Worship on the Rocky River

This week was mainly a recoup/preparation week. We took Tuesday off to settle back in from camp, created instructions for PowerPlant teams (NAMB's summer short-term missions program) on Wednesday, went to leadership development and an Indians baseball game on Thursday, and worked with Jeff Bodziony and Forward Church on Friday (worthy of an entire post by itself). Yesterday, we had another day off, and I went stand up paddleboarding for the first time ever. I am always amazed by the beauty of nature and its power to teach us about its Creator.

My friend Scott and I rented stand-up paddleboards from a store near the mouth of the Rocky River. The river is a shallow, swift-running river that flows through a valley on the west side of Cleveland. Resembling a typical river in Appalachia, it has some small rapids and is lined by striking sedimentary cliffs. After paddling upstream for a bit, we followed the river all the way down to its mouth where it empties into Lake Eerie. I traveled a little faster than Scott, so I managed to make it all the way before the time came to turn back. The sight that I encountered lead me into more sincere worship than any church service has in a long time.

There were no large boats entering the river, so for a few minutes I just stood on the board, bobbing gently in the waves and looking out over the vast expanse of the lake. The cliffs towered to my left, and on my right a jetty reached far out into the lake. The mere majesty of the sight took away my breath. My first thought: I wish I had my camera! My second thought brought me into worship. Once again, God used nature to remind me of eternity. More striking than the power of the waves, more beautiful than the sunlight bouncing off the water and cliffs, an eternity spent in the presence of God will be. We're so small, yet so blessed. Compared to the enormity of the cliffs and beauty of the lake, I was nothing. God, though, sees it fit to desire a relationship with me, to forgive me, to hold me. All I could do was stand in awe of our awesome God. One day, the Rocky River will fade, but the glory of God will last forever.

Nature holds a thousand mysteries and ten thousand wonders. We are blessed to have such a creative, loving God, who gives us with the beauty of a natural world.    

For anyone who doesn't know what stand up paddleboarding (SUP) is, below is a random picture of a man riding one. 

Stand Up Paddleboarding