B-day '08

“…put your trust in the Lord Your God, and you will be established.” 2 Chronicles 20:20

"Yesterday I turned 38 years young"

I’m not sure what that means or if there is anything significant about this. But I do know it has been a 38 year Journey of experiencing this thing we call LIFE. This journey has been full of failures, adventures, passions, successes, people, and of course way too much food. It’s ironic that as I write this that there is a song playing on my iTunes (set to shuffle) that played a significant role while I experienced freshman orientation at GLCC in the fall of ‘89. It was a song that captured my attention and really helped me to see that I was not at GLCC by coincidence, but that there was something God-like that would be coming my way very soon. I would never be the same again!

Yesterday I got a b-day call, in the morning, from a very special person in my life, whom God placed in my life via Rock Lake Christian Assembly. God has chosen to keep her in my life and once again as I look on my journey I see the importance of connections in the community we call the Kingdom of God. In fact when I just recently checked my email, I encountered an onslaught of emails, as well as, Facebook and MySpace messages that were from people in my life, both past and present. I was in awe of the love and goofiness that I read and was impacted by. That is a special gift from God…a gift that proves to me the investment in people should never be underestimated nor ignored. People matter. Who matters in your life? Tell them…show them!

Yesterday, I set apart to just simply spend time with God all day. Sounds silly doesn’t? But as I approached my b-day a week away, I decided to take it off and to do something I have not done in a while…spend it with Him entirely. I went to one of our metroparks and did some hiking. Not rough hiking; more like a rugged walk. I chose one of the trails and went for it!. WOW!! The beauty, diversity, and symbolic messages God spoke as I walked, or should I say worshipped, was nothing short of empowering. I saw Him, heard Him, and even sang to Him as I encountered the grace of His creation. Once again another wonderful gift given to me by my Lord & King…

“Randomness”
“My thoughts are completely different from yours. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the Heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9

As I walked many things caught my attention, but one was overwhelming. The trail turns to the right and what I thought was a mistake by me became a special moment. The trail turned and I thought maybe I had lost my way and was in the wrong place, but the trail climbed for a brief moment and then led me to a field or you could call it a “cove” of brush, small & large trees, and bushes. There was no organization to this area. Everything seemed to be randomly placed and there seemed to be minimal tree line to give it shape. But there was a beauty about this random scene. Everything was healthy and seemed to hold its location. It was a peaceful spot. I spent probably 5-7 minutes at this location just soaking it in.

There are times in life when things don’t line up and there seems to be no order. But within this there can be a hidden beauty we often miss because we want structure and order and everything in its proper place. I was reminded at how creative our God is and how random the Kingdom Life can be. But in all of this God is still in control and all of creation is to honor Him no matter where it is placed.