Looking for Evidence - Martin Wiles

I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side. John 20:25 NLT

We were looking for evidence, and it was overwhelming. Yet, we followed something we feared.

Panthertown Valley is just outside Cashiers, North Carolina. But if someone is looking for a directional sign, they’ll be disappointed. But my brother and I had directions. Numerous trails run through more than 10,000 acres of protected land, and we planned to hike one of them.

As we made our way along the trail, we noticed scat. Since it was filled with berries, we knew which animal left it. Although we enjoyed the scenery, our eyes roamed our surroundings. Every noise made our hearts race and our eyes dance. When we reached the end of the trail, a tree with claw marks greeted us. A bear scratching post. We never saw Smokey, but the evidence convinced us he was near.

The evidence convinced us, but not Thomas. Jesus had been resurrected from the grave. Women saw him, as did some of the other disciples, but eyewitness reports weren’t enough for Thomas. He wanted to see the marks. So Jesus showed him. Then Thomas felt ashamed that he’d asked.

The evidence for God’s existence seems overwhelming to me—but not all agree. When I look at nature and how natural laws operate according to an unseen plan, I wonder how anyone could doubt, or even deny, the existence of a Higher Being. Theologians disagree over the methods God used to create. Did he initiate a Big Bang or perhaps use evolution as his process? Or was everything a fiat act of creation out of nothing?

Jesus showed Thomas the evidence he asked for and listened as Thomas shamefully confessed him as Lord and Savior. He should have believed without the evidence. God won’t appear to us and say, “Yes, I exist and created,” but he has given enough evidence to know he does and did.

The evidence at Panthertown Valley convinced my brother and me that a bear was in the area, whether or not we physically saw him with our eyes. The universe, along with a still small voice that speaks to my spirit, convinces me God exists, loves me, and wants to be included in my life. What I do with the evidence is up to me.

Evidence for God’s existence is overwhelming. Believe he exists and invite him into your life.

Father, I acknowledge you as the Creator and Governor of the universe and my life. 

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The Flower Gardens - Patricia Jordan

Then he carved all the walls of the temple all around, both the inner and outer sanctuaries, with carved figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers. 1 Kings 6:29 NKJV

Walking through the flower gardens brings me immense joy. These are special trips to be remembered, and I notice every flower the gardeners grow.

Trips to the local nurseries, especially in the early summer, excite me as much as planning for our vacation. I have three flower beds that I sow every year: zinnias for butterflies, marigolds to keep gnats and other bugs away from our deck, and daisies and black-eyed Susans because they’re dependable. Blooming hydrangeas line the side of our house, the lavender I cut back last fall is coming back, and the bees love my hyssop. The deer can’t wait for my daylilies to bloom. I barely enjoy them before Bambi and her extensive family find them and bite off the beautiful orange flowers. 

For me, a peaceful walk around my flowers, including butterfly weed, yarrow patches, and hostas that dot our yard, is a peaceful way to start and end my day. I ensure the sand in each of the pie tins is moist enough so that butterflies and bees can drink water. I also refill the birds' water daily with clean water so they can bathe and stay hydrated.

My mother always grew something. Sometimes, it was just house plants in our rented houses. When we five kids were almost grown, my parents launched a successful business. With their profit, they built their own house on a spacious acre and a half. That’s when Mom’s green thumb really took off. My oldest brother tilled her flower and vegetable gardens, and together they planted everything. Mom’s yard was always beautiful.

In the design of Solomon’s Temple, God directed the builders to include open flowers in the interior design. The Temple flowers were carved into the paneled walls, which were made from the cedars of Lebanon. Flowers are a part of God’s plan for a beautiful area, whether it be small or large. 

When possible, practice smelling flowers daily. And plant some, too. 

Heavenly Father, I thank you for providing us with landscapes that hold so much natural beauty. And yet how much more have you provided for us than you do for the flowers. 

Patricia Jordan is a writer. 

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The Master Builder - Erica Bengel

For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. 

Hebrews 3:4 NIV

“How do we know God made the world?” my twelve-year-old son asked. As I drove the country backroad, weaving through East Tennessee farmlands at sunrise, taking him to middle school, he continued, “How do we know it was not just an accident?” 

