Speculating on Eternity

By Francis Geo. Guither

Speculating on Eternity is a variety of material from my computer. It has been written over a period of years. It includes articles that lift up my faith in the Lord and represent who I am and what I believe. But it also includes a look at my love for science fiction material and an underlying hope that someday we may be able to delve into the miracles of Gods marvelous gift of space.

Intermingled with the rest of the material is the rather special article called Good Morning, Adam, a paper that has been the basis for several theological discussions.

It is my hope that you will read and find encouragement, but also that you will study the mind-set of an author who considers himself to be conservative, but who is straining to know the fullness and the majesty of the God who made us and the universe in which He has placed us.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Jan 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781496962362

Francis Geo. Guither

Francis Guither has been a writer throughout his life, sharing devotional thoughts not only with his congregation in church newsletters, but also having been published in local newspapers over a period of ten years. This, along with nearly sixty years of preaching, has brought him to a variety of audiences both on radio and TV. In retirement, he has moved to science fiction novels and has been fascinated by the human potential, when we are truly under obedience to our Maker. A verse from St. John 14:12 gives us the words of Jesus shortly before his death: “In truth, I tell you, he who has faith in me will do what I am doing; and he will do greater things still because I am going to the Father.” In the margin, Francis wrote, “Wow!” And he asks himself the question, “What are the wonderful things we may really be able to do, as we continually seek to find the truths of God’s amazing universe?” He has written a variety of materials: a layman’s theology, The God Connection; a devotional book, The Quintus Principle or Spiritual Biscuits for Coffee Break Moments; another devotional book, Pebbles on the Pathway; two science fiction novels, Moonglow and the Spirit People; and The Phobos Phobia.

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© 2015 Francis Geo. Guither. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

RSV

Scripture quotations marked RSV are taken from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.

Published by AuthorHouse 01/29/2015

ISBN: 978-1-4969-6235-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-6236-2 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

CONTENTS

Angel Wings Are Costly

Genesis 1

The Old Man Of The Mountain

What Does God Look Like?

Putting It On!

Good Morning, Adam!

The Day The Earth Got Shook Up!

Almost to the end of Endlessness

Stranger At The Door!

What God Had In Mind

Wish Upon A Star

A Timeless Work of Art

Those WOW Moments

The Agony and Ecstacy of Emotionalism

There are so many things that we would like to know, and probably will never know. And yet we keep looking for answers!

Why am I here? Who made me? What was I really made for? And Who is in charge around here? This is a vast and magnificent world, but it is so hard to understand where we stand in the midst of it. The birds seem to know, and they sing their hearts out every morning. The animals of the woods and the forests seem to know, and they range the areas every day looking for food, and enjoying each other. They meet…they co-act, and re-act, and have babies, and keep replenishing their species.

And all around me, I bump into people. They appear to be my particular crowd. We enjoy each other. We have fellowship. And yes, people have sex and bring babies into the world. The species we call humans is growing by leaps and bounds, and is becoming a precarious factor in the future of planet Earth. How long can she bear the burden of billions of humans, eating and drinking, and existing day by day. Is there any other place to go? Are there other worlds in which we might some day settle and populate? Is this acceptable to the maker of the Universe? Was this in the original plan?

It seems that we do not yet have the knowledge or originality to do anything about it, if our numbers become too overwhelming for old Earth to sustain us. We can go to the moon. We know how to send little space vehicles to Mars, but we can’t begin to visualize traveling even to our other, closest neighbors in space.

As major as these problems seem to us, we are confronted with an even vaster problem, and that is to ascertain the Who and the Why of Life itself. Why, really are we here, and to Whom are we accountable to?

We squabble, and start little wars all over the world. We are not a very caring kind of people it would seem. Oh, we care alright, but mostly for our own little selves. It’s me, and mine, and give me more and more. Pay attention to me, and take care of my needs! That’s our spirit a large share of the time.

Thanks be to God, there are some of these humans, however, who have learned a new lesson. It’s one that came from the top of creation 2,000 years ago, in which a special Someone came into the world with a prime requirement: Love one another…forgive one another…show mercy and live peaceably day after day.

And thanks be to God, there is a new awareness in this world of humans, that we are here because a Power we know so little about, and a Presence, we cannot really begin to comprehend exists. And it is this Presence that we now struggle to understand.

We have even had the timerity to call this Presence, our Father….a Heavenly Father! And, lest we carelessly continue a male oriented kind of existence, we suggest that the term perhaps could be, our Heavenly Mother! Either way, it’s a lovely appendage. But do we really have the right and privilege to call ourselves sons and daughters of this Heavenly Being? Whether we think we do or do not, this is exactly what we are doing, and we go to church every Sunday to proclaim it, and give thanks for it.

If there truly is such a merciful and marvelous Being, is it possible to give the world a picture? Can we describe Him, or Her?

