Tim Speer's Blog - Posts Tagged "god"

Saturn is now at opposition, meaning it's bigger and brighter than at any other time. Saturn and its rings are easily visible through even a small telescope.

Maybe I'm just wierd, but looking through a telescope at the heavens always makes me feel closer to God. It gives me a reminder of just how awesome his creation really is.

I've talked about how my writing has been inspired by God, and specifically through the Holy Spirit. However, I also owe a lot of my motivation to God. I must admit, if God is going to inspire you, it only makes sense that he will provide you motivation as well. In my case, while God motivated me throughout the writing of Return To Paradise, he has also continued to motivate me as I work to market the book. Often, the inspiration and the motivation seem to have come hand in hand.

One prime example of this occurred about a week after Return To Paradise was first published . I knew going in that it would take work to market the book. I just never had focused on it, and had never developed a marketing plan. So now my book was published and I found myself playing catch-up. As I usually do when I undertake a new task, I did quite a bit of research and reading on what to do and how to do it. And to be perfectly honest, I was beginning to feel somewhat lost and overwhelmed. Then about three in the morning on a Sunday, I woke up and could not go back to sleep. I couldn't get my mind off of the marketing of the book. And a plan began to develop. By four in the morning, I was writing notes on my phone, listing out a twelve point plan.

I was not going to have a lot of time to implement my plan that day, as we were planning on leaving at eleven in the morning to go with some friends to a worship service at a hermitage located about two hours away. And we would not be back until early that evening. Despite my lack of sleep that past night, I was up early and set to work on my marketing plan. By the time we left, I had my Facebook Author page up and running, and I had registered a domain name for my web page, set up the hosting, and started to work on the web page itself. I would finish the web page that evening . By the end of that week I had finished, or started in the case of ongoing tasks, every item on my list.

While it did take work on my part to accomplish this, it came at a time when I was feeling overwhelmed, and as a result, had not been accomplishing much. It is my belief, that the only reason I was able to accomplish what I did, was through the inspiration and motivation provided to me by God.

I went to Adoration this evening, something I probably don't do near often enough. I have found that whenever I'm troubled, or in need of answers for anything, there is nothing like a little "one on one" with Christ to give me the answers I need.

My first plan was to go and pray the Rosary. Another thing I probably don't do often enough. But yet also, another thing that often brings me peace, and answers to any questions I have. However when I got there, I felt the need to just pray and to listen. So I was going to be content with just doing that, and not praying the Rosary. But yet again, my plans were changed, and I felt called to pray the Rosary.

The reason for my trouble today was not personal, it was related to the recent news on Planned Parenthood. In addition to the shocking revelations of the peddling of baby organs, in the latest video, the Planned Parenthood official repeatedly made very casual references to D&E. This is where I have to admit my naivety, as I had no idea what D&E referred to. Upon Googling it, I found that it stood for a method of abortion known as Dilation and Evacuation. Still being naïve, I searched onward to find out exactly what that entailed. I will post a link to the best description I found. It is one of the more disturbing things I have read in a long time. For anyone that tries to characterize abortion as a civilized procedure, I invite you to read it.

So I went into Adoration partly troubled about the news, and further troubled by my new education. I felt compelled to write something about it - to speak out. But I really didn't have a good idea of what to write, or how to go about it. And so I ended up feeling called to pray the Rosary. My first inclination was that, given the news, and the current state of the world, the Sorrowful Mysteries would be the most appropriate. However, I ultimately decided to pray the mysteries of the day which, as it turned out, were the Luminous Mysteries - go figure.

As it turns out, it may be more appropriate than I first felt it was. For those not familiar with praying the Rosary, it involves meditations on five aspects of Jesus' life. There are different sets of prayers, or "Mysteries" that one can say. Each focuses on different aspects of Jesus' life. And, as the Rosary beads form a circle, ultimately, so do the "Mysteries". They all start with the early part of Jesus' life, or in the case of the Luminous Mysteries, his ministry, and end with the later part of his life. Of course, in the end there is the Resurrection, or "re-birth", and hence a circle is formed.

