Am reading a new Don Miller book. It's new for me, old for everyone else. His surname for this one is Donald Miller. Maybe he feels more important, or maybe he's always gone as Donald and I just didn't notice. It's great stuff, as usual. It's called Searching For God Knows What. In it he talks about at one time wanting to learn, memorize, and be able to quote poetry. It was all to impress. But it got me to thinking. I want to write some more poetry. I had a great couple of lines come to me as I leaned back to sleep last night ... and those lines can't be found! My brain can't retrieve them just yet. Argggh! Thus underscores the wisdom of writing ideas down on a pad kept by the nightstand.
"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters..."
What does it mean that the earth was "formless?" The notes in my NIV Study Bible reference another use of this phrase in Jeremiah 4:23. Later on in Genesis 1, we see God separating the land and the water and creating the sky. This gave the earth "form," for sure. I wonder what the earth looked like in its "formless" state. Jeremiah's reference to the earth being formless was like it returning to its chaotic state, and without light.
I wonder if it is accurate to draw a parallel to us as individuals being "without form" until we invite God in to "take control" and "add form" to our lives, organizing us and helping us make sense of our lives and bring order...? Being "lost" and then found is like being out of order, confused, chaotic and then being organized, set straight, and set free. While chaos may seem like a sense of freedom, it is like a prison of being totally out of control and at the mercy of the world around us. Having order and a grounding -- a solid footing to walk on -- is truly like being set free from captivity.
Oh, if I haven't mentioned already, here's a link to some videopodcast interviews I did weekend before last at the Purple Door Festival. They're hosted by monsterpod.org
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at August 28, 2006 09:17 AMDoug: I just started the Don(ald) MNiller book myself last night. He is one of my favorite authors. It would be cool if you remarked/ blogged about some of his points as you read through the book. Just an idea. Thanks.
Posted by: Emmet Browm at August 28, 2006 09:40 AM