In the presence of greatness

The following is my journal entry from 2/8/07:


Psalm 19

Your creation speaks the fame of your name . . . it paints your renown all through the skies.
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Today I am in Ann Arbor, waiting to hear Rob bell speak. Fred and I were shopping. I was looking at some sweaters, fred was looking at $40 t-shirts. And I looked up and in a moment I thought I saw rob bell standing in the same store. I did a double take, it was a huge rush. I mean he was the reason we drove 2 hours, and his teaching has been so influential for both of us. And as far as the christian community goes, he is a celebrity. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk to him one on one. So we went up and started to talk to him. I was blown away at how personable Rob was. It was like we were talking to a friend we hadn't seen in years. The meeting was brief but unforgettable.

As I was processing this encounter , walking around the University of Michigan campus, I thought no one else on these streets has any idea, that ROB BELL was just in that shop, and now walking around among them . . . and he's famous! I just wanted to yell and start a commotion to let everyone know that they were in the presence of someone who is doing amazing things . . . they were in the presence of greatness.

And as I think about it, it is very much the same with you Lord, You are famous, (your creation speaks the fame of your name) And as I look around so many people are unaware of your presence or your fame, I want them to see you, I want them to be able to talk to you and realize how personable you are . . . I want them to have an unforgettable relationship with you.

Headlines

In Headline this week :

Fast-food chain McDonald's has said that it has ended its lengthy seach for a tans-fat-free cooking oil, but has not decided when it will actually begin using it in its 13,700 American restaurants. A fraction of those restaurants are testing the new oil, but it could be months before all the stores covert . . .
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This idea is not something new, America is on a healthy kick . . . and scientists are making some good money, trying to find a way to take out the stuff that is bad for our bodies without loosing what makes those Big Mac's taste mmmmm . . . so good. First you saw it with splenda, now the trans-fat trend is sweeping the nation.

if only we could find a tasty substitute . . .
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For some reason this got me thinking about spirituality . . .

when it comes to our spiritual lives, the main ingredient is God. and because the spiritual life is what is ultimately important in life, then God is the main ingredient in life. There is only one God and he is nothing like us. And every day we see a miracle when God has chosen to go through this life with us. This life is our life, fit and worked for our condition . . . it's not his, and there is the miracle . . . that we find him here right in the middle of life.

there is no substitution for God, you take him out of life . . . and the flavor doesn't last as long. Life is not all it was meant to be without Him.
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we all struggle with substituting things in life into God's place . . .

what are you substituting ?