He's got the whole world in his hands

“God created (Heb. bara’‍ Strongs #1254a) the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). Throughout the Old Testament, the verb bara’ refers only to God’s acts.[1] He needed no material when he fabricated the universe. And the first readers of this story were recently freed slaves finding out that God could make a great nation out of them, even though they “were the fewest of all peoples” (Deut 7:7). The creation story gives the assurance, “He’ll make something beautiful out of your life.”

God created the whole universe, “the heavens and the earth” (Gen 1:1). This work established his universal lordship. So the people of God sang, “The heavens belong to you, as does the earth. You made the world and all it contains” (Ps 89:11 NET, also Pss 24:1; 96:11). Other nations always thought their gods had only regional authority (e.g., 1 Kgs 20:23). But Israel knew their God was Almighty God no matter where they lived. Egypt had enslaved them. Their neighbors Moab, Edom, Ammon, and Philistia would harrass them. Assyria and Babylon would exile them. But the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob ruled the nations.[2]


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1. The Hebrew term bara’ can tell of God “creating” miracles (Exod 34:10), acts of judgment (Num 16:30), a return from exile (Isa 41:20; Jer 31:22), new hearts (Ps 51:12), or a new heaven and earth (Isa 67:17)

2. Gen 49:10; Deut 15:6; 2 Chr 20:6; Pss 22:28; 66:7; 67:4; 106:41; 110:6; 148:11; Isa 14:2; 16:8; Jer 51:28; Ezek 29:15; 31:11; Zech 9:10; Rom 15:12; Rev 12:5; 19:15.

God is eternal and absolute (Genesis 1:1-2)

The Old Testament provides no story of the origin of Israel’s God. Instead, Israel’s God provides the story of the origination of everything there is. Almost all English translations refer to an absolute beginning: “In the beginning, God created” (Gen 1:1, e.g., KJV, RSV, NASB, NIV, NLT, etc.).[1] We don’t read, “When the world was created, the gods.…” And we certainly don’t read, “At the beginning of the world, god ‘x’ had relations with goddess ‘y’ and produced ’Elohim.”
Any reader from the ancient Near East would have found this amazing, including the Hebrew people. After all, they had just escaped from polytheistic Egypt. From this first verse, Scripture taught them monotheism. God warned them, don’t return to the gods of your ancestor on the other side of the Euphrates or those of your own parents on the other side of the Nile (Josh 24:2, 13, 15). So Israel’s confession boiled down to this: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deut 6:4-5).

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1. A few Bible translations choose something like “when God began creation” (e.g., NRSV, NJPS)

Fw: [Dale and Janice Brueggemann] The Worth of a “Virtual” Church « Rev. Roy's Blog

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From: Janice Brueggemann <jcbrueggemann@yahoo.com>

Date: Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:13:31 -0800 (PST)

To: Dale A. Brueggemann<Dale.Brueggemann@gmail.com>

Subject: Re: [Dale and Janice Brueggemann] The Worth o f a "Virtual" Church « Rev. Roy's Blog

Hmm.mm Well, I guess I'm in the camp he is complaining about, since I don't think a "virtual church" can even be a church. And the comment at the bottom about virtual communion and virtual baptism is terrible. Just because "everyone is doing it" doesn't make it right. Simplistic statement I know, but it's still true. There is no personal responsibility or accountability, no real community, in all this virtual stuff.  I think we've lost the idea of what a true church is. We are so attached to the Web and all these devices. I wonder how much further will it go. Are we trying to put all of life in a virtual realm? Will a virtual friend visit you in the hospital? Will a virtual friend help the old lady with putting storm screens up? (700 virtual friends invited to a party and only 1 comes?!) Janice --- On Sat, 11/14/09, Dale A. Brueggemann <Dale.Brueggemann@gmail.com> wrote: From: Dale A. Brueggemann <Dale.Brueggemann@gmail.com> Subject: [Dale and Janice Brueggemann] The Worth of a "Virtual" Church « Rev. Roy's Blog To: jcbrueggemann@yahoo.com Date: Saturday, November 14, 2009, 8:56 AM [http://royshaff.wordpress.com/2009/11/01/the-worth-of-a-virtual-church/] What do you think of this? It's interesting to note that the same blogger posted a complaint that of 700 Facebook "friends" invited to a party, only one showed up at the appointed time and place. The Worth of a "Virtual" Church « Rev. Roy's Blog -- Posted By Dale A. Brueggemann to Dale and Janice Brueggemann at 11/14/2009 06:56:00 AM

The Worth of a “Virtual” Church « Rev. Roy's Blog

What do you think of this? It's interesting to note that the same blogger posted a complaint that of 700 Facebook "friends" invited to a party, only one showed up at the appointed time and place. Just how incarnational can a virtual church become?

The Worth of a “Virtual” Church « Rev. Roy's Blog

BBC NEWS | Americas | Two die at US spiritual retreat

BBC NEWS | Americas | Two die at US spiritual retreat

What desperate attempts people make to establish a "spiritual" existence!

Preach the word (2 Tim 4:1-2)

All Christian preaching should be the exposition and application of biblical texts. Our authority as preachers sent by God rises and falls with our manifest allegiance to the text of Scripture. I say manifest because there are so many preachers who say they are doing exposition when they do not ground their assertions explicitly--"manifestly"--in the text. They don't show their people clearly that the assertions of their preaching are coming from specific readable words of Scripture that the people can see for themselves -- John Piper
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Janice's textile

Janice's textile work
Janice likes to work in textiles, embellishing by tearing, shredding, decorating, weaving, knotting, beading, embroidery, beads, and who knows what else. This is one of her more recent pieces. Maybe I'll see if I can post a flash slide show of some of her work. If I do, you can watch this blog for the address.