Liv2Day: Abundantly Connecting to God

INTRODUCTION

YOU PICKED UP this book for a reason. Before you make any decisions about this book, let me encourage you to read it with an open mind and an open heart. This book would not be here at all if I had closed my thoughts and not opened my mind to seeing things in a different light.

Many things shape our lives. Our families, upbringing, socio-economic status, education, religion, politics, trauma, illness, are just a few of the areas in life that form our character and personality.

I am a Christian. Let’s get that right out there. As a Christian, I believe there is a God of the universe who created each one of us most uniquely and amazingly. God sent His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, as a way of reaching down to us and have us pay attention.

I urge you, if your beliefs are different from mine, to continue reading this book with an open mind. Over the years, I have found that when I refuse to see or believe something, I am ultimately closing myself off to potentially gleaning a new perspective. What have you got to lose?

Let me also state how or what others believe does not cause me to fear, pass judgment, or think poorly of anyone who holds a different belief or perspective from my own. We are each on our journey while on this earth. No matter where your journey has led you to this point, I ask that you allow yourself a moment to look deeply into your own heart and mind and consider the views I am about to share with you.

Could you stick with me as we explore this topic? I believe you too will find it fascinating and that it will perhaps provide you with a new way of thinking. I learned long ago to pay attention when I get that inkling, whisper, or gut-intuitive experience. Possessing a receptive learning style throughout my life has allowed me to engage with new information and ways of thinking. Ultimately, this learning style has shaped my life in extraordinary ways.

Theosynthesis came about from my passion for health and wellness, living toxin-free, and my firm belief in an Intelligent Designer—God. As I have discovered, trying to do anything in my life without acknowledging my Creator and giving Him credit, my life begins to spin out of control. Why is that?

My friends, this is what we are going to focus on and explore throughout this book. As I said before, your journey is yours, and what or how you think is ultimately up to you. No judgment and no condemnation. Just be open as you consider the thoughts presented here regarding Theosynthesis.

In a world of fast-paced, get-to-the-top, fitness-focused, beauty-focused, and me, me, me, it is no wonder that we still find ourselves searching for more. We now have more information regarding health and fitness than ever before, yet so many people face more health challenges than ever. All the while, the information we need is right at our fingertips with the advent of the Internet. So why are we more unfit and sicker than ever before?

Every cycle on earth and within our own bodies is perfectly and precisely designed, each with its own precarious and delicate dance of equilibrium and balance.

As I set out to write a curriculum for a wellness workshop I was conducting, I knew deep within my being that something significant was missing regarding the wellness industry. That something, however, is the most crucial facet of well-being. That something is God! As I pondered on this, I needed to create a diagram in which to explain what I knew God was pouring into me.

With a degree in biology, the diagram of photosynthesis came to mind. The delicate cycle of sunlight and carbon dioxide is taken in by the plants, stored in the leaves as energy while putting out life-giving oxygen, and food is such a perfect and complete cycle. Everything, however, must be present within this cycle for it to function. In a diagram of photosynthesis, if just one aspect of this cycle were missing, it would be broken and would cease to function.

Science and the Bible have seemingly been in conflict with one another for a very long time. In both my science education as well as my Bible studies, I very clearly see evidence which points to an Intelligent Designer. Every cycle on earth and within our own bodies is perfectly and precisely designed, each with its own precarious and delicate dance of equilibrium and balance. When one tiny thing is off, things go awry.

We will dig into both science and God in much greater depth in the following chapters of this book. There are so many exciting discoveries as man continues in his quest for knowledge. The more I learn of science and the Bible, the more I know beyond a shadow of a doubt, there is a God of the universe who is in complete control!

Now, back to the topic of Theosynthesis. I am thrilled to share this revelation. When we open ourselves up and connect with the Almighty God, He will show us more than we could ever imagine. Buckle up as we embark on this exciting knowledge quest.

With everything in life, there will be people who will choose not to see the truth in this or any concept. That is fine. As I mentioned before, they are on their journey as you and I are on ours. For many, learning something new may alter the way they think. A concept they have long-believed now becomes challenged, causing fear and even anxiety. Science, however, has long been known for being open to new thoughts and ideas.

