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.