Reading Through The Bible in 2011, Part 1

What I read today: Genesis 1 & 2.

What jumped out: Genesis 1: 26-27, "Then God said, 'Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.' God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them."

Random thoughts about what I read:

In my home, I'm surrounded by artists. Tracy is a photographer and has a knack for snapping a photograph of a person at precisely the moment they're revealing their true self. Kelsey's paintings and sculptures and empty canvases are all over our house (along with the paint splatters on the floor) and writes novels in her spare time. Shelby has stage presence just walking through life (and when she was a dancer she could hit the stage and draw your attention), but her current interests in fashion and style highlight her ability to take something old and put it on and make it new.

Me?

Not so much.

Failed starts and stops on books, novels, shorts stories, et al.
iPhoto loaded with bad photos.
Journals with plenty of awful poetry and songwriting.
I can't sketch or draw or paint.
My singing is horrible.
The number of instruments I've picked up and put down is staggering.

But manalive do I *appreciate* art.

I *feel* it.

Try standing next to a priceless painting at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam sometime.
Let the first few power chords of a Social Distortion song rattle your chest.
Hammer through some Dostoevsky sometime and all you can do is say, "wow" when you close the book.
Go see "Stomp" off-Broadway and be impressed by the hullaballoo but then inspired by the message you never saw coming.
Have Dr. Suess or Sesame Street make points whether you're 3 or 103.
Watch a brilliant comedic television show like "Arrested Development" and be amazed by the hilarity of simple observation.
Attend a movie and have Toy Story 3 make you cry in 3D.

Artists create.

And those creations are meant to get a response. I mean, books are published. Paintings/sculptures displayed. Songs are performed. Dances are attended. Shows are watched. Movies are seen. And so it goes.

In Genesis 1 & 2, God creates in this passage.

A lot.

The Hebrew word (bara) implies "fashioning something new, fresh, and perfect."

God fashioned it all, man. Quite literally. Oh, yeah. I have no trouble with this being a historical event. Not an allegory or whatever. History. Like Thomas Jefferson.

It was new. It was a vast wasteland. Then there was light. Then heaven. Then water & land. Veggies. The universe. Critters. It was all fresh. It was all perfect. You can get all bogged down in how long the days were and how old the earth is and whether or not Adam had a belly-button if you want. I'll just say "days" and be done with it.

Then God created mankind...starting with Adam. A historical guy. Like Thomas Jefferson.

In His image. You can get all bogged down in what all that entails if you want. I'll just say the point is that mankind is uniquely different from the animals and bears the image of God Himself.

I'm thinking about the display of God's creation today.

In the last week or so, I've seen some cool things going on in the night sky. I've seen the foothills of the Appalachians. I've seen trees. I've seen my dog be as cute as can be and some cool fish & stuff on the Discovery Channel's 3D television station. It's all been on display.

And I didn't slow down and take the time to drink it in like I did in Amsterdam. I didn't let it rattle my chest. I didn't say "wow" and I didn't let the message inspire me. I didn't get the point. I didn't catch the subtle messages. I didn't cry.


And, I'm wishing that I'd paid more attention to the climax of God's creation: The people I came in contact with. Those historical masterpieces. My resolution? To drink people in. Let them rattle my chest. Say wow. Be more inspired by them. Study them to get their points and subtleties. To experience life with them.

In short...

...to love what God created more in 2011. Whatever that might look like.

(tomorrow's reading: Genesis 3-5)