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    Seeing God in America: Devotions from 100 Favorite Places
    Seeing God in America: Devotions from 100 Favorite Places
    Seeing God in America: Devotions from 100 Favorite Places
    Ebook254 pages2 hours

    Seeing God in America: Devotions from 100 Favorite Places

    By Thomas Nelson

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    About this ebook

    Where is your favorite place in America?

    Whether hiking a rocky trail up Mt. McKinley, feeling the misty spray of Niagra Falls, scanning the colorful bluebonnet fields in Texas, or smelling the sweet summer roses of Savannah, America is full of beautiful and exciting places to see and experience.

    Spanning our country’s fifty states, here are 100 favorite places to visit and see up close the miraculous work of God as well as man-made masterpieces. Beautiful photography of each location is accompanied by a short devotion and prayer, nurturing gratitude and peace so often lost in the busyness of life.

    Perhaps some places will be familiar, bringing renewed excitement from that first visit. But, no doubt, there are new and exciting places not yet seen or even heard of, prompting next year’s vacation destination with new explorations.

    If you love to travel or dream of traveling, this devotional will take you to places grand or quaint, serene or adventurous. In every corner of America, you can find the handiwork of our amazing and creative God.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherThomas Nelson
    Release dateJun 9, 2015
    ISBN9780718036614
    Seeing God in America: Devotions from 100 Favorite Places

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      Book preview

      Seeing God in America - Thomas Nelson

      978071803661_0003_001.jpg

      Seeing God in America

      © 2015 by Thomas Nelson

      All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

      Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

      Cover design by Greg Jackson, Thinkpen Design.

      Cover photo: © istockphoto/RichVintage

      Thomas Nelson titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

      Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

      Scripture quotations marked MSG are taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked PHILLIPS are taken from J. B. Phillips: THE NEW TESTAMENT IN MODERN ENGLISH, Revised Edition. © J. B. Phillips 1958, 1960, 1972. Used by permission of Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible. © 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from Holy Bible, New Living Translation. © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION. © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from THE ENGLISH STANDARD VERSION. © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE. © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from Holman Christian Standard Bible. © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.

      ISBN-13: 978-0-7180-3660-7

      ISBN-13: 978-0-7180-3661-4 (eBook)

      15 16 17 18 WAI 5 4 3 2 1

      Contents

      Introduction

      Kansas City, Missouri / CITY OF FOUNTAINS

      Bayfield, Wisconsin / GATEWAY TO ADVENTURE

      New York City, New York: The Cloisters / MASTERPIECE IN THE MAKING

      Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Liberty Bell Center / LIBERTY

      Arkansas: Thorncrown Chapel / REMEMBER ME. . . .

      Virginia: Colonial Williamsburg / LIVING HISTORY

      Shenandoah National Park, Virginia: Skyline Drive / THINGS ABOVE

      Utah: Zion National Park / BE STILL

      Spokane, Washington: Lilac Festival / THE SCENT OF LILACS

      Chicago, Illinois: Wrigley Field / ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER

      Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: Gettysburg National Military Park / REMEMBER THE BATTLES

      Lubec, Maine: West Quoddy Head / ON THE EASTERN EDGE

      The Barrier Islands, Mississippi / SHIFTING SANDS

      Florida: Kennedy Space Center / DOORSTEP OF THE HEAVENS

      New Mexico: Carlsbad Caverns National Park / A CRY FROM A CAVE

      Oregon: The Three Sisters Mountains / THREE TOWERING PEAKS

      Nome, Alaska / THE FINISH LINE

      South Dakota: Mount Rushmore / THE MEASURE OF GREATNESS

      Lancaster County, Pennsylvania: Amish Country / CHOOSING PEACE

      Tennessee and North Carolina: Great Smoky Mountains National Park / OLD AND NEW

      Alaska: Mount McKinley / THE GREAT ONE

      Virginia: Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel / A QUESTION OF TIME

      Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming: Old Faithful Geyser / FAITHFUL

