I awoke at 5 am this morning. I was in the bathroom last night and I realized that in the past 6 months, I have never went on a morning adventure and watched the black morning sky get swallowed up by the dawn. So, I decided that today, I would change it up a bit, spend the first few hours of my day with The Lord, watching Him put the morning into motion.
I left the house by 5:30. I wasn't really sure what time the sun rose, I just figured it would be sometime within the hour. There is this hug hill that overlooks New Philly. I think it is about 1000 feet. There is this cell tower on the top of it, and there is this cliff that just drops straight down into the mucky river below. It is my favorite place in New Philly. It is really the only place I can go if I want to get completely alone. It is a long bike ride up there. It took me about 20 minutes, and most of it is an uphill stretch around the back side of the hill.
I think I got to the top around 6 o'clock. It was pitch black. The stars were still out. I really was amazing. If i looked to the west, I saw the bigger dipper, and in the distance, the outline of route 39 which leads into Amish Country. To the East, was New Philly, all lit up. Most of the 50,000 people below me were still asleep.
It took a while for the sun to rise. It actually rose at 7:33, so I was there for about an hour and a half. But it was awesome. When the light was bright enough for me to see, I flipped open my Bible, and read a few Psalms. I then read a passage in Hebrews I had never read before. I think it is pretty sweet. I'll share it with you.
Hebrews 12:18-29 says
You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm; to a trumpet blast or to such a voice speaking words that those who heard it begged that no further word be spoken to them, because they could not bear what was commanded: "If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned." The sight was so terrifying that Moses said, "I am trembling with fear."
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks. If they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, how much less will we, if we turn away from him who warns us from heaven? At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire."
Just think about that. We are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken. God is going to shake the heavens soon. I cannot image the chaos that will happen when the One that holds everything together, decides to let loose. I don't know what God will do, but I can just imagine planets exploding and colliding with each other. The battle of Armageddon will be a cosmic battle. God will restore everything. Its gonna be sweet.
Every time I think about the Kingdom of Heaven I get so excited. I encourage you to read Hebrews 11 and 12 today. It pumps me up and encourages me.
I am learning a lot about life. Living in contentment, specificaly, is a lesson that God is teaching me right now. Check tomorrow for a blog about that. Ohio is really beautiful in the spring. I really miss my hometown back in Mass. When I was highschool I always said that I hated where I grew up and I never knew why anyone would choose to live there. I think one of the reasons God stuck me in small town Ohio to teach me to appreciate where I grew up. I really miss it. I haven't seen the ocean for a few months.
That is about it for this blog. Sunrises over cities are pretty amazing. Catch one if you can. It is worth the 5 am wake up.
JN
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