Slow Down and Enjoy!

Read the following...Psalm 96 from The Message translation:

Sing God a brand-new song!
Earth and everyone in it, sing!
Sing to God—worship God!

Shout the news of his victory from sea to sea,
Take the news of his glory to the lost,
News of his wonders to one and all!

For God is great, and worth a thousand Hallelujahs.
His terrible beauty makes the gods look cheap;
Pagan gods are mere tatters and rags.

God made the heavens—
Royal splendor radiates from him,
A powerful beauty sets him apart.

Bravo, God, Bravo!
Everyone join in the great shout: Encore!
In awe before the beauty, in awe before the might.

Bring gifts and celebrate,
Bow before the beauty of God,
Then to your knees—everyone worship!

Get out the message—God Rules!
He put the world on a firm foundation;
He treats everyone fair and square.

Let's hear it from Sky,
With Earth joining in,
And a huge round of applause from Sea.

Let Wilderness turn cartwheels,
Animals, come dance,
Put every tree of the forest in the choir—

An extravaganza before God as he comes,
As he comes to set everything right on earth,
Set everything right, treat everyone fair.

Look...check out these pictures and think about the words above:










The photos above were taken by me in California, Montana...and yes...the beautiful Arcadia Valley.

Think about this:
This weekend we played this song called "God is with us." There is a bridge in the song that goes:

In the Autumn leaves, in the Summer sky, All around the world, I see the signs...He lives, Jesus lives...When Winter fades into the Spring, In you and me, in everything...He lives, our Jesus lives...

This song got me thinking about how God is with us...always. All around us. You look at nature, the clouds, animals, your baby girl doing amazing things, flowers (Sarala says "flou flou's"), the wonder of a small child, friends, a cold glass of Diet Mt. Dew, mountains, the ocean, the cross, the ability to play guitar, chicken wings, DVR, the moon, play, rest, love...it's ALL from Him.

Life can get crazy. It can be tough. We need to remember that God is with us...always and everywhere. The beauty is all around us, we just need to slow down and check it out. That's the hard part, especially in the way our world runs today. I feel extremely lucky since I don't have to work this summer...I get to slow down and spend time with my family. I've also been trying to do a better job at keeping God in on my thoughts...as much as I can. He's blessed me with so much...us with so much. The fact that we can enjoy something called Summer...it's awesome. Bravo God!

So remember, take some time to slow down...pay attention to God in everything and everywhere. Remember...He is with you...always...even when it doesn't feel like it. Thank Him for all the blessings and the fact that we get to enjoy so much...pray that He'll help us live lives that glorify him....