workin' for the weekend

Check this out.

GOD creates everything...including mankind, His greatest creation.

Everything is perfect...PERFECT (i.e. "very good" cf. Gen 1.31).

Satan comes along and messes things up, and GOD's greatest creation falls.

::GOD PRESENT TO MAN::
GOD rebukes the man telling him, "By the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken..." (Gen 3.19 ESV). In other words man is forced to work extra hard to survive because GOD had met every provision in the Garden before the fall. Man's work in the Garden was joyful and enjoyed in the presence of GOD. But, since man fell in "knowing" sin, access to GOD's provisions were going to be more work-intensive.

Another perspective.

::MAN PRESENT TO GOD::
Man's fall from GOD was a result of man acquiring sin, and, thus, GOD could not be intimate with man (otherwise Holy GOD would "know" sin and cease to be GOD). Without that intimacy man's knowing GOD becomes more difficult—man has to "work" to be intimate with GOD (i.e. praying, animal sacraments, multiple rules/guidelines). Conjunctively, man has to labor in presenting GOD to others.

Think of it this way…introducing GOD to someone new in the Garden would've been like introducing a newborn baby to air. Now, we have

Maybe that's why church staff has to work so hard to create a weekly environment wherein GOD is invited so that others can meet Him. There are SO many variables and aesthetic elements that are pieced together to achieve this ambiance, and we sometimes work ourselves to the bone to get it done in hopes that people will disconnect from their world and breathe the "newborn" air of GOD omni-present. In some ways we have to bring GOD to the people. Come to think of it…if man hadn’t fallen, the Church wouldn’t even exist. Huh…

it's friday but sunday's comin'

the green lilypad

This post is nearly verbatim to Holly's most recent post, which features our "new" home. The agreement is in principle...i.e. we have an agreed price with the seller! (How sad is it that I'm so busy that I can't even post my own blogs!?) Pics of the new pad are below.

Yeah, it's green. It was previously a sand color in a previous season. Maybe we're buying a house with reptilian paint...didn't see it in the seller's disclosure...hmm...

The patio behind the garage in the backyard. Right now it's a cement slab, but we'd eventually like to build a full deck that reaches around to the master bedroom (the double window). We'd remove the double window and put in a slider window for deck access.

Backyard. Insert golden retriever and frisbee here.

The patio that needs work.

Your typical garage with kitchen access.

Kitchen. Voila.

Kitchen again.

The kitchen corner that is our dining "room".

Living room with wood burning fireplace.

First bedroom.

Second bedroom.

Master bedroom.

Downstairs family room / great room / rec room / future theater room / wet bar room / SWEET room.

See above...just without the pool table (it ain't staying unfortunately).

Downstairs family room / great room / rec room / future theater room / wet bar room / SWEET room + second wood burning fireplace.

Fourth bedroom downstairs with 3/4 bath.

Hope you enjoyed the tour...through a house that isn't QUITE ours yet...and still with the previous tenant's stuff. Hope even MORE you can enjoy a tour (i.e. a STAY) with us in near future once we're actually moved in.

Till then...it's back to work. Someone mentioned Easter comes this Sunday...