I firmly believe that most of the problems individuals, churches, and nations experience is ultimately due to or conditioned by a lack of or incorrect knowledge of God.  As I mentioned in a sermon last week (located here) , knowledge must be obtained first before understanding and wisdom can be exercised.

I further mentioned that knowledge comes by a love for and meditation in God’s Word. 

Psalm 119:97  O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day. 

Knowledge, properly conditioned by biblical understanding and wisdom, helps to develop a comprehensive and accurate view of God, and when believers have this kind of view of God, it is reflected in what they practice.

Here is a quote from George Grant that furthers this idea.

Self-Worship and Modernity’s Mess - by George Grant

We are prone to think of God–when we think of Him at all–as wonderful. We are less likely to see Him as willful. Certainly He is both, but the overwhelming emphasis of Scripture is upon the will rather than the wonder. It is upon the exercise of God’s prerogative rather than the expiation of our pleasure. The difference is probably a matter of slights rather than slanders. Nevertheless, it is a difference that makes for rather dramatic consequences.

Thus, to some of us God is little more than a cosmic vending machine in the sky, designed to dispense our every want and whim. To others of us He is a grandfatherly sage who lives to patiently offer us certain therapeutic benefits and baubles from His largess. To still others He is a kind of Santa figure–jolly, unflappable, and determined to bestow goodies upon incognizant masses. Invariably though, we moderns tend to see God in terms of ourselves–in terms of our wants, our needs, our preferences, and our desires. We have apparently, as Voltaire accused, “made God in our own image.”

But, according to psychologist Paul Vitz, such a conception is not knowledge of God at all, but a form of “self-worship.” According to J.C. Ryle, it is “the cruelest of all delusions” because “by it men think they have come to a knowledge God when in fact they have done nothing of the sort.” Thus, Joseph Aulen has argued that “the vast proportion of modern Christians have a vastly mistaken knowledge of the person and work of the Almighty.”

Thus, according to D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “because men do not know God or the nature of God–particularly those who claim to be Christians–all of the problems of life and culture are amplified even more.” Andrew Murray asserts that it is due to the fact that Christians do not “properly entertain a knowledge of God” that “societies fall into such disarray as we have in the modern world.” And A.W. Tozer has said that “a lack of a true knowledge of God’s attributes and character” is the “root of the indecisiveness, imbalance, and ineffectiveness” of the contemporary church.”

Annie and Kimmy tackle the playground slide.

On a recent family outing the next generation pauses for a picture.

Last weekend I took the family up to Lake Texoma, where Matthew and I had just spent a few days camping.  The major activity was a hike along the rugged coast of the lake.  On this hike the instructions were to get exercise, note the beauty of God’s creation, and look for fossils. 

The crew is ready to go.

We spotted a fossil along the way.

Photographer at work.

More fossils.

And another.

Lunch break.

OK, my stomach is full, the day is warm, and I’m ready for a nap.

Back on the hike, noted Aborist Kimmy Joy contemplates the unusual growing angle of a tree.

A spider’s web is spotted on the forest floor.

Getting the perfect picture.

We spotted some beautiful autumn leaves.

A fallen, moss-covered tree.

An important benefit of activities like this one is that it is great for family fellowship and learning to work together.

I did not stick around to see what would happen when they hit rougher water, but I kind of wished I would have. 

With this camping experience, Matthew and I had the opportunity to engage in two enjoyable activities:  fossil hunting and canoeing.

Here’s a picture of Matthew in the front of our canoe.  This was his first time in a canoe.

Checking out some of large boats docked.  Some were actually yacht size.

Much of our time was spent fossil hunting.  While we came back with quite a few samples, many fossils that we found were too large to extract from the surrounding rock, so we took some pictures of them instead.

As you can see, large deposits of rock (limestone and sandstone among other types) abound, especially near the lake.

Matthew checks out a find.

This is a rock full of shells.

I’m not sure what this is.

Probably an ammonite.

A piece of petrified wood in the middle of a rock. 

Another ammonite.

And another.

One particular fossil I did not take a picture of (but we were able to retrieve and take home) is of some creature with a fossilized backbone and ribs.  Check Matthew’s blog for a future post and picture.

A shellfish of some sort.

Fossils make a fascinating study.  Unlike what much of the world believes, we know that the fossil record is evidence of the judgment of God on a wicked world, and ought to help remind us not to repeat those sins.

Outdoor cooking is a major part of the camping experience.  I prefer to cook over an open fire as opposed to camp stoves and such.

Matthew prepares to light a fire.

Success!

Preparing the meal.

The cooking begins. 

Inspecting for doneness.

Contemplation on the preparation experience.  Perhaps we should have cooked burgers?

Nah, this will do.

And of course, no camp dinner is complete without the s’more.

The ingredients are assembled (graham crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate).

Roasting the perfect marshmallow.

Enjoying the fruit of much labor.

The rest of the evening was spent enjoying the warm fire in the cool, night air.

Every camping trip needs to have a hike (at least I think so).  This one was no exception.

The trail begins here.  It looks rather domesticated, but that changes quickly.

A little more brush and trees.

The forest was beautiful.

We spotted a large rock with an ammonite fossil.

The trail wound around a peninsula overlooking the lake.  Matthew poses for a picture.

This particular spot was about 100 feet above the lake on a rocky bluff.  We spotted some fishermen while exploring.

On the other side of the peninsula we saw what looked like some small, cave-like openings in the rock.  Of course they required investigation.

Matthew spelunked his way in.

Above the “caves” you can see the layering of the rocks.  It’s a great place for fossil hunting.

And that concluded our hike on this camping trip.  I love these reminders of the creative hand of the Lord.

Lake Texoma is the largest lake in Texas, shared by both Texas and Oklahoma.  The section we were at is noted for rocky bluffs, lots of limestone deposits, and deep, blue water.  Here are a few pictures.