Heaven & Earth

The spheres at right are in the Map Room of the Doge's Palace in Venice, Italy. The Doge was the ruler of Venice in days gone by.

One sphere is earth, the terrestrial sphere, and the other is the celestial sphere, in other words--heaven.

I did not know that either this room or these spheres existed until I walked into the Map Room this summer. I read the placard describing the room and nearly fell to my knees when I turned around and beheld the spheres.

I had been considering for a while that heaven and earth are similar in many ways--populated by embodied "souls," with trees and most of the other features of nature that delineate our terrestrial orb.

Is it possible that heaven and earth are in close proximity to each other? Jesus said, when he taught about his mission and explained his purpose in preaching and teaching, "The kingdom of God is near."

If heaven is where God is and where His will is perfectly done (and it is: Matthew 6:9-10 (NIV) "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, [10] your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. '") then it is not such a stretch, to my way of thinking, to consider the possibility that heaven is, perhaps, another dimension of human and natural existence.

Sounds like science fiction, doesn't it?

But what if the orbs/spheres that are in the Doge's Palace in Venice are, as near as possible, a close physical approximation of the relationship between heaven and earth?

The Financial Crisis

Much can and probably should be said about the current financial crisis that is enveloping our nation and world. Even though gas prices are going down ($2.99/gallon in Plymouth today) the stock market continues its downward plummet, having already lost about a third of its value, compared to where it was just a few long weeks ago.

Presidential candidates offer solutions that are not solutions. They act as if they alone can lead us out of this mess, when of course it is all rhetoric.

I found a couple of biblical quotes that speak, I think, to the current testimony to greed and irresponsible (at the very least) behavior of those who have "been in charge." But let's not forget that we, the American people, have been more than happy to prop up the economy with credit, living beyond our means and building up our debt rather than our savings. Hardly anyone has clean hands.

Ezekiel 22:12 (NLT) "There are hired murderers, loan racketeers, and extortioners everywhere! They never even think of me and my commands, says the Sovereign Lord."

The pain is going to hit everyone, in one way or another. The chickens have, indeed, come home to roost.

But isn't that the way it's supposed to be? When we make mistakes, whether consciously or not, the consequences are ours to bear.

Ezekiel 23:35 (Living) "Because you have forgotten me and turned your backs on me, therefore you must bear the consequence of all your sin."

But this is also a time of opportunity. It is a time when the values and principles of the church, of followers of Jesus, come to the fore and we have the chance to act out the values of hospitality, generosity and community. We now have a God-given opportunity to help our neighbors.

Perhaps this will be the catalyst for a spiritual awakening in America, perhaps even around the world.

As scripture says: 1 Tim. 6:10 (NIV) For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Many griefs.

Maybe we will turn from money as our ambition to loving the Lord and following His command to love others.

Maybe we will turn our focus from buying and selling and instead focus on proclaiming the Lord's economy of abundance released through love.

Maybe we will grasp yet another opportunity to live kingdom-focused so that God's will "will be done on earth as it is in heaven."

Maybe ...

"Jumping" Cholla

(Sorry the text runs together further on in this post. Couldn't fix it.)

My parents moved to "The Valley of the Sun" in Arizona in 1979, when Arizona was still "The Wild, Wild West." Most pickups had a gun rack in the rear window, and it was filled with a rifle or two. Just about every weekend saw a shootout in the back parking lot of some bar somewhere in the valley. Bodies were found out in the desert all the time (still are), usually there as a result of foul play. It was a good place to keep your door locked and the shades drawn.

The Valley of the Sun is the huge valley that has Phoenix in the center and is ringed by majestic mountains (purple mountain majesties). Nestled at the base of the mountains to the north is Luke Air Force Base, where they train pilots both foreign and domestic. When the U.S. sells a plane to one of our allies, we also sell the training so the other country's pilots can then fly the thing. Sounds like a sound idea to me. We used to be able (before 9/11) to go out to the end of the runway at Luke and watch the fighter jets do "touch and goes." That is when the planes glide in like they are going to land and, just before they would touch the ground, they hit the afterburners and catapult themselves up, up and away. The sound is deafening. Power, sheer power. You hear the sound ... and you feel it, too.

One of the first things my father did when I visited them in December of 1980 was point out the "Jumping" Cholla (pronounced "choya") cactus (there is one pictured at the top). These innocuous-looking desert plants are really just called cholla cactus. But it's the "jumping" part of the name that makes these things really interesting.

As you can see, this cactus is located in an area that gets a lot of foot traffic ... literally. That red section in the background that shows up about halfway up the cactus is a walking/running track that is located right next to the parking lot of the Johnson Recreation Center. The Rec Center includes a pool, weight room, saunas, tennis courts, bowling lanes, pool and billiards, arts and crafts and a whole bunch of other venues. In back of the walking/running track ( a 1/4 mile loop) is the bacci (pronounced "bochi") courts.

Lots of people hang out in this area, especially during the winter. The photo above was taken in late September, when it was 100 degrees. Not a lot of people on the walking/running track in 100 degree heat.

But the "Jumping" Cholla is there.

It's called "jumping" because little pieces will break off this kind of cactus and roll around, pushed by the wind. And invariably, these little clusters of pernicious cactus needles will end up on a pants leg, a shoe, or even directly on the skin of someone's leg (because they're wearing shorts).

The needles of the cholla are like the needles of a porcupine, then "worm" their way in, the spines enabling the needle to drill into whatever it attaches to. The stories are told of desert travelers getting a cluster of cholla needles on their boots and then finding one of the needles worming its way into a toe. The needle drilled through the boot leather and continued to work its way in, eventually hitting flesh. Ouch! Makes for a nasty infection, sometimes life-threatening when off the beaten path and far from medical help.

Needless to say, it's best to steer clear of these bad boys of the desert. They intend to hurt you. They might look harmless, but they are nasty when it comes to self-defense.

Here's the thought, or question: Why do people put nasty plants like these in places where there are lots of people? Do they have a video camera nearby that catches the moment when a cluster of cholla needles "jumps" onto someone, and then they laugh with sick joy as it happens, rubbing their hands together as they cackle a hideous laugh? Makes me wonder.

And "Jumping" Chollas make for a good perimeter security fence. Plant a bunch of these around your house and you won't have to worry about intruders. They will steer clear of these traveling infection needles. You can't find a more effective "Do Not Enter" sign.

The "Jumping" Cholla is a pretty-looking plant, almost benign in appearance. But cactus-huggers beware! There's danger in them-there needles!

And ... knowing all of this, what kind of person would put one of these in their front yard, next to the sidewalk, where a passerby could inadvertently brush his/her arm/sleeve and drag a needle cluster along for the rest of the walk, totally unaware they've got some real danger aboard?

Chollas are an inexpensive cactus for landscaping. But, really. Go out and buy a real cactus, you sicko!

(What was God thinking when He made these?! Amusement? Just creative? Needed something to go with the "Praying Mantis" or the Venus Fly Trap?)