What are you thankful for regarding the topic of nature? We hope you have been filling out the 21 days of thanksgiving chart. If you have an entry regarding the topic of nature, please share it with us by adding a comment to this post.
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Nov 11, 2009
Salvation: What are you thankful for?
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Nov 10, 2009
People: What are you Thankful for?
What are you thankful for regarding the topic of people? We hope you have been... -
Nov 09, 2009
Church: What are you Thankful for?
What are you thankful for regarding the topic of church? We hope you have been... -
Nov 07, 2009
Nature: What are you Thankful for?
What are you thankful for regarding the topic of nature? We hope you have been... -
Nov 06, 2009
Material/Physical Blessings: What are you Thankful for?
What are you thankful for regarding the topic of material/physical blessings? We hope you have... -
Other: What are you thankful for?
What are you thankful for regarding the topics other than the ones listed?? We hope...
I’m thankful for beautiful places like Yosemite and the Sierras, where we can get away and enjoy God’s creation together on hikes and different outings!
Thankful for Bay Area weather… Simply the BEST! Plus within an hour or two you get the beach and the amazing ocean, or you get the mountains and forests. You just can’t beat that combination!
I’m thankful for the stars. Whenever I look up at the night sky, I am sure to be humbled and reminded of how small I am. In this vast universe that God has created, it’s a wonder that He should care for creatures such as us. The stars remind me of God’s love for me.
This week, my roommate Debbie and I watched a documentary call “Coal Nation” that Debbie borrowed from the Sierra Club’s library. I was shocked to hear that people in a rural town in West Virginia do not get clean tap water! Even though they are in the United States of America, they do not even get access to clean water. I was so upset at the coal factories and these environmental injustice issues… but at the same time I am thankful that we can enjoy clean tap water coming from Hetch Hetchy in San Francisco Bay Area!
I’m thankful for the sunshine, even on cold days like these past few days. Sunshine has a way of making me want to get out of bed and it brightens my mood (pun intended).
Thankful for the high country in the Sierras. The towering pines and cedars; the clear, clean, thin air; the granite rimmed lakes; the rivers and creeks. Ahhhh … I am so thankful that I get to getaway to such amazing grandeur and beauty on a regular basis.
I thank God for Yosemite – the massive monuments of granite, the clear lakes, the valley of trees and rivers and the lush meadows. Just the thoughts and memories I have of such a place almost cleanses my soul and refreshes me. I feel like I can smell that crisp, clean alpine air. How beautiful and amazing is God’s creation!
I know it’s kind of strange, but I’m thankful for rain. I’m thankful that God designed something as cool as the water cycle – and that we receive rain that waters our land, causes beautiful trees and plants (and delicious food) to grow, and fills rivers and creeks and lakes and waterfalls that we can enjoy so much.
I am thankful for this past weekend in Bay Area with its 65 degree weather, where I didn’t have to turn on the a/c for once.
I’m thankful for the beautiful sunsets we’ve been having. It helps me pause in the midst of my busyness and just be reminded of the beauty of God’s creation. Even my 3 year old says, “It’s beautiful!”
I am thankful for the beautiful view of the bay in Alameda. Friday, just before going to the Praxis course, I stopped by the ferry terminal and walked along the water as the sun was setting. The scene was awesome and refreshing.
I’m thankful for the natural beauty we enjoy in the bay area. Last week we were able to enjoy the beautiful Monterey Beach along the coast. And just a couple of hours away, there is the Sierra’s with the lakes, rivers, and mountains.
