Number the Stars

Psalm 147:1-5

¹Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God;

for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

² The LORD builds up Jerusalem;

he gathers the outcasts of Israel.

³He heals the brokenhearted

and binds up their wounds.

⁴He determines the number of the stars;

he gives to all of them their names.

⁵ Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;

his understanding is beyond measure.

Tonight, when I got home from dinner with friends, I stopped in the driveway to look up at the stars. They're beautiful, and farther away than I can even understand. God, my great God, created these giant stars that are so distant, and yet still give us light. He gave each and every one of them a name. The universe is so vast, that we can't even measure it, and yet, God can measure it in his hand.

Isaiah 40:12

Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,

or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?

Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,

or weighed the mountains on the scales

and the hills in a balance?

When I think about that, it puts my own worries in perspective. God is powerful. He is way bigger than we comprehend. There is NOTHING he cannot do, nothing that is too hard for him. My worries are revealed for just what they are- sin. Why do I worry? My God has promised to supply all my needs (Philippians 4:19). He has promised never to forsake me (Hebrews 13:5). He has promised to guide me (Psalm 32:8). How do I ever dare doubt that God can or will provide for me? Why do I ever feel the need to take care of myself? God is not even phased by my problem. He is not confused by how to deal with it. He placed the stars in place. He does not need my help for anything, and I can trust him completely.

I watched this video yesterday and recommend it. It begins to give you a glimpse of just how amazing, unfathomable and indescribable our God is. Watch parts 2-5 as well if you have the time.

Flowers of Costa Rica

I love to photograph flowers. They hold still, unless it's windy. They don't complain if you want to take multiple shots of them. And, generally speaking, my camera does an excellent job with close-ups. So, here is a photo book I made of some of the flowers I photographed while in Costa Rica.

Click here to view this photo book larger

What next?

Bogota, city of 7 million

City of the ciclovia, where 70 miles of city streets are shut down every Sunday as cyclists take to the streets.

City of the Transmilenio, an innovative bus rapid transit system

City of Rock al Parque, the biggest rock concert in Latin America

The city where the Lasix technique was invented.

But Bogotá is also a city where an average of 23 families who have been internally displaced showed up every day between 2001 and 2006.

It's a city where 1,886 street children were counted in 2006 and another 3,326 were working on the streets.

It's the city where Formando Vidas is working to change kids lives forever.

It's the city where I'll be headed in February, to join Formando Vidas for the next 2 years in the work they are doing. I'll learn through their Children at Risk school how best to serve children in difficult circumstances. And then, I'll serve them. I can't wait to see what God has in store for me there.

I'm home

I got in last night around 7. It's still hard to believe that the people I spent the last 5 months with are no longer around. I miss them. I also miss Spanish. Every once in awhile I say things in Spanish without thinking about it. I've almost thrown my toilet paper in the trash instead of flushing it several times already. I was seriously grateful for my hot shower with good water pressure this morning. I can't believe the options there are in our refrigerator. I loved being cozy in bed under a mountain of blankets against the cold, instead of waking up to the cool morning air.

Having my brothers and sister around makes it less lonely and difficult than it would be without them. They keep me smiling and laughing with their jokes and compliments. It's so good to see how much they too have changed and grown while I've been gone. I'm so excited that I get to spend more time with them over the next month and a half.