There needs to be no fear. Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous and likely to cause pain or a threat. There is no harm in taking a look at something in an entirely different way. It’s certainly not dangerous, nor will it be a threat to your safety or cause you pain.

The only threat in seeking out new information lies in the possible result of rethinking a secure belief system. Join me as we explore a few concepts with a different approach. This information may challenge both Christians and non-Christians. Being challenged is entirely okay. There is no harm in digging deep and opening your mind to new information.

This book will not read like a novel. You may choose to skip ahead and read the chapters of this book in a random fashion. How you read through this book isn’t the main point; what you get out of it is what is essential. Take your time to read, reread, digest, and make notes as you study this book.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge;

Fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7).

CHAPTER 1

WHO IS GOD?

TO FULLY GRASP the concepts outlined in this book, it will be essential first to understand who God is. Without a firm distinction of God, what I am referring to would result in confusion and false information. There are many definitions and beliefs regarding God. Therefore, I will outline the God that I have come to know.

Let me say for the record, the God I know has guided me through a deeply personal journey. In addition to my own experiences and testimony, I’ve also dedicated the last 20 years immersing myself in profound studies of the Scriptures. My faith has been more solidified as I have become an ardent student of the Bible.

Isn’t it interesting how many people refute the Bible, yet they have never really studied it? It’s easy to pick up a book and read through it simply; however, comprehending the text takes a lot more research, questioning, and dedication. My desire to dig down and understand the Scriptures has led me on a quest for where I am today in my belief system. Consequently, this project has evolved due to earnest studying and an immersion into the Bible.

My study of the Bible led me to a deeper understanding that God is the One and only true God. He is the God of Isaac, Jacob, and Israel. He is the God of the universe and created all things. He alone is the God of the Holy Bible.

In fact, as a student of science, the more I have studied and learned about the Bible, the more I recognize how it all points to an all-knowing perfect Creator. We are not just random molecules and cells that just happened to arrange together correctly by chance over millions of years. This particular theory takes a great deal more faith than believing in an intelligent designer—God.

In religions around the world, many refer to a belief in a supreme being. Humans, inexplicably, are wired to seek a higher power. It’s as if down within our very core, we were created to seek out God. Because we were designed and wired to know Him deep within our genetic DNA code, God created man with His imprint within our genes. We will explore this topic in-depth in Chapter 38.

As history has shown, there has been much conflict and bloodshed as a result of man’s quest to seek God. Today, there are still horrific wars with the main point of controversy centering on religion or of God. The subject of God has brought appalling tension and strife over the centuries. Why is this? Why would this one subject create such profound and divisive emotions?

For those who choose to follow the Christian faith, this book is written from the context of the One and only true God of the Holy Bible. This belief, however, is not just based on pure faith. The essence of our confidence in Him boils down to trust. Hope and faith indeed are difficult concepts, and we either have faith in God, or we have the belief that there is no God. Either belief system, however, requires faith.

Science has tried to deny Him. World leaders have tried to push Him out. Our modern world continues to feel threatened by Christians who claim to know the one true God.

Christians have and continue to be martyred all over the world for their belief in Jesus. How is it this one Gentleman creates so much tension? There is absolutely nowhere in the Bible or any other historical document that teaches Jesus was a terrible person. Quite the contrary; He was known as humble, loving, and gracious.

How then can there be this much strife over someone who many claim does not exist or was not the person He said He was? Do you know of any other subject which has caused this much confusion, hate, power, and conflict? There just has to be something then to this God and this Jesus!

Man has always desired to know things. Being wired to have a desire to discover, seek, and find is inherently in our DNA. There is nothing wrong with exploring new ways to think, believe, and comprehend. The problem lies in those who will look into the face of truth and yet still deny its existence simply because they cannot or will not choose to understand it.

Just because you don’t understand something or don’t choose to understand it does not make it an untruth. Being open to truth is the first step to fully understanding a new view. We may decide to close our minds to something, but it doesn’t cause it to be untrue.