The first Luminous Mystery is the Baptism of Jesus. Now, Jesus, being free of sin, did not need to be Baptized as such. He did this for two reasons. First to serve as an example, and second, to show his obedience to God the Father. And as he did the Heavens opened up and there was a voice saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." Thus Jesus is not just giving us the example of us needing Baptism, perhaps even more important is the fact he is showing the need to be obedient to God, and God's pleasure with us when we do so.

The second Luminous Mystery is the wedding at Cana. This is where Jesus turned the water into wine at the request of his mother, Mary. Thus it serves as the first instance of the intercession of Mary. Yet it also demonstrates something else. Following her request to her son, Mary turned to the servants and said, "Do whatever he tells you." So here again we are reminded of the need for obedience.

The third Luminous Mystery is the Proclamation of the Kingdom of God. Jesus says, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel." Here we have a more direct call to both repentance, and obedience. Yet here too, there is more. Jesus is saying the time is now. God, through Jesus is here on earth, here to claim his Kingdom. All we have belongs to God, and God is the ultimate ruler.

The fourth Luminous Mystery is the Transfiguration. This is where Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on the mountain and was Transfigured as "his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light." Jesus had said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." To me, it is not a coincidence that Jesus appears as a light in the Transfiguration. Obviously he is revealing himself in his full Devine glory as the Son of God. However, he is also showing us that he truly is the light, and again, calling us to obedience, calling us to follow him.

That brings us to the fifth, and final Luminous Mystery, the institution of the Eucharist. Here we come full circle. Through Baptism, we are given new life in Christ. Through his death and resurrection, we are again given new life. Jesus had said, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst." Through the Eucharist, Jesus sustains us and gives us life.

So how does this tie back in to the abortion issue. The Luminous Mysteries start and end with our spiritual re-birth. First through Baptism, and then through the Eucharist. The Luminous Mysteries remind us of the spiritual life and sustenance we receive through Christ. They also call us to obedience, obedience to God's will for our life, and for the world. Jesus said, "I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly." Here Jesus is talking about our "spiritual life". However, our physical life is important as well. When we kill an unborn baby, we are destroying life.

Unlike some, I do not feel sorry for the baby. On one hand they are deprived of their life here on earth. But on the other hand, they gain a straight pass to Heaven. All of the glory and joy of Heaven, without any of the worries and pain that we go through here on earth. It's like getting the Monopoly card that says "Advance to Go and collect $200"; and you get to do this without going through the booby traps of properties owned by the other players. Only in this case, it's an infinitely better deal. I do feel sorry for those of us here though. By letting a physical life be destroyed, we are losing a piece of our spiritual life. Instead of following God's plan, and being obedient to him, we are following our own plans and desires. Each time an innocent life is lost, a little piece of our soul is lost as well.

For those of you brave enough, here is the link I mentioned earlier:

http://www.priestsforlife.org/resourc...

The other day I read a blog post about how to deal with a lack of success as a Christian author. Among other things, it noted that, having put a lot of time and effort into our work, we have a natural desire to be rewarded for that work. Most people have one dream or another about being wildly successful at something. As the author of the blog post mentions, for an author, that usually translates into being on the New York Times Best Seller list, or winning a major book award; or even just seeing thousands and thousands of your books sell, and seeing those big royalty checks come in.

The reality is, that most will never see that kind of success. But perhaps the problem isn't ones lack of success, as much as the way they define that success. If we are truly writing for God, then success must be defined by God, on his terms, not by us, on our terms.

Before proceeding, I will qualify myself a little. Unlike some, I do not write as a full time profession, and I do not count on my writing for income. Also, although I am nowhere near making any type of New York Times list, the reality is that for a new author with only one published book, I am not doing that bad.

So how do I define success? First I have to look at the reason I chose to write a book to begin with. The answer to that is simple, I felt that God was calling me to write it. So if God was calling me to write, that means he has a purpose for my writing. By definition then, success is achieved when God's purpose for my writing is fulfilled.

