Tohu va vohu

Did you click to read this because you were wondering, "What the heck is "tohu va vohu?" I too had never heard those Hebrew words until this afternoon, but they perfectly describe what is going on in this picture and in The Bronx.

So, what is tohu va vohu? Those Hebrew words mean "formless or void state." They are used in Genesis 1 when the story of how God created the world is retold. Last night, myself and three others (Amber, Joanlie, and Clinton) gathered to share life and discuss creating a new life group that will sometimes meet in The Bronx. It was a small step in creating something big out of that which is currently formless.

I think Rob Bell puts it best in describing how we are a part of God's continuing creation and how small steps actually have huge ripples. God's intent in creating these people was for them to continue the work of creating the world, moving it away from chaos and wild and waste and formlessness toward order and harmony and good. As human beings, we take part through our actions in the ongoing creation of the world. The question is, What kind of world are we going to make? What kind of world will our energies create? ... Either we're acting in ways that move the world away from the tohu va vohu or we're contributing to the chaos and lack of order. (from SEX GOD) I leave you all with a final thought shared last night from his other book Velvet Elvis. I assume you have had moments like this when you were caught up in something so much bigger than yourself that you couldn't even put it in words. What is it about certain things that ignite something within?