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| The Harvest Moon |
Lorilee, a bright, energetic 3-year-old, came in the other day with a "bouquet" of cottonwood leaves turned yellow due to the Autumn season. Together we marvelled that they were so large (4" across), their wax-like feel and the myriads of veins running throughout each leaf.
This last summer we spent a few nights laying out on the deck enjoying the part of the Milky Way that can be seen with the naked eye from our house. We even took our handy-dandy constellation wheel and spotted a few of these star constellations ourselves.
My 14-year-old son, Ryan, loves bugs--always has. So in our pursuit of Entomology this summer we discovered he could preserve some of the insects by freezing them. He would travel down to the marshes around our home and capture all sorts of exciting specimens, carefully put them in a Ziploc bag and place them in the freezer, then, after an appropriate period, bring them out for all of us to enjoy. I am still amazed at how the wings of a dragonfly connect to its body.
Recently we checked out an excellent video called God of Wonders from Eternal-Productions. For a little over an hour we were blown away, and we couldn't help cheering and clapping and feeling great awe and wonder over the God who created all things. We were doing what King David exhorts us to do--we were MAGNIFYING the name of the Lord!
O magnify the LORD with me,
Creation is not just incidental to our lives, and it is certainly not just incidental to children. The wonder and awe of even the smallest child when presented with the things God has made is a testimony to the message God is trying to get across to each of us, the pinnacle of His earthly artistry shouts of his wisdom and eternal existence!and let us exalt his name together. (Psalm 34:4)
God is saying that, although He is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present, He is also loving, protecting and caring. He has not only taken care of our basic needs, but He is taking care of our need for beauty and aesthetic comforts. Beauty and complexity mark everything He creates.
I remember vividly a trip I took to West Berlin during the time of the Iron Curtain and the Cold War. The "free" part of this city was encapsulated entirely by communist-controlled East Germany. The contrast between the two parts of this city was illustrative of the effects of the God-consciousness on one society as opposed to the consequences of the other which vehemently denied His existence.
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| A view over the Berlin Wall into East Berlin |
The communists were the first to believe one could do away with God altogether and base whole societies on materialism. The Bible was considered a book of lies and fables. People were taught that their predecessors only believed in life after death because they were superstitious and had witnessed the gasses that rise from bodies as they decompose in public cemeteries. "Religion is the opiate of the masses" Karl Marx, the progenitor of Marxist-communism, had said. He believed that those in power simply used religion to keep people slaves, and he promised that the annihilation of Christianity would set mankind free.
But there is nothing more depressing than materialism. Nowhere is this more evident than when viewing a natural science show from an exclusively materialistic, evolutionist's viewpoint.
One nature program I viewed on a well-known cable channel discussed why some dolphins naturally twist in the air before plunging back into the water. The scientists were scratching their heads as to why they would have developed such a "dancing" technique. Their postulations were laughable--they had only the premise of evolution to guide them. They speculated that the way they splashed into the water made different bubble patterns which, they concluded must be communication to the other dolphins! Why couldn't it be, that God, in celebration of His creation, wanted us to enjoy these dolphins and their playful antics?
In evolutionary theory, only those things that are necessary for survival should be practiced by the animal world. This is why we have been taught to believe that birds and flowers are colorful due to reproduction, not because a loving Creator wanted to delight His creatures.
God even anticipated that we would be able one day to go further into space and deeper into the cell, molecule and atom. The enormity of the universe and the complexity of the smallest elements of life and matter all declare Him as who He is!
Concentrating on all aspects of nature is the surest way of softening our hearts to Him. If you are like me, taught from a young child that evolution was true and that evolutionary scientists were the only ones to be trusted, then you will need to be re-educated along with your children as to the truth of the creation of the universe.
A perched Copper-rumped Hummingbird Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 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 1:19-20)
It is not by accident that creation has been expunged from all public discourse. Ultimately, the devil wants to steal our inclination towards God from us even from the earliest ages; from those times when we are little and are amazed by dandelions, spider webs and thunderstorms. If all these things can be explained away as being just responses to the environment, or chemical or physical phenomena, then parts of us die to listening to the call of God on our lives.
