The Last Leaf

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  “The day slowly passed. As it grew dark, they could still see the leaf hanging from its branch against the wall. And then, as the night  came, the north wind began again to blow. The rain still beat against the windows. When it was light enough the next morning, Johnsy again commanded that she be allowed to see. The leaf was still there.” “The Last Leaf” A Short Story by O Henry (1905)

"When God made the world, where was He?"

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[This is an excellent question not asked in the spirit of a disagreeing argument, but of serious investigation. When the Kenyan student asked this question, the whole room got silent as everyone went to their thoughts. I don't even remember exactly how I answered the question during the conference, but I'm sure it went something like this (as I think about this all the time):]

God exists outside time and space; therefore, He was "where he was" when He created the world. This is very much in relation to His very name, "I AM." He IS, and that's where He was--where He was "being." Have you ever noticed that God never says, "I was," or "I will be"? His being is found in His name, "I AM"; that is, He is always contemporary. Only those who worship Him call Him "who Is, who was and is to come." This is not a statement of chronological linage, like moving from point A to point B in order to get to point C. This is more of a 3-D word picture, describing one person who not only encompasses all time and space, but is outside it, transcendent.

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