I also have to realize that it's quite possible that God may only have a limited number of people for whom he wants to use my writing. And, I have to remember that when he called me to write, he never said I was going to make a lot of money off of it. So, since God's pupose may not be for me to make the New York Times Best Seller list, or to make a lot of money on my books, how do I know if God's pupose is being fulfilled? How do I know if I am being successful on God's terms? The bottom line is faith. I have faith that if God has a purpose for my writing, then God will make sure that it is read by those he wants to read it, and that it will serve the purpose he wants it to serve. I start by constantly praying that what I write will be what God wants me to write, and that it will be used for his purpose.
Do I have a basis for my faith? Absolutely. As I have said, I am a new writer. This is not something I have ever done before. Nor have I ever taken any courses, or had any training. And, while I realize that just because I wrote a novel doesn't mean it's any good, I have had overwhelming feedback from people telling me how much they liked it. Some even going out of their way to do so. So if God can take me, an untrained writer, and use me to write a book that people actually like, then why should I not have faith that God will see that it accomplishes his purpose? And I have faith that, to that end, I will be wildly successful.

In the aftermath of the Paris terrorist attacks, we are again confronted with the question of why there is evil in the world. Many atheists often use the existence of evil as an argument that there can be no God. They say that if God is omniscient, all caring, and omnipotent; then he should know there is evil, want to stop evil, and be able to stop evil. They say that the existence of evil means that God, if He exists, lacks one or more of these characteristics. And these are characteristics that are almost universally ascribed to God. However, there are some flaws in this type of argument. First, they are blaming God for human failures. The existence of war, crime, terror, hunger, poverty, and all other evils, are the result of human failures, not failures of God. But, they argue, why does God allow such human failures to occur? The answer boils down to love.

I'm sure many of you are now scratching your head because you were sure that I was going to say free will. And ultimately it is. However, free will is the result of love. For you see God is, above all else, love. God created us out of love, and He wants to be loved. But love is not something you can dictate, it has to be freely given or it is not love. So we aren't given free will simply as a gift, to allow us to make our own choices. Rather, we are given free will because the very fact that we were created out of love requires free will.

Free will allows us to love God, and to love those around us. However, it also means we can choose the opposite. We can choose to hate, we can choose evil. So here is another error in the atheist's logic. Free will necessitates the existence of evil. For a person can only choose to love, if he can also choose not to love; if they can also choose hate. One can only choose to do good, if he can also choose to do bad. Otherwise, it's not a choice.

There is another, somewhat similar reason, that evil is necessary. That is that we are able to know of, and identify things only through contrasts. As the old saying goes, if everything was red, there would be no red. We can identify red, only because we also have blue, green, yellow, and all the other colors. We know light, only because we have darkness. We know hot, only because we have cold. And we can know, and choose love, only because there is hate. And with hate, comes evil.

When we blame God for evil, we also presume to know God's full plan. We in essence, pretend that we are omniscient, by saying that the evil can serve no purpose. Yet there may be a purpose that we are not aware of, or perhaps aren't able to understand. The reality is, there may be times when God allows evil because it serves a purpose he has for us. God wants us to come to him, and to love him. And if an evil event brings us to God, then it is serving God's purpose. And that purpose stands higher than, and overcomes the evil that led to it. We cannot know God's full plan and purpose, because God's plan is of heaven. While we are of the earth.

So what about the victims you ask? How can evil bring me to God if that evil just ended my life? This is the biggest fallacy of the atheist's argument. They say this only because, consistent with their lack of faith, they see things in terms of earth, and not of Heaven. Heaven is our ultimate goal. And we get there through death. By dying here on earth, we are born into an eternal life in Heaven. At that point, through the saving Grace of Christ, we have overcome evil. And what about the loved ones we leave behind? In time, they will join us. Yes, they may be sad, they may go through difficulties, and they may go through pain. But, in time, they will join us. And then they too, through Christ's Grace, will have overcome evil. What we go through on earth is temporary, and in the scheme of things, extremely short. Heaven on the other hand, lasts an eternity. This is precisely what Christ is talking about in John 16:33 when he says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

