THE MIRACLE OF THE ORDINARY

'When God does something awe-inspiring one time, we call it a miracle. When he does it a billion times, we call it ordinary. Look a little closer, and you'll see that "ordinary" is just another word for the miracles God decided to repeat. And he repeats them on purpose - the natural world is overflowing all around us with a constant stream of God's language, with never-ending messages from our Creator.'

Seth Lewis, The Language of Rivers and Stars, p.159.

WHY NATURE CONNECTS US TO GOD

'The reason why we so often feel closer to God in nature is because nature is specifically designed to bring us close to God.'

Seth Lewis, The Language of Rivers and Stars, p.151.

OUR FANTASIES ARE DERIVATIVE

'Our fantasy stories are remixed realities - they take the things we are familiar with and enhance or rearrange them to get our attention. The real world is the original mix, and it's far more creative than our stories.

Which is more fantastical: a horse with a horn or horse with a six-foot-long neck, and a bunch of giant freckles? Does it seem more likely for the real world to contain a large lizard that breathes fire or a small bug whose backside is a light bulb? Does it seem more plausible that a pumpkin could turn into a carriage or that a caterpillar could melt itself into goo and rebuld itself into a flying work of art?

The truth is stanger than fiction, and there's a good reason why: the creativity of our fantasies is only a subset of the creativity of God. Even our most imaginative stories are built on God's much more imaginitive realities. Who would have dreamed a mouse that flies in the dark using sonar and sleeps upside down? Who would have thought of filling the nortern sky with shining rivers of green and blue? God. That's who.'

Seth Lewis, The Language of Rivers and Stars, p.48.

GOD SPEAKS TWO LANGUAGES

'Communication is relational. God did not have to speak to us. He communicates because he wants to reveal himself. He gave his word and his world to invite us to know relate to him. He gave this invitation in two languages, and the completeness and clarity of the language of Scripture has not diminished our need to hear God's word in creation as well. Scripture itself is filled with references to God's world - from mountains and stars to sparrows and wild flowers and the morning mist that evaporates in the rising sunshine. God never intended for us to choose one language and ignore the other.'

Seth Lewis, The Language of Rivers and Stars: How Nature Speaks of the Glories of God, p.32.