Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. To Him who made the heavens with skill, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; To Him who spread out the earth above the waters, For His lovingkindness is everlasting; To Him who made the great lights, For His lovingkindness is everlasting: The sun to rule by day, For His lovingkindness is everlasting, The moon and stars to rule by night, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. Psalm 136:1,5-9
As I was driving home from Columbus yesterday, I was listening to the radio. I realized that the artist (TobyMac) was singing about seeing God in everything. In fact, that is the name of the song (Everything).
Here are part of the lyrics:
“I see You in everything, all day
And every beat of my heart keeps reminding me
I see You in every little thing, all day
No matter where I go I know Your love is finding me
I see You in everything”
(Photo of Middle Fork Flathead River, just outside Glacier NP)
This was another photo taken at Glacier NP. It was a surreal moment; there were quite a few people standing at the edge of the lake, watching and taking pictures of this moose in the water. It almost felt being at the zoo.
Sometimes these moments can be wonderful, sometimes awful. Almost always memorable. What makes something memorable? As someone who struggles to remember names, but can remember silly trivia, I wish I had a better understanding of the process of remembering.
I’m sure I’m not the only person who struggles to remember something, and can only remember it when I stop trying to remember it. (Not very helpful on tests.)
Thankfully, God remembers. He knows us and calls us by name.
I recently reflected about being able to remember some things, but not others. This photo was from our hiking at Yosemite 6 years ago, on my birthday. Seems like it a only a short time ago. Why do some things that were long ago seem so recent?
We saw quite a few colorful mushrooms last weekend when we were hiking. Just got me to thinking about a question that keeps coming back to me, namely how did people figure out which foods they could eat in which foods were poisonous? Was it completely trial and error? There’s a fruit in Jamaica called ackee which is poisonous if picked too early but safe if allowed to ripen and open up on its own. Who figured out that this poisonous fruit was OK to eat if you just waited longer for it?
There are so many aspects of our culture and society that are dependent upon those who came before us. Let us be thankful for their courage and learn from their experiences.
This is the Delicate Arch in Arches NP. It seems like an oxymoron to call this stone formation delicate. On the other hand, it seems certain that this arch will eventually crumble due to erosion from wind and rain.
It’s good to remember that everything in this world is delicate (passing away). We are called to “store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys” (Matthew 6:20)
Before the mountains were born, the earth and the world brought forth, from eternity to eternity you are God. Psalm 90:2
(Photo taken in Costa Rica, 2009)
One of the newer features on my phone is the option of converting “live” photos to long exposure photos. It creates a unique effect with a scene like this waterfall from Silver Falls in Oregon.
This is sometimes a built in feature in life – things seem to happen so fast that it becomes a blur. I think that is why it is important to spend time in reflection on a regular basis. It helps “unpack” everything that has recently happened in our life.
I have been using this photo as a screen saver recently. As I was looking at it today, I noticed that there is a lot going on in this scene. The sunset naturally draws my attention, but there are some other interesting things that can be clearly seen. There are at least two planes flying across the sky. There are subtle ripples in the lake which causes the reflections to be have a hazy appearance. And there are many birds sitting on the lake.
Often in our lives, there is one circumstance or event that seems so overwhelming as to cause us to lose sight of all the other wonderful things that are present. Let us strive to see and appreciate all that God is doing in our lives.
Signs Along the Way 