Orion and the Ruach HaKodesh

Oh, I love having teens in my life. I love their passion and energy and zest for life. I love the way they would immediately ask me, "What's 'zest'?" and then say, "Good SAT word!" I am so blessed.

Last night, my young friend made an emphatic (another good SAT word) statement in small group.

"Of course, the Bible is wrong about dinosaurs and the age of Earth and evolution!" he insisted.

I asked him, "How do you know that?" and he answered, "Well, the age of the Earth, dinosaurs and evolution have been proven, they are facts."

I said, " Well, I think they are theories and I have different beliefs about those things than you."

I didn't want to get into a debate with him, I just wanted him to understand that I had a different view.

He couldn't handle it. He could not deal with the idea of me being so ignorant , I'm glad he cares so much and I'm glad it matters so much to him what I believe but I did not enjoy being told that "It's like you are in the medieval church!"

These questions of cosmology are not decided, in fact science is continuously finding out new things that throw out old ideas. I gave him a few examples last night but I want to give you a brand new one I read about this summer.

It's about my favorite constellation Orion. If you don't know this lovely vision in the sky, you should. It has three stars lined in a belt then four stars that make a sort of rectangular ark around the three in Orion's belt. There's also a nebula in the ark, fuzzy and bright.

Orion's nebula has greatly surprised scientists recently by showing itself to be so extremely hot that only winds from the hottest stars could have produced such high temperatures. But stars that hot are supposed to be very short-lived. I can look up every morning this winter and see this beautiful mystery. Where do these amazing high-speed winds come from that heat up the heart of my favorite constellation beyond what science thought was possible?

Theories are just that, theories and I wish my friend could see that and remain open enough to let me have a different opinion than his.

Thankfully, teens love talking about this stuff and he can't wait to try and convince me again. Maybe I'll show him the Orion nebula and the Ruach HaKodesh* will work in his heart.

Orion always makes me think of this scene:

Rev.4:2 At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it...Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6 Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. ...8 Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come."

'Ruach HaKodesh' is the Holy Spirit or literally the Holy Breath or Wind... maybe the wind is coming

from the wings of the cherubim overshadowing the ark or the four living creatures surrounding the throne.