Once again, our minds fumble at such a task. Words come to mind, but are we ready to surrender to them? Omnipotent sort of rolls across the screen, and we nod our heads as we begin to imagine the power, the majesty, the creative imagination, the unexplainable and awesomeness of such a word. Are we actually saying that there is no limit to the powers that burst forth in this word?

And yet, we have to admit that amazingly and profoundly every inch of nature, and life, and the substance around us, has been granted to us. It is a gift from on High. The molecule, the atom, the electronics…everything that makes up our T.V.’s our computers, our surgical tools and forms of construction…all of these are the work and wisdom of a higher power. It is a significant Power, that knew these things, long before we ever discovered and began to use them. Yes, we are very smart to have discovered them, but we did not originate them. It took omnipotence to do the job.

And for more vision and wisdom in making our description, we turn to the Scriptures. We call it The Word of God. But what we call the Word of God is really, "the word of man, struggling to know the God who made us.

Here, in Joshua 1:5 and Deuteronomy 33:27, we read, I will never leave you nor forsake you, and underneath are the everlasting arms. What a wonderful word of truth and assurance!

But we are confused! How can any One…any Presence, any single God of the Universe, be everywhere, or anywhere, and all at the same time? Do we even dare to print this as a description? Is the Presence….the God we are trying to describe so undefinable that we can’t even paint a picture of Him or Her? Everywhere, and at the same time is just not possible to conceive of. Air is like this…seemingly everywhere, and yet even that falls flat when we think in terms of endlessness, and anywhere you could describe…even outer space.

And there is another word that comes creeping into our mind…omnipresent. It is a word that suggests this and more. Because we have come to believe that God is all of this. He is anywhere and everywhere that we might ever be, or ever travel to. And suddenly, we find ourselves in science fiction mode. Imaginative writers are suggesting that someday…maybe….we might be able, to go to spots in the multi-verse that are far, far out into space. And, if we believe that all power belongs to this God, then we are really on track to propose that He or She is able to be everywhere.

And yet, we are still a long way from a total description. Another omni kind of word sneaks before us. It is the word omniscient. And if we are to believe omnipotent and omnipresent, then we find ourselves looking at a God who knows everything! And once again, a bit of pride swells within us as we say, "Yes, but look at all the things we know: we can blow the world apart; we can travel into space; and we can solve all the problems of life, because our scientists, and our scholars are delving into all the secret aspects of these many things.

Surely you can’t beat that. But isn’t it something like the inventors years ago, who were certain that all the inventions that could ever be invented had taken place, and all the patents that would ever be patented had been recorded! But, you see, it wasn’t so. And with humility, we have to admit that we’re really not that smart. We don’t know everything…just a lot of things. That’s good, but apparently not good enough! We don’t qualify as perfect humans ever! Indeed, there is still a long way to go. And that’s exciting! And aren’t we all sort of wondering what the future will look like? Our world may make some drastic changes! Even the word future fails us, because we haven’t defined it. When is the future?…ten years from now…or is it to be 100 million years from now?

Tiny, groping minds!…thinking tiny, little thoughts, about a world that is simply beyond our ability to understand or comprehend it. That’s where we are much as we hate to admit it…but that is not the world of the God we worship and believe in.

The Omni words are good, and have a way of squeezing our littleness into something a bit bigger, so let’s try one more. It is the word Omnibenevolent And what we are saying here is that the God we worship is absolutely and ultimately good. Never is this God out to get us!…or hurt us…or punish us. We cringe at the word Devil and Satan…words that have become common in church terminology.

There was a day when people believed there were many gods, and terrible old Satan was among them! I have a rock collection, in which can be found a collection of tiny carved stones being depicted by Mayon civilizations of centuries ago. These are little gods they could carry around with them in their pockets. How comfortable it might seem, to have god in your pocket! But what if I put on the wrong pants and left without my little god? Sort of useless then wasn’t it? What if I encountered problems that seemed to have nothing to do with those little carved likenesses in my pocket? The apostle Paul encountered some folks who kept busy making these little stony figurines, as he went on one of his journeys years ago. He was faithful to his Lord, as he told the early Church about a living Christ, and a faith that could be firmly fixed in their hearts. Who needed those little carved creatures that had no power over anything!

Christ in you, the hope of glory! (Col. 1:27) were the words he proclaimed to so many, as his scribe wrote page after page of his thoughts to the folks of the Mediterranean world. There was no need of little stone things in your pocket. They were absolutely worthless. But if you had courage and hope in your heart, there were always open doors to lead you on to victory. And so goodness…absolute goodness becomes the answer. And if that be so, then why should I fear? Why should my heart be troubled?

God is love!…that’s the ultimate description. I John 4:19-We love Him, because He first loved us. And the poet has written:

"For the love of God is broader,

Than the measure of man’s mind.

And the heart of the Eternal…

Is most wonderfully kind."

Our speculations about God are fairly accurate, I believe. And yet, we must admit that all of this means nothing to the world, unless it is acted out in my life and yours. We spell it out hour by hour, and day by day, as we move through time.

