wednesday. 20 january 2010::

i’m so thankful for safe travels, for everyone meeting up in d.c., and for our bags traveling with us to rome. we arrived at 7:00 am after an 8 hour flight, most of which i slept. wow–driving through rome and seeing the landscape and the natural picturesque qualities was breathtaking. most people on the bus rested their eyes–a curse that almost latched on to me too–but i wanted to see the new place we were about to call home. seeing fortified cities, castles, sheep, and ostrich was amazing. the small highway lanes with sos boxes (for emergencies) along the way was also quite interesting. the weather today couldn’t have been better for dragging our lives in our suitcases to our new apartments. it was also pleasant to have the ability to stand outside and gather my bearings in street blocks that look exactly like the others. i would say the high was around 40 degrees or so–not too shabby for a january day. maybe my guess is a bit generous considering i hadn’t seen the sun in days from the fog in the midwest. as we walked around i was surprised at how many people passed without making eye contact or saying a friendly “buon giorno.” maybe that is a noticeable difference of europe from other places.

today we walked towards centro studi from our apartment, and as we neared the piazza, we walked around a bend in the street via duomo, and in front of our eyes we beheld the beauty and scale of the duomo’s (church’s) west facade. it was breathtaking and caused me to mutter nothing less than the inspirational words of “oh….dang.” i didn’t know what else to say. i knew coming to italy would bring new experiences and perspectives, but i’m not sure if anything could have prepared me for the scale and majesty of a duomo with great intricacy, color, and perplexity. it seems like such a simple thing, but i am beginning to realize the struggle that can develop to worship the creation rather than the Creator. the creation is constantly changing in character: aging and fading without guarantee of standing tomorrow. the Creator can knock it down with an earthquake or strike of lightning, but even so, His attributes do not change. i hope that my time in italia will help me fall more in love with the Creator because of who He is and reflect more on His creation rather than the creation’s creation. on the plane i continued reading a.w. tozer’s book the knowledge of the Holy (page 20), and came across this prayer that my heart resonates with:

what Thou art cannot be thought or uttered, for Thy glory is ineffable. still, prophet and psalmist, apostle and saint have encouraged me to believe that i may in some measure know Thee. therefore, i pray, whatever of Thyself Thou hast been pleased to disclose, help me to search out as treasure more precious than rubies or the merchandise of fine gold: for with Thee shall i live when the stars of the twilight are no more and the heavens have vanished away and only Thou remainest.

::paul

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