Let’s take a look at the human emotion of love. There are no scientific tests to measure love, yet each one of us has experienced some form of love in our lives. For most of us, we will truly never fully understand love. Just because we don’t understand it does not negate its existence.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Matthew 22:37. The Pharisees were questioning Jesus and trying to get Him to say something that would allow them to arrest him. They asked Him what they thought to be a trick question regarding what was the greatest commandment. Jesus replied:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind."

The word mind jumps out at me. God doesn’t want us to accept things at face value. He desires us to question what we don’t understand rather than merely making rash decisions about our beliefs. God is wise enough to tell us to use our minds. Think, evaluate, study, and research.

As I stated earlier, many question the validity of God or the Bible and have never even read or studied it. Reading something versus studying it are two entirely different things. I have read and studied the Bible from cover to cover; therefore, I’ve based my faith by using my mind and sound logic.

Of course, faith has a lot to do with my beliefs. Through my hope and many amazing experiences, God has allowed me to utilize my mind to discover even more truths about Him. A closed mind will never enable one to see God as He intended. What you choose to believe is a personal choice, and God will never force Himself on anyone.

Faith is a tough concept. Believing in something we cannot touch or see can be extremely difficult to accept. There are, however, many examples of faith in our everyday lives. As I stated before, just because something is hard to understand does not make it untrue.

Let’s use the example of air. We cannot see it, yet we can see the effect it has on things around us. We observe trees moving in the wind, and we can feel the breeze on our skin. Science uses special instruments to measure the speed of air, thereby understanding the properties and characteristics of air.

The first law of physics states an object will remain at rest or in a steady state of motion unless an external force changes it.¹ As the wind blows, we see evidence of movement from those objects that are affected by the wind.

In trying to understand God, this is where many simply choose not to believe. Because they cannot see Him physically, they claim there is no God. Perhaps they cannot feel God, so they deny and dismiss Him. There are no scientific instruments to measure God; therefore, there are many claims He is not real.

Just as there are no instruments we can use to determine the existence of God, there is also no way to measure love or faith. Even without scientific evidence, we understand these forces to be viable and real. Belief in God then should not be dismissed just because He cannot be scientifically verified.

Isn’t this just like man? We’re so pompous in believing that because we cannot see, feel, or measure something, it doesn’t exist. We are proud beings, and pride is often our biggest stumbling block. Ego is one of the biggest roadblocks to knowing God.

To openly assess any concept, one must be willing to see all sides of a subject. Therefore, what do we have to lose by exploring the idea of God? And, the bigger question is, what could you risk by denying God?

Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician and philosopher, brilliantly wrote what is called, Pascal’s Wager²: "In order to try and come to the conclusion that God does exist through reason alone, the wise person should live their life as if there is a God. Doing so means that you have everything to gain (Heaven) and nothing to lose."

On the other side of the coin, however, Pascale wrote that If God doesn’t exist, then we have lost nothing. Therefore, he wagered, saying basically, what have you got to lose by choosing to believe in God?

Blaise Pascal was and continues to be a highly respected scholar. His teachings are still revered and taught today. Being a brilliant man, he decisively came up with this wager that gives us much to think about and from which we can make informed decisions.

Reason alone, however, is not all that makes up the Christian faith. The root of the Christian faith is faith alone and acceptance of Christ, who died for our sins. Belief and faith go hand in hand. Apostle Paul taught in Romans 1:19–20 that knowing God is evident to all so that we as humans are without excuse.

"Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse."

Did you see it? Right there in verse 20, we read about God’s invisible qualities! He does have many qualities and attributes that are not yet seen, and yet, we know them to be true. Just as human beings have character traits we cannot see, such as thoughts and emotions, we know they exist.

Knowing and understanding God is a lifelong adventure. He is available to all who seek Him with an open heart and mind. He chooses not to force His way into our lives but has provided a way to know Him through the beautiful act of grace. We cannot earn grace as it is merely a gift.

Grace means unmerited love. Unmerited means it cannot be earned. Jesus, God’s only Son, gave His life to humanity as a gift of salvation. Additionally, we cannot earn this gift by anything we do on our own. Our belief in and dedication to Jesus is a precious gift of grace.