As I have gone through life I have discovered that the key to being happy is to learn to be thankful. Very simply, those who are thankful, are generally happy because they realize how much they have been given. Those who aren’t thankful tend to be miserable, and think they are owed things. This Thanksgiving day, I challenge all of you to think of at least ten things that you are thankful for. Since I hate “post it challenges”, “pass along posts”, “share this posts”, and the like, I do not want you to post anything or share any post. Just within your own heart, think of ten things that you have to be thankful for. To show how easy it is, I am posting ten of my own using fairly broad categories. However, the rules are yours

For God’s love, and the gift of his Son, Jesus.
To think that the God who created the universe, would still love me. And, that he would love me so much as to humble himself to take on human form. And further, to hand himself over to his enemies to be tortured, ridiculed, and crucified for my sake.



For all of my family, both immediate and extended.
For a beautiful, loving wife, who loves not just me, but my soul. For our children, who have blessed us so much. For my parents, who were always there for me, and for all of my family, both close and far.



For all of God’s creation; the mountains, the oceans, the stars, the animals, and all of His glorious works.
There is so much beauty in what God has created. So much majesty. I have been blessed to have been able to see a lot of truly magnificent places in my lifetime. To stare in awe at the wonders of creation. But seeing God’s beauty doesn’t always require travel. Just the other day I was treated to a beautiful sunset, which I watched from my back yard. The stars on a clear night. And the trees, flowers, and birds that are all around us. The tree in the photo at the top of this post is just outside of my office.



For my home, the food I have to eat and the clothes I have to wear.
I have been blessed to always have had what I needed, and most of the time, more than I have needed.



For all of my friends.
I have been blessed with numerous friends throughout my life. And all have, in one way or another, had a positive influence on my life.



For all the teachers I have had, both formal and informal, who have helped me to learn and to grow.
There are so many lessons that I have learned along the way which have so greatly benefited me.



For all of those who have devoted their lives to the service of others including the armed forces, police, firemen and clergy.
For our freedom, for our safety, for our spiritual well being, there is so much I owe to others who often sacrifice their lives for mine.



For all of the jobs I have had throughout my life, for all they have provided me with, and all I have learned from them.
I can honestly say that I’ve never had a bad job. There may have been some that I did not want to stay at very long, but all have benefited me. I have learned from all of them, they have all helped to provide for the things I needed, and they have all helped me to advance.



For all those who work at jobs I would not want to do, but yet are still necessary.
There are many jobs that I hope I never have to do. Yet many, if not all are necessary. For those who do these jobs, I am thankful.



My health, and another day here on earth to enjoy all the many things I have been blessed with. br>Nuf said.



Now go have a blessed Thanksgiving day and a joyful, happy life.

Author Mary Lasswell once wrote, "I am forced to conclude that God made Texas on his day off, for pure entertainment, just to prove that all that diversity could be crammed into one section of earth by a really top hand.” The same could actually be said for that not so little corner of Texas known as Big Bend. In Big Bend you will find lots of desert areas, with more species of cactus than I could easily list. But you will also find steep walled canyons; and mountains with Junipers, Pine, and alpine meadows. Wildlife ranges from rattle snakes, javelina and roadrunners; to white tail deer, mountain lions and black bears. Big Bend contains the second highest peak in Texas, Emory Peak with an elevation of 7,825 feet. In the far eastern part of Big Bend, down by the Rio Grande River, the elevation is just over 1,800 feet. The difference in temperature between the two can exceed twenty degrees Fahrenheit. The scenery is as spectacular as it is varied.

Big Bend is located along the Mexican border in far southwest Texas, and gets its name from the big curve the Rio Grande River makes there. It’s out of the way of anywhere you would want to go. If you end up there, it’s because you intended to go there.

