In All I Do I Honor You

Sunday July 23, 2023

Around 6:30 pm I started my journey. Friends had asked me if I would drive their new Ford Transit Van from PA to CA. The van was bought on Friday and I left that very Sunday evening after returning from a weekend away with the family. Not a lot of planning went into this 3,000 mile trek to the coast of San Francisco. Driving across Ohio the first day I was wondering what crazy fool notion had gotten into my head to say yes to this solo cross country drive. But after I accepted there was no turning back I had to finish what I started, I settled in and decided to enjoy it.

Back story.., for the past while in my life I’d felt blahh, not myself, just off and lacking joy. Maybe this whole crazy idea was just Gods way of getting me alone with Him? To quiet myself, slow down, clear my head, and “be still and know that He is God“.

It was just me God. Lots of talking to God in the stillness and quiet as I drove. Heart and mind pondering, thinking. Hands on the wheel, no grabbing the phone to scroll and distract myself. For 4 days, 12 hours a day I drove, and took in all the beauty of the great expanse of this country. Nothing but time and space. Wide open spaces where you could see for miles and miles, the sun reflecting off glistening deep green corn fields for as far as eye could see. Wind swept pasture lands, dry dessert and seemingly unending prairie land. And then the mountains. Majestic giants jutting up from the flat prairies. All crying out the greatness of our God!

I drove through the Grand Tetons, just spectacular, soo beautiful, stunning and awe inspiring. As I headed over the Teton Pass I got out to do a little hike up to an overlook. And there at the top of the mountain beholding the valley below backed by the mountains behind, I worshiped God. The song on my heart was:

I’m forgiven, because you were forsaken
I’m accepted, you were condemned
I’m alive and well, Your Spirit is within me
Because you died and rose again

Amazing love, how can it be
that you my King would die for me
Amazing love, I know its true
Its my joy to honor you

Yes Jesus You are my King

In all I do I honor you

This song was bursting out of my being, I couldn’t hold back (even as I wondered if other hikers would approach). This King who died for me was my Creator, my Father, my Bridegroom.

AMAZING LOVE HOW CAN IT BE?

I’m alive and well, Your Spirit is within me! I was fully experiencing His amazing majesty! Feeling His presence overwhelming me. Amazing love, I know its true, and its my JOY to honor You!

This was a real mountain top experience. It was a landmark moment in my faith. I wanted to memorialize this moment in time. Consecrate this declaration to the Lord. Something physical and tangible, like an alter, (they did that a lot in the Bible). I saw some charcoal from a previous fire on the ground. So I picked up a piece and on the sun-bleached and aged tree I’d just been sitting on I began to write: “In all I do I honor you”. As I was finishing the last stoke of the you my charcoal ran out and I smeared the last char on the wood with my finger. The charcoal was gone. Just the black smudge on my finger and the dedication I’d just made to the Lord remained. It was such a picture to me of my life. Until all of me is spent. Holding nothing back. Using all I have and all I am. In all I do I honor You.

I ran back back down the mountain feeling light as a feather! The peace of God was so rejuvenating. Four days, long hours driving, and precious little sleep, no problem. Gone was any blahh feeling. I felt alive and free. Fresh motivation. Fully convinced of my calling. Excited to continue to enjoy this beautiful life I’d been given. In love with my Jesus.

I continued my journey through the rugged mountains feeling wild and free. Smiling from ear to ear, happy tears streaming from my eyes. I felt the face of my God shining on me with joy and love. And my face was shining right back at Him. It was a good day to be alive. Such a good day to worship my King. In all I do I honor You.

 

And yes, I did make it to San Francisco. I picked up my friends and we spend 5 more days in Cali camping and enjoying nature! What an adventure… and it continues… with HIM it never ends.

And next up on my journey is a trip to Africa! I’m going as squad leader of a 3 month semester trip to South Africa and Eswatini. We will be partnering with Global Leadership Academy and Eswatini Rising. Hopefully you will see more posts about that soon 🙂 subscribe if you want. For now you can follow any of the hyperlinks from this paragraph for more information.

 

PS: One of the messages I listened to while I drove was Francis Chan’s message on ‘Loving God for all He is‘. If you ever feel blahh take a drive and listen to this message! Be amazed by our God!