The God of Sunrises, Scripture and Screws

Last weekend at Epiphany Ranch felt a little like stepping inside a hymn like “To God be the Glory” or “How Great Thou Art”.

The first morning, Staci and I greeted the sunrise together at 6:00 a.m., wrapped in blankets, soft instrumental worship music floating in the background, the fireplace flickering its own quiet amen.

Buddy, their ever-faithful Australian Shepherd, curled at our feet, while Aggie and Lizzy — the feline queens of the ranch — supervised from nearby perches. It was peace with fur.

The next morning, I tiptoed in again, eager for another sunrise with my girl — only to find Christiane, Payton’s sweetheart, sitting quietly by the fire with her Bible open. Staci asked, “What are you reading?”

Her answer? “Exodus. And wow… there are a lot of laws.”

We laughed — because yes, there are.

But then Staci said something that stopped me:

“Exodus was the instruction manual for creation. It had to be detailed. It had to be precise.”

And suddenly, it all made sense.

There were no hospitals then, no sanitation systems, no health codes, no government regulations. God wasn’t being tedious. He was teaching His people how to build a world. How to live. How to survive. How to thrive.

Every guideline in Exodus wasn’t nitpicking — it was love spelled out in careful lines.

It reminded me of the time Carl and I bought a pantry that came in approximately 350 pieces. Every bolt, every screw, every microscopic doo-dad had to be assembled “according to the instructions.”

At one point, we were convinced our marriage might not survive this sanctifying experience. One wrong bolt and the whole thing wobbled like a newborn calf.

But when we finally got it assembled (with the help of a dear friend who is highly skilled in woodwork), we stepped back and admired it — sturdy, steady, useful.

Just like God did in Exodus. Every detail, every design, every bolt of creation — divinely intentional.

And here we are, centuries later, sitting by fireplaces at sunrise, reading His words with peace on our faces and gratitude in our hearts.

We get to enjoy the pantry.

We get to enjoy the world.

We get to enjoy the God who builds everything with purpose — including us.

If God cares about every bolt in Exodus, He surely cares about every detail of your life today. How awesome is that?