Church in the Windshield

Church in the Windshield

God’s Five Minute Paintings

July 5, 2019

On July 3^rd Sheron and I made our annual trek westward on old highway 56 to one of our favorite places, the “Horse Thief Reservoir.” The horse thieves are gone now and so are the horses.  Perhaps there were never any horse thieves, but there may have been horses.  It’s an awesome restful place where we find renewal of both body and soul. Horse Thief Reservoir is located about ten miles west of Jetmore where we meet our long-time friends of thirty plus years.

It’s been a wonderful three days filled with visiting, boating, fishing, fireworks and food.  The food is always great and plenty of it. In fact, it is so good that Sheron and I must have put on a few pound, at least our waist lines indicate such.

The fireworks were absolutely phenomenal this year because we got to watch them from the water. Six of us afloat in a boat, navigated to a place, close to the dam.  The ship captain shut off the engine and we bobbed, ever so gently in a sea of inky black. From time to time, the captain would start the engine and maneuver the tiny craft back into position where we could all see without looking back. Such a night it was with fireworks exploding in the air emitting an awesome brilliance of light, color and sonic booms. Straight over head, we took it all in and watched the display reflect in the water. All too soon, it seemed, the grand finale came and we headed back to shore.

Privately, I wondered how the captain knew where to navigate. There were submerged trees out there in the darkness just waiting to snag a propeller or puncture a whole in jell-coated fiber glass. I could see no buoys, no red or green lights to mark the channel, but somehow our captain knew the way. I guess it is a lot like our relationship with Jesus Christ, we can’t always see the way but we can always trust the captain.
The next day it happened, July the 5^th a little after 9:00 p.m. Sheron and I were sitting in our motorhome enjoying the last few hours before the wake-up call to go home. I peered out of the window and hollered, “Sheron, Sheron, Come quick and look at this.” Sheron looked out the window and saw God’s painting. I grabbed the camera, ran outside and began taking pictures because I knew that I had only a few short minutes to capture God’s beautiful scenic landscapes. The painting was not just a few hundred feet in the air like the fireworks; it covered the whole western sky. Sun shining behind the shelter house on the hill reminded me of a modern day capture of the stable where Jesus was born, the presence of light in a dark world.

 

When I turned around, I saw this breath-taking rainbow painted beautifully within an orange background. At first, I didn’t see it but gradually it appeared and became more prominent. Where else but in Kansas at the Horse Thief Reservoir would we experience such exquisite art work? Certainly for me, it was an “Aha” moment and I decided to leave the date and time embedded in the picture to remind me of that “Kum ba Yah.” Come by here, my Lord, Come by here. For that moment, I knew God was in this place.

A slight turn of the camera to the right, revealed a partial rainbow supported by a cluster of clouds. In less than five minutes the sky turned from various shades of orange to total darkness
as God cleared the canvas for tomorrow’s expression of paint and beauty.  I wonder how many times we miss the good things God has in store for us.

Until next time, Keep your eye on the skies and the peace of God in your hearts, less you miss something really important. God is good all the time . . . All the time, God is good!”

 Ron & Sheron, Drivers behind the windshield