This is why nature study is not an "option" for us as parents, even if we are not able to homeschool, especially if we do not homeschool. Every effort must be made to keep that wonder alive, and point our children to the awesomeness of our God.
Fortunately for us, there are plenty of resources in existence to aid us in our task, and they are all delightful, energizing, and encouraging for the entire family.
Here are a few of my favorites (there are many more, just too little time to list them all!):
Handbook of Nature Study Blog. One of the best things about this site is the sounds of nature in the background! You will find all sorts of nifty things here.
Answers in Genesis. Where would we be without the work of this one man, Ken Ham? He and all those associated with this ministry have done so much to aid us all in the expression and validation of those things we already know deep in our hearts.
Moody Publishers. This is the producer of a series of movies that showcase the wonders of God's creation. They have been around for a number of years and can be bought from numerous sources, even found second-hand. We have even been able to check these out from our local library!
Eternal Productions is a new resource for us. Their videos are engaging and professionally done--we have had such a wonderful time viewing them!
The Privileged Planet was introduced to us by our dear Uncle William. It answers a lot of those pesky questions that come up when one is speculating as to our place as a planet in the universe (you can watch this whole film on YouTube). One of the authors sited, Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez, has received a lot of flack for his part in developing scientific theories that support Intelligent Design.
Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights.
Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.
He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.
Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.
He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.
Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:
Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.
He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD.
Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:
Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.
He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD.
Psalm 148
elcome! My name is Sherry and I am a devoted Christian wife and mother to 15 homeschooled children. 
Posts
The Christian Liberty Nature Readers series is an excellent set of books for younger children. My kids love them. They are full of interesting information and remind us that God is a creative creator!! They are also inexpensive!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful post. I love it, thank you!
ReplyDeleteYes Indeed! We live in the Pacific Northwest and there are mountains, trees, beaches, high deserts, volcanoes, just everything all around us! I think God used nature as one of His main witnesses to me when I was a rebellious teen ager to bring me to Him. I had barely any Christians around me but I could not cease to marvel at the beauty and intricacy that surrounds me here everyday.
ReplyDeleteI love to take my kids for walks in the rain, to pick up leaves, to grow flowers, and always remark on these things to my children. We don't always make a formal study of it, we just love it so much!
Excellent advice...excellent resources. We used many of those in our homeschool. OH, you're making me so nastalgic...those 16 yrs simply FLEW by.
ReplyDeleteBlessings from Ohio...Kim<><
I loved that Privileged Planet movie! Thanks for the link!
ReplyDeleteWe are very much into creation science, nature study, astromony....all the things that show our great creator God!
ReplyDeleteGod's creation IS beautiful! I love to take my son walking around in our fields where he sees the little flowers, bugs and birds that always delight him.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend who was challenged as to why he could still believe in God, even though he studied so much math and science in college. He responded that his study of math and natural science only provided him with MORE reverence for God. He said that seeking to understand math brought him closer to God, by giving him a deeper look into his creation.
His statement has stuck with me through the years as I see people try to separate God from the material world, and force us to accept the existence one or the other. Did God not create all that we see, and even give us the ability to explore it, cherish it, and experience the beauty of His creation? Without Him, we would not even have the ability to find such beauty or meaning in the world around us.
Thank you for this post.
Your post brings to mind the documentary-Expelled- Ben Stein's movie. Also, the book by Richard Wurmbrand- Marx and Satan. My son told me he was considering sending his children to Catholic school(I went to Catholic school). I had to warn him- they teach the theory of evolution as fact. We used Abeka science for homeschooling(1985-2010). It's King James Bible only and it compares creation with the theory of evolution in the 7th grade text. We do hope to visit the Creation Museum(AIG).
ReplyDeleteOnce again, another excellent post! As one who grew up enjoying the out-of-doors, I raised our girls to enjoy it, too. And to understand that God made it all - both for our benefit & our sheer enjoyment.
ReplyDeleteI so appreciated what you said about the dolphins - sometimes you just want to hold those people's faces in your hands, make them look you in the eye & say, "WHY can't it be that dolphins jump & spin & otters flip & play simply for the joy of living, & loving &, yes, even glorifying a Creator that they can't even fathom?
All creation rejoices at being a demonstration of His faithfulness.
Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><