of vile paintings of remains of people and of violence. All of this violence, all because they were a people who couldn’t grow their own food due to their environment.

“Above all else, sacred place is storied place”

When I was growing up there were places that I always went with my family; the mountains, downtown Fredericksburg and my grandmother’s farm were a few. The weird thing is when I go back today, I always find myself remembering those times and reminiscing or story telling. Some of the places that I go hold nothing for me but yet I find myself returning to them only to feel the things I felt there as a child. It’s almost like I can still feel everyone with me who joined me in those locations, even though they aren’t even all alive anymore.

Lane

“In Christian thought, the one great practical truth of the incarnation is that the ordinary is no longer what it appears.”
-Lane

This quote points out that God not only masks himself in wilderness, as we have studied in class, but also in man. Based on this I think I am amazed at how man is actually a part of God’s great creation. Although God set us apart from the rest of nature this act of masking himself in human flesh, reminds me that our bodies are just flesh. This body is just like every other part of the earth, here today gone tomorrow. Maybe in this act that is what God wanted to remind us of, how temporary we are and how great he is.