“Think about your Lego sets in all the different Sterilite bins in your room,” I replied. “If you took the lid off one of the containers, shook up the contents, and flung them into the air, would the set naturally land in a completed Kylo Ren command shuttle or Avenger’s heliocarrier?”  

He pondered my words for a moment. “No, mom. They wouldn’t. Someone must connect the pieces to build the set. A master builder puts the sets together.”  

Lego pieces accidentally falling together into a finished structure sounds unreasonable. The earth and everything on it forming as a great cosmic accident sounds equally farfetched. 

Consider the intricacy of how the human body functions, every complex detail necessary for sustaining life. Or how the seasons march one into the next, an endless yearly parade of the death and shedding of leaves in the fall to the glorious rebirth of the leaves on the trees each spring. 

We live in a beautiful world filled with diverse landscapes and complex ecosystems amid various climates. Consider the variety of plant life—the animals, birds, and insects. What I see in the rolling hills of Tennessee differs from what someone might find in Scottsdale, Arizona, the lush Hawaiian Islands, or northern Minnesota. Our creative God is the Master Builder of our world. 

Today, observe your surroundings with an eye to God’s masterful creation. Pay attention to the rustle of the wind in the trees and the vibrant oranges and pinks of sunset. Find a Lego set. Holding each piece in your hands, reflect on our great God who has made you for a purpose and loves you beyond measure. 

What are some ways you can reflect on the Master Builder? 

Tweetable: How do you explain life's origin?  

Erica Bengel is a Media Arts and Worship student at Dallas Theological Seminary. Serving as a missionary for Ratio Christi College Prep, she is the high school Chapter Director for Blount County, Tennessee. Erica is a single parent, raising two terrific middle schoolers in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. 

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Stuck in Place - Martin Wiles

And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God. Titus 2:12 NLT

I’ve tried it at my home, a motel room, and a gym; I didn’t particularly appreciate being stuck in place at either spot.

For me, exercising in place is the supreme act of boredom. I once owned a treadmill and used it religiously. I placed it in the den so I could watch television while walking. I soon tired of the same scenery—or lack thereof. Then, I bought a stair climber, thinking this would provide a more strenuous workout. In the den, it went. Once again, boredom marched in. Going to a gym didn’t help, either. Though there were others around, the scenery was the same. I’ve even run and walked in place in a motel room if I was away on a business trip. 

Regardless of where I exercise, I’m stuck in place if I do it on a stationary machine. I also must endure the same scenery. Give me the outside. A place where my view changes frequently and is unlimited. A place where I can hear birds sing, watch geese waddle in the pond, and marvel at the various types of trees, wildflowers, and wildlife. A place where I can say I’ve moved from point A to B.

As exercising in place confines me, so I have sometimes felt stuck spiritually. I wasn’t necessarily dabbling in godless living or sinful pleasures. I wasn’t making any forward motion.

When we’re not moving forward spiritually or growing in our walk with God, we’re falling backward. God doesn’t want our journey with him to look like a yield graph of some popular stock. Instead, he desires a steady incline with no dips or plateaus. If we allow ourselves to get stuck in place, Satan will move in, steal our focus, and lead us into sinful areas.

Eagerly studying God’s Word for practical insights—not merely reading it because we always have—staying closely connected with fellow believers—not simply because of what they can do for us—and praying heartfelt, earnest prayers—not merely repeating words and phrases—will all move us from a stuck position and keep us on the incline.

Decide on one action that will prevent you from being spiritually stuck.

Father, keep me close to You and always on the move in my spiritual growth. 

Tweetable: Do you feel as if you are stuck in place? 

Don't forget to add your comments below. 

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Taking a Break - Martin Wiles

On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work. Genesis 2:2 NLT

When teaching, taking a break takes on new meaning.

 

A long summer break energizes teachers. We think of new things to do with our students . . . perhaps even different methods of teaching that will better engage them. We may take educational courses to gain continuing education units. But the best thing about summer is that we get to take a break from the hectic pace teaching often puts on us.