Located roughly in the middle of Big Bend National Park, is a small group of mountains known as the Chisos Mountains. It is here that you find the alpine meadows, and Emory Peak. Leaving the main road, at an elevation of about 4,000 feet, one begins a slow ascent up into the mountains. As the road approaches the crest of Panther Pass, it makes a big hairpin curve. About a quarter-mile later you hit the crest of Panther Pass at an elevation of 5,770 feet. As the road begins its descent, it takes a series of switch backs. Rounding the first hairpin curve, the area known as “The Basin” comes into view below. The Basin is a roughly oval-shaped meadow area in the central part of the Chisos Mountains. It is surrounded by rugged mountains made up of reddish colored volcanic rock. When hit by the early morning, or late afternoon sun, these mountains actually appear to glow. Looking to the left, at the east end of The Basin, one sees the side of Casa Grande, a 7,170 foot, sheer faced mountain, that seems to stand guard over The Basin. And then, looking out to the west, at the far end of The Basin, you begin to see it...The Window.

The best views of The Window will come when you have completed your descent into The Basin. Topographically, The Basin slopes downward from east to west. A small, usually dry stream bed runs through the middle. Once carrying more water, this stream cut a canyon through the west wall of the mountains. The result is a prominent “V” shaped gap that gives one a view out to the surrounding desert, and smaller mountains. Here, in the middle of one of the most diverse places on earth, the mountains, the desert, and the sky all come together in one grand view. It’s truly a masterpiece created by the Master Creator.

The view through The Window is absolutely breathtaking. Just the same, in a park full of spectacular views, The Window may not be the most spectacular of them. But it is the most compelling. You cannot drive into The Basin without looking out through The Window. If you camp in the campground there, when you come outside of your tent or camper, you will look out at The Window. If you stay at the Lodge, when you come outside of your room, you will look out at The Window. The restaurant at the Lodge has a big picture window along the western wall. The view, of course looks out towards The Window. If you eat there, you will spend half your meal looking out at The Window. And, if you have any type of camera, you will most likely take a picture of The Window.

Call it the ultimate picture window. As if its view weren’t compelling enough, its location at the west end of The Basin provides for some spectacular sunset views. This helps ensure that it is probably one of the most photographed features in the park. However, I’m not sure that it wouldn’t still be the most photographed even without the sunsets. As you move around The Basin, and the surrounding mountains, either by car, or by foot on the many trails there, you are constantly given a new perspective of The Window. Each one just as compelling as the other. But it doesn’t end there. Come back to the park some day and, if you have a camera, you will very likely take even more photos of The Window. I have been to Big Bend so many times over the years that I have lost count. At least thirty, and quite possibly over forty. And I'm not sure that there were any of these trips on which I failed to take at least one picture of The Window. If there were, there weren’t very many. And, it usually rewards me with something a little different each time.

Whenever I go to Big Bend, I’m always filled with anticipation, waiting for that first view of The Window as I descend into The Basin. And whenever I leave, as I drive out of The Basin, I’ll always stop at that last hairpin curve for one last view of The Window. As I drive down the mountain, I pray two things. The first is to thank God for having been able to see such a beautiful piece of his creation. The second, is that I may someday, again be able to come back.

Not According To Plan

Last Saturday was the day of my mom's funeral. It would also turn out to be the first time in over a dozen years that our entire family, consisting of my brother and sisters, our children, and now a growing group of grandchildren, had gotten together. As luck would have it, last Wednesday I came down with a viral infection.  Since that time, I  have fought through various phases, and combinations, of a sore throat, coughs, runny noses, and fevers. You all know what I'm talking about. From last Thursday through this Tuesday, I was barely able to talk, sometimes even having to whisper.

 

Heal Thyself

When the symptoms started, I of course did everything I could to treat them. Sinus medicine, nose drops, neti pot, and extra rest. And, probably most importantly, I prayed, as did my wife.

 

God's Healing

So how did Saturday day go? Saturday I woke up feeling absolutely fine. No sore throat, cough, runny nose, or even a hoarse voice. We left the motel at about nine in the morning to go to a graveside service in twenty degree weather. After that a quick lunch, followed by a memorial service at the church. After that we had a family gathering at one of my nieces house, where we stayed until about seven in the evening. And I made it through all of this without any signs of my viral infection.

