Giglio Louie - Indescribable: encountering the glory of God in the beauty of the universe

INDESCRIBABLE

Published by David C Cook

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David C Cook Distribution Canada

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David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

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All rights reserved. Except for brief excerpts for review purposes,

no part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form

without written permission from the publisher.

The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of David C Cook, nor do we vouch for their content.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the New Living Translation of the Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright 2000; 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The authors have added italics to Scripture quotations for emphasis.

LCCN 2011935866

ISBN 978-0-7814-0602-4

eISBN 978-1-4347-0458-0

2011 Louie Giglio and Matt Redman

The Team: Alex Field, Amy Konyndyk, Nick Lee, Renada Arens, Karen Athen

Cover Design: Leighton Ching

Cover Photo: Thierry Legault

First Edition 2011

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED TO OUR MOMS/MUMS, LUMINOUS AND BEAUTIFUL: MARTHA JEANE GIGLIO (IN LOVING MEMORY) AND BARBARA REDMAN.

Cover Image (Close Up)

Solar transit of the space shuttle Atlantis (STS-132) less than one hour prior to docking with the International Space Station (ISS), taken from Madrid, Spain, May 16, 2010. Aboard Atlantis were copies of Matts CD We Shall Not Be Shaken and Louies DVD How Great Is Our God , carried into space by Mission Specialist Michael T. Good.

Image: Thierry Legault

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CH 1

CH 2

CH 3

CH 4

CH 5

CH 6

CH 7

CH 8

CH 9

CH 10

CH 11

CH 12

CH 13

CH 14

CH 15

VISIT

WWW.INDESCRIBABLEBOOK.COM

FOR FULL-COLOR VERSIONS OF THE IMAGES IN THIS BOOK AND MUCH MORE.

FOREWORD BY FORMER ASTRONAUT JOE TANNER

MECO, Atlantisthe shuttle main engines have just shut down, and we are in orbit traveling 17,500 miles per hour. My goal of flying in space is finally realized after many years of preparation. Praise God! I look out a window to see Earth with my own eyes from 165 miles above its surface. It really is round! I feast on the beautiful colors below and then scan past the thin layer of our atmosphere to the vastness of space. The total blackness is pierced only by the brilliant rays of our Sun. I cant see any stars, only the emptiness of deep space. Is anything really out there?

My attention turns back to the sights below. Earth is beautiful beyond description. God must love us dearly to provide a planet so perfectly tuned for life in what appears to be an otherwise empty universe. As I enjoy the view and the comfort of His loving presence, I am convinced we serve an incredibly loving heavenly Father.

In only a few minutes, the scene changes while our spacecraft races around Earth. As the Sun slips rapidly below the horizon, I witness my first orbital sunset, further evidence of Gods glory. With the growing darkness, I discover the emptiness is in fact filled with far more stars than I have ever seen or imagined. The majesty of this sight makes me aware that our planet is only a tiny speck in Gods immense universe.

This first experience in space further convinced me that our God not only loves us; He is also unbelievably powerful to have created such a huge and magnificent universe. The only word that comes to mind is indescribable!

I am honored that Louie and Matt asked me to write a foreword to their book. The words and images in this book invite me to worship God, as did the space-flight views I just described. Allow Louie and Matt to take you on a journey to reveal Gods love and glory in the universe.

May God richly bless you as you read.

JOE TANNER

Former NASA astronaut
STS-66, 82, 97, 115

FOREWORD BY ASTRONOMER JENNIFER WISEMAN

The book before you will lift your eyes to the skies, expand your mind, and refill your spirit with a new sense of the grandeur and awesome character of God.

When a friend recommended to me a few years ago that I watch the Louie Giglio video Indescribable, I smiled and thanked the well-meaning advocate, but I had little intention of actually watching it. Knowing that I am an astronomer myself, both a scientist and a follower of Jesus, my friend felt sure that I would be enamored with a presentation by a pastor that incorporated incredible discoveries of astronomy. But I had encountered quite a few disappointing religious presentationsbooks, films, sermons, and articlesin which the audience is left either with erroneous scientific claims, a sense that mainstream science is a foe of biblical faith, or both. How delighted I was to experience instead a passionate presentation of the awesomeness of God , exemplified by the incomprehensible magnitude and dynamic activity of the universe itself and elucidated with the latest scientific understanding.

Now in this book of the same name, Louie Giglio and Matt Redman build on the theme by sharing powerful observations of how the heavens have infused their own relationships with God with a sense of awe and joy. The heavens have also always inspired in me a sense of amazement and a desire to explore. I cant help but believe that a Creator responsible for countless wonders must take delight as we find out more and more of whats out there and how nature unfolds. Indeed, the advancements in telescope technology are allowing us to glimpse wonders that were only imagined just a few decades ago: merging galaxies, light-distorting dark matter, extrasolar planets, and even ancient light from near the dawn of the universe. Our discoveries tell us something about the nature of God as we see evidence of patience, beauty, incredible magnitude, and a flourishing of lifeat least on one planet!

May you be inspired to take the time to look up, both with your own eyes and through the incredible images now available online from the worlds most powerful telescopes. And may the thoughts shared in this book help you to make connections between the God of an awesome universe and the love He has for you and this tiny, beautiful planet.

JENNIFER WISEMAN

Astronomer, author, and speaker

Sombrero Galaxy

The Sombrero Galaxy has been observed and wondered at for centuries. Also known as M104 or NGC 4594, the Sombrero Galaxy is an unbarred spiral galaxy located twenty-nine million light-years from Earth in the constellation Virgo.