The inspiration of the Holy Spirit and revelations of the nature and will of God and the depths of His love are all around us. In nature, in art, in music, in the person sitting next to you. He is always talking to us.
Join the blog team over the next couple of months as they share with you stories of their own experiences of meeting God in the natural and creative spaces of their lives.
For those who don't know me well, this topic is not only near and dear to my heart, but at times in my life, it reaches a (mostly healthy) obsession level. I'm talking about wanderlust, that drive to discover and be in beautiful, wild spaces. For me the progression goes something like this:
I manage an ever-expanding bucket list and dream of where to go next.
I go there and don't want to leave.
No matter how tired a trip makes me, upon return I quickly yearn to be out again.
I've been like this since a very young age, when I was wishing so bad that I was old enough to climb mountains with my Dad, like he did in the Rockies of Colorado, and then here in the Cascades of Oregon. And as a sensitive young man, I was found to be chasing waterfalls and crying at the spectacular hues of yellow-orange-purple sunsets.
Sounds a bit crazy, right? There's more.
I also developed a (mostly unhealthy) adrenalin rush habit. My poor parents and friends, and then my wife were forced to wince and look the other way as I tried my latest stunt, like backflipping off rocks into bubbly creeks, or peering down over towering cliffs just to see how far down that really was. I know, I know.
By God's grace I'm still here to live another day, but beyond my thrills there has always been a deep and abiding sense of not just looking at nature, but being an integral part of it, if that makes sense. I guess I could say that his creation is part of a kind of personal emotional trinity - God, nature and me.
Nature's beauty and grandeur is highlighted in the mind-bending size and complexity of our ever-expanding universe. It's home to the very origins of matter, forces beyond our understanding, as well as the creation and development of humanity itself, with our consciousness and ability to love. In this glorious creation we know and have experienced much. And yet we see through the glass so dimly and sometimes it seems we know so little.
God's everlasting love is every bit as vast!
For the last few years, I've taken up star photography. Even though it's technical and difficult, especially on crispy cold nights, it has been so good for me. Some say they feel small and alone staring at the starry heavens. I feel the opposite - so inspired and aligned with God, and the expanse feels like a billion possibilities. Endless opportunity in my life, just like the stars.
The love of nature is a sensory gift, and also a great teacher. It inspires art and aesthetics, motivates us to seek necessary change, and orients our minds and hearts towards something and someone bigger than ourselves. It directly echoes and reflects the ways of God - his creativity, his spirit of adventure, and hints at his grand plan for all of us.
In my wanderings these days - around here or out there, the God of our creation keeps showing up. He is slowly and thoughtfully becoming brighter to me, as he opens me up - sharing his knowledge and wisdom as I develop. Instead of my rough edges being harder to understand, these days they are becoming easier. Of course I still need to do the work, but I can't adequately express how great this feels.
Let's all get out and tune into the beauty around us. Let's soak up the science and marvel in the mysterious. And let's dream as we all anticipate our ultimate big adventure!
About the Author
Terry is a man in constant motion to explore new horizons. He has a thirst for new places and faces, and a deep love for the natural world - with a weakness for waterfalls and sunsets. All of this venturing out helps to both ground and inspire him, because it opens him up to people, with their vast, collective array of experiences, outlooks and responses.
He finds all of this fascinating and sees that it has encouraged the growth of something crucial in his Christian development: empathy and compassion toward his brothers and sisters on this planet.