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the crumb theory



There are crumbs on my desk. I know they were left there by Dean. Sure, there are often crumbs on my desk. Some I dribble there as I often have lunch or a snack while I read and type or work, some the cats track across the flat surface they like to pace across on their way to the window or just to look at me and get some attention or to beg for a bite of some goody, some come from that mysterious place where dust and dirt and debris are manufactured and distributed freely for all to enjoy equally.

I was just reading an article on faith and proof and that got me to thinking...though I did not see Dean drop any crumbs on the desk, I KNOW they are from him. I have no proof (though I suppose DNA tests or fingerprints might be conclusive) except that I know he was here today and there are things present that I did not make. Sure, I could blame it on the cats, but I know what cats make and that looks different. You don't always have to see it to know it is true.

I just started to read the book of Job today and love the introduction given my Eugene Peterson. Too often we use suffering as a reason to call God's power or goodness into question. Mr. Peterson, instead, puts forth that suffering calls OUR lives into question. He also notes that this book is one of the strongest anti-religious books of the Bible as the platitudes of Job's friends are dismissed as knowledge without compassion or depth. Despite our best efforts, we cannot prevent suffering, we can only enter into it and look for God.

This is a barbed wire fence at Finnegan's farm.

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