Exploring Creativity at the Beach

3. On your vacation to the beach, you decide to • spend some time poking through some of the nearby

5. gift shops. Some of them are filled with lots of cheap trinkets

6. the wonderful creations of local artisans: sculptures, paintings, bronze and glass and stone.

7. the name of the artist. “Oh, nobody made that, “Nobody made anything in here

8. We had an explosion in the building a while • back, and when we came in afterward, we found everything • you see here just as you’re looking at it.”

10. when you see a beautiful creation Somebody had to create it.

12. At the turn of the nineteenth century, Napoleon and his army • were on their way across the Mediterranean Sea to conquer • the Egyptians. • One starlit night, a number of Napoleon’s soldiers,

14. products of the French Revolution and its rejection of God, • were trying to outdo each other in giving reasons why they • knew there was no God.

16. Napoleon, in his characteristic manner, was • pacing back and forth on the deck listening to their reasoning, • when one of them asked him what he thought of what they • had said.

18. That is a good question. • Who made this world and the billions of stars, and who charts • their course and keeps them in that course? • Many gods have been worshiped by people through out the • ages.

20. people worship many different gods today: Buddha, • Shinto, Satan, the gods of the Hindus, and others. • Their followers each claim that their god is the only true and • supreme God in the world.

22. many have been taught that God is not the Creator of all • that we see. • They believe instead in what Darwin taught

24. -a theory called evolution, that teaches our children • that the world and the cosmos came into being through a • series of changes that took place over billions of years. • 14 • This theory of origins teaches that once the first cell was • formed, that through many biological and geological changes,

26. the marvelous universe came about. • Blind chance and miraculous changes account for the intricate • universe that we see about us.

28. Can all of this miraculous universe be simply a product of • changes in nature, not guided by any supreme intelligence but • just happening randomly here and there? • 16 • As we examine the intricate design of almost everything we • see on this earth

30. in this universe, we must conclude that there is an intelligence • at work in the creation and sustaining of life on this • earth.

32. The whole world was excited to see the amazing • feat of the first space shuttle flight. • They saw the rocket ignite, and then the supporting mechanism • fall away as the mighty power of the engine lifted the • vehicle heavenward. 18 • We listened with keen anticipation to regular reports on the • capsule’s progress as it separated from the shuttle and continued • on its way through space.

34. Radio messages from the astronauts and their detailed • descriptions reminded us of the years of research and planning • that had been necessary to build and launch the • Columbia, thrusting it into space and safely returning it to • earth. • Had anyone watching the Columbia during her flight declared • that the whole project was the result of blind chance, he • would have been labeled insane.

35. As we look at the heavens and realize that the numberless • stars above are guided in their assigned orbits with such precision • that astronomers can predict the exact location of each • heavenly body years into the future,

37. we begin to realize that a Master Intelligence • obviously has been involved with the design, creation, and • control of the complex universe in which we live.

39. That Master Designer is God! • Let’s find out more about Him. • Where should we start in this search for the handiwork of • God? • 21 • Let’s see what the Psalmist had to say about the way man was • created:

43. The design of the human body demands the existence of a • Designer. • Have you ever wondered about all that is involved in the simple • act of seeing?

45. Scientists tell us that the delicate engineering • of the eye’s cornea and lens make the most advanced camera • seem like child’s toy by comparison.