E = Mountaintop Community Church

I read this book once called Eden's Gate by Christopher A. Lane. The copy I have is copyrighted 1994, which is probably about when I read it. It was a pretty good book, but there is one conversation in it that I have remembered since first reading it. The discussion follows the question, "What's detailed about 'God did this, God did that. He made this, he made that'? The question is how did he make it? How did he 'create' something from nothing?" (This is kinda long, but bear with me, I think you'll find it interesting.)

    Ben smiled. "The point I was trying to bring up was simply that in the first chapter of Genesis, we find an amazingly detailed account of the process and methodology God employed when he created the world. If, in fact he did, " he added for Jennifer's benefit.
    "Detailed?" she snorted. "What's detailed about 'God did this, God did that. He made this, he made that'? The question is how did he make it? How did he 'create' something from nothing?"
    "Look at verse two," Ben said. "Notice the descriptive terms: 'formless, empty, dark.' In the beginning, the universe was void, an invisible vacuum. Then God set about creating the earth, utilizing his seemingly limitless supply of power and energy."
    "But we're not talking about a potter here," Jennifer objected. "There was no clay, no matter with which to work. Where did the matter come from? Did the world just appear out of thin air? Energy can't be converted to matter without…"
    "Einstein, " Treadwell interrupted.
    "Huh?"
    "E=MC²," he said. "That's about all I remember from physics. Energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. At the speed of light, energy can be transformed into matter."
    "And God said, 'Let there be light,'" Ben read.
    "The plot thickens." Mark grinned triumphantly.
    "That's not talking about light," Jennifer argued. That just refers to the sun, the moon, the stars…"
    "No," Ben corrected. "They don't come until verse fourteen, long after God had created the sky, the dry land, the plants."
    "You're trying to tell me that for centuries, the Bible has held the key to E=MC²?"
    "Not only that…" Ben lifted an eyebrow, "but it explained the nature of light long before Albert came along."
    "This I gotta see," Treadwell put in, looking interested.
    "Job 38:19," Ben cited, turning to the passage. "'Where is the way where light dwells?'"
    "So?" Jennifer said.
    "So, Job is arguably the oldest book in the Bible," Ben explained. "Yet it presents us with a scientific truth that only has been realized in recent years. Light involves motion, travelling at 186,000 miles a second. It resides in a way, not a place."
Treadwell chuckled at that. "Well, I'll be."
    "In the first letter of John, we find another piece of the puzzle." Ben paged over to the New Testament. "'God is light,' John writes. 'In him there is no darkness at all.'"
    "Are you saying that God is a big pool of radiant energy?" Treadwell asked.
    "I don't know," Ben confessed. "John says 'God is light,' but nowhere do we find the statement that all light is God or that God is only light. Apparently, light or radiant energy is just one of God's many characteristics."
    "In another passage the Bible calls Jesus the light of the world," Mark added. "It says that 'through him all things were made."
    "Jesus was the creative energy, the 'light' in creation? Through him energy was transformed into matter?" Jennifer wondered aloud. "That's preposterous. How can a person be a force?"
    Ben shrugged his shoulders. "Don't ask me. I don't understand it either. But the more I learn about God, the more hooked I am on discovering more about him."^*

While I'm no physicist or mathematician, this seems pretty logical to me. If light has an abode, as Job says, then light must be living. This is great stuff to use when discussing such matters with unbelievers! But that's not what I'm writing about here. ;)

What caused me to remember this was when I was at church tonight, I was writing a check to get the kids some VBS t-shirts. As I was writing out the 'Pay to the order of…' section, Mountaintop Community Church, I was thinking that I wished I could abbreviate it (ok, ok, I know. I'm lazy). MCC would be great, or even MC². Wait a sec. MC²? E=MC²!

One of the first things that struck me when attending my first ever service at Mountaintop Community church was the ENERGY! Lots of it! E=MC²! Energy = Mountaintop Community Church. Another thing was the ENTHUSIASM of the praise team and the congregation! E=MC²! Enthusiasm = Mountaintop Community Church.

Edgy = Mountaintop Community Church.
Edifying = Mountaintop Community Church.
Excellence = Mountaintop Community Church.
Evangelical = Mountaintop Community Church.

E=MC²! I'm sure there's many other 'E' words that describe Mountaintop Community Church, but I think you get my point. I love this church we've found.


^*Lane, Christopher A. ©1994 Eden's Gate

If E=MC2 then M=E/C²

Another legend passes....

I just found out that last night, Dana Key died from a ruptured blood clot. Dana was the guitar half of the legendary Christian Rock duo DeGarmo & Key. Their video for the song 666 was banned from MTV supposedly for having too much violence.

I think more likely cause they have the word 'Jesus' in it. By today's 'standards' this video is cheesey (though the song does carry a good message).

I haven't really listened to them much lately, mainly due to the fact that, despite having all of their albums, most of them are on vinyl! Looking back on their songs now, I can see that the messages of Christ's victory over Satan and His 2nd coming were very prevalent.

Here's a great article about them: http://www.ccmmagazine.com/news/headlines/11632793/

While they had a lot of really good songs, this was always one of my favorites:

No More Goodbyes - DeGarmo & Key
Somewhere over the rainbow
Beyond the land of Oz
Beyond the reach of man
Beyond the stars

There's a silver palace
There are streets of gold
There's a place believers
Call their home

No more separation
No more tearful eyes
No more loneliness
No more goodbyes

Far from pain or hunger
far from vanity
Set upon a blazing crystal sea
There's a home for martyrs
Hero's everyone
Living in the presence of God's Son

No more separation
No more tearful eyes
No more loneliness
No more goodbyes