Random this and that

I'm constantly amazed by Jesus. I feel such strong emotions while worshiping. I am amazed that the love of Jesus and from Jesus can be so universal, so powerful, and the desire to worship Him the best way I can is so permeating, that it transcends my very brain structure and pierces every biological limit. I feel sometimes that I love Him so much I am about to burst! I feel close to Him in a great and wonderful way.

I like to read a Pastor’s blog that has a goal of encouragement. It really does meet that goal every day, for me at least. He is a good writer and what he writes about is uplifting. It's "Pastor Paul's Blog" a pastor from LaSalle, Quebec, Canada. Yesterday he wrote about “Letting to of our victim mentality” and its main message was having strong faith and taking bold action on that faith, because Jesus is there to sustain us. The message reminded me of a person who always has the opposite message:opposite: Beth Moore, who is always telling us that we are victims. Victims of falling into pits. Victims of circumstance. Victims of our past. But I prefer the message of the Pastor who says that of anyone who could legitimately claim victimhood, Paul, when on the boat in the storm took such a bold stand for Jesus that the sailors on the ship cut away the lifeboat. They did not look at their past and moan about it. They did not look at the storm and cry about it. They looked past the storm, and chose to depend on the promises of Jesus. Now that's strength!

I watched a documentary about Fractals last night on NOVA. It was pretty interesting. I remember when I used to subscribe to Smithsonian Magazine in the 1980s, the cover at one time featured this new geometry. I read the article bug didn't understand it. I said to myself that someday I was going to study it again, and I guess that was last night. Fractals as I understand it, is a geometry that brings to visual life in this dimension the curvy geometry, as opposed to straight geometry such as Euclidean geometry. Of course, that is a gross oversimplification, but to add to the confusion, it also brings to life the half dimension. Fractal geometry isn't 2 dimensional, or three dimensional, but somewhere in between. NOVA's program description is "You may not know it, but fractals, like the air you breathe, are all around you. Their irregular, repeating shapes are found in cloud formations and tree limbs, in stalks of broccoli and craggy mountain ranges, even in the rhythm of the human heart. In this film, NOVA takes viewers on a fascinating quest with a group of maverick mathematicians determined to decipher the rules that govern fractal geometry. For centuries, fractal-like irregular shapes were considered beyond the boundaries of mathematical understanding. Now, mathematicians have finally begun mapping this uncharted territory. Their remarkable findings are deepening our understanding of nature and stimulating a new wave of scientific, medical, and artistic innovation stretching from the ecology of the rain forest to fashion design. The documentary highlights a host of filmmakers, fashion designers, physicians, and researchers who are using fractal geometry to innovate and inspire."

If you zoom in on a fractal, it will look like the bigger fractal, and zoom in again, it will retain its look, and over and over and over, to infinity. Look for yourself, an interactive fractal zoomer widget, here at NOVA.

What I found interesting is that the pattern of branching in tree growth is similar all over the tree, and the pattern of trees in the forests as they grow replicates the same pattern as tree branch growth. Also interesting is that the closer you zoom in on a fractal, the more same it is. Fractals are repetitive, iterative, and, well, here is what NOVA explained: "Applying zoom-ins and different iterative prisms to the numbers in the boundary area of the Mandelbrot set has revealed that this region is a mathematical strange attractor. The "strange attractor" name here applies to the set because it is self-similar at many scales, is infinitely detailed, and attracts points (numbers) to certain recurrent behavior."

In other words, the patterns in the numerical representation of the geometry of the fractal is orderly, and infinite. Just like God. his patterns at the visible level and the invisible level are magnificent. This orderliness did not come from chaos (like a "big Bang"). It came from an orderly mind. God's orderly mind.

At school, I was walking down the hallway leading a group of kindergarten kids. One little guy fell down. I turned to see him getting up. I asked if he was all right, and he said that he was except his hand hurt a little. I said "How did you fall down, anyway?" He said, "Like this," and proceeded to show me by falling down again. I laughed all day over that one.

At church tonight the kids were great. I am always astounded by how the kids have strong spiritual connection to the Truth. For example, I asked the kids to listen to Psalm 100. I re-read it, emphasizing all the words "His". His gates, His people, His sheep, His pasture. I asked them what they thought about what I read. That's all I said. Immediately one of the kids said, "Well, God made it all, so obviously, it's all His." These kids are seven years old.

We're closing on on another day, if it not be the rapture tonight! Have a good one, and see you tomorrow!

Comments

  1. Elizabeth,
    I'm a big fan of yours and of Jesus. This post made me comment which is something I rarely do. I too am often overwhelmed at the greatness of our God. His ways are indeed past finding out. His perfection and harmony in all things is so obvious, it amazes me that anyone could doubt His existence. Fractals are overwhelming evidence of His intelligent design.

    In considering His holiness and magnificence, I sometimes think about those who will soon be confronted by His wrath after the true church is gone. It saddens me to think about it, especially when I realize that some of my loved ones are among those will be left to suffer for their unbelief. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
    Thank you for all you are doing for the Lord.

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  2. Hi Jeanne,

    Thank you for your comment. I am in the same emotional way that you are. I was thinking of His perfection last night, about the maths of Fibonacci Numbers and fractals, the children at school who are so sweet and the children at church who are so joyful, and the creation as I drove past it in the dusk...and I was tearing up on the way home from church, just saying 'thank you, thank you thank you' over and over. And then I thought of those who choose not to partake of His glory and as you said, will confront His wrath, and I mourned the lost. Soon my tears were for grief and not joy. These days, what a roller coaster of emotion...

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