Many people stumble and stop right here at this profound truth. They simply cannot grasp that a loving God would send His only Son to die for sinful humankind. Through the simple act of faith and acceptance, we become a part of His kingdom.

If you are one of those who have a difficult time with this concept, I urge you to honestly and openly search the Scriptures and ask God for His guidance. I believe through the study of the Bible and with an open heart, you will soon understand and be awed by the concept of what grace truly means in your life.

As my stepfather was dying, I was at his bedside. For whatever reason, I found myself being the only one in the room. He was barely breathing, and I could hear the whir of the oxygen tank. He began whispering.

I placed my ear close to him. It’s so simple, it’s so simple, he repeated. I knew immediately he was seeing his Lord and Savior. Although he struggled with the concept of faith and grace, he saw firsthand how elementary it was. When you open your heart to God, He will show you how easy and yet how beautiful belief in Him can be.

We will never know all there is to know about God because we are not God. We have finite minds and can and never will be able to comprehend everything. We as prideful humans want to know all of the answers. People get hung up on concepts they don’t understand and therefore refuse to be open. Close mindedness is pride.

God’s character is such that He cannot lie, does not tolerate sin, knows everything (is omniscient), is everywhere (is omnipresent), and all-powerful (is omnipotent). Humans do not possess these qualities; thus, we are limited. Faith now steps in.

There are many, many hard truths about God. I have had to remove my own pride to accept Him. I don’t know it all and, therefore, will never have all of the answers. Letting go of my ego became my first step in genuinely learning who God is and being open to understanding His ways.

Through my higher education at a liberal university, my professors often challenged me in my Christian beliefs. It wasn’t always easy. Yet the more I was exposed to the complexity of the human body, animals, plants, and our world, it all pointed more and more to our intelligent and perfect God.

Many of you will choose to put this book down at this point because of your belief system. I simply ask you to continue to read this to the end with an open heart and mind. What can it hurt?

As Pascal wagered, what have you got to lose? Perhaps the only thing you might miss is the time you spent reading this book. More importantly, you might just gain everything. In the end, however, you might obtain an eternal relationship with something and someone bigger than yourself.

God created and wired us with a desire to know Him. If you are truly honest with yourself, deep down, you are searching for more. Your inner being longingly seeks to know and understand Him at a deeper level. Why not give Him an open door to your heart?

I’m excited for you to join me on this Theosynthesis journey. I believe this journey will impact your life at some level. I pray you will find new truths and a renewed connection to God.

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1 J.O. Smith, Physical Audio Signal Processing, online book, 2010 edition, http://ccrma.stanford.edu/~jos/pasp/, Accessed May 2020.

2 https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pascals-wager.

CHAPTER 2

SCIENCE & GOD

AS A YOUNG FRESHMAN biology student at a liberal university in Texas, I was inundated from day one in zoology class regarding the theories of Darwin and evolution. Never once was anything ever mentioned about God. I mean, who would dare say God in this university setting of brilliant minds, right?

Unfortunately, this is the same case in our universities and schools. Darwin’s theory of evolution is taught as fact. The public-school books mention nothing of the possibility of an intelligent designer. Therefore, students hear only one side of the argument.

It became evident to me that my professors very much believed in Darwin’s theories, and any other schools of thought were not welcome in their classrooms. I had so many questions that went unanswered, and quite frankly, my questions were met with scowls and disdain. Had I not been the hardheaded young lady I was, I might have just kept my mouth shut and quietly accepted these teachings as fact.

Much to the grumblings of my professors, I did ask the tough questions. I am thankful I didn’t stay quiet. As I continued challenging the topic of evolution, there was one question none of my professors were able to answer. This question was focused on how sex evolved.

Here was a typical banter:

"You want me to believe that all living creatures evolved over millions of years, right? Over this long amount of time, individual animals and species began to evolve and become unique. How then did the act of sex evolve, and why? It certainly isn’t the most efficient way for animals to procreate, right?"

My point was to use logic and statistics in my line of questioning. If the Darwin Theory of Evolution were true, then sexual reproduction would have needed to evolve as well.