Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

I am not a scientist. In my life, I have not really even appreciated science all that much. However, I must confess that I have fallen in love with a book that at least has a scientific flavor. I am currently reading a book called "Fearfully and Wonderfully Made" by Dr. Paul Brand and Phillip Yancy. The book is delightful! It really is. I am learning so much. I highly recommend it. The premise of the book is to draw comparisons between the exquisite creation of our own physical bodies and the constant, fluid and beautiful creation of the Body of Christ. I have found the book incredibly educational (I know I've already said that), inspiring, heart-felt, deeply meaningful, and (most suprising) funny. I have found myself laughing out loud at times and just really enjoying the writing. Here's a sample:

"I have closed my eyes. My shoes are kicked off, and I am wiggling the small bones in my right foot. Exposed, they are half the width of a pencil, and yet they support my weight in walking. I cup my hand over my ear and hear the familiar seashell phenomenon, actuallly the sound of blood cells rushing through the capillaries in my head. I stretch out my left arm and try to imagine the millions of muscle cells eagerly expanding and contracting in concert. I rub my finger across my arm and feel the stimulation of touch cells, 450 of them in each on-inch square patch of skin.

Inside my stomach, spleen, liver, pancreas, and kidneys, each packed with millions of loyal cells, are working so efficiently I have no way of perceiving their presence. Fine hairs in my inner ear are monitoring a swishing fluid, ready to alert me if I suddenly tilt off balance.

When my cells work well. I'm hardly conscious of their individual presences. What I feel is the composite of their activity known as Paul Brand. My body, composed of many parts, is one. And that is the root of the analogy we shall explore."

What I like best about the book is although it describes an incredibly complex topic, the book somehow comes across as an easy read AND Christ centered. Jesus Christ, and not the author's intellect, takes center stage.