 

At Midnight, You Turn Back Into A Pumpkin

All of this lasted until we were on our way back to the motel, and decided to stop at a McDonald's. At the drive through, I suddenly found myself so hoarse, that I had to have my son give the order. And since that time, I have still fought through various symptoms. And even today, I still have a  cough. However, for one day, the day I really needed it, I was perfectly well. And I  believe that this truly was an answer to prayer.

 

Those who know me, know that I love photography. And I especially love landscape photography. In my photography, I have two primary things helping me. The first of these is the many beautiful places that God has created, which I have been blessed to be able to see. Having a beautiful landscape makes taking pictures that people will like a lot easier. The second thing is I truly feel that, through the Holy Spirit, God often inspires me, leading me to take better pictures than I otherwise would. On the negative side, I don't have quite the talent that other photographers do. In addition to that, as opposed to professional photographers, as well as many more serious amateur photographers, I am what I call a photographer of opportunity. That is to say that when I visit places, photography isn't usually my primary purpose for being there, and I am generally at a given place for a relatively short period of time. Thus I have to take advantage of the opportunities I am presented with, dealing with the conditions as they exist. However, professional photographers, as well as many more serious amateur photographers, often go places specifically to photograph them. And they will plan their visits, and take the time, to capture their subject matter in the most favorable lighting and weather conditions. Thus, they often will be able to capture shots that I will never have the opportunity to take.

All of that said, I have come to the conclusion that all photography fails to a given extent. That is, it fails to fully capture the magnificence of the subject matter. Good photographers can often take truly beautiful pictures. And many can even take pictures that elicit an emotional response. However even at that, they can often only capture a glimpse of the true magnificence of what they are photographing. There is simply no way to fully capture the true magnitude and beauty that exists there.

One reason for this failing is due to pure optical physics. There are many places that it is simply impossible to capture the true magnitude and scale of. Particularly when displayed on any scale that a photograph might be displayed on. Even if it is printed on a wall poster. Take the Grand Canyon, which is up to a mile deep and eighteen miles wide. Or the South Rim of the Chisos Basin, where there are places that one has one-hundred-and-eighty degree views that extend for over thirty miles in any given direction. There is simply no physical way to give the viewer of a photograph that sense of magnitude and distance. Even if one takes a series of photographs and combines them in a panoramic photograph. The viewer might get a sense of the vastness, but the resulting height to width ratio of the panoramic photograph will actually diminish the vertical perspective.

Another reason that photography cannot fully capture the magnificence of many places is that it deals in only one of the senses - sight. It can't capture the sound of a hawk echoing through the walls of the Grand Canyon. Or the smell of flowers as one hikes through the valleys of Glacier National Park. Or the feel of a gentle cool breeze as one stands in amazement among the Red Woods, watching the late afternoon sun filter down through the trees to the fern covered ground.

A final reason that a photograph simply can't capture the true magnificence of many places is that part of that magnificence is purely spiritual. Sure, as I mentioned, there are photographers who can take pictures that elicit emotional responses. However, the emotional response that one may have when viewing a photograph is different from the actual spiritual experience of being there. Stand or sit quietly at any of the aforementioned places, and it is truly a spiritual experience. I remember getting up on Christmas morning last year. I was in the Chisos Mountain Basin in Big Bend National Park. To the west, a full moon was setting directly down through the Window. While at the same time, to the east, the sun was lighting up the clouds over Casa Grande, coloring them a bright red. It was a three-hundred-and-sixty degree display that was more magnificent than any photograph I might take could hope to convey. But there was much more to it than that. At that moment, I truly felt a oneness with God. It was as if God himself was saying "Merry Christmas, this is the gift I have created for you." And that's the way it often is. It may not be Christmas, but God is still there, saying "Look at the beauty I have created for you to see. This is a sign of my love for you."