Someday, our time will run out, and then it is our hope and prayer that in ways that we cannot even imagine, God will give us access to Heavenly secrets.

Once upon a time, God set all of this in motion. There was a magnificent beginning, and God smiled and said it is good. Have we ruined it? Has our carelessness (our sin) stained the good stuff, and spoiled the rest of it? Or, can we sing with the morning birds, and walk in joy through the problems that beset us? Can we know that though we walk through the shadow of death, we shall fear no evil because God is with us. He has not forsaken us. He is our rock and our salvation, a mighty fortress in the times of storm and confusion.

This I believe! So help me God.

ANGEL WINGS

ARE COSTLY

Chapter 1

A SPECTACULAR LIFT

I always wanted to do it!…Travel, that is. But specifically to travel across the fields, the hills and valleys, and yes, just go anywhere I wanted to go, without buying gas, and traveling the old highways and roads. Indeed, I just wanted to feel the air in my lungs, and go where no man or woman had ever gone before! I wanted to do the impossible! I wanted to shake up the world a bit. I wanted to be unique, special, and frankly I sure wished I could FLY!

Now, I’ve traveled by plane, and I enjoy driving a good car. Buses are O.K. and so are the trains. But something is just missing when I have to get out the maps, and check the Internet, and make reservations, and wait in line, and dole out the cash or the credit cards! What I’d really like to be is to be free as a bird! Is that asking too much of life?

And I do like to do things with my hands, and make interesting things out of uninteresting stuff, and one day my luck changed, and I came up with this tremendous idea!

I hit onto something that changed the way human beings would make transportation easy and exciting. As a minister, I had lots to learn about the human body, but my scientific interests had often centered in on the fantastic nerve system God has given to human kind.

And that is why, one day, my wife found me in my small garage work-shop, laboring over a prosthesis that was to put all other prostheses to shame. It was an extension of the shoulder, that for all practical purposes might have looked like a human wing. It was light but strong…did not use feathers as might have been expected. But since the human body would certainly have difficulty replacing real feathers when needed, it made use of a thin rubbery stuff that would last pretty much forever!

The really tricky part, of course, was to make vital connections to the human organism, and to utilize nerves that could either lift the arms as might be expected, in normal fashion, or lift and move something a bit more angelic? And then, how do you train the mind to do this other thing called lifting, extending, and waving strange new appendages of the human body that would be called wings?

I knew it was possible for artificial legs, arms, hands, etc. to respond to directions given by the brain., And yes, strange and impossible as it seemed, human bodies that have been terribly damaged and deformed could be fitted with mechanical equipment that could do almost anything that those same human appendages had done before. The human body, and the brain could go through training, and work with amazing dexterity. Arms, hands, etc. could be made to perform in such a way that you could reach for, grab, and manipulate things with those artificial prostheses! I didn’t want any accidents. I didn’t want any part of my body to be ripped off. My needs were different than the ones we usually heard about, and I just wanted to FLY!.

I’ve never seen an angel. Don’t know that I really want to or need to. But the idea of flying the human body seemed about as impossible as anything imaginable. And yet, the same thing could be said for cars and planes, and super-sonic jets. All the things that might have been called miracle by our ancestors years ago, have now, or are being made possible by modern science. Why not something like wings?

And so, I continued my research and construction, making wings that were flexible, ultra-light, and so attached that they began to feel like something actually belonging to the body, nestling in closely when not in use, but when extended, able to give lift and momentum to the body. Since I am not the lightest fellow around, they would have to carry my weight. But I was not sure that I could prepare something for those obese folk who have gone way beyond normal range.

Finally, the day came when I was ready to experiment. An enclosed area of my garage laboratory was covered with mirrors, and with the help of a surgeon friend, the necessary connections were made, and suddenly I became angelic (or demonic I suppose). I had almost forgotten that the bad guys in the world might have wings too, and I might have to encounter a few of them.

But, good or bad, I was the only one working on this kind of a project, and I hoped to put it to good use, not the other. So, there I was, standing in my new space suit, designed to allow presence of something the human body had never anticipated having. I tried flapping them a bit, and checking to see if I had any feeling of being lifted.

I certainly didn’t burst off of the ground like a jet plane, but I could feel lightness, and maybe a momentary lessening of gravity’s pull. Yes, it was going to be possible! And with surgeon friend, and wife present, both with video cameras to record the special event, I actually managed to lift myself several feet and sort of glide a few yards before coming back to earth.

It was exciting! I laughed and cried all together. Wife and doctor friend clapped hands, and shouted encouragement. Hey, it was a good feeling. It looked like we were onto something big!

And during the next few days, once again, I experimented with the potential of being a bird, and of trying more height and more distance. It came, and I almost began to feel like this was natural, like walking, or running. And the prosthesis became so much a part of my body, that I even sat and slept with it.

So, what to do now? Where to go now? What was I to do with this wonderful thing I had created, but which only God could have truly designed. For it was His gift to the flying creatures that were all around us. But, maybe