Follow the Clues . . .

Proverbs 25:2 — It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.

The other day Mary Ann and I dropped our girls off at camp. On the way home we stopped at a roadside cut that we know has had some fossilized shells impressions in the past. I'd been really looking forward to it, as I haven't been fossil hunting in awhile. The spot is miles from the ocean, and in mountains high above it, and it is to me a wonderful place to collect evidence of the flood of Noah.

Arriving at the spot, we looked at where we usually find fossils and found some good, small ones. I then decided to look for some new veins of fossils in the bent shale layers. After some searching along the road I found a couple small impressions in the sluff pile below the large cliff. We started to scale the slide area, looking for clues to where the vein of fossils might be in the wall, and soon started to see some other impressions, still in the matrix of the wall. Out come the rock chisels and hammers . . . and soon we were rewarded with a beauty! I have include the rest of the series of pictures below so you can share in the fun of the hunt! (Clicking on each picture will give you an enlarged view of it where you can really see the fossils!)

In following those clues and finding the "treasure" I am reminded of the coming of Christ, by Whose death and our faith we are united back to God, with God Himself dwelling in us. This mystery of the ages, set in place from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4) was a plan God had in place for the fullness of time, when Christ would come. But it was not a plan without clues, as the entire Old Testament points to this moment and foreshadows it. In fact, Christ is the best lens I have found to interpret the Old Testament through.

God has left His "clues" all around us. Evidence of His hand. Examples of His love and power. Testimonies of His love. It is but for us to step in and explore them. He invites us to "taste and see that He is good" (Psalm 34:8). The evidence for His existence, the evidence for the truth of Genesis (hence of the Bible), the evidence of His involvement in our lives . . . it surrounds us! In fact, regarding the evidence of His existence that is found in Creation alone—He says in Romans 1 that it is so evident that man is without excuse to deny Him!

I love God's "clues"! I love the nudges of the Holy Spirit, the glimpse of His hand, the breath of His leading. I love to follow the "clues" and take the trail and see where He leads. He is so good. May you enjoy the journey of following Him. I think He enjoys leaving us the clues, and having fun with us as well!

(Note: If you are on Facebook, and you enjoy being blessed through God's Creation, you might enjoy "liking" my daughters' and my page "Just a Closer Look" where we put macro parts of a picture from Creation that we've taken and people guess what it is. Even if you don't guess, it is a lot of fun and it encourages us to be still and know that He is God.)

Roses Correction

I did a little "homework" and found out that the roses I wrote about a few days ago from Mission San Antonio do not go back to the Padres, but were "only" planted in the Mission's garden over 50 years ago in the 1960s. So, while I won't be smelling the same lifestock the Padres smelled, they do come from the same Mission they built and soil they walked and tended. The point of it all being, it is not about the roses, but the heritage. The enemy would, I believe, love to convince Christians they are alone, fighting in futility, not part of anything big or meaningful, etc. The truth is, though, that we are each a part of God's plan and mystery of the ages—a plan in place from before the foundation of the earth, a plan to unite things in Him and to restore us to Him, and to dwell Himself within us! It is an amazing and huge plan—stunning that a Holy God would desire it!—and you and I are the next to pick up the baton from those who have, in centuries prior, walked in His plan and prayed for and plowed and planted spiritual seeds in the region you are called to. Don't let the enemy rob you of who you are in Christ, and the reality that you are a vital participant in the greatest plan in eternity! Take the baton and run! Look to the finish! The next generation is there, their hand outstretched to take it!