What Happens Today

The Vastness of God You can't really experience the beauty of something until you are in it. A picture may speak a thousand words but it doesn't blow your hair, tingle your sense of smell, or cause your eyes to squint. This picture of Wachusett reservoir in Massachusetts may bring up feelings of bitter cold, but unless you've been there in the cold snow like I was this morning, your face isn't any colder and you didn't just start seeing your breath.  After seeing the immensity of this reservoir, I can't help but say to God, how vast you are. Spending time on the edge of this great body of water gives me a taste of the greatness of God. I might even go as far as to say, I'm experiencing him, who he is, at least in part.  We can read the bible, understand its words, comprehend its meaning. And that is a doorway, an entrance into knowing him. We read, God loves you. But have we experienced his love? Have we known his comfort in times of trial? Scripture t

Probably one of the greatest gifts that God has given us is the ability to appreciate.  He not only gives us beauty, he also gives us the ability to admire that beauty. What a good God. Gratitude is a gift as well; to be able to see the value in something while setting aside the obvious negative. Gratitude is an awareness of beauty expressing itself through a smile, a word of simple thanks, or lifted hands. Gratitude runs in short supply these days. But it doesn't have to; for we have a choice. Being grateful is a choice. Consider this, God provides food for our bodies; sustenance that is necessary to our survival. And yet, because he is good and kind, he causes food to be enjoyable. Could you imagine having to painfully devour a juicy steak with a side of fries? Think of the misery of life if each meal required bite after sorrowful bite to supply our bodies with necessary daily fuel. Food is not a practical necessity, it is a joyous part of life. Grateful?  Consider the su

When I was younger, I dreamed of being a superhero, being able to run at super fast speeds and fly over fields. I think many of us are intrigued by the thought of being able to cast aside the laws of nature. The thought of being untouchable, unconquerable, is appealing. Some of our most popular TV shows and movies portray men and women who can fight off and survive almost any sort of attack. Have you been run through and thrown off a cliff? Not a problem. There is a way back. Lost someone you love? Solve that by running back in time and changing the past. Our  heroes seem almost immortal, god-like. And some of them are gods. But almost inevitably, they all have their flaws, their weaknesses, their kryptonite. And many have a dark side, a moral flaw. We desire superhero status, but understand that we are all weak. I believe this superhero status is something that is set in our hearts. Call it immortality, the desire to be untouchable. Most would embrace the thought that there cou