Beautiful

When we hear the word "beautiful" what do you think about? Movie stars, fashion models, a majestic landscape perhaps? God showed me a new use for the word "beautiful" this week at work . . . in a most unusual way.

They say that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. A man might look at a woman and think that she's beautiful, while that same woman looks at herself in the mirror and sees ugliness. But SEEING beauty is only part of what the word beautiful means. Have you ever experienced beauty? Actually felt it?

Two days ago at work I sensed someone walk up behind me as I sat in my workstation. Suddenly there was a hand on my shoulder and a man's voice said, "I'm leaving now."

I recognized the voice. It was that of my long-time friend and boss who was about to head off to the Mayo Clinic for an experimental medical procedure. He knew it's going to be painful. He's had several of these operations before.

Getting up out of my chair, I gave him a hug. As I did so he whispered, "Please pray for me" in my ear. I told him that I would and then asked, "You wanna do that right now?" He said, "Sure."

So we both walked into a nearby office - the one where his wife works. The three of us put our arms around each other and we prayed. And do you know what THAT is?

Beautiful.

I find myself reminded of the story in Acts 3 about the apostles and a beggar. The later is trying to get to the gate of the temple called Beautiful.

"3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. ² Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. ³ When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. ⁴ Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” ⁵ So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

⁶ Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” ⁷ Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. ⁸ He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. ⁹ When all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰ they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him." - Acts 3:3-10

If our bodies are "a temple" as it says in 1 Corinthians 6:19, where do you suppose OUR Beautiful Gate is? I think the gate is our hearts. When my friend approached me this week he was playing the role of the beggar. God placed me in the role of Peter. I didn't have anything I could give my friend that would satisfy his need for healing. But what I do have I can give him. So I took him to God in prayer and, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I prayed for healing just like Peter did.

Will God heal my friend? I do not know. But if He does I bet my friend will be walking and jumping, and praising God.

Is there someone in your life right now who needs prayer? Open up the door of your beautiful gate and let them into the temple.

Beauty From Pain - Superchick
We Live - Superchick

The Most Beautiful Thing

It is said that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Do you think that's true? I don't know. There are some pretty ugly people in the world. I see one in my mirror every morning. :O

Who decides what is beautiful and what is not. Is it us? Or is it the world we live in? And if someone is blind, is EVERYBODY beautiful? Or are they all ugly?

Why are only women called beautiful and not men? Men get to be called handsome? These are all questions whose answers are beyond me.

I have several friends at work, both men and women. They are all beautiful friends in MY eyes. It's not their outward beauty that makes me call them beautiful. Rather, it is what I see "inside" that radiates.

There can be danger in telling someone you think they are beautiful. I think that word is something best reserved for when two people know each other well. Then the recipient of the word knows the intention of the deliverer and things can be understood.

Did you know that God thinks we are beautiful? He does. Ecclesiastes 3 says, "He has made everything beautiful." Here's more "beautiful" evidence from First Peter.

^"3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward - arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel - ⁴ rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God." - 1 Peter 3:3-4

So to all of my friends and family members out there - you are all beautiful!!!

The following is a short video about something beautiful. I encourage you to watch it. I did. Twice.

The Most Beautiful Thing - A Cameron Covell Film

Tiger By The Tail

One of the reasons I like taking long walks on the Ice Age Trail is because of the things I get to see along the way. For example, I got to see this today. Do you know what it is? It's a beautiful example of God's creation.

Although I did not take this picture I know exactly what this picture is because of something I used to do as a kid. I spent many summers in Michigan and Wisconsin chasing these illusive creatures around our yard and the vacant lot across the street. Let's zoom out a bit.

Wow! Quite a design wouldn't you say? It's hard for me to believe, as some people do, that we all came from a spontaneous spark and that we are all just examples of random chance. Yet that is what is being taught in our schools. Our children learn many "contrary" things in our educational system. Evolution is just one of them.

In the Bible we are told that it was GOD who created all things. And you know what? I believe it. All I have to do is take a look around me as I walk through the woods. The evidence is everywhere for us all to see.

24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good." - Genesis 1:24-25

This final picture I actually DID take on my walk along the Ice Age Trail yesterday. It's challenging to see how close I can get before these things fly away. Even at this distance though it is rather obvious that this insect is something special. It is incredibly beautiful and actually becomes MORE beautiful the closer you get to it. The closer we get to God's creation, the more impressed we become with it's designer.

God is an amazing at what He does. We humans keep trying to out-do God but the more we try, the more obvious our failure becomes. Why can't we just accept the fact the God created the heavens and the earth and move on. The evidence is quite compelling.

"Let those who have ears to hear, let them hear.

"19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made." - Romans 1:19-20

Tiger Swallowtails at The Beach

I Once Was Blind But Now I See

Scrolling down through my Facebook news feed yesterday, I came upon this quote. "If the whole world was blind, who would you impress?" - Boonaa Mohammed.

I thought about that statement for a moment and wondered what the world would be like if none of us could see. "You know, there might just be something to that statement, " I thought to myself. At least at first blush.

Think out it. We wouldn't have to worry about what to wear because no one could see us. For that matter, we wouldn't have to wear ANYTHING! We would probably just wear something comfortable - to keep us warm instead of wearing something that looks good in the eyes of someone else.

