Most of us spend our lives chasing various adventures. It might be amusement parks, or exotic vacations. It might be exploring national parks, or visiting foreign lands.

What we tend to forget is that life’s greatest adventure is… well… life itself.

We might even make the connection between life’s experiences and the concept that we are all the product of the ultimate higher power – that power we call God. Now comes the debate.

How can we justify the idea that we are the subjects of a loving God, yet that same God allows us to suffer the painful events and moments of our lives?

Our handicap is that we are making that judgement with the skill-set and knowledge of a human being. But, just suppose we consider that a Supreme Being or our Creator would have a greater understanding of what we need to fulfill our destiny of becoming a fully developed spiritual being.

What if experiencing pain is what we need to fully appreciate pleasure?  What if darkness is what we need to completely appreciate the light? What if disappointment is the polar opposite of gratitude?

What if feeling hate and anger, as vile as they may be, are absolutely necessary to fully appreciate the immense power of love?

Perhaps experiencing  the full range of emotions is an essential ingredient for a fully developed spiritual being.

Perhaps a loving God would allow us to experience all the negative emotions so that we could fully and completely the joy and love of our existence after physical death. If that is the case, even our greatest pain is actually a gift from a loving God.

Each of us, in our lifetime, will carry the burden of pain. Perhaps our prayers should be the strength to bare our pain rather than to be relieved of it.

Perhaps life’s greatest adventure is the countless opportunities to connect with our Creator and experience His love when we need it most.

There are probably few parts of the Bible that are more familiar than the beginning passages in the book of Genesis. There are also few parts of the Bible that are harder to believe than those same passages.

Gone are the days of superstitious beliefs. Today, we judge the stories of the Bible with the tools of current technology and education. We are confronted with an understanding of science that tells us that the earth, and the animal and vegetable inhabitants evolved over the course of millions of years – not seven days as the Bible would suggest.

We are faced with conflicting elements that even the staunchest believers would struggle to justify.

After eating that infamous apple, Adam and Eve realized they were naked and hid from God, who they heard walking through the garden. We can’t help but wonder why God would choose to walk. And when He challenged the first couple with the question, “Who told you that you were naked?” we wonder again, who is the “who” that God refers to? Was it that talking snake that deceived Eve?

Before we get too much further in the narrative, we are witness to the first murder, as Cain kills his brother Abel. The aftermath of that act is that Cain is banished to the land of Nod, but not before he complains that “anyone who finds me, will kill me.” Now we have to confront the idea that there are, in fact, other humans in the world, and where did they come from?

With all these conradictions coming up within the first few pages of the book of Genesis, it woukd be reasonable to ask, “Is the Bible true?”

Perhaps that is the wrong question to ask.

Perhaps a better question would be “Is the Bible TRUTH?

Clearly, that is a difficult question to answer. Tradition suggests that Genesis (and a number of other books of the Old Testament) was written by the prophet Moses. But even that is tought to swallow. Clearly, Moses couldn’t have witnessed the first days of creation, let alone the hundreds of years of early Bible history.

Trying to justify the events of the early Bible texts is clearly a lost cause. So, perhaps we would be better served by addressing that second question – is the Bible TRUTH?

Here, we are on a much more secure footing. Once we back off from nit-picking the debatable details of who-wrote-what-and-when — we are free to see the answe to that more important question.

The Bible may, in fact, be a compilation of history, speculation, and a hodge-podge of tales passed from generation to generation over hundreds, if not thousands of years.

But the ultimate message of love, and the need for mankind to embrace the power of love stands as the answer to that second, more important question.

The Bible is ultmately “TRUTH.”

Once we recognize that, we can appreciate that all the Biblical tales serve that greater purpose of education humanity on the importance of that critical truth.

From time to time, our scientific community publishes “new” information about the expanses of the universe. More often than not, it is a new appraisal of the size of the universe or the distance to some celestial object. Lately, the topic of discussion has been a question of where the universe “ends.”

Astronomers crank up their newest telescopes. Mathematicians try out their latest formulas, and NASA launches another probe into space.

In the end, we have no answers that are truly comprehendible by the average human. Yes, our scientific community may suggest that they understand, but it is probably only within the limited parameters of their own area of expertise.

The problem is that the answers that are presented are clothed in terms that most of us cannot truly appreciate or comprehend.

We measure those vast distances in terms of “light years,” but what exactly is that scale? We speak of the number of miles that light could travel in the course of a year, yet most of us could not describe or envision what a “mile” is. To further complicate the issue, we use the term “year” which is the time it takes for the earth to complete a single orbit around the sun, and we measure that time in terms of days which, in turn, is defined by a single rotation on its axis.

Whew!

