I am in awe...

I am in awe.

I am in an absolute awe.

The view from my classroom is amazing. A picture cannot capture the beauty, the immensity, the creativity. I am here in Bogota. I see the big picture of Bogota in a way few people do. And, it humbles me to think of my life in the picture. God's story is amazingly intricate and grand. And yet he cares for me, not as a director off stage, but next to me as I gaze upon his creation in the Andes Mountains.

I begin to think of how I got here. What pathways I walked with the guidance of family and friends. And, how do I express in words the awe and gratitude I feel for all of them at this moment. How can I express all that I feel inside to those on the outside.

How do I say thank you to my senior English teacher who taught my hardest class and inspired my love for the written word? To him I am indebted.

How can I say thank you to mentors from my life whether writers, musicians, poets, teachers, or friends? Some have passed on and some still live on.

How do I show my awe for a mother who misses me so much that it makes my heart hurt that much more? I love you more than know.

How can I tell my college chums how much they have and will always mean to me? It was a short time, but a crucible in which iron always sharpened iron.

How do I say a simple thanks to an uncle who feels closer to me than a brother? He is wisdom in action.

How do I stand in awe of the audience surrounding and encouraging my time on God's great stage? Too big. Too awesome. Too...

How do I say thank you to my friend from high school who stuck closer to me when all others fled? Blood thicker than water.

How do I say 'I love you' to my friend in Seattle whose words ignite a fire within my soul? Keep questioning because it keeps me questioning.

How about my brother, recently married, whose laugh is so infectious that I smile just thinking about him? Life is fun.

How do I tell my Dallas brother, the engineer, that I have so much fun hanging out with him in everything we did from frisbee golf to computer games? I miss hanging with him.

How do I tell my friend, who is still in high school, that I love and miss him? How do I tell him that he is a man who is after God's own heart? How do I tell his father that I look to him as a model of a Christian example? Keep playing & keep smiling. Keep leading.

How do I thank the teacher who taught me to teach? She gave me a chance and encouraged me to be the best I could be for the five years we worked side by side.

How do I say 'I love you' to my family in Michigan who have unconditionally accepted me as one of there own? How do I tell them what no words can express.

How do I tell my sister that I love her no matter what may come? How do I show my niece that she is a joy to Him who formed her from the beginning?

How can I tell my wife, in the daily grind, that I am in awe of her as God's gift? How can I?
How can I? Holding her in the early morning is more precious than the world itself.

I stand in awe. I stand in awe of creation. I stand in awe of the goodness God gives. I am in awe of the times of trouble. Are we not to accept both from Him?

Words cannot express this feeling I have standing on an Andean peak looking over the valley to clouds beyond. He is next to me. This life is worth living. Words cannot express the gratefulness for this life, for the people surrounding me on this stage. God is good. Even in the bad times, God is good.

No words. Silence. The awe is in the silence.

I stand amazed.

Semana Santa

Well, we are back. Liz and I went to the Caribbean coast for our Spring Break. We needed a break from the city, the rain, and the business. We went to a small fishing town called Covenas for the first half of the week, and then we went to a remote village called Rio Cedro where we stayed in a thatched hut with no electricity or running water. The breeze was awesome and the waves crashed all night. We were surrounded by wild three-toed sloths and iguanas. We slept, we read, and we rested. We are very thankful to have some time away together to re-energize our batteries.

We made it back to Bogota in time for Easter Service at our church. It was good to worship with our Colombian brothers & sisters the resurrection of our Lord.

0 for 4...It's time to bunt!

So I (Al) am in a softball league with some teachers from CNG. We are a ragtag bunch of ruffians who make fun of the other team and each other. It is a great time. We are Colombians, Americans, Canadians, men, and women. Our skill levels are various. Some are great and some need help. I am no Joe DiMaggio. I played little league in elementary and middle school, but that was it. However, I have some skills. So I play first base and bat fourth or fifth in the line-up. Our first game we played was brilliant. We won in four innings 16-3 with the mercy rule. I played decently with some great hits and infielding. But this story is not about our first game. This story is about the second one.

This game was this past Saturday. Our opponents were dressed to the nines in full uniforms with last names on the back and and matching shoes. We had matching hats, well 10 out of 12 were matching. Anyway, we are at bat first, I am fourth in the line-up and we have bases loaded. I am thinking that I want to clear the bases. So I am going to swing for the fence. Needless to say, I struck out. No one strikes out in softball. But I do. As a matter of fact, I am the only one who strikes out in the first inning. We go through our entire lineup and back to me. It is now two outs and I am back up to the plate in the first inning. Now I am nervous. I just keep telling myself, "Just don't strike out; don't strike out." Instead I pop-up to the pitcher. I am 0 for 2 and gave the first and third out of the inning.

The next inning comes up and I am back up to bat. Now I think, "Don't strike out and don't pop-up. Just a nice smooth hit." And hit it I do. I hit it straight to second base. The woman snags it in a reflex and I get the third out again. 0 for 3! Next inning: "Don't strike out, don't pop-up, and don't hit to second." So I hit to the outfield. It was a nice rope, yet their outfielder makes a nice grab- 0 for 4! 0 for 4 in softball! So one of my teammates says to bunt next time. They are expecting a big hit so why not bunt. So I do.

It was a beautiful bunt. The fast catcher and the fast pitcher couldn't get it. I made it to first and they overthrew the ball, and I turn to second. I get to second and look back to see that they don't even have the ball yet, so I take off for third. They overthrow third and home I head. I had an infield homerun on a bunt. 1 for 5 and a homerun. My team is screaming and the infield players are cursing each other. The umpire comes to congratulate me. He shakes my hand and says he has never seen anything like that. Then he says, "That is strike one...bunts are not allowed in this league."

Strike one? I couldn't believe it. When my team heard, they busted a gut laughing. No one knew the rule until that happened. So I did all that running for a strike. The count is 0 and 1. I called time to get my breath. Both teams enjoyed a laugh, and I was still 0 for 4. Needless to say, I hit a double on that at bat. I could have had a triple, but I was already winded. I ended the game 3 for seven and we won 16-3 again.

I t is fun to play with your friends and colleagues. It is fun to be humbled in a game like that when you have friends to laugh at you. We always have a good time playing. It is always a good time to play with friends. Just next time- DON'T BUNT!