The Narrow Path

An ancient path long the nearby Wheeler Trail.

Just like an early morning walk around downtown can speak amazing things if you’re paying attention, so can an afternoon walk on a favorite nearby trail. You think you know that trail like the back of your hand, until the late afternoon sun filtering through the trees creates a wonder demanding pause.

When my kids were little, they’d say a prayer every night that ended “and in the morning light I wake, help me the path of love to take.” I still say that part just about every night before dozing off. It’s an ancient, well-worn path, and it takes focus to navigate it every day, but it is always the good and right path.

The bible says that Jesus did a lot of walking, and that one of the last things He said while on earth was that people would know we are His followers not by our smarts, political leanings, or even all our good deeds but...

"...Everyone will know that you are My disciples,
if you love one another.”
(John 13:35)

An uncompromising love, as demonstrated a few verses earlier by the shocking washing of the disciples' feet, marked by countercultural things like serving, humility, forgiveness and grace.

What a world that would be! And that walk in the woods and coming upon a narrow path was a reminder that, like with a lot of challenges in life, it starts with just one person going for it.

And that is why I still like my kids’ bedtime prayer.

Remarkable

A hometown view that never gets old.

Besides being nearly 40 degrees cooler and a ton less humid, the shocking crispness of today’s before-sunrise air triggered flashbacks of walks across campus to an 8 a.m. class in September. There is plenty of summer left, but it was a good vibration nonetheless because just being able to breathe deeply this morning made it, well… 

And then there was this never-gets-old scene across from what will always be known as Derby’s that was, well…

And as the sun began to creep its way over the hills, fleeting clouds turned pink then tangerine-ish then lilac, then suddenly stopped their stage performance, and it was all, well…

And just when I was fumbling for the right word, I turned to Centertown and there it was in a storefront sign: Remarkable. “Worthy of being noticed, uncommon, extraordinary.” Kind of leaves you wanting for more than that until you discover that remarkable has more than 70 powerful synonyms, like amazing and incredible.

King David knew the feeling of remarkable well. He once wrote:

“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies announce what His hands have made. Day after day they tell the story; night after night they tell it again.”
(Psalm 19:1-2)

David spent a lot of his life outdoors and “saw” many remarkable things that many may have taken for granted.

Duly noted.

And he would have loved it here…especially this morning.

Still Waters

Launching out before sunrise at Cunningham Pond.

"Where morning dawns and evening fades, You call forth songs of joy." (Psalm 65:8)

If you “put in” at Cunningham before the sun comes up on a Sunday morning, you can forget for a moment that a usually noisy state highway is right nearby. Nothing but the honk of geese doing a fly-over and bullfrogs in the shore weeds to break the stillness. Not a soul in sight—check that…thought it was a bird splashing, but there’s this one guy out in the middle of the pond quietly doing laps.

The cool, late summer mist over the warm water seems to announce the arrival of the sun finally peeking over Pack Monadnock. On morning’s like this, you can’t help but see and think clearly. Any anxious thoughts disappear. You’re especially aware and grateful for the start of a new day, leaving yesterday and the week behind. And all within you is filled with quiet "songs of joy."

And here, on a morning like this, a familiar Psalm takes on a life of its own:

"He leads me beside quiet waters; He restores my soul.”

(Psalm 23:2-3)

Amen to that…What a blessing to have such a refuge so close to town and home.

And as those good medicine labels say, and the Lord might heartily agree, “take as often as needed.”

School of Life

An iconic hometown building with a story to tell.

When it’s 75 before sunrise and the air is saturated with humidity, all of life can seem gray, moist and dull. Even the brightest flowers in front of one our town’s most iconic buildings become blah pastels. So, why post a picture? Because before it was a brewery and an American Legion hall and a place of gathering for veterans of the Civil War, it was a school in the days before public education.

Teaching our children well has always been a priority here. The town history commented, “The schools of Peterborough have given to the world a long succession of boys and girls who have become splendid men and women.” Growing up here, I can attest to that. All very cool and interesting, but as I walked away, I remembered what I had read awhile earlier from my daily dose of Proverbs—they were words of instruction for the school of life. Timeless (and much-needed) lessons like...