So, what has that to do with our faith? The comparison is really quite similar.

Our faith depends on believing in circumstances and events that lie outside our human experiences. Our faith depends on a belief in a supreme being that we call God.

And it is accepting the concept of God that we stumble.

We struggle to believe that the single entity of God could supervise and coordinate the actions of millions of humans over the centuries. We struggle to believe that God could possibly hear and respond to millions of prayers at any moment. We struggle to believe that God could love all of humanity. We struggle to believe that God could possibly create all the stars, planets, and other heavenly bodies that we observe.

The numbers are just too overwhelming.

Science to the rescue.

As science gradually compiles the list of known objects in our universe, as science finally concedes that there is no known end of the universe, those mathematical and observational foundations of our knowledge are the proof that we need to grasp that the reality of our existence exceeds the intellectual tools of humanity.

In short, we don’t know what we don’t know, and it is that missing knowledge that is the foundation of our faith.

Next stop – infinity.

Since Time, an elusive concept that governs our lives, is a fundamental aspect of human ancient civilizations, humans have strived to understand and measure time in various ways. From the sundials of ancient Egypt to the atomic clocks of the modern era, the measurement of time has evolved, enabling us to synchronize our activities and navigate the world around us.

Within the vast expanse of the cosmos, scientists rely on celestial events and phenomena to measure time. One such celestial clock is the rotation of planets and stars. For instance, the rotation of Earth on its axis provides the basis for our familiar 24-hour day. Likewise, the orbit of the earth around the sun defines a year.

To conceptualize and convey the vastness of cosmic time, scientists often use cosmic calendars. These calendars compress the entire history of the universe into a more relatable timeframe. For instance, if the entire lifespan of the universe were represented as one year, then human civilization would occupy just a few seconds.

When it comes to describing the vast distances of the cosmos, we redefine those distances in terms of “light years” – effectively trading physical measurements for a measure of the number of earthly orbits.

Science attempts to understand the age of the universe by calculating time in terms of years – using that earthly orbital standard when the beginning point was before the earth even existed.

Confused yet?

None of these concepts addresses the fundamental and unanswerable question – “what is time?” More importantly, how does our understanding of time impact our understanding of the nature of God and the universe?

The Bible and our human interpretation of its contents only adds to our confusion. At the same time, that confusion serves to show us that the universe and our very existence depends on the vast and mysterious volume of information that separates us from our Creator.

If nothing else, the mindboggling and complex efforts to understand time reminds us that God exists in a form that we cannot begin to understand, and we are left with the realization that we must “take it on faith,” because we are ill-equipped to understand that which we have no language to describe.

Throughout history, mankind has been fascinated by the existence of celestial beings known as angels. Often depicted as ethereal and benevolent entities, angels have captivated the imagination of cultures across the globe. While the belief in angels is deeply rooted in religious and spiritual traditions, there are intriguing accounts and alleged evidence that suggest their presence on Earth. In this article, we will explore some of the compelling indications that hint at the existence of angels among us.

Numerous testimonies exist of individuals who claim to have encountered angels. These experiences often describe a profound sense of peace, divine intervention, and inexplicable occurrences. Whether it is a stranger appearing out of nowhere to offer assistance during a dire situation or a miraculous healing that defies medical explanation, these encounters leave individuals convinced that they have interacted with angelic beings.

Many stories throughout history attribute instances of divine intervention to the presence of angels. Accounts of people being miraculously saved from accidents, natural disasters, or life-threatening situations have frequently emerged. Survivors often report feeling an inexplicable force guiding them to safety, leading them to believe that angels had intervened to protect them.

Certain phenomena cannot be easily explained by conventional means, leading some to speculate about the involvement of angelic forces. For instance, there are instances of mysterious lights or ethereal apparitions appearing during times of distress or near holy sites. These manifestations often bring solace and inspire awe, suggesting the presence of something beyond the realm of human understanding.

Throughout history, various artifacts and symbols have been associated with angelic presence. Relics such as feathers, which are commonly believed to be left behind by angels, have been discovered in places of worship and during moments of personal significance. These artifacts are often seen as physical manifestations of angelic visitation, reinforcing the belief in their existence. Many people claim to have experienced uncanny synchronicities or moments of divine guidance that they attribute to angelic influence. These experiences often involve a series of events or signs that lead individuals to make important life choices or find comfort during challenging times. The intricacy and precision of these occurrences have led individuals to believe that angels are orchestrating these synchronicities.

Religious texts from various traditions often depict angels as messengers and guardians. These writings, such as the Bible, Quran, and ancient scriptures, provide detailed accounts of angelic encounters and their interactions with humans. For believers, these texts serve as substantial evidence of angelic presence and their role in guiding humanity.