On Predestination And Other Topics

by Catherine Schmid Murphy September 12, 2020

All is well this morning on our farm. Neil and I rise and start through the 18 gear transmission of having many birthdays and grab a cup of Joe. Reading the Bible is the morning's first activity, one that Neil has done since recovering from 2017 events. Now he has me on board.

Minutes ago, the dogs pitched a booger fit; Tommy was coming in the driveway to fish and the dogs escort him in. He brought us a bag of chestnuts from their tree; we will try roasting some in the oven, soon. Neil looked it up: Cut an X in the outer shell, roast 10-15 minutes til the shell opens at that mark, peel while still warm. Maybe we can try some in the fireplace, too, when it turns cold.

Back to reading. In Acts, the men and women of the early church are traveling about telling everyone about Jesus. They are having quite a time. They will get invited in and then kicked out. They get kicked out....a lot. The passage I just read said they got kicked out and had JOY and moved on. Here we call it Jump for Joy! when adversity comes. It is easier than you might think. Neil says, "In 100 years from now, what difference will it make!" And then we laugh.

Now there is music blaring: Sing Hallelujah to the Lord in English and Russian. Fierce! The Russian Orthodox church knows how to live through adversity. Well worth a listen. And the intro reminds me of that scene in Holy Grail where the monks are marching and bonking themselves over the head every few steps. A chuckle might help you remember the song later.

The art is called aerial map and reminds me of flying over the landscape in my dreams as a child; mountains, rivers and clouds below me. We see this in real life today as we fly in aircraft or see images from the space station or  watch aerial photography from drone cameras. It is was of my first experiences with the 3rd dimension of height; in my mind, in a child's dream. I had seen this out the second story window, growing up; mom down below me, too far to jump, hanging clothes on the line to dry. Another dimension: height. God must have always seen this; He created all the dimensions and all matter, light and dark.

A final note on predestination; this is on my mind today.

God is not bound by time, as we are.

Just because He knows the outcome does-not-equal you-have-no-choice.

You always have a choice.

God, being unbound by time, just already knows what choice you will make.

How much He loves us, that He sent His Son, Jesus, and later His disciples to tell the story,

"to gather as many as had been appointed to eternal life."  Acts 13:48

For the sake of we happy ones, He sent His Son, Jesus. To save us.

More Russian music: CHOOSE LIFE!  You choose.

Neil calls out Deuteronomy 30, and so it goes. We read some more.

Then go to rotate the cows to the other pasture....

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