“How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver.” (Proverbs 16:16), and “A wise man’s heart guides his mouth, and his lips promote instruction.” (Proverbs 16:23). And especially...

“The human heart plans the way, but the Lord directs the steps.” (Proverbs 16:9)

It was good to remember that no matter what the camera lens may have said, there is nothing gray in those wonderful words of life, no matter what your age.

I again started this morning’s walk asking God to show me something beautiful or that He was seeing. I confessed to thinking, “nah, there’s not much out there today,” but sensed a response of, “If you really want to see what I see, even on a gray day, you’ll find it.” Well, amen to that.

Now to go and (try to) live “splendid”-ly well in the school of life. What the world needs now…

The Ocean Speaks Well

Along the Maine coast yesterday, the sun was working hard to git ‘ er done while the low tide surf seemed to be replying, “slow down, you move too fast.”

We love the sun. But sometimes, it’s a really good idea to pay attention to the ocean, too.

Solomon was a pretty wise fellow:

“Everything has its own time, and there is a specific time for every activity under Heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

Exhale...

Abundance

The flower boxes of Main Street love the rain. Selah.

It’s another rainy morning in New Hampshire, and the temptation is huge to complain. “Enough already!” Until I see scenes like this while walking downtown. Lots of rain, yes, but look at the abundance here, and in our rapidly growing veggie gardens. And don’t forget how barren and naked everything feels in winter. The psalmist had it down right: 

“God, You cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and plants for people to use to bring forth food from the earth, and wine to gladden the human heart, oil to make the face shine, and bread to strengthen the human heart.” (Psalm 104:4-5)

Every day, even the rainy kind, “is a day to be thankful,” says author Ralph Marston. “Life's abundance has no limit, and gratitude is what keeps that abundance flowing. In every circumstance there is something for which to be thankful. Even when there seems to be nothing else, there is hope.”

That’s really good, but perhaps without realizing he was following the Master voice, Mark Twain takes it a good step further: “If you want love and abundance in your life, give it away.” 

Amen to that. Let it rain…

"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, drive out demons. Freely you received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8)

Before Sunrise

Main Street in the 5:30 a.m. stillness.

The almanac says sunrise here was at 5:10 a.m. But down in the village, it’s almost an hour later before the sun peers over the hill. It’s this in-between time that can be priceless and worth getting up for, no matter where you call home. Because except for a jogger and an occasional vehicle likely in search of coffee, the calm and stillness can be more refreshing than last night’s sleep. You see things you don’t see in the heat of the day. You feel the blanketing fog of God and His creation embracing and painting the town before disappearing until another time.

Each step can become an unconscious prayer, when you get a relatable sense of what the psalmist was talking about:

“Cause me to hear Your loving-kindness in the morning, for on You I lean, and in You I trust. Cause me to know the way I should walk, for I lift up my inner self to You.” (Psalm 143:8) 

These before-sunrise walks also have a way of awakening purpose for living, or as the great theologian J.I. Packer has put it, “If you’re trying to do something worthwhile, you will find that a great deal of what you’re doing will prove to be fun.” Amen to that.

It’s going to be a steamy day, but while you were snoozing, know that it’s already gotten off to a beautiful start. Just look….

Timeless Wisdom

My dad, mom and me at a cookout at my grandparents’ house many moons ago.

Hardly a day goes by when I don’t miss my dad, especially his wisdom. And I can’t think of him without also remembering his work ethic even when he didn’t feel like it, and his undying passion for family, community and serving others. While listening to the birds sing through the rain this morning, I realized that not only was today Father’s Day, but it’s also June 18 and nearing the halfway point of 2023 already. Good grief time flies!

A couple of timely quotes that dad lived and that I’ll try to hold onto, too…

From the apostle Paul:

“Live life, then, with a due sense of responsibility, not as men who do not know the meaning and purpose of life but as those who do. Make the best use of your time, despite all the difficulties of these days.” (Ephesians 5:16)

And from the late pastor and author Leonard Ravenhill:

"Though you cannot be the salt of the whole earth nor the light of the whole world, you may season your community and lighten your neighborhood.”

So be it, dad, ’til we meet again.