 

When the new school year approaches, we think we’re ready, but it doesn’t take long before we’re tired again and longing for Thanksgiving and Christmas break. Making lesson plans and grading papers taxes our minds, and answering an endless list of questions from students tests the nerves. Two days for Thanksgiving and two weeks for Christmas rejuvenates us, but soon after we return, we long for spring break. And when that’s over, we’re panting for summer break again.

 

I imagine most teachers love their jobs—otherwise, why would we teach—but we long for breaks. Even schools that operate year-round have built-in breaks, equal to those districts that don’t hold year-round school. Teachers can’t teach effectively without breaks, and students can’t learn efficiently without breaks either. Our minds need rest.

 

Even God needed rest . . . well, not really, but the writer uses anthropomorphic terms to tell us God stopped working after a period of time. After six days of creating—in whatever way or time that happened—God rested. He took a Sabbath. A break.

 

By Jesus’ time, religious leaders had turned the Sabbath into a day where they expected legalistic observance from worshippers. Jesus reminded them humans weren’t made for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for us. In other words, we need breaks.

 

Working all the time—whether at our jobs or at tasks or hobbies around the home—messes with our bodies. God didn’t create our bodies to go nonstop. One day a week to stop and focus on our Creator is essential, but we need more breaks than that along the way. We need enough sleep and rest. Otherwise, our bodies break down, we stress out, and we—along with everyone else we contact—suffer physically, emotionally, spiritually, and relationally. Lack of rest makes us irritable, changes our attitude, makes us short-tempered, clouds our thinking, and complicates our relationships.

 

If we’re not getting enough rest, we need to check our schedules, make some hard choices, and rethink our priorities. Then make up our minds to take a break.

 

What are some things you need to rethink so you can take more breaks?

 

Prayer: Father, help us rearrange our schedules so they include times of worship and periods of rest. 

Tweetable: Is taking a break on your schedule? 

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Tend the World - Martin Wiles

The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. Genesis 2:14 NLT

I thumbed through the pages of the Scout handbook, looking for an activity.

When he was a Cub Scout, my next-to-the-oldest grandson had to complete a number of requirements to receive his first badge—officially making him a Tiger Cub. Beyond that, many other activities existed for him to earn slides, badges, and other merits.

With his first badge under his belt, I looked for other things I could help him with. I came across planting a tree. For several months, I had watched a potted mimosa and crepe myrtle tree lounging on the back patio. They needed to go into the ground.

I called my grandson from his video games, and we went outside, gathered the pot, and secured the posthole diggers. After digging the hole for him, I had him help me put the trees in the ground. I knew my wife and I would probably not be around to enjoy the shade from these trees, but someone would.

After planting the trees, I talked with my grandson about what trees do for us and how important they are. We learned about God’s cycle of life. Trees give off oxygen—what we breathe to survive. We give off carbon dioxide—what trees and flowers need to live. I smiled when I saw the smile cross his face. We were helping to tend the world.

Thousands of years ago, God commanded the first human to tend a garden. How large the Garden of Eden was, we don’t know, but Adam’s responsibility involved taking care of it.

The fact that God will one day create a new heaven and earth doesn’t exempt us from our responsibility to care for the present earth. In fact, many scholars think God’s future creation will be a recreation, not a completely new one. The more we care for the present one now, the less God will have to do later.

My wife and I have attempted to help in small ways. We recycled, even though it was sometimes aggravating to separate the items and push the large can to the end of our subdivision once every two weeks. I pick up litter in our area. We avoid putting harmful substances into the ground. When we had the space, we planted a small garden and enjoyed the produce. We care for the possessions God allows us to have.

God still expects us to care for our earth and to teach others to do the same. Our garden now is much larger than Adam’s, but all of us working together can keep it clean and healthy.

What are some ways you can help preserve your “garden?”

Prayer: Father, show us how You want us to tend Your garden. 

Tweetable: Are you tending the world? 

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Meandering Monday - Using the Sixth Sense - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday, where we take a trip back to an earlier post and enjoy it again.

By faith we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command, that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen. Hebrews 11:3 NLT

I knew the furry animal standing before me was a dog.

