Creational Theology: Why I Love Earth

So much of the foundational theology and worldview that guides me, and our Institute work, is a celebration of creation and creativity. The natural world, in micro and macro, expresses the personality of the Creator, and welcomes us into unseen territories within our own hearts. The worship artisan understands this idea, and forays in both heart and mind behind the veil of the created order.

For some reason, this YouTube clip on the birth of a Beluga Whale in Vancouver deeply moved me. I think I understand why. I love this earth – I love it’s dust, it’s vistas, it’s people and it’s creatures. I love it because something in me tells me I must, and something outside me tells me to try. I haven’t been hurt by it all enough to disdain it (a tsunami or a wild man), but I have been healed by it’s complexity and beauty many times over.

We cheer (like the bystanders in the clip) at birth; we weep or go silent at death. It’s the joy of beginnings, and the fear of unknown endings that seems to be common to us all.

According to the New Testament, the eternal destiny of Christians is not “the sky” or “heaven,” but rather Earth. New heaven’s around us, new earth beneath, all things made new, turned right side up, returned to Edenic glory.

I sing toward that Day.

AVAILABLE NOW

Sheltering Mercy and Endless Grace help us rediscover the rich treasures of the Psalms—through free-verse prayer renderings of their poems and hymns—as a guide to personal devotion and meditation. Sheltering Mercy helps the reader pray Psalms 1-75; Endless Grace leads in prayer through Psalms 76-150.

The church has always used the Psalms as part of its prayer life, and they have inspired countless other prayers. Each book contains 75 prayers drawn from the Book of Psalms, providing lyrical sketches of what authors Ryan Smith and Dan Wilt have seen, heard, and felt while sojourning there. Each prayer is a response to the Psalms written in harmony with Scripture. These prayers help us quiet our hearts before God and welcome us into a safe place amid the storms of life.

These artful, poetic, and classic devotional books are a perfect gift, and feature compelling stunning illustrations and hardcover binding, offering a fresh way to reflect on and pray the Psalms. Co-written with Ryan Whitaker Smith, Brazos Publishing.

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