Awaken the Dawn

A downtown Sunday morning, just before sunrise.

Running will come later but it is hard to beat a before-sunrise walk around town to awaken the senses to each morning’s little miracles…like no rain clouds in sight!

And for each step, wise words from Solomon for a new day: 

“Let your eyes look directly ahead and let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you toward the path of integrity.

Consider well and watch carefully the path of your feet, and all your ways will be steadfast and sure.” (Proverbs 4:25-27)

 Keep looking Up. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Church with Feet On

On mission at the high school, on a Sunday morning.

Just about everyone knows that Church is not a building, even though that is what most people (even believers) think of when someone says the “C” word. Of course, it’s not really something you go to. Instead, it’s meant to be a gathering of fellow believers who meet with God and encourage one another to keep going on this wonderful, narrow road while sharing Hope with others in word and deed. But sometimes, when the right circumstances come together, a different kind of Church can happen in some unlikely places—where the “called out ones” actually get called out. Even on a Sunday.

Last weekend was such a time. Plans had been made in advance for spending several days on the Maine coast, partly to fulfill an obligation and partly to get a change of scenery. In the back of mind were plans to gather with fellow believers at some local Down East “C” building come Sunday. Instead, I cut all of those plans short and hustled back home in time to participate in a 5K run/walk to benefit teen mental health and suicide awareness. 

On a Sunday. A Sunday morning, even, when my body and soul were used to gathering with the saints and were pulling hard in that direction....

...It felt weird. It felt wonderful. It felt a bit like being that salt seasoning and light carrying that Jesus taught His followers to be in Matthew 5:13-16.

I do not know exactly when or how this particular mission grabbed my heart, but when it did, it hit hard. The more I heard and read about it, it crushed my heart to think that many young people felt so alone, so hurt, so isolated by COVID, so unaccepted (by others and themselves), so fearful of world conditions and things in their own little world, that they would think no one really cared. That there seemed to be no hope, no way out. To then keep it all stuffed down inside themselves in silent pain.

A guy’s DNA is to want to fix things, and fix all what was wrong for these young people. But in this case, there are very few fixing options for anyone. Until I remembered that Someone came for all of that, and cared for all of that, and that all that going to the “C” gathering-with-believers experience had stirred up a passion for things I knew I could and wanted to do—to pray, and to listen/“be there” in some way. And that 5K was one small but practical way to “be there” in person and for those providing resources, and to listen to stories, and to try to put names with faces of students who were rallying to do the same for their friends so I could pray. Even make it a habit to pray for the middle and high schools as a whole whenever I drive by.

“Why this mission, and why now?” It’s something many believers ask themselves. Only God knows. Seasons come and go, and so do the eternal things that God will suddenly pour into our heart out of nowhere with a sort of burning. And the only explanation I can come up with is that the more time you take to get to know, and listen to, and seek to follow the greatest Light of the world of all time, the more He becomes the motor that drives your thinking, your passions, your interests, and your everyday interactions—especially with those who find going to the “C” word on Sundays a very foreign idea.

Kind of like, that’s the whole point of the gospel.

Because nearly 900 years before Jesus, there was a prophet named Isaiah who described what His mission would be all about. And in Luke 4, the Light of the world Himself not only confirmed it, but passed the baton of salt and light on to all believers down through the ages to carry for as long as we have life and breath…

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me;

He has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed

And to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim freedom for the captives,

And release from darkness for the prisoners”

—Isaiah 61:1: Luke 4:16-21, ISV

To go to church on Sundays, yes, but much more than that— to be church with feet on.

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For vitamins beyond Sunday, see the Day Starter morning devotionals on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/renewchurchhancock

Roots

Along Rachel Carson National Wildlife Reserve, Moody, Maine

Through years of hurricanes, blizzards, floods, blistering heat, bone-chilling cold, and many joyfully beautiful days stands this familiar, solitary little pine tree on Bourne Avenue on the way to Moody beach. As many times as I pass it, like one morning this week, I marvel that it’s still there.

I think it is still there in the middle of the marsh only because ...

It has grown deep roots under stress Bends but refuses to break And still bears fruit of pine cones as it grows older It never gives in It stands strong even when standing alone …

I think I’ll frame this one.

