In my over 80 years of existence on this earth I suppose that I have run the gamut of feelings and beliefs toward Diety. First, as a youngster I held to the "scientific" viewpoint; then as the years passed, I variously questioned, was unbelieving, atheistic, an agnostic, believing, saved. I drifted for 40 years and then was finally "born again" several years ago. In retrospect, I can clearly see the subtle hand of God guiding me through my life, even when I refused to even acknowledge Him.

Since finally coming into a good relationship with the Lord, He has blessed me with an insight into how to live my life with Him, and even more importantly, how I, as an engineer, can reconcile science and religion, faith and reality. To do this He has in various ways pointed me to a number of bibical verses, which were used at the time to teach me how to handle a specific situation, but when taken together, offer a profound pattern for life. A blueprint, if you will. I'll get to that in a moment, but first I have another point to make.

I�ve come to appreciate the fact that I don�t have to be �perfect� in everything I do because I surely will fail. I sincerely believe that the erroneous concept that a �Christian� must be perfect (meaning, living a sinless life), and knowing that I couldn�t attain that high standard, kept me away from the Lord for a long time. As a matter of fact, the Lord tells us in 2 Corinthians �My grace is sufficient for you, for (my) power is perfected in weakness.� (12:9). The writer goes on to say in verse 10 �I am well content with weakness, ... for when I am weak, then I am strong.� I didn�t understand this concept until I read James 1:2-3, which says �Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.� I think it all boils down to this: without trials and adversity it would be human nature to thrust God aside and say, "Who needs you, God? I�m doing just fine, thank you!" Such were the pathetic circumstances of the Jews in the Old Testament. Of course there will be those who claim that such an attitude gives license to doing anything a person wants, no matter how sinful. Not so! God will still hold everyone responsible for their own actions. And, of course, there is always the question of just what is sin? And, who defines sin against who�s standard. Some of today�s right-wing, conservative, sanctimonious so-called �born again� Christians are so rabid in their denunciations of what they call �immoral behavior� (according to their standards) that they are really an embarrassment to all believers. It is obvious to me that God gave us all the ability to recognize sin and wrong-doing, and it is equally obvious that each person has a choice as to whether or not they will acknowledge their sin and turn it over to the Lord for forgiveness (which He said He will do.)

Much later in my life I found a book entitled �When Bad Things Happen to Good People�, written by Harold S. Kushner, which has assisted me in understanding the nature of a Devine being. It explains why, when life has dealt a raw deal to some people, religion could not comfort them. I�d like to quote a few passages from that book to illustrate what I have learned.

"One of the things that makes the world livable is the fact that the laws of nature are precise and reliable, and always work the same. In that, we find proof of God precisely in the fact that laws of nature do not change. God has given us a wonderful, precise, orderly world. . . .

"To the ancients, an eclipse was an unnatural event which they interpreted as God�s way of warning them. To us, it is a perfectly natural event, a reminder of how precise a universe God has given us.

"Laws of nature treat everyone alike. They do not make exceptions for good or useful people . . . or for nice people. . . . or for bad people.

"God does not reach down to interrupt the workings of the laws of nature to protect the righteous from harm. This is an area of our world which can cause bad things to happen to good people, and God does not cause it and cannot stop it. . . . I don�t believe that an earthquake that kills thousands of innocent victims without �reason� is an act of God. It is an act of nature. Nature is morally blind, without values.

"I don�t know why one person gets sick, and another does not, but I can only assume that some natural laws which we don�t understand are at work. I don�t believe that God �sends� illness to a specific person for a specific reason. I don�t believe in a God who has a weekly quota of malignant tumors to distribute, and consults his computer to find out who deserves one most or who can handle it best. �What did I do to deserve this?� is an understandable outcry from a sick and suffering person, but it is really the wrong question. . . . The better question is �if this has happened to me, what do I do now, and who is there to help me do it?�. . . . The God I believe in did not send the disease and does not have a miraculous cure that He is withholding. . . . The God I believe in gives strength and courage to those who, unfairly and through no fault of their own, suffer pain and the fear of death.

"In order to let us be free, in order to let us be human, God has to leave us free to choose to do right or to do the wrong. . . . Why, then, do bad things happen to good people? One reason is that our being human leaves us free to hurt each other, and God can�t stop us without taking away the freedom that makes us human. . . . I can only say that the cornerstone of my religious outlook is the belief that human beings are free to choose the direction their life will take. . . . If we are not free, if we are bound by circumstances and experiences, then we are no different from the animal who is bound by instinct.

"What Job (OT book of Job) needed from his friends�what he was really asking for when he said �Why is God doing this to me?��was not theology, but sympathy. . . . Job�s friends did do at least two things right, though. First of all, they came. . . . And secondly, they listened.

"We need to get over the questions that focus on the past and the pain��Why did this happen to me?��and ask instead the question which opens doors to the future: 'Now that this has happened, what shall I do about it?'�

Now, back to my "Blueprint for Life", and a possible answer to the question, " What shall I do about it?" There are many comparable verses in the Bible which say much the same thing as those which I came to know and love, but the bottom line is spelled "GRACE". The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is with this background that I gladly offer my "A Blueprint for Life" composition for your enjoyment.  "A Blueprint for Life" contains seven bibical verses which, when taken in sequence, offer a logical (there's that engineer talking) and reasonable explanation of what Grace, and having the Lord in your life, is all about. I invite you to prayerfully consider this work. A copy is hung on my computer hutch, all done up on a fancy scroll and printed in old English and script fonts. I read it frequently. Click here for an image. A regular text copy follows:

A Blueprint for Life

And I know that God causes all things to work together for (His) good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Amen, and God bless each one of you.

P.S. I had to reduce the resolution of the image, "bluepnt.gif". If you cannot get a good print I can do one of two things for you:
1. Attach a WordPerfect7 file to an Email to you, and you can print your own from that (I got the scroll sheets from Office Depot), or
2. I will print copies for you at $3.00 for first copy and $1.00 for each additional copy, and mail them to you. That is about actual cost for me. Contact me via Email.
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