With my eyes, I saw his characteristics. I heard a sound that someone had told me was a bark. Dogs bark, so this must be a dog. I touched him. He was real and not a figment of my imagination. I decided to smell him just to make sure. Sure enough, he smelled like a dog. A little raunchiness mixed in with the doggie deodorant my wife had sprayed on him. The only thing left to do was taste him. Since my other four senses convinced me, there was no need to lick him to find out.

But how can I explain the feeling that I shouldn’t take the route the GPS suggested? Or get on my scheduled flight? Or help the lady whose car was broken down by the roadside? My five senses appraised the situation, but my sixth sense drove me in another direction.

Where the beginning of the universe is concerned, my five senses serve no purpose. I can see it presently, but what I see is the finished product. Only with the sixth sense can I believe that a Supreme Designer created it out of nothing.

Faith in God is my sixth sense. Some think it’s irrational, and from a logical standpoint, it might be, but it’s the sense with which I choose to follow God and believe all he’s told me. Forgiveness can’t be experienced with my five senses, but I believe I have it. Nor can they prove the Spirit’s presence guiding me, but I believe that as well. I can’t use them to conclude I have an eternal home in heaven, but I’m banking on it.

In fact, our entire Christian journey is traveled by using our sixth sense. That overwhelming feeling that the journey is real, not just a crutch we’re using to help us handle life. We must walk by faith—the sixth sense—not by sight, hearing, touching, smelling, or tasting.

Are you using your sixth sense?

Prayer: Father, enhance our sixth sense so we’ll see every opportunity You send us and believe everything You’ve told us. 

Tweetable: Are you using your sixth sense? 

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Doing the Family Thing - Martin Wiles

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him. Psalm 127:3 NLT

My Time Hop app reminded me.

One year before, the app showed my wife and I had joined our daughter and her two boys for a trip to Granddad’s Apples in Hendersonville, NC—a trip we made annually, either with them or someone else. This particular year, things had gotten busy. Had the app not reminded me, we may have forgotten to go.

We looked at our calendars and settled on the one Saturday each of us could spare. Fall weather had descended, so the views and the temps were pleasant. Everyone else must have thought this day was a good one to visit, too, because people gathered as thick as flies.

As usual, we began our time at the apple orchard by strolling through the corn maze. A place that makes me nervous—I think about getting lost in two acres of corn taller than I am—but a place the grandboys enjoyed.

The two things the grandboys relish the most—the cow train and the apple cannon—required waiting one hour each in line. But we did because that’s what they wanted to do. Then we wanted Granddad’s famous apple doughnuts, which required another hour's wait. This time, our youngest grandson fell asleep and lay in my arms while his mom purchased our goodies.

Later, we picked a peck of apples. Then, we finished off the day by letting both boys jump on the huge bouncy bed.

When the day ended, we were all exhausted, but it was a good tired. With the psalmist, I could say that children—in this case, grandchildren—are a gift from the Lord to be enjoyed.

Children and grandchildren both spell love the same way: TIME. I recall going on vacations with my parents, but I don’t remember them doing a lot of other things with me. Mom always worked at her job or around the house, and Dad always did church stuff. I want my grandchildren to remember something different about their Pop and Meme when we’re gone.

So, my wife and I make efforts to teach them by a consistent Christian example, by reading Bible stories to them, and by taking each little opportunity to teach them about God’s love and about our love for them. Simple things, such as when the oldest asked why there were so many varieties of apples. I told him because God created them that way.

Take time to enjoy your children and grandchildren. After all, you never know how much time you have to do the family thing.

Prayer: Father, thank You for the moments You give us to do the family thing. 

Tweetable: Are you making time for family? 

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Celebrate God - Caroline Hales

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4 NIV

The tour bus pulled up to the curb to let passengers out at our destination—the Grand Canyon.

Our guide gave first-time visitors a suggestion: “When getting off the bus, cover your eyes and look at the ground. Walk along the path following the fence-line. Once you arrive at the end of the path, uncover your eyes and look.”

I followed the instructions. And the sight was unbelievable. My eyes welled up with tears. I have never seen anything like it before or since. The awesome view far exceeded the pictures.