God’s blessings follow you and await you at every turn:

    When you don’t follow the advice of those who delight in wicked schemes,

When you avoid sin’s highway,

    When judgment and sarcasm beckon you, but you refuse.

For you, the Word is your happiness.

    It is your focus—from dusk to dawn.

You are like a tree,

    Planted by flowing, cool streams of water that never run dry.

Your fruit ripens in its time;

    Your leaves never fade or curl in the summer sun.

No matter what you do, you prosper.—Psalm 1:1-3, The Voice

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For vitamins beyond Sunday, see the Day Starter morning devotionals on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/renewchurchhancock

Moon Gaze

Night hands off to day at Cunningham Pond.

“His kingdom will last before Me like the sun. It will continue forever, like the moon, like a dependable, reliable, faithful witness in the sky.”—Psalm 89:36-37

A favorite local author from childhood, the late Elizabeth Yates, once said of the early morning: “The silence is so intense that the striking of a distant clock comes into it like sounds from another world. How bright the stars are! How still the trees! Neither branches nor leaves are in motion. Everything seems to be waiting for something to happen. It is a time when the veil between the worlds is thin…”

If you’ve ever gotten up that early, you feel those words as your own. Because no matter what the season, one of the best things about waking up early is to be in that moment of intense stillness when night hands off the baton to day. Dark becomes light again. Another relay race is on! And there to cheer on the moment every time is the moon. Sometimes, it’s right in your face. Sometimes, it's a fingernail way up high. And sometimes, it’s to the left or to the right of where it was a few days ago, but it’s always, always there, making its comforting presence known.

The psalmist, who spent a lot of time outdoors, tells us something more—that God Himself is faithful, just like that moon. And it doesn’t have to be night becoming morning to see and receive that truth. Because on this new day, whether cloudy or sunny, it’s good to know that the Creator of heaven and earth is a type-and-shadow of that “dependable, reliable, faithful witness in the sky” whose kingdom still reigns beyond the blue or gray or storminess of all that we can see or feel. He’s got this.

Because just like the moon shines in winter, spring, summer and fall, faithful means God never goes away on vacation or leaves us to figure things out for ourselves. Better still, seeing the moon up there is a constant reminder that though we stumble often, doubt frequently, and rebel without even realizing it, God remains faithful to His Almightyness, His promises, and His name, without a hint of wavering...

His love toward us never quits, whether we feel it or not. It’s always reaching out, like a beam across the pond.

...And like the moon—sometimes appearing to be full in our heart, sometimes feeling distant and thin, but always present regardless of circumstance—God is tirelessly, joyfully, faithfully reflecting the goodness of all that He is in a world gone mad. His love. His mercy. His compassion. His grace… to any and all who will simply look Up and believe that the beautiful moon in the sky is much more than just a faithful moon. To be still and know that…

“He is perfectly faithful, because God is never partly anything.”—A. W. Tozer

Still Life

Under the bridge at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Moody, ME

As with most weeks, this one was filled with lots of noise…. The sounds of athletes and crowds at games, and the waves crashing at the seashore, were fun. The sounds of miles of crazy traffic on highways and the non-stop noise of scattered thoughts looking for resolution were not. Which is why this may have been my favorite photo of the week. It was a picture of what Elijah experienced when he longed to hear from God:

“Then the Lord passed by and sent a furious wind that split the hills and shattered the rocks—but the Lord was not in the wind. The wind stopped blowing, and then there was an earthquake—but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake there was a fire—but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire… there was the soft whisper of a voice.”—1 Kings 19:11-12

Likewise, it’s easy to forget (and important to remember) that when the psalmist penned the much-loved words, “Be still and know that I Am God” (Psalm 46:10), it was in an atmosphere of a lot of noise.

Stillness is beautiful. Stillness is vital to the soul. But like Elijah and the psalmist, we often have to fight through all the noise to get there.

Even when you (me) want to capture all the noise, excitement, atmosphere and action of a game, the real beauty is looking at the stillness of the photos afterwards. In the screaming silence, you see details and facial expressions of hurt, frustration, determination and joy that simply zipped by in the moment. You see people. You notice what’s important.

