There are those moments when absolutely nothing matters except the moment. Riding in the fourwheeler out at the Lake's ranch today was one of those moments for me. Nothing except me, the land, and the wind blowing on my face existed for a few moments.

One of the reasons I think it is hard for us Christians to understand what is going on in the middle east is the fact that we have never felt a connectedness to land. We have so perceived the story of Christ to be primarily about the spritual "realm," that we have a hard time understanding how to deal with the "physical" realm. For the Jews and Muslims the answer is simple: The physical is valuable, particularly land. Their spirituality is wrapped up and enmeshed totally with their physicality. There have been times lately when I hear people saying of the problems in the Middle East "It's just a piece of dirt, get over it." My experience today in the country helped me realize that nothing is just a piece of dirt. Every bit of the earth is valuable because it pleased God immensely to create it.

Paul Wylie, the 1992 Olympic silver medalist in men's figure skating, has said "In the 1992 Olympics, I felt God's pleasure." After days like today, from seeing the beauty of Bosque to the delicacy of a sunset, I find myself feeling God's pleasure.