Moments

Sometimes it happens while officiating a wedding or standing with a family at a funeral. Other times it happens while sitting frustrated in traffic. One of the convictions at the heart of the Christian faith is the presence of God everywhere, and I have come to take a lot of joy in finding him in as many places as the Spirit reveals.

Essays usually come from something I have worked on for a while. Moments are different. They are the things that seem to arrive before I have worked them out.

A familiar line of Scripture suddenly opens. Someone says something that stays with me. An ordinary part of the day reveals something about God, myself, or the people around me that I almost walked past.

These are the moments I am trying to notice before I explain them away.

I wish I could say I am naturally good at noticing them, but I am not. I can become so focused on preparing, solving, leading, and getting to whatever comes next that I miss what God may be revealing directly in front of me.

This space is intentionally a little looser because of that. Sometimes there may be a reflection, sometimes a photograph, sometimes simply an idea I do not want to lose.

Mostly, I hope it helps you start noticing your own.