I’m thankful for the beautiful morning views of the bay I get to soak in nearly every morning as i walk along the embarcadero from the SF Ferry building to work. I’m glad that i can actually be outdoors at this time of the year to breathe in the fresh air, pray looking at the bay rather than bolting for the nearest building to warm myself like other places in the states like minnesota. i was told that places like that can get so cold that you can seriously damage your lungs by taking in a deep breath. yikes! far be it from me to ever complain about bay area weather being too cold when the temp drops below 50 =)
I am thankful for snow. Whenever I am at Sierra Lodge, I love taking a walk onto the snow cover land using snow shoe. No matter how it looks underneath, the fallen snow cover all that up showing pure white above. It reminds me of the old Maranatha praise song I love to sing when I first became a Christian call WHITE AS SNOW:
White as snow, white as snow
Though my sins were as scarlet
Lord I know, Lord I know
That I’m clean and forgiven
Through the power of your blood
Through the wonder of your love
Through faith in You I know that I can be
White as snow….
I thank God that God gave such color and variety to nature. We visited Lake Tahoe during our Sierra Lodge trip recently, and the colors at Emerald Bay was breathtaking. I thanked God for such beauty and that we could live in a country that allows us to enjoy it so freely.
There is something about “seeing” things like the sky, trees, hills and lakes that is not man-made. It’s a special treatment for my eyes to rest and be refreshed, and I feel like it has a cleansing effect on my eyes and my soul. My eyes get so tired from looking at the computer screen all day and I’m thankful that my eyes can get a good rest when I seek out God-made things in the world.
I am thankful for such a scenic view that God created around our Sierra lodge house. IGSM took a trip to Sierra lodge this weekend (Fri to Sat). Weather was very nice and sunny. Having lived in an urban area most of times, I kept forgetting how the scenery of an area with high altitude could have diverse flavors. When we took a hiking on Sat, those 45 mins of car drive displayed such a variety of flavors of nature under different weather. While we enjoyed driving the roads with beautiful trees (even some of them showed their tints of autumn foliage!) under bright sun light, when we got to the area near the trail (pretty high altitude), the narrow road was completely covered with snow that we had to put on snow chains. Thank God that all of our vans had snow chains! (none of us expected that we might need to use snow chains). The hiking trail showed such beautiful winter scenery that we all felt like we were in the land of Narnia. Indeed, our God is awesome God!
I’m thankful for the amazing variety in nature. There isn’t just one tree…but so many different kinds with different shapes, sizes, colors. There are flowers of every color, some that grow by themselves, some in huge bunches, some in the desert, some in the water. It’s amazing how even one little flower or budding tree can increase the beauty of a place exponentially
Thank God for beaches and oceans. A few months ago, IGSM went to Point Reyes and after a hike on the Palomarin Trail, we ended up soaking in the beautiful view on the beach. It’s during those times that God uses nature as a corrective to put all the minutiae of daily live into proper perspective, so that I could just bask in God’s amazing creation. There’s just something about staring out at the ocean that’s so invigorating and refreshing, and fills me with wonder about my God who sees the world from His grand, panoramic perspective.
I thank God for the water in nature. Whether it’s kayaking in Lake Tahoe, hiking up Vernal Falls, or just looking out to the Pacific, I can never get tired of marveling at such scenes. I am thankful that the Bay Area is so close to so many beautiful places.
Thank God for our atmosphere and how he designed earth. Did you know that our atmosphere protects us from so much cosmic bad stuff (e.g., radiation, meteors, etc.) that’s out there? I thank God for designing earth to be a perfect place to put us, and a perfect place to find Him. I also echo what you guys have said about the different colors and variety out there. Our God sure is creative!
I am thankful for colors. Without colors, there would be no beautiful sceneries. The world would look literally black and white. I am thankful for tastes. Food would be bland without tastes. I am thankful for smells. Flowers and food would have no fragrance otherwise. I am thankful for sound, or there’s no music and no chirping of birds and animals. I am thankful for touch. So much love is communicated through touch. And with touch, I can feel the texture of foods and texture of leaves and fur.
I thank God that He made nature so vast and beautiful. I was thinking of all the different beautiful things I have seen in nature, from a flurrying snowfall, to a sunset on the beach, a clear night sky filled with stars, to a landscape illuminated with the bright reflection of moonshine, and I was filled with gratitude that God would be so gracious to make so many wonders for us to behold. Thanks be to God for His overflowing love!
