Friday, January 14, 2011

Glorious Craft...

From the ends of the earth -- to my back porch, we all know what this is...

Could it be a message to the world, spoken in the universal?

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

"Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.



"There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth,
Their words to the end of the world."
~Psalm 19:1-4



The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of His hands...

~~

indeed

~~~

15 comments:

Joe said...

I am flummoxed at the idea that anyone could look at creation and think it happened by accident. The glory of God is shouted from every atom, molecule, organism and mineral!

tha malcontent said...

Marvelous. There aren't enough words to describe that.
I agree with what Joe said.

Susannah said...

Joe & Mal~ Thanks for stopping by. Just had to share these w/ some friends!

Look @ that & think it was some kind of accident? No way...Marvelous, indeed!

Ducky's here said...

Actually very nice, but I got finished shoveling 20 inches of the stuff Wednesday so I may not notice the beauty right now.

Z said...

wait, this California girl needs to know "WHAT?" are those superimposed by you or are those real snow flakes?

Susannah said...

Duck, you made it!! Yeah, I understand. And these actually turned to ice eventually, which makes for nasty driving conditions. But, man-o-man is it lovely to see it in singular...

Z, darling! It's the REAL THING, baby! Our weather-girl says they only fally like this (so clearly distinguishable) when the air is "very cold & very dry." Can you just see millions of angels sitting around w/ God, all with teeny-tiny ice chisels, carving each & every facet of each & every flake? Wow. As Mal says, "There aren't enough words to describe that."

BetteJo said...

Those are some beautiful pics Susannah! They are amazing, aren't they? I am sure many would sit and tell you all about weather conditions and condensation and God knows what else - hey that's the point - God DOES know! :)

Love the wood on your porch too, wonderful backdrop for those incredible snow flakes.

Craig said...

Lovely pics, Susannah. Being a builder, the first thing I noticed was the oxidation around the screw indentations on your deck. It wasn't til' the 2nd or 3rd pic I realized you were referring to the snowflakes. I'm dense that way.

Yes, aren't the laws of physics grand? I don't mean to be a wet blanket, but merely offer a different perspective. You said,

Our weather-girl says they only fally like this (so clearly distinguishable) when the air is "very cold & very dry."

Maybe there is a supreme intelligence that set things up the way they are but isn't it fascinating that the formation of ice crystals, whether by their physical properties or being acted on by angels with chisels, are inextricably bound by the conditions in which they form. i.e., temperature and humidity.

It is complex and beautiful and someone at some time, looked at them and had their curiosity sparked. They wanted to know how and why such an intricate formation occurred. Science discovered how crystals form, the molecular bonds, how the bonds change under certain conditions, etc. Today, crystallization is the foundation of nano-technology. We (as in human beans) can predict and manipulate crystal formation to our advantage.

It's not as poetic as angels with chisels but just as awe inspiring.

My point isn't to prove or disprove God. My point is, the laws of nature/physics, are endlessly fascinating and never change. A miracle would be an observable phenomenon outside the laws.

Thanks, again, for the photos. Nice work.

USA_Admiral said...

Wonderful pictures. Wonderful words to go with the pictures.

As you also said, "Indeed".

Susannah said...

Craig! I'm so glad you came by! Funny, the things we notice depending on our perspective, no? Besides the flakes, I'm partial to the wood grains; but my husband would notice what you did - the nail piercings.

"...aren't the laws of physics grand? I don't mean to be a wet blanket..."
Oh, you're not a wet blanket at all! And yes, the laws of Physics are grand, & amazing, & stubborn in their consistency.

"My point is, the laws of nature/physics, are endlessly fascinating and never change."
Marvelous, indeed! And the Maker of said Laws is glorious & grand, & endlessly fascinating & never changes!
Heb. 13:8
Rev. 1:8

"It is complex and beautiful and someone...looked at them and had their curiosity sparked. They wanted to know how and why such an intricate formation occurred."
An exquisitely gracious gift, that we have the capacity for such inquisitiveness. Indeed.

"We...can predict and manipulate crystal formation to our advantage."
We have the capacity for exploring the bounds of that creativity! Wow.

Wonder: from whence the capacity for such creativity (& the desire for exploring it) arise?

(Hint: It's in the snowflakes.)

Incidentally, this post's working title was "Glorious Creativity."

Indeed.

Susannah said...

USA! Great to see you! My 11 y/o's camera did a fine job, no? ;)
Thanks for coming by.

(Got Mel Gibson yet?)

Craig said...

Marvelous, indeed! And the Maker of said Laws is glorious & grand, & endlessly fascinating & never changes!

I'm kinda dumb when it comes to biblical stuff, but isn't it His moral law that never changes? All those miracles in there certainly suspend (change) the laws of physics.

Susannah said...

Fuzz! Terrific, no? I've never quite seen snowflakes like this before!! What a surprise -- & I got to share the experience w/ my children, too. Yes, wow.

Susannah said...

Craig~ I see 2-3 things going on at the same time here...

1) "...moral law that never changes?"
God never said He was a moral law that never changes. When Moses asked, 'who are you?' God said, "I am, that I am" Exodus 3:14.

In Malachi 3:6 He said, "For I am the Lord; I do not change..."

The author of Hebrews said in 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today & forever."

In Revelation 4:8 the praises of God were, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord, God Almighty; who was, and is, and is to come." (Here's a great song about it.)

2) Re: "suspending/changing the laws of physics" --
Is it not the Potter's prerogative to do what she wants with the clay? to create, shape or reshape? Is it not the weaver's to do with the wool what he will? Does the clay have the power to dictate to the Potter, or the wool to the weaver? Are they not the subject of their master's discretion & will? Such are the Laws of Physics under the hands of their Creator...

3) Snowflakes are not a miracle, & I didn't say they were. You mentioned miracle, not me.

What I did say was how GLORIOUS is the creativity of God, that even the common snowflake is exquisite in it's design & construction. Miracles are a different matter altogether...

Craig, do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not grow tired or weary, and his wisdom is inscrutable.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Even when you or I grow tired or weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31, btw)
That's a promise. Should you choose to believe it. And it is a choice, dear friend.

Susannah said...

Btw, my 1-16-11 post gives a curtsy to you, Craig...Thought you might like to know.