Last night I experienced something I've never experienced before. I went to a drive in movie. Turns out, there are several of these around Birmingham, all no closer than 30 or 45 minutes away.
Thanks to my roommate Kelly's brother's family coming to visit, I was able to have my first drive-in experience. Kelly and her family piled in one vehicle and Dan and Raymond and I pile into another.
The experience was definitely not like what you see in movies. The "date-like" experience. Several people brought up that when they hear the term drive-in, they think of the movie Grease. So did i...until the movie Twister came out. Now my the only vision of drive-ins I have is the scene in Twister where the tornado comes through the movie screen.
Either way, my experience was definitely fun, except for the train coming in right behind us at a crucial point in the movie. I can't wait to go back. We saw Kung-Fu Panda. Cute movie.
However, while we were sitting there on our fun little canvas chairs, coolers and blankets, I couldn't keep my eyes off the sky. See, when we got to the lot, it was a little overcast. Around 7:30, the clouds started to turn purple and pink and blue along with the sunset and it was such a cool thing to look at. I kept thinking, "God made this just for me."
However, the darker it got, the clearer the sky got, and the more my eyes were stuck on what was above me. All of the stars. I love looking at stars. I don't get to do it very much anymore because you can't really see them from my house because of all the trees and the massive Samford parking garage that sits in our backyard. But when I was little, I loved to go outside and look at the stars. Even if the stars were fake, like at the planetarium, I loved it. It's just neat. There's no other word to describe it. Neat. God made that. And then he turned around and made me to enjoy it. He made it for me, to remind me of who he is and how amazing his glory is.
Another thing ran through my mind as I was looking at those stars, though. I have a friend, Amanda, who is in Tokyo for six months. I think she's been there for a month now. She is with a group of people teaching a little English and just ministering to college students there who desperately need to know the love of Christ. I get emails from her once every week or two, it just depends on when she can get to a computer and let us know what is going on. She, like I, is a star-gazer. She loves the stars. I want to share one of the last emails that she sent:
"Walking down the streets of Shibuya tonight I saw stars for the first time since I have been here. That is one entire month without looking at the stars! Back in the States I stop and look at the stars every night. I absolutely love looking at stars. I can't believe I have missed them here! And in my defense, I'm going to blame it on the buildings. The city here is intense and filled with buildings and people. It is definitely not a Mississippi town and not even the Nashville city lights compare. It can be an overwhelming feeling to look up and only see the tops of buildings and miss out on the night sky. Well, tonight I did not miss out and I am pretty sure it was God showing me those two lonely stars. Just like the night sky, this city is filled with darkness. The Japanese people's eyes are void of hope, if they even stop long enough to look you in they eye. They put all of their time and energy in what the world views as success and what feels good. The city has replaced starlight with 60 watt bulbs and in the same way have replaced God with goals, self-reliance, lust, greed, and idols…replaced Truth for lies. As ironic as it sounds the city filled with the brightest lights is the darkest. This city, these people, this world needs Truth...shining stars! So I urge you to pray for the few shining stars in this nation that they may shine bright and not be drowned out by the bright lights of the city and to also be encouraged to shine bright wherever you may be
Phil. 2:15-16"...shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life..."
A few days later, I received another email entitled "3 Stars Are Born." Three people that her team had been praying for accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior on Sunday. How great are God's ways?!?! It's funny how he reveals himself and his creation to us and then turns around and proves his faithfulness to answer the prayers of those who love him and constantly call on his name.
I don't know about you, I'm even more encouraged to be a star for God in a darkened world. My community and city may not be as dark, spiritually, as Tokyo, Japan, but I'm sure I come in contact with people everyday who are in a dark place and just need someone to love them like only God can. By His grace, I can be his hands and feet when he can't physically be that to them and I commit to letting him use me as he wants to. I pray every day that my ears and heart will be open to His call to love on whomever he calls me to love on, that I will be sensitive to those calls.
Let us all be bright shining stars for God, clear and bright for all to see. Don't the the clouds of life cover you. And if they do, don't let it dim your light. Shine bright through the overcast. Let everyone see God's faithfulness through you
"When I look at the stars,
when I look at the stars,
when I look at the stars I feel like myself
When I look at the stars,
the stars I see someone..."
Stars, Switchfoot
"If we've only got one life
If time was never on our side
Then before I die
I want to burn out bright.
Burn Out Bright, Switchfoot
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