I’m thankful for wildlife. Even though I work in a office at a sewage plant, right out side my window there are tree frogs that live in the bushes, and I can hear them croak every now and then. There is a black phoebe that’s always perched on the overhang waiting to ambush some flying insect. There are robins on the lawn in the mornings. Even those dirty scavenger seagulls who like to bob in the sewage water look so graceful when they decide to soar. And even the slugs on the walkways are pretty cool when you think about how God made them. Praise God! It’s awesome-amazing!
I’m thankful for Monterey, my favorite place to go. The seaside that I can spend hours on end just sitting there, watching and hearing the waves crash down. I remember being there during a very difficult time in my life, and being reminded that there is a God behind all of this that is greater than all my problems, and encourages me with the wonderful reminder of his love for all mankind by providing views such as these.
I’m thankful that it didn’t rain today and it wasn’t gloomy. Usually when its gloomy it really affects my mood except if its in the morning at like 6:00am and the sun starts coming out but barely and it’s still cold and no one is awake. I love the sun SO MUCH! Thank God for SUN, it’s those days when its almost just and the light rays are orange, and its shining through the blinds, and its kind of warm in the room.
I am thankful for places like Pt. Bonita where I got to spend time with Cynthia and Eugene with my peers. It is so breathtaking. It is so amazing that God would create rocks and waves of all different sizes. It was hard to make out where the ocean ended and where the sky began. Words could not aptly describe the beauty and serenity of the place.
I’m thankful for Enchanted Rock in Texas where the Freshmen and Sophomores visited last month. It ain’t Yosemite or the Sierras, but it’s very beautiful in its own right.
I am thankful for the wind, like when I look outside and can see trees swaying back and forth. It is beautiful to see and a reminder of invisible forces in the world.
I’m thankful for the rain yesterday. Watching the rain fall at work was actually quite a beautiful sight. It makes such a pleasant noise and enhances colors!
couple of days ago I was driving along the shore near Shoreline plaza. It was near dusk and the sun setting created a beautiful reddish color on the beach, and the water was receding due to the ebb. I was able to walk on the beach, and also saw the beautiful city view. I just had a great news that day too, so it was like God speaking to me saying that He loves me.
Also when I stare at the trees with green leaves waving back and forth at the wind, I feel at ease. They are so beautiful and seem to praise God with all their bodies.
I am thankful for the order and structure of nature to display who God is. One lecture in my structures class?that was very memorable??as I don’t remember many) was my professor talked about the I-beam-like structures inside seashells, an example of the efficient and strong structures in nature. Along with the curves seashell makes up the complexity, God showed such great design even in these details. It is an?evidence for intelligent design. Praise God!
I’m really thankful for how God intertwined human touch and facial expressions with human emotions. I guess I’m kind of a touchy-feely person. But the other day after TC, when I felt so pooped, it was energizing to see the glow on people’s faces after it was over, especially Sunny who has a contagious, perpetual smile that shows even in her eyes. Thankful how hugs can be energizing as well, or just leaning against someone’s shoulder and how that can communicate warmth and love even without words. There was one particular hug I will always remember my junior year, at a SWS, when Sue Yi was praying for me that God really will forgive a particular struggle, and when she hugged me, it communicated to me so powerfully God’s forgiveness and cleansing. so thankful for how human touch can do that..
The intricacy and beauty of human anatomy and physiology never cease to amaze me: Our hearts can pump even when we are asleep, our muscles allow us to stand still or to run, and our immune system is on guard 24/7 to keep us healthy.The same God who has created majestic things like the Grand Canyon has also created the tiniest cell in our body, and both designs overflow with His love for us.
In class, I learned about the different stages of embryological development, from the formation of a zygote to the actual birth of a baby. I cannot help but marvel at the process in which a little clump of cells divide, differentiate, and grow into a living, breathing human being. Each stage of the development is executed with such precision, and done with such care and tenderness, just like what was said in Psalm 139:13, “for you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.”
I am thankful and in awe of our creator God for creating this body that reminds me constantly just how much He loves and cares for me!