Verbose: adj : using or containing a great and usually excessive number of words; wordy.

I am going to guess that most of you are familiar with Dave Barry and maybe even Bill Bryson. I marvel at the humor and insight in their articles (although at times their works need some redemption). The circulation of their articles via major newspapers, books, and of course their blogs fits rather well into the category of “massively ubiquitous.” Their books are so successful that they have even achieved the pinnacle of literary success: being sold in airport gift shops.

They are a comfort to me in that their articles tend to run into the 1000+ word range. In other words, their rambling and verbose styles are never “to the point.”  Hmmm… reminds me of a certain deity I know… Barry and Bryson are masters at the art of the whimsical tangent — I love that stuff. They prove that a verbose writing style can be very successful. All you need is an interesting and/or witty topic and be really talented.  (Ah,…well, yes…. right.  guess I better get out the proverbial “red pen” right away.  Brief is good, CF, Brief is good….)

Is brief, and to the point the only way to live in this world? Is there no way to redeem what I will claim as the spiritual gift of wordiness? If not, then I’m toast…. all is lost, I might as well stick all my typing fingers into a hot waffle iron right now, all three of them.

But lengthy, rambly articles (and other forms of communication) must still have value in this “net it out” world. For verbose, whimsical tangents can be very joyous. And they reflect the creative nature of God. Really, it’s true. Allow me to prove that I can dig up a spiritual rationalization for my rambling ways. It may take a little effort, but I know I can do it.

Allow me to start with two very important questions.

Question #1: how many stars are there in our galaxy?

Question #2: how many galaxies are there in the known universe?

OK, one more question: what’s the sum of answer #1 and answer #2?

The answer is: Some-outrageous-number-that-makes-my-brain-hurt-to-even-try-to-contemplate-it.  Lee Strobel himself would have difficulty trying to illustrate such a number in a way that every day dudes like me can grasp.

OK, I know that some of you are dying to know the answer, so here it is: The number of stars in the galaxy is an estimated 200 to 400 Billion. And, the number of galaxies in the known universe is around 300 Billion, give or take a few bil’. So, are you getting a migraine yet?

Do you suppose that God got a little carried away when He created the universe and all that is in it? What in the world … er, rather universe… moved Him to create so many stars?? The answer is simple: He was crazy. I’m serious. God was Crazy to create so many stars, crazy in love with each and every one of us.

Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Wow. Do they ever! So many stars and their most important “assignment” is to declare God’s glory to us. And the central theme of God’s glory is that He loves us.

Now, be honest. Don’t you think that saying “I love you” with somewhere in the neighborhood of 90,000 Billion “Valentines” (a.k.a. stars) is a little verbose? Obviously God doesn’t think so.

But wait! There’s more!

I look at the stars and think “Lord, truly you have a dizzying intellect”

God: wait till I get going!

For all the rest of nature declares His glory too. Consider if you can all of the species of insects crawling through and buzzing over our planet, or all of the species of animals on this earth, or the birds of the air, or the vast array of creatures in the sea, or the numbers of cells in your body, or the astonishing way in which your eye was designed, or the intricate and amazing design of your hands, or the undeniable complexity of your immune system…. I could go on and on (and you know I can.)

God’s creation is nothing short of a lavish gift to us, and that’s an understatement. And what does this outlandish gift “say?”

Psalm 19 (again) –”I am here” and “My glory is immeasurable” and “I love lavishing gifts on you, gifts that draw you to Me.”

Romans 1 — “I am holy and just.”

Colossians 1:16– “Jesus is the power behind the creation.”

Next time you look at the stars, or feel the beat of your heart  remember: Revelation 22:7 — “I am coming back for you. I want you to be with Me forever.” When God endeavors to express His love for us through His creation, through the Church, and above all through His Son, He can get pretty “verbose” can’t He?

SO, GOT 5 MINUTES? What say we all slow down for just  minute and reflect on all that God is saying to us. And, how about we all get a little “verbose” back to God and thank Him for all that He does for us and above all for His Son.

The coolest thing has happened! Suddenly I found myself no longer in “the wood between the worlds!” I am currently working a contract job in the city, doing pretty much what I have been doing for over 10 years: project management.

Wait a minute. There’s something terribly familiar about this place.

I see a large room with dozens and dozens of thin little walls arranged into narrow stalls. In the stalls are human types, at least that’s what I think they are. It’s hard to tell, for each of them is huddled into the back of their stall, hunched over some glowing, flickering thing. They stare intently at it, and tap frantically on it as if trying to create some kind of “magic” through it.

Occasionally, I see a “stall dweller’s” head pop up above the walls and look around (frightened by something?), and then suddenly disappear into their stall. I have also noticed a little box inside of each stall. From time to time it cries out in a chirpy, demanding kind of way. Immediately, the stall dweller will grab it–or rather it’s head, I suppose–put it right up to his mouth and talk to it. Is he trying to console it? Sometimes the dweller talks to it in calm, soothing tones. Other times he will yell at it, but no approach seems to work. No matter how he tries to pacify it, every few minutes the box will cry out again, demanding his attention.

They lead me to my stall, sit me down and show me my magic making device (a.k.a. “computer”), and leave me to weave electronic incantations.

That’s when it hit me: I’m back in Uncle Andrew’s Study.

[Dude, as usual you lost me. ]

Sorry, can’t be helped. If you are going to understand this article you will need to find a basic primer on “The Magician’s Nephew” by C.S.Lewis. I suggest you go forth and Google….

Oh, all right. Here, I’ll give you a summary instead.

Uncle Andrew was Digory’s uncle. Because of his peevish and greedy ways, he fancied himself a magician and got into a lot of trouble for it. It was in his study that Digory and Polly discovered Andrew’s rings, the green ones and the yellow ones. Those rings were used to get to and from “the wood between the worlds.”

Once Digory and Polly had traveled to the wood between the worlds–and from there to other worlds–they came back to Uncle Andrew’s study. That’s where their troubles really took off. One would think that coming back home would be a good thing, but not in this case.

Returning to Uncle Andrew’s study, in Narnian mythology, represents a way of jumping out of the frying pan and…. well, right back into that frying pan.

Back to my contract job. Is working in an office again really like returning Uncle Andrew’s study? Sort of. Well, not really, but I’m not sure what else to compare it to.

The company I am now working in is hardly like “Charn,” the ancient, cruel, decrepit world that Digory and Polly found when they first left the wood between the worlds. No, this is a nice place. I rather like it here. But never-the-less, it is just a little too familiar, a little too similar to the OfficeSpaceWorld that I just left. I suppose contracting at a company is a bit more like returning to “Uncle Andrew’s Study” than any other “world” I can think of. It certainly isn’t “Narnia” to me.

It does feel good to have a routine, and be appreciated, and do something that you’re pretty good at–and get paid pretty well for, I might add. Still, I have this nagging feeling that this type of work is not what God really has in mind for me, at least not in the long run.

I don’t think that God sent me into the “Wood Between the Worlds” only to have me drift back into Uncle Andrew’s Study, or something very similar to it. In other words, I just don’t think that God wants me to go back to corporate life. And yet, maybe He does…. Here is why I am starting to wonder.

Recently, my client/manager asked me if I would be open to a permanent position. IF he is able to arrange it, that is. I was flattered and felt that this could resolve my job situation in a rather miraculous way. Naturally, I said, “yes! I’d love it!” Still, though, there was this nagging thought: am I drifting again? Am I taking the easy way out, just going with the flow?

I feel that if I get the offer I would be a bit foolish not to take it. Besides, how could I explain turning it down to my wife?

“Honey, God provided a really good job at a very nice company, doing something I’m pretty good at with lots of opportunities to be contributor and plenty of room to grow, but it doesn’t feel like “Narnia” to me. So, I turned them down.” Somehow I think she would look at me, blink, shake her head (or hold it) and in her own way say something like “ooow. yeah…. We have sort of a problem here….”

For now, a permanent position is purely theoretical and I’m not going to pin all my hopes on it. But it raises the question: why did God answer my prayer by helping me get out of Corporate Life? Does He really want me to go right back into it? If He does, I will, and I will actually feel peace about it, knowing that I obeyed God.

I do wish that God would just give me a “burning bush” like experience and make my path so blasted clear that even an idiot with the IQ of a stone could not miss the message; like the way He made leaving my last job very clear through allowing me to get laid off (Uh….. did I just call myself an idiot with the IQ of a stone??).

For now, though, I’m actually quite happy to be in “Uncle Andrew’s study” so to speak. The opportunity came in a rather miraculous way, and there is no doubt that they like my work; the people there are good folks to work with, and I have a solid routine. I’m not sure how this is going to turn out, but for now I feel that if they offer me a permanent position, I’ll probably take it.

In other words, for now, I’ll stay in Uncle Andrew’s Study (though I’d rather find my ‘Narnia’).

Say, what’s that flickering light off in the distance? It looks like something is in flames, and yet there is something very odd about it. I don’t see any smoke…. no ashes rising from it… it’s not getting any smaller….. hmmmm. That’s curious. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to go over there and check it out.

Ah! rats! Here comes my train. Can’t be late for work. Better get on board before all the good seats are taken. I guess I’ll have to read about that weird burning-but-not-smoldering-bush-like-thing on www.all-about-local-news.com, once I get to the office.