How could God have created something so majestic? Towering spruce, looking the size of trees in a toy train set, lined the edges of the cliff below. Further away, the trees looked like specks of dust. The Colorado River at the bottom of the Canyon meandered like a ribbon.

The grandeur made me rejoice at the magnificence of God’s creation. My heart praised the Creator for a spectacular view of a small piece of the foundation of the world he created. I imagined the world God intended without brokenness and sin. Perhaps I beheld a glimpse of the perfect world yet to come. I could have stood there for hours gazing at the beauty, mesmerized by the splendor, and offering worship.

When I think of the Grand Canyon, I praise the God who can make such a marvel. And my mind considers even more than his creation. I think of David, who danced before him. And I think of Paul, who wrote to the Philippians, “Rejoice!”

Even on the bad days, I can feel the joy welling up inside for the gift of the Holy Spirit in me. I delight in the hope for a better future. And I celebrate having a Savior who died for me and rose again so I might dwell with him one day in a perfect new world.

What thoughts direct you to rejoice in God?

Tweetable: What are some ways you rejoice in God?

Caroline Hales is a Project Manager, a student at Dallas Theological Seminary, and a freelance writer. She has an adorable niece in California who teeters as she toddles. Caroline’s passion to share Christ with others has grown while she has served in church ministry, leading evangelism and women’s ministry. She lives in Ontario, Canada.

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God Exists - Martin Wiles

Series: Nature Lessons About God

For the life of every living thing is in his hand, and the breath of every human being. Job 12:10 NLT

The warm straw-grass encapsulated my body, and I marveled.

I’ve always loved nature. As a young boy, one of my favorite things was to lie on the ground and gaze at the sky. If during the day, I’d look at the shapes of the clouds and imagine I saw various animals. If during the night, I’d gaze at the millions of stars, any planets I could see, and the moon. I’d sing, “I See the Moon.” Even though I was reared in a Christian home, I had enough sense to know all these wonderful things didn’t just happen.

And then there was the wildlife. Dad taught me to squirrel hunt, but a cousin, and others, taught me to deer hunt. I sat in a field or by the side of the road and listened as the dogs howled while they chased deer through the woods and fields.

But I enjoyed still hunting better. I climbed a tree, situated myself in a stand, and waited. As I did, I saw a variety of animals. Birds flittering through the air, singing their songs. Squirrels barking and scampering from one tree to another—sometimes the very tree I sat in. Fox or bobcats moseying through the fields. A turkey here and there, gobbling for a mate.

Again, I concluded these animals didn’t just appear, any more than I or any other human had. Someone was responsible.

Job knew it also. His life was in shambles, fair-weather friends told him God was punishing him for unconfessed sin, but Job knew better. God was responsible for his existence—and for his state of affairs.

When I came through public school, teachers still taught creation as an option for everything’s existence. Sadly, this is no longer true. Secular evolution reigns as the explanation for our appearance. But chance, even if controlled by some force, is a fickle reason to base everything’s existence upon.

Personally, I’d rather believe a loving God is responsible for the world’s existence, as well as everything on this planet—me included. Nature points to this conclusion—and it always has, which is why all people groups from the beginning of time have worshipped gods, or representations of them.

God has placed in us the knowledge that He exists and has used nature as one of His primary witnessing tools.

Don’t let a bad explanation explain away a good God.

Prayer: Father, thank You for forming a creation that witnesses of Your existence. 

Tweetable: Are you certain of God's existence? 

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Throwback Tuesday - How Did the Beginning of Time Happen? - Martin Wiles

How Did the Beginning of Time Happen?

Series: Hey God…I Have a Question

Some look at nature—including the night sky--and imagine it just happened; others see these things as God’s miracle.

I never believed all the marvels of nature merely materialized through some freak processes that were controlled by an unknown source. Of course, I was reared in a Christian home and taught about a creator God who was responsible for everything’s existence. Had I been brought up in a different culture where my God wasn’t acknowledged or known, I might have arrived at different conclusions. Read more...

Tweetable: What do you think about the beginning of time? 

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