Dialogue With Darwinists

It's the month that marks the 150th anniversary of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species, so rather than sticking a Jesus fish eating a Darwin fish on the back of your car, take a few minutes reading Marvin Olasky's article in the new issue of World and think about how to frame an intelligent conversation with your Darwinist friends.

HT: Tim Challies

S'mores Declare the Glory of God

I'm not much of an outdoorsman. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy being outside, I'm just not the type that spends time thinking about the next time I'll go fishing, hunting, or camping. I'm much more likely to marvel at the beautifully rendered landscapes in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion than I am to spend time sleeping in the real versions of said landscapes.

However, on Friday I went camping in Carrolton, KY with four friends, and found the experience to be fantastic. I've always found it easy to marvel at God's glory in creation, but I've usually mentally tied that glory to "big" experiences - the immense beauty of the ocean, the rush of hiking at Mt. Rainier, etc. Yet after spending time sleeping by a dried creekbed in the woods next to a cow pasture, I saw God's glory made plain in what we take for granted as - well, plain. As we sat, cooking brats over an open fire, listening to nothing but birds and bugs and the crackle of the flames, feeling a perfectly temperate breeze pass by, I couldn't help but feel a sense of appreciation for the wonder of God's creation. I learned firsthand that not only are the heavens declaring the glory of God, but unspectacular rural Kentucky is too. I won't be trading in my Xbox 360 for a fishing pole anytime soon (God's glory is also made manifest by the immense creativity he has given to humanity) - but I will be much more likely to power down everything and spend a night under the stars again very soon.

The Details Declare the Glory of God

When we think about God's glory being declared by his creation, we usually think of supernovas, the Grand Canyon, or the beauty of an ocean sunrise - big, spectacular things. However, watch the following video and consider how beauty is present in even the most mundane of things and actions. Even in the laws of physics that we dismiss as boring or forget entirely, God has woven his beauty and splendor.



HT: The Blazing Center

The Xbox as an Avenue For Worship

If you enjoy playing video games (as I do), Corey Reyonlds has a post today that should be required reading. An excerpt...

New popular video games are lauded for their ability to simulate real life. Cities have regular traffic patterns (Burnout: Paradise), game characters have real conversations with one another while they go about their daily routines (The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion), and when it starts to rain (according to a realistic weather simulation system), the people who don't have umbrellas hold their newspapers over their heads and run for the nearest awning or awaiting taxi (GTA IV). For some reason, we are incredibly awed by this while not being quite so fascinated with the real thing.

HT: Wanderlust in the Word