Omnipresence

Every morning I leave my house to drive 20 minutes to work in Carrollton.  The highway I take is parallel to the Ohio River.  At about 7:30, the sun is coming up over the mountains that loom over the river.  It's glorious.  I am privy to a beautiful sunrise every single morning.  It's the best way I could start my long work day.  Every morning a certain psalm comes to mind "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1.  Every morning it is evident that the skies are proclaiming His amazing glory.  A divine creator is so apparent in the beauty and design of the universe.  How could I have missed it all those years?

There's an interesting story that goes along with that psalm.  It's forever stuck in my head; I couldn't forget it if I wanted to.  One of the first weekends that I lived in Johnson City, TN I went to Starbucks on a "mission" to find a new friend.  I remember EXACTLY what I was wearing - skinny jeans, a purple plaid shirt and a bright yellow hoodie.  I met this guy who had brought his dog with him to the patio of Starbucks so I initiated a conversation about the pup.  Anyway, he was reading the Bible.  I remember that part, too.  I was an atheist at the time, so when I discovered this fact, I was like, oh great, maybe I should walk away now, but I didn't.  He invited me to go hiking with a group of friends and his dog.  I agreed, mainly because I love hiking in a big big way, and he was kind of cute and I honestly thought maybe I could "save" him from religion if we did become friends.  We hiked up Roane mountain at the state line of Tennessee and North Carolina.  It was gloriously beautiful.  When we reached the top of the mountain, one of the girls that was with us pulled out her Bible.  I groaned inwardly.  She asked the group if it was okay for her to read a scripture that she felt was relevant to the moment.  Apparently there were other atheists in the group (some professors and grad students from East Tennessee State University I believe) because a vocal groan went out from the group.  Bless her heart.  I remember how disheartened her face was, but she read it anyway.  She read Psalm 19 even while everyone else in the group was scoffing and mocking her.  Even though I "wasn't listening", it stuck with me.  I remember the way she read the Psalm about the sun coming out like a bridegroom and how in love with God she seemed.  I called a friend IMMEDIATELY after I got back down off the mountain, complaining about "being kidnapped by Christians" but I have NEVER forgotten that moment -- on top of this beautiful mountain, with this young woman reading scripture like she was reading a love story.  And now anytime I see a beautiful sunset or sunrise or just a gloriously blue sky, I remember to praise Him and be glad that the skies are there to show His amazing glory to me every moment of every day.

 I started 1 Corinthians today.  It disheartens me to think how relevant these letters are to today's church.  We are fighting the same battles within the church that Paul was trying to stamp out 2,000 years ago.  Division.  Judgment.  I pray that the church will unify.  I imagine what we could all join together and accomplish if we wouldn't get so distracted by small issues.  If we could see that at the heart of the matter, it's all about Jesus and it's all about love, wow, we would shake the nations with our love and charity and compassion.  A girl can hope, right?

My country of prayer today is Bhutan.  It's one of those countries where the followers of Christ are having to have "secret church" to avoid persecution.  The United States is blessed to have religious freedom.  We have so many resources we need to be putting to good use!

"Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8