Creation

Books

Ruthless Trust, by Brennan Manning

In his sequel to The Ragamuffin Gospel bestselling author Brennan Manning shows how true and radical trust in God can transform our lives. Manning, beloved author and spiritual teacher, shows us how trust in God can transform our lives and open us up to deeper experiences of grace and love. In Ruthless Trust, he turns his focus from furious love to radical trust, revealing the ways in which trust renews our faith and help us grow. The book is accessible on Amazon in print or digital formats by clicking here.

Eternity in Their Hearts, by Don Richardson

Don Richardson, author of the bestselling book Peace Child, has studied cultures throughout the world and found startling evidence of belief in the one true God within hundreds of them. In Eternity in Their Hearts, Richardson gives fascinating, real-life examples of ways people groups have exhibited terms and concepts in their histories that have prepared them for the gospel. The book is accessible on Amazon in print and digital formats by clicking here.

Peace Child, by Don Richardson

In 1962, Don and Carol Richardson risked their lives to share the gospel with the Sawi people of New Guinea. Peace Child tells their unforgettable story of living among these headhunters and cannibals, who valued treachery through fattening victims with friendship before the slaughter. God gave Don and Carol the key to the Sawi hearts via a redemptive analogy from their own mythology. The "peace child" became the secret to unlocking a value system that had existed through generations. This analogy became a stepping-stone by which the gospel came into the Sawi culture and started both a spiritual and a social revolution from within. With an epilogue updating how the gospel has impacted the Sawi people, this missionary classic will inspire a new generation of readers who need to hear this remarkable story and the lessons it teaches us about communicating Christ in a meaningful way to those around us. The book is accessible on Amazon in print, audio, and digital formats by clicking here.

Surprised by Hope, by N.T. Wright

Wright outlines the present confusion about a Christian’s future hope and shows how it is deeply intertwined with how we live today. Wright asserts that Christianity’s most distinctive idea is bodily resurrection, and provides a magisterial defense for a literal resurrection of Jesus. Wright then explores our expectation of "new heavens and a new earth," revealing what happens to the dead until then and what will happen with the "second coming" of Jesus. For many, including many Christians, it will come as a great surprise to learn that heaven comes to earth instead of us going to heaven. The book is accessible on Amazon in print and digital formats by clicking here.

Angels, by Michael S. Heiser

Angelsis not guided by traditions, stories, speculations, or myths about angels. Heiser's study is grounded in the terms the Bible itself uses to describe members of God's heavenly host; he examines the terms in their biblical context while drawing on insights from the wider context of the ancient Near Eastern world. The book is accessible on Amazon in print and digital formats by clicking here.

The Unseen Realm, by Michael S. Heiser

In The Unseen Realm, Dr. Michael Heiser examines the ancient context of Scripture, explaining how its supernatural worldview can help us grow in our understanding of God. He illuminates intriguing and amazing passages of the Bible that have been hiding in plain sight. You'll find yourself engaged in an enthusiastic pursuit of the truth, resulting in a new appreciation for God's Word. The book is accessible on Amazon in print and digital formats by clicking here.

Media & Video

The Sawi were headhunters and cannibals when a young couple named Don and Carol Richardson arrived in their village carrying their seven-month-old boy Steve—and a message that would change the tribe forever. The year was 1962, and Steve—and later, three more children—spent their youth among the Sawi, learning the language and embracing the culture in ways that would shape the rest of their lives. Their story was immortalized in the best-selling book Peace Child and a feature film of the same name, inspiring a new generation to take the gospel to the remaining isolated tribes of the earth.

Fifty years later, Steve joins his father, Don, and two brothers, Shannon and Paul, to visit the Sawi village where they grew up. What is the state of the church they planted among the Sawi? Are the friends they played with still alive? Will anyone remember the mark their family left on the tribe? Journey with Steve as he travels to the swamps of Papua, Indonesia, to introduce you to the Sawi, and explore the impact of the gospel among a previously unreached people group. The video is viewable by clicking here.

This is the original landscape-format version of the short movie Cosmic Eye, designed by astrophysicist Danail Obreschkow. The movie zooms through all well-known scales of the universe from minuscule elementary particles out to the gigantic cosmic web and back down to the smallest elements known. The video is viewable by clicking here.

In this Bible Project video, they break down what is the biblical view of Heaven and how it relates to Earth. You can watch this video by clicking here.

Pastoral Messages

What does God’s Creation say about His character? As we consider the vast expressions of His work, we sense the call to trust Him. We think about how we are called to live responsibly, and how Earth does not belong to us, rather we are caretakers. Creation sings about our awesome God, and we are called to reflect in praise for Him. Pastor Jeff Lucas explores the magnitude of the cosmos, and the greatness of our Creator, viewable by clicking here.

We cast our gaze upon the magnificent cosmos, created at the command of our God. He is the builder of our universe, the creator of light, and the revealer of His Light (Jesus) in the world. We marvel at the beauty, the complexities, and the manifestation of His creation, unfolding across all that exists and in lives everywhere. The message from Pastor Dick Foth, from the Windsor campus, is viewable by clicking here.

As we spend more of our time outside, what does the natural world — nature — tell us about God's nature? A masterpiece often reflects character traits of the master who created it, and so it is with creation and our Creator. Focusing on the cosmos, Pastor Darren Fred of Timberline Old Town, sheds light on a magnificent and expansive part of His Creation, viewable by clicking here.

Worship Songs

You can enjoy the Hillsong performance, So Will I (100 Billion X), here on YouTube.

You can enjoy Phil Wickham's performance, Cannons, here on YouTube.

"For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God."

Spoken by Paul in Romans 1:20

"Stand up and praise the Lord your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you."

Spoken by Levites in Nehemiah 9:5-6

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them."

Spoken by David in Psalm 19:1-3

"Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
for through him God created everything
in the heavenly realms and on earth.
He made the things we can see
and the things we can’t see—
such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
Everything was created through him and for him.
He existed before anything else,
and he holds all creation together."

Spoken by Paul in Colossians 1:15-17

"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.

to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever."

Spoken by King David in Psalm 136:1-9