I think you are looking at it the wrong way. God is a word that has been defined over the ages to mean something. Remember language is nothing more than a symbol for what we see visually an interpret mentally. God is actually just another word for deity. And deity is a supernatural, immortal being. There is no dispute of what we define as good. So your question being is god inanimate... NO. That is impossible to the definition as it is a being.
The wiggle room for deities comes with the ability to understand what they are. Because they aren't of our natural world that we understand (or yet to understand), it is possible they could be many things that fit the definition that we aren't able to comprehend. Such as not being visible. Or even have physical attributes that we usually associate with life. So a deity by definition can't be the law of physics, although one could argue that these laws exist due to a deity depending on your interpretation.
My view of this matter is a rather weird one so I'll spare you on that, but I do think this is a rather interesting discussion. But I think it only leads to one logical answer and I doubt that answer is one many would like. And that logical answer is that the ability to understand and define that which we don't understand is a contradiction. Instead take the Socratic method and realized you know nothing on the matter. That is where I am on this matter although i do still uphold the belief of Atheism... but do recognize the possibility of something far greater than myself.
