CLOSER THAN YOU THINK...

"For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:"  (Romans 1:20)

For reasons more complicated than I care to explain, I very rarely see motion pictures when they are "out" in the theaters.  In the past decade, I have probably not seen more than four movies in theaters, if THAT many.   I did not see "March of the Penguins" when it was in the theaters but I did watch it on D.V.D. a few nights ago.  What a powerful film it was!  Way back in the 1950s and 1960s, Moody Bible Institute used to present "Moody Science Films" for the purpose of showing that nature declares the presence and glory of God all over the place.  One of their most famous is about bees, especially the elaborate dance that a scout bee does to tell the other bees she has found flowers and exactly how to find those flowers.  "March of the Penguins" reminded me of that.  Just the survival of penguins in such frigid, dark conditions is amazing enough.  But how do they know that beginning at age 5 they must leave the sea and begin reproducing?  How do they know to travel 70 miles on foot to the place where they were born and to the place where they will mate?   How did they develop the practice of the male penguins incubating the eggs while the females travel 70 miles and back to get food?  How did they develop the practice of switching the egg from the female to the male without it freezing and being destroyed?  (Some penguines DO fail at this but the overwhelming majority succeed.)  AND, I think all the penguins look and sound alike, but they can tell each other apart by sound. How do they do that?  It's incredible, and it has to be God!  (That's the kind of thing the Romans 1 verse above is talking about.)

Nicholas Herman, better known as "Brother Lawrence" was a cook and handyman at a French monestary in the 1600s.  As a very worldly eighteen-year-old he contemplated a barren tree during the winter.  Realizing the tree would bud and bring forth leaves in the Spring SO spoke to him of the presence and power of God, that he was never the same.  This began a life of being aware of God's presence and entering into very deep Communion with the Lord.

We're beginning another Sunday School study at our church by John Ortberg.  It's entitled, "God Is Closer Than You Think".  He really is.  Are you "in tune" with Him and what He's doing?  I hope so!