The Intersection of Peace & Quiet

There’s probably a math whiz somewhere who could quantify the proliferation of chaos in the world. To pull off that feat would indeed be rocket science, but to a lesser degree it would be simple perception. We normal people, sans rocket science brains, can easily perceive the tremendous tumult and chaos that surrounds us. On a global scale there was Haiti last year and now Japan. People dying in large numbers due to natural disasters now seems inevitable. Has it always been this way? Are there more hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes than in the past or does it just seem that way? According to the United States Geographical Survey the number of earthquakes have remained steady over the past one hundred years. The difference they say is in the media awareness and the number of specialists in the field of research. If an earthquake hit Japan in 1900 it would take time for the news to reach America and we would not see the reality of the devastation for months. Today a natural disaster is literally seconds away from worldwide news. In 1931 there were 350 seismograph monitoring stations and now there are 4000.

I know little about the science of natural disasters so I will leave it to the experts to determine if the number of events is increasing. I work in an area where chaos can’t be determined by experts or by science. Having seen the aftermath of post-earthquake Haiti proves that chaos can be both seen and proven. Having looked myself in the mirror for years proves that chaos is also an unseen foe that disrupts the spiritual balance of people of faith. If you look chaos up in a dictionary you will find definitions such as complete disorder; jumble; and, confusion. A patently Christian definition is based on comparisons: the lack of peace; and, turmoil in life. In essence, chaos is the opposite of peace. Think of a cacophony of awful noise and then think of a moment of peace and the unique quiet found in therein.

We can’t do anything about natural disasters but be prepared to react and help those who fall victim. We can, however, do something about the general chaos so common to life: we can eradicate it through communion with God. We can ask God to alleviate the source of the chaos. We can actually say no to a bad choice. We can separate ourselves from chaos-inducing practices. We can be still and know that God is. Peace beats the heck out of chaos! I bet even rocket scientists would agree with that assessment!

Michael McCullar

New Bible or "New" Bible

It’s a warm lovely Saturday afternoon and I’m sitting in my 400-square-foot study finishing up tomorrow’s words. Sunday comes around every seven days and in ministry one has to be ready mentally, emotionally, and spiritually; if not, it shows. Today is sweet though as I’m using my new Bible. I sprung for a new large print model that is wide rather than tall and as such fits on podiums, lecterns and pulpits and doesn’t protrude over the top. I decided large print was in my near future after having trouble reading the small print during a teaching session last week. The lights were dimmed for video and when the time came for reading scripture to the group, I had trouble making out the words. I have new glasses! The only option was to buy a large print Bible.

My new Bible is quite cool with its unique shape, large margins for making teaching notes, and the bigger font size. But in reality, it’s basically the same as all of my other copies of scripture. The Bible is the Bible is the Bible, right? Yes, I know that the version or translation type means something; and some prefer the older versions they grew up with, but in the end it is still God’s Word for humankind. So as I’m sitting here reading, praying, and writing, I’m aware that it’s up to me to make the Bible new to me. Ask yourself this question: “Have you read a verse or section of scripture dozens of times only to have it jump out at you as if you’d completely missed it all along?” I have, and each time it happens, I smile as I remember how powerful this book can be. In preparing to write on Paul’s letters to Timothy & Titus I read each letter five times before writing the first word. As soon as I began writing I encountered a verse on prayer that I could’ve sworn wasn’t in there the last time I’d read it. Where did that come from? Scripture became new to me that day; and while I will admit this doesn’t happen every day or even every week, there are times that the Bible morphs into our lives in new and profound ways.

So here I sit hoping my cool, odd-shaped large print Bible goes all new on me. If not, there’s always tomorrow.

Michael McCullar