It's not unlike this photo, too, when the roaring Atlantic tide comes to a screeching, mirror-like halt in the marshland. Because when you stop and look carefully, you notice not just a reflection but one of heaven on earth. Just as God desires it.

And so three captions of wisdom for the “favorite photo of the week,” from fellow travelers who’ve gone before…

Videos, reels and movies are fun, but… "Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still.”—Dorothea Lange

“Let us leave a little room for reflection in our lives; room too, for silence. Let us look within ourselves and see whether there is some delightful hidden place inside where we can be free of noise and argument. Let us hear the Word of God in stillness and perhaps we will then come to understand it.”—Saint Augustine

“Blessed are the single-hearted, for they shall enjoy much peace. If you refuse to be hurried and pressed, if you stay your soul on God, nothing can keep you from that clearness of spirit which is life and peace. In that stillness you will know what His will is.”

—Amy Carmichael

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For vitamins beyond Sunday, see the Day Starter morning devotionals on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/renewchurchhancock

Beauty In the Routine

Just before sunrise this morning at Cunningham Pond.

On a morning like this, I will look at my praying hands clasped around a coffee mug.
Praying…among other things, to see the beauty in the routine of things.
Celebrating fullness of life and activity, yes,

But remembering to celebrate chill-out simplicity, too.

Because it is often here where God speaks loudest, and where it is easier to listen.

Like today, before sunrise at a nearby lake when the world was still asleep.

But all of Creation—loons, songbirds, a gentle breeze making new leaves dance—was full-throated in being thankful for a new day.

And so should I.

And so I did.

And to also remember those praying hands clasped around a coffee mug—

That God had planned to put things in our hands since before the beginning of time that would bring pleasure to both of us, and others.

Even (and maybe especially) in the routine...

A camera…to see new angles of Creation and reflections of the "Maker of heaven and earth" (Psalm 121:1) in everyday faces and places.

Two different kinds of keyboards with the same purpose…to find words and notes that encourage and point Up.

A kayak paddle…to “be still and know” (Psalm 46:10) when all around is 24/7 noise.

A basketball and a baseball bat…to run free, to jump, to remember joy, and to know that celebration and life mission are always better with teammates.

Freshly tilled soil after a long winter…maybe as a subconscious assurance that no matter how things look, "the whole earth is still full of His glory." (Isaiah 6:3)

Like today, like before sunrise at a nearby lake when the world was still asleep.

But to also remember to then loosen the grip of those praying hands around my coffee mug,

And ask them a daily question:

“Are there different ways to do what you’ve always done to help someone—even yourself—see or feel the goodness of God, even on a routine kind of day?”

And to know that there is only one good answer.

“Morning is had hand. Light will soon come flowing over the edge of the world, bringing with it the day. What a gift! Whether wrapped in streams of color or folded in tissues of mist, it will be mine to use in ways that I can foresee and in those that are unexpected. The day will make its own revelation, bring its own challenge; my part will be to respond with joy and readiness.”—Elizabeth Yates, “A Book of Hours”

Wisely and Well

Yesterday's pre-sunrise at Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, Moody Marsh, Maine.

“What is life? You are a mist that is seen for a moment and then disappears."—James 4:14

Some days, you really notice. You notice that it seemed only five minutes ago that you woke up and sipped your first coffee and here it is 5 p.m. already. Where did the day go? And by the way, weren’t we just shoveling out from 37 inches of snow, so how did we get to yard work and black flies already?

Yesterday, “really notice” happened again. While walking down to the beach to catch the sun rising over the Atlantic, I passed a blanket of cool mist that was hung beautifully over the relatively mild marsh (pictured). Some of it was still there when I came by again about a half-hour later, but much of it had quickly become just a beautiful memory. Life had moved on.

It’s all a reminder, as the psalmist realized, to regularly ask God not in a scary way, “let me know how fleeting is my life” (Psalm 39:4), and perhaps in a more intentional way, “Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12). Or, as one translation emphatically puts it, “Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well!”

And maybe the best way to do that is to remember what it’s like being a kid and a parent…

Both of my children are now quite adult and in their mid-30s, but I still get people asking “how are your kids?” I catch myself calling them the same thing, too, and it’s probably because God has engrained that timeless concept deep into our DNA. After all, regardless of our age, God still lovingly calls us who believe His kids, too: “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” (1 John 3:1)

Maybe because a child often looks to the parent first for every single need and then later in life for wisdom and counsel and guidance. The child may grow up and have a family of his or her own, but the parent is always just a call away. And a parent is always a parent, no matter how old the child is. Hardly a day goes by when the parent doesn’t pray for or think fondly about a child. A parent always wants to hear from the kids and longs to see them, and always wants the best for them. The door is always open and the light is always on.

And to think that we have the world’s most perfectly amazing Parent!

But while always never more than a breath away, God is no helicopter Dad—He has created us kids to learn from Him and then launch out and make our own mark in our corner of the world with our mist-like lives. To live "wisely and well." It could be one of a million beautiful, meaningful, even life-changing things. And it doesn't matter how young or old we are. But if it is only this, it will be enough …

“Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with Hm and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” (Ephesians 5:1-2, Message)

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For vitamins beyond Sunday, see the Day Starter morning devotionals on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/renewchurchhancock

Rainy Days and Sundays

 

Main Street is beautifully sleepy this early Sunday morning.

“He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, like showers that water the earth.”—Psalm 72:6.

This morning was a reminder of the unrivaled peace that comes with walking in an early morning spring rain through a sleepy town that is typically teeming with activity.

Spring rains are special because, unlike any other time of year, they leap with new life after a long winter. And even downtown in the early morning, instead of the sound of traffic and construction and people’s voices, there is only the sound of rain on puddles and early-riser songbirds, the aroma of fresh earth (and a hint of coffee being brewed somewhere), and this mysterious but yet tangible sense that God is enjoying walking with you through all that He has made.

Just as many of the psalms talked of a king and his dominion, and his family tree reigning forever, so the early church often saw in scripture types and shadows of God and His Son walking with them through thick and thin. It was simply understood and seen for the learned and unlearned alike, especially since those first believers spent much of their day in the outdoors—on rainy Sundays and sunny Fridays, and every kind of weather in between. And as they read, and as they walked, they were reminded that they could see a glimpse of the King and His Son wherever they went…

They just had to remember to look.

Psalm 72, for example, likens God’s nature and character to the beauty of nature that’s all around us, pointing to never-failing characteristics like the faithfulness of the sun and moon, the refreshing of rain showers, and a presence that goes with us wherever we go, from sea to sea, from river to river, from desert to desert. There is much wisdom in those words, especially for us here in this beautiful corner of God’s world. As a sign in a local clothing store says, ”Better to be lost in the woods than in a maze of cubicles. Let's get outside.” Because when you get outdoors, even on a rainy spring Sunday morning, you get to “read” deep within your senses greater glimpses of the goodness of God that can’t be found in even the best book, podcast or song.

Take a walk and see for yourself. Look up, look all around. Feel the rain on your face. Breathe deeply the aromas of creation. Listen for songbirds, for the distant cry of a loon, and the rustling of branches in the wind. Remind yourself Who made all of this. And then in the peace, let your list of praise and gratitude begin and never end:

God, You are....Beautiful…Huge…Magnificent

Always active with every breeze

My rest and stillness seen in every starlit night

One who is supremely attentive to every detail, even of every hand-crafted lilac bud

Provider of all I need in every season

The true Promise of hope and resurrection seen in each spring

The One source of new and abundant life seen in each summer

Lover of each and every unique thing (and person) You have made, seen in the endless colors of fall

Present and good, 24/7, even through the silence of every long winter season

Beautiful Savior! Ruler of all nature! Lord of all the nations!

Son of God and Son of man!

Glory and honor, praise, adoration, now and forevermore be Thine!

"Some people, in order to discover God, read books. But there is a great book: the very appearance of created things. Look above you! Look below you! Note it. Read it. God, whom you want to discover, never wrote that book with ink. Instead He set before your eyes the things that He has made. Can you ask for a louder voice than that? Why, heaven and earth shout to you: 'God made me!’”—St. Augustine

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For vitamins beyond Sunday, see the Day Starter morning devotionals on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/renewchurchhancock