What if Wonder...?

My friend Reggie Joiner, who doesn't know me at all, has been walking me through a pretty helpful spiritual awareness evaluation. Part of the process involves me recalling moments in my life that have incited in me a wonder of God.

So here goes:

Snowfall at the Grand Canyon, March 1997. The anticipation of laying eyes for the first time on that gaping chasm scarring the skin of the earth comes with certain expectations fueled by photos and the stories of preceding visitors, but I was completely unprepared to view it all through a thick curtain of snow. I remember feeling very blessed to receive that gift.

Kanha Wildlife Refuge, India, October 2007.
While visiting a missionary friend in India, we were able to spend a morning touring this wildly alive patch of jungle. The goal of the tour was to see a tiger. Alas, we saw none, but the abundance of wildlife of varieties unknown to North America dispelled any disappointment at being rebuffed by Shere Khan. Many species of monkeys, birds, deer, all accurately identified by our knowledgeable guide, proved a memorable sight and a testimony to the creativity of the God who created me.

The Close, Southeast Kentucky, many times, most recently, May 2011.
This place does something inexplicable, mysterious, to my soul. Here I have experienced healing, challenge, and most of all the untainted presence of the Lord. To say it is beautiful leaves out too much. It is my Canaan, my Garden of Gethsemane, my Mount of Transfiguration, my Pool of Siloam. I recently spent three wonderful days in seclusion with my wife at The Close. I eagerly long for the next opportunity to Sabbath there.

Student Prayer Gathering, Castle High School, June 2011
This event burns fresh in my mind as it took place only last night. At least 200 high school students gathered to pray for a classmate who had been severely injured in a car accident that morning. Seeing these young people acknowledge their impotence to help their friend and recognize God's omnipotence to heal and restore prodded my own heart to lean more heavily on Him. I stood in wonder of a God who could draw even the most self-absorbed hearts toward Himself.

So my sense of wonder for God, renewed by these memories, these acknowledgments of His creativity, beauty and worth, points me in the right direction - a desire to discover more of Him. Feel free to join me on this journey that promises to lead to a passion for Christ that will overwhelm my insecurities, selfish agendas and complacency and propel me into a life that praises only Him and spills out onto any who stand near me.