I woke up yesterday morning with thanks in my heart, and on my lips! I actually woke up in a prayer. I must have been saying it in my dreams and then as I woke it transferred from dream to consciousness. I have heard of people waking up screaming or crying, though I've never experienced it, but this was the first time I've ever woken myself in audible prayer. My prayer? Thank You Lord, for a new day... Thank You Father, for You are good... Thank you Jesus, for Your sacrifice! For ten minutes I exhausted my memory, my imagination and my thoughts, thanking the Lord for everything I could. The night before I laid in bed humbled from a day of conviction and revelation, and I was in search of forgiveness when I drifted from consciousness to sleep. Jesus must of surrounded me in his peace and assurance while I slept because I was full of joy and thanks that morning. I spent the day thanking the Lord every time I wanted to complain and filling my thoughts with boisterous thanksgiving whenever there was silence.
It was a joyous day, filled with confirmations of His love and devotion to me, but my favorite Godbumps moment was that night at St. Rose Bible study. Father Sebastien explained the idea of Jesus as the Lamb of God. A brief overview: During the time of Moses, when God was freeing the Israelites from the Egyptians, He told them to mark their thresholds with the blood of a lamb so He would know not to take their firstborn sons. This was called the Passover because anyone marked with the blood of the lamb would be passed over during the time of wrath. Jesus was the new Lamb, marking God's children with His blood that we might be passed over in the time of wrath. The significance of that, is of course, that it wasn't one day of mercy but rather, by His sacrifice and His blood, we are saved everyday! Forever more! The Passover is no longer a day of celebration but rather a life-time of joy and... what?... THANKSGIVING! I love my God so much! Isn't he amazing?
Friday, February 15, 2008
Monday, February 11, 2008
Absolute Awe
On my recent roadtrip across the western half of the United States I discovered something... Jesus is HUGE and he is absolutely EVERYWHERE! Over the last month I have experienced the Lord in the most mysterious, the most bizarre and even the most seemingly trivial things.
It all started... that doesn't work... let me try again. My friend Jo actually offered me a good way to express what I am saying. There is a song by MeWithoutYou that we don't know the name of, that says "I spent my whole life trying to find where You [God] were, but now I can't find where You're not." BRILLIANT! When she told me about those lyrics I was like, "So True!" I can't help but be absolutely amazed by God's creations; not just by humans, though they have their amazing qualities, or by incredible incidents, thought there have been many, but by the earth itself. We have driven through 7 states in the last week and even in the small portion of the world that we have experienced I have had my breath stolen from my chest by God so many times my soul is left eternally gasping! In Arizona there are rocks suspended on other rocks, boulders stacked on boulders. It seems like the entire structure should just collapse, but some miraculous balance of weight and wonder keeps them in place. Did I say wonder? I meant the Lord! When you see them it looks like something huge just soccer-kicked the boulders to the tops of the others and they stuck.
It made me think of the absolutely amazing artistic ability of our God. Have you ever looked at a painting or a drawing and wondered where the artist got the idea to put things where they were and how it was such a good blend of color and abstract and symmetry and the opposite? The biggest mural I've ever seen was maybe the side of an 8 story building. God did it with the entire earth! THE ENTIRE EARTH! It gives new meaning to that "world is my canvas" statement.
Did you know that every snowflake is different? The knowledge of this while Jo and I crossed the east Oregon pass in a snowy blizzard was almost overwhelming. I was thinking how long it takes me to even articulate one unique sentence and then tried to imagine every sentence as a snowflake and realized that I don't think I have articulated as many sentences in my LIFETIME as I saw snowflakes on the road tonight. Excuse me a moment while I PRAISE THE LORD!
While on the coast, witnessing the pacific ocean for the thousandth time with close to as much awe as Jo did while she witnessed it for the first time, I was struck with an idea that I've had before but never to that extent... God made the earth in such a way that it praises him always. Even if no man were present on the Oregon sands, the ocean would still praise God. The waves would still call out to God as they stirred the sands along the shore and rise and bow as they raced each other to the end of their lives... the wind would still blow through the dry reeds and keep the long grasses singing and swaying, adoring God. They are thankful for their creation and they become more passionate the harder the weather. Why can't I be so enthusiastic?
But I am full of praise and worship tonight as I recount these wonders and marvel at the one's I am blessed with right now. Thank you Lord for being everywhere. Thank you for your extravagance, your beauty, your miracles and especially, thank you Lord for your grandeur.
It all started... that doesn't work... let me try again. My friend Jo actually offered me a good way to express what I am saying. There is a song by MeWithoutYou that we don't know the name of, that says "I spent my whole life trying to find where You [God] were, but now I can't find where You're not." BRILLIANT! When she told me about those lyrics I was like, "So True!" I can't help but be absolutely amazed by God's creations; not just by humans, though they have their amazing qualities, or by incredible incidents, thought there have been many, but by the earth itself. We have driven through 7 states in the last week and even in the small portion of the world that we have experienced I have had my breath stolen from my chest by God so many times my soul is left eternally gasping! In Arizona there are rocks suspended on other rocks, boulders stacked on boulders. It seems like the entire structure should just collapse, but some miraculous balance of weight and wonder keeps them in place. Did I say wonder? I meant the Lord! When you see them it looks like something huge just soccer-kicked the boulders to the tops of the others and they stuck.
It made me think of the absolutely amazing artistic ability of our God. Have you ever looked at a painting or a drawing and wondered where the artist got the idea to put things where they were and how it was such a good blend of color and abstract and symmetry and the opposite? The biggest mural I've ever seen was maybe the side of an 8 story building. God did it with the entire earth! THE ENTIRE EARTH! It gives new meaning to that "world is my canvas" statement.
Did you know that every snowflake is different? The knowledge of this while Jo and I crossed the east Oregon pass in a snowy blizzard was almost overwhelming. I was thinking how long it takes me to even articulate one unique sentence and then tried to imagine every sentence as a snowflake and realized that I don't think I have articulated as many sentences in my LIFETIME as I saw snowflakes on the road tonight. Excuse me a moment while I PRAISE THE LORD!
While on the coast, witnessing the pacific ocean for the thousandth time with close to as much awe as Jo did while she witnessed it for the first time, I was struck with an idea that I've had before but never to that extent... God made the earth in such a way that it praises him always. Even if no man were present on the Oregon sands, the ocean would still praise God. The waves would still call out to God as they stirred the sands along the shore and rise and bow as they raced each other to the end of their lives... the wind would still blow through the dry reeds and keep the long grasses singing and swaying, adoring God. They are thankful for their creation and they become more passionate the harder the weather. Why can't I be so enthusiastic?
But I am full of praise and worship tonight as I recount these wonders and marvel at the one's I am blessed with right now. Thank you Lord for being everywhere. Thank you for your extravagance, your beauty, your miracles and especially, thank you Lord for your grandeur.
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