When I Look At The Stars

A few nights ago I was blessed to witness the most beautiful sight I gave ever seen. One of the staff here had mentioned that they had seen some light sin the hills the previous night, so I set off towards the back of the property with my camera and a tripod to see if I could get some interesting shots. The walk back to the fields where you can get a really good view of the hills is illuminated almost the whole way, but the last 20 yards or so there are no lights as you walk between to rows of trees still not entirely able to see the sky. But as I emerged from the trees into the field I was rendered speechless by what I saw. There splashed before me on the campus of the night shy where more stars then I have ever seen before in my life, whats more it was the clearest I have ever seen the stars before. They really did shine like diamonds and for the first time in my life I actually saw the stars twinkling. Now I'd read in novels where they saw somethings so beautiful that it brought them to their knees and left them speechless, I never believed that this was something that could actually happen. There in that field though I experienced it, I fell to my knees awestruck by the ravishing beauty that flooded the sky before my eyes. I tried in vain to find the words to describe this beauty, but everything that came to my mind seemed woefully inadequate. For 20 minutes I stayed there, frozen in silent awe at the works of my Father's hands, amazed that the one who made all this considers humanity as his best creation, and the power it took to paint this masterful display of the night was able to be contained in a human body. Even more that the very being that had all this power, allowed himself to be humiliated, beaten and hung on a cross and took my sin, which at that moment seemed as vast as the sky spread before, and forgot it, He let it dissipate into the air as a passing smoke never to be brought up between us again.

A Talk With A Friend.

Tonight I had the opportunity to speak with a man who I have perhaps one of the weirdest, yet so-amazing-that-had-to-be-ordained-by-God friendship. This man is Kurt Schneider, and I met him in India in October of 2011. Kurt is a minister in Wichita, Kansas and he, along with the senior minister of his church, Jeff Isaacs came to India to see what Usha and Emrys are doing. I was privileged to be able to have about a week to spend with them, and in that week, Kurt became one of my best friends. There are so many memories from that week, that I often find myself thinking it lasted more than 7 days.

The one that stands out to me the most though was on October 3rd around 12 am Kurt and I  started to talk and begin to share our life stories with each other. We stayed up until at least 3  am(it was more than likely later than this, 3 was just the last time I looked at my watch.) We covered topics ranging from movies and actors to God, and the way He's redeemed us. It was amazing how the things we had gone through were so similar for both of us.

So for the first time since he left India I was able to verbally speak with him, and it was truly a blessing. We found that we are both reading through the life shattering book of  Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence. I still find myself amazed at the ways that we have gone through and are going through the same things.

May I constantly be in your presence Father and constantly be amazed by the little things.