GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION
And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17
For those of us growing up with a picture of Jesus the shepherd holding a little lamb, it is challenging to view him as cosmic as the scriptures present him. It is vital that we recognize him as the Son of God who became man and dwelt among us, but he was before that. His majesty is portrayed in everything that exists. He was and is eternal and transcendent. Everything was created for him -- to glorify him -- to display him. Everything is moving toward a time when every eye shall see that everything is summed up in him. He is the purpose of creation. He is the agent of creation. He is the sustainer of creation. He is the redeemer of creation. All the thoughts of the Godhead are made manifest in him.
Sadly, most of us are blind to his glory. We can only see a world where mankind is the center. We worry that mankind is destroying creation without any thought to who finally makes final decisions about his realm. People spend tons of wasted time and energy worrying about the conspiracies that are under the control of evil, thinking that evil will decide what happens to God's creation. They should check with the one whose word holds it together.
It is true that creation works better when mankind cooperates with his design. When we try to alter the way he instructs in managing it, things go awry. But, we should make no mistake that he will bring things to pass in the right time to fulfill his purpose for all of creation. That means that our first priority is to know and love him. Nothing is more serious or more urgent. When we know the one who created it all and who now holds it together, we have great hope. Without that, we are at the mercy of blind men and evil forces.
Look to him!
DUDLEY HALL -- Five-year old Sam and his dad were on a hike through some pretty thick woods. Sam began aggressively stomping on the briars in their path.
"What are you doing, Sam?' asked his dad.
"The man is going out of me," he declared.
"Have you being talking to Papa?" his dad wanted to know.
"Yes, Papa told me that when I do hard things without whining, the man comes out in me.
A few days earlier Sam and I (as you may have guessed -- I'm Papa) went on an outing together. Before sleep one night he wanted to hear another scary story.
"Have I told you about the time my older sister took me on a deep trek through the woods for a picnic? Well, we found an old holly tree that was hanging out over a stream. We carved our initials in it, and it was always a special place for me."
Sam wanted us to do the same the next morning. So, we dressed in our hiking boots and grabbed a water bottle. The trail was rough. Sam began to whine as the sharp bushes and briars clawed at his clothing. That was the setting for the "man story" Sam was remembering on the hike with his dad. I told him how God created humans to be his partners on earth. They were designed and assigned to subdue the earth. They were made to overcome whatever obstacles they faced in fulfilling their assignment. "You are male and even though you are young, you have a man's design in you. As you face obstacles and find a way to overcome them, the man inside you comes out." Sam began to take delight in finding ways over or around the blockades to our goal. By the way, we did find a suitable tree, and our initials are carved there for a memorial.
When we as members of society lose the sense that we are created by God for a particular purpose, we find it easy to whine and make excuses. We can even make a case for abandoning the journey and going back to comfort. So many opportunities to solve the problems in front of us are aborted simply because it is painful or inconvenient. We keep the man or woman inside from growing. In times of trouble we find ourselves paralyzed. In old age can we find ourselves still whining.
We are created to partner with God on earth. What a privilege! He is the invisible but not silent partner. He has all the resources necessary to get the job done. He is not dependent on other sources or circumstances. He leads us headlong into problems because he loves doing for us what looks like can't be done. He delights in opening the sea for his people to cross. He has no problem dropping bread from heaven. He provides a donkey for the Messiah to ride. He has an unused tomb for Jesus to spend the weekend in before his resurrection. He hasn't given up on planet earth just because there are big problems. We are designed for this. We can stop trying to escape, stop trying to just survive, and instead put our energy and focus on finding out what our partner wants to do.
Jesus said that his sheep hear his voice. His sheep are those who have trusted him alone for their reconciliation to God the Father. Having been reconciled, they again hear the plans and purposes of their God-Savior-Partner. They are as secure in the Father's love as Jesus the eternal Son is. They know that nothing can snatch them from the Father's hand. As they embrace each other, they will permeate the earth with his kingdom. There is much to be done and no time to whine. We are made for more.
As I read my Bible I often have wondered what it would have been like to have been there observing the story as it unfolds — to have seen Moses part the Red Sea, to have seen Elijah on Mt. Carmel opposite the prophets of Baal, to have seen the crucifixion.
For me it’s always good to watch movies about the Bible because it helps bring the 
story to life, to help me realize the struggles and issues real people dealt with. Instead of just reading the stories out of the Bible and having to use my limited imagination, I can see what things could have been like. It always gives me a fresh perspective and helps me to better understand what the Bible is saying.
Wm. Paul Young does just that with his latest book Eve: A Novel.
He is the author of The Shack, a controversial yet great book on the love of God and the struggles we have with evil, forgiveness and our own self-righteousness. This time he writes a fictional work about the creation of mankind as seen through the eyes of The Witness, Lilly, a young girl who washed ashore inside a shipping container on an island between our world and the next.
Eve gets the chance to see the creation of humanity. This is a compelling story that gives us a deeper glimpse into the heart of God for humanity. Many times we read the creation story in the Bible but it’s very short without much detail. Young takes the liberty to give us an understanding of what it could have been like. The heart of God, and his great love for humanity, is well depicted in this story.
I believe that some Christians will struggle with the author’s depiction of creation and the storyline. They will cry out that the theology is wrong. But they will not take notice that it’s a novel. As many Christians had issues with The Shack, I am sure they will find issues with Eve: A Novel. For those that liked The Shack, I believe you will love Eve: A Novel. For those that didn’t, well you probably won’t like this one either.
For those willing to read with an open heart and mind they will discover a well-written story that 
desires to show us the greatness of God’s amazing love, grace and compassion for his creation. It will help you to see the longing God has for man, even after Adam’s fall. It will help you to get a better grasp of our free will and the great risk God took in giving us this gift.
This is certainly not a theology book, nor it is a systemic study of God’s nature. It’s a fictional story. However, from what I understand in my reading about the book, Young took a lot of time studying creation, especially a Jewish perspective. For me, it brought creation alive. It made me feel as if I were there witnessing the creation of humanity out of the very energy and life of the Father, Son and Spirit.
A perfect Being, who needed nothing, willing to create a free-will creation, capable of loving or rejecting Him is masterfully told in a compelling tale of trust, doubt, fear, questions, reassurances, and love.
For me personally, the book helped me to see God’s love in a deeper, more personal way. One part of the book really ministered to me. There is a place in the book where Adam feels lost. God responds by telling Adam that he is never lost because Adam is in God and God is never lost. This spoke to me in a very profound way because of some personal struggles and issues I was facing. 
What I liked about the book was the way I could see God’s love for humanity through the vivid imagery the author used to tell the story. I also liked his use of everyone’s struggles, fears, and doubts. His telling of the temptation and the subtleness of the enemy (satan) was a great reminder that the devil is truly subtle and conniving in his desire to destroy humanity.
The main thing I didn’t like about the book was that it took me a while to really get into it. I struggled to get through the first couple of chapters. Unlike The Shack, the story didn’t grab me right off the bat. However, a couple of chapters in I was hooked and didn’t want to put the book down.
Overall, I really liked this book, just not as much as The Shack. I would recommend it as good read.