This past Tuesday I went on my first ever safari in the
Serengetti, one of the greatest experiences of my life seeing wildlife in its
fullest. We saw almost everything there
was to see; giraffes, lions, elephants, wilderbeast, zebras, baboons, gazelles,
warthogs, hippos, heyenas, and much more. The landscape was beautiful as we watched the sunrise and sunset in the
day while seeing all of these animals live together. But the greatest thing to me wasn’t the
animals themselves.
Serengetti, one of the greatest experiences of my life seeing wildlife in its
fullest. We saw almost everything there
was to see; giraffes, lions, elephants, wilderbeast, zebras, baboons, gazelles,
warthogs, hippos, heyenas, and much more. The landscape was beautiful as we watched the sunrise and sunset in the
day while seeing all of these animals live together. But the greatest thing to me wasn’t the
animals themselves.
My former teammate, Emily, told me a couple of days before
leaving it’s the fact there’s this whole other world of many creatures that
live together in this area and they survive and the natural process of life
goes on. It’s the coolest thing that God
has created this and He just continues to take care of them and sustain this
world that 99% of the time we’re just completely oblivious it’s going on. Then to think of the life under the sea and
let that show us how small we really are and great our God really is. That he takes care of all of this with His
hands and made it all beautiful. While
this whole other world is happening before my eyes as animals take care of each
other, I’m getting even more impressed upon possibly one of the greatest things
God is showing me; that everything is really spiritual.
leaving it’s the fact there’s this whole other world of many creatures that
live together in this area and they survive and the natural process of life
goes on. It’s the coolest thing that God
has created this and He just continues to take care of them and sustain this
world that 99% of the time we’re just completely oblivious it’s going on. Then to think of the life under the sea and
let that show us how small we really are and great our God really is. That he takes care of all of this with His
hands and made it all beautiful. While
this whole other world is happening before my eyes as animals take care of each
other, I’m getting even more impressed upon possibly one of the greatest things
God is showing me; that everything is really spiritual.
As a believer I cannot separate the spiritual world from the
physical temporary one at all. That when
Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God, he not only talks of what’s after but the
literal representation of bringing His kingdom to earth through our words and
actions. This has been such a constant
lesson for me in this Race; the constant “awe” and “wonder” of a God who can’t
be compartmentalized. I’ve just finished
reading a book called “A Skeptics Guide to Faith” by Philip Yancey and by far
one of the greatest books I’ve ever read, and that means a lot because it takes
a lot for me to love a book. It’s
become so easy to compartmentalize faith lose the wonder of God in everything,
but I’m through this trip just seeing the spiritual essence in everything. That whether I’m seeing a lion in the
Serengetti, preaching to twenty people, worshipping with the squad, playing
with a kid, holding a young dying child, having dinner or sleeping; as a
believer everything I do has a spiritual meaning and impact knowing that God is
in it all, even in suffering. There’s
not one thing I do that doesn’t have eternity in view.
physical temporary one at all. That when
Jesus speaks of the kingdom of God, he not only talks of what’s after but the
literal representation of bringing His kingdom to earth through our words and
actions. This has been such a constant
lesson for me in this Race; the constant “awe” and “wonder” of a God who can’t
be compartmentalized. I’ve just finished
reading a book called “A Skeptics Guide to Faith” by Philip Yancey and by far
one of the greatest books I’ve ever read, and that means a lot because it takes
a lot for me to love a book. It’s
become so easy to compartmentalize faith lose the wonder of God in everything,
but I’m through this trip just seeing the spiritual essence in everything. That whether I’m seeing a lion in the
Serengetti, preaching to twenty people, worshipping with the squad, playing
with a kid, holding a young dying child, having dinner or sleeping; as a
believer everything I do has a spiritual meaning and impact knowing that God is
in it all, even in suffering. There’s
not one thing I do that doesn’t have eternity in view.
Even in my last blog about the real pain in this world we live,
I’m still reminded that God is in all things. Everything I do is an act of praise towards God or not, and that since
He has given and created life in me that with the Holy Spirit none of this can
be separated. can’t separate “ministry”
from work, or days off, or anything at all; but that EVERYTHING in me and that
I do, God is there. He is with me, with
you, He shall never leave or forsake us. It sounds normal doesn’t it? But
when’s the last time you’ve washed dishes just meditating on the fact that God
is really there and doing that is an act of worship. It’s possibly the greatest transformational
thing for me on the Race, that for the past seven months has been a constant
life of God 24/7 in everything. Seeing a
volcano, holding a child, walking through Rice fields, giving honest words to
squadmates, emailing people at home, doing ministry; everything is
spiritual! All we do, even working at a
bank or another five-to-eight job, God is there and as believers we should be
thankful for that.
I’m still reminded that God is in all things. Everything I do is an act of praise towards God or not, and that since
He has given and created life in me that with the Holy Spirit none of this can
be separated. can’t separate “ministry”
from work, or days off, or anything at all; but that EVERYTHING in me and that
I do, God is there. He is with me, with
you, He shall never leave or forsake us. It sounds normal doesn’t it? But
when’s the last time you’ve washed dishes just meditating on the fact that God
is really there and doing that is an act of worship. It’s possibly the greatest transformational
thing for me on the Race, that for the past seven months has been a constant
life of God 24/7 in everything. Seeing a
volcano, holding a child, walking through Rice fields, giving honest words to
squadmates, emailing people at home, doing ministry; everything is
spiritual! All we do, even working at a
bank or another five-to-eight job, God is there and as believers we should be
thankful for that.
PUMBA the warthog!
Wilderbeast