If we couldn't see, we wouldn't be tempted by members of the opposite sex who like to flaunt their "stuff". No more "heaving breasts", as my wife calls them, by women trying to get a man's attention. There also would be no more ogling a man's abs or his "ripped" physique for the women. None of these things could be seen.

There would be no need to design fancy, eye-catching sports cars if we all were blind. "Sounds nice" could be our only comment. No need for beautiful architecture. We couldn't see a building until we ran into it!

And if you were walking towards a 1000-foot cliff, wouldn't you rather have your sight?

If we were totally blind, physical beauty would mean nothing. The most beautiful man or woman in the world could be standing next to us and we wouldn't notice. The same could be said for the ugliest person. Beauty and ugliness would not have the same meanings as they do now. So is that opening quote correct? I think not.

The quote I opened with DOES have true meaning if you live a life without Christ. The quote only rings true from a secular world view and therefore, in my opinion, falls short.

So I thought I would modify the quote by Boonaa Mohammed, whoever that is, and come up with one of my own. One that fits the life God wants us to live.

"If the whole world could see through the eyes of God, who would be left to impress?" - Bob Hall

Think about that for a moment. If everyone worshiped the God of The Bible there would be no more war. There would be no more fighting, only peace. There would be no more beauty contests. There would be no need for People Magazine to designate the Sexiest Man Alive. No one would care about that. Only love for ALL.

When we see a beautiful landscape before our eyes, I would rather praise God and admire His Creation. If I was blind I would not even know that beautiful view was there. I would be missing the beauty I was meant to see when God gave me my two eyes.

Tough question of the day: If a person could only know Jesus by what they saw in you, would they see Him? Or would they still be blind to the truth?

Ouch.

I will leave you with a few verses today.

“Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?" - Luke 6:39

And this one . . .

"29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” - John 20:29

This is a sculpture of the veiled Christ . . . by blind sculptor Felice Tagliaferri. Incredible!

Makeup!

My wife and I went out for a date on Valentine's Day. Normally, we don't do anything TOO special - a card . . . maybe dinner of a simple gift. But this year we did something a little extra special - we got tickets to see Chris Botti, our favorite jazz trumpet player, who was performing in Green Bay.

Hours before the show began, my wife began getting herself ready. She has an entire procedure she goes through when she is getting ready to go out in public. I can't even begin to describe all the logistics, the application techniques, the color combinations, foundations, blushes . . . I just simply call it . . . makeup.

My wife doesn't really need any makeup in my opinion. She always looks beautiful in my eyes. But she must see some imperfections that I cannot see when she looks in the mirror. Whether they exist or not, she spends time each day trying to conceal her perceived imperfections.

As we were walking through the parking lot of the Weidner Center, on the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay campus, we saw lots of beautiful people. Many were being chauffeur-driven to the front doors. Others walked on the same sidewalk and my wife and I.

There was one couple directly in front of us. The man had kind of a Rand Paul look to him - long coat down to his knees, man-scarf, no hat covering his perfectly trimmed, salt-and-pepper hair. I probably looked equally stunning in my blue jeans, 25-year old winter jacket and Wisconsin Badger ski cap. Mmm. Maybe, but probably not.

The woman he was escorting was very beautiful . . . from what I could see of her. Her stockings had no snags or runs in them. Her high heels made her walk like she was going some place . . . or had already arrived. Very nice. She must have spent as much time getting ready for the concert as her date had, with much the same result.

Why do people get dressed up so fancy anyway? Why do people put on airs about who they are, utilizing makeup to hide every blemish, real or imagined?

When the concert started I noticed that Chris Botti had on a very nice suit. So did the two ladies who performed with him. But the rest of the band? Dress shirts and bluejeans. At least seeing what they were wearing made me feel a little more stylish about MY evening's wardrobe selection.

Slight change of direction here but what kind of clothes do you wear for church? Fancy? Laid back? Does it matter? And what about our religious leaders? What about The Pope? The Cardinals?  Bishops & Priests? Your pastor. Is the minister of your church the flowing robe and vestments type? Or is he a Hawaiian shirt and sandals kind of guy? Does he put on any makeup so his face doesn't cause a glare for the live-streaming video feed?

I think I am more of the John The Baptist type, when it comes to going out to dinner or dressing up. Camels hair coat and locusts for me, thank you very much. But why do we feel the need to dress up and look . . . rich? What does God think?

". . . women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire," - 1 Timothy 2:9

"But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” - 1 Samuel 16:7

Hey, there's a thought. What would happen if we all appeared to each other as we appear through the eyes of God? Would we be a little more understanding of each others dress? Or less? The Bible says that when God looks at us, in effect, He sees Jesus. God sees no imperfections. Yet, because God sees everything, he DOES see our imperfections and loves us just the same.

Hmm, I wonder. If none of us ever dressed up. If we dressed with modesty and self-control as it says in First Timothy, would the world in which we live be a better or worse place as a result? It wouldst be a better place, me thinkst.

Perhaps if we spent more time preparing our hearts and minds to come into the presence of God, we would ALL see the time as being an investment, not a waste. May the time we spend preparing ourselves in service of our King far outweigh the time we waste carrying the burden of men's opinions on our shoulders where they do not belong.

"13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” - Revelation 5:13

Amen.

Emmanuel - from Chris Botti In Boston (feat. violinist Luci Micarelli)