      Pearl Harbor, Hawaii / SURPRISE ATTACK

      Door County, Wisconsin / THE ORCHARDS COME ALIVE

      Badlands National Park, South Dakota / THE WALL

      Essex, Connecticut: Essex Steam Train & Riverboat / RECOVERING A SENSE OF WONDER

      Lexington, Kentucky: Kentucky Horse Park / COMPETE WITH HORSES

      North Dakota & Manitoba, Canada: International Peace Garden / A PEACEFUL CORNER OF THE WORLD

      North Carolina: Outer Banks / AVOIDING SHIPWRECK

      San Antonio, Texas: River Walk / WALK IN LOVE

      Cannon Beach, Oregon: Haystack Rock / A MIGHTY ROCK

      Washington, DC: The White House / THE LEADER WHO STAYS

      Bloomington, Minnesota: Mall of America / THE MARKETPLACE

      Arlington, Virginia: Arlington National Cemetery / REMEMBER THE SACRIFICE

      Murfreesboro, Arkansas: Crater of Diamonds State Park / DIAMONDS IN THE DIRT

      New Hampshire: The Flume / UNCERTAIN FOOTING

      Siesta Key Beach, Florida / PURE REST

      Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado: The Four Corners Monument / WHEN LIFE LINES UP

      Virginia City, Nevada / SILVER AND GOLD

      San Diego, California: San Diego Zoo / THE CREATOR OF VARIETY

      Nebraska: Chimney Rock National Historic Site / THE LANDMARK

      Baltimore, Maryland: Fort McHenry / STAND YOUR GROUND

      Arizona: Painted Desert / SEVERE BEAUTY

      Oklahoma: Chickasaw National Recreation Area / OASIS

      Jackson Hole, Wyoming / IN THE PRESENCE OF MAJESTY

      Anchorage, Alaska: Northern Lights / THE FATHER OF LIGHTS

      Niagara Falls, New York / THE GOD OF GLORY THUNDERS

      Mobile, Alabama: Battleship Memorial Park / READY FOR SERVICE

      Montana: Glacier National Park / THE LAST, BEST PLACE

      San Francisco, California: Golden Gate Bridge / BRIDGING THE GAP

      North Dakota / A SPACIOUS PLACE

      Puget Sound, Washington: San Juan Islands / VITAL CONNECTIONS

      New York Harbor: Statue of Liberty National Monument / A SYMBOL . . . AND MORE

      Nashville, Tennessee / A NEW SONG

      Arizona: The Grand Canyon / TOO WIDE TO JUMP

      Maui, Hawaii / MEDITATION IN THE SAND

      Des Moines, Iowa: Iowa State Fair / WHEN THE FAMILY GATHERS

      New Jersey: Jersey Shore / THE GOD WHO RESTORES

      New Orleans, Louisiana: National World War II Museum / EVENTS THAT SHAPED THE WORLD

      Colorado: Pikes Peak / THE HIGH VIEW

      New Mexico: White Sands / CHANGING THE CHARACTER OF DARKNESS

      Wheat Fields of Kansas / HARVEST

      Bar Harbor, Maine / LIGHT KEEPERS

      Washington, DC: Washington Monument / COUNT THE COST

      The Bluebonnets of Texas / A REMINDER OF HIS CARE

      Nevada-Arizona: Hoover Dam / A QUESTION OF POWER

      California: Redwood National and State Parks / WITNESSES

      Put-in-Bay, Ohio / PLACE OF SHELTER

      Stowe, Vermont: Recreation Path / THE BEST PATH

      Harpers Ferry, West Virginia / AT THE CONFLUENCE

      Colorado: Maroon Bells / REFLECTIONS

      Hawaii Volcanoes National Park / WHEN THE MOUNTAINS CHANGE

      St. Louis, Missouri: Gateway Arch / THE JOURNEY BEGINS

      Savannah, Georgia / REMEMBER . . . THEN MOVE FORWARD

      Idaho: Thousand Springs State Park / PURIFIED WATER

      Seattle, Washington: Pike Place Market / JOYOUS VARIETY

      Itasca State Park, Minnesota: Headwaters of the Mississippi / HEADWATERS

      Newport, Rhode Island: The Cliff Walk / THE EDGE

      Asheville, North Carolina: The Biltmore Estate / RARE AND BEAUTIFUL TREASURES

      Colorado: The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad / THE NARROW WAY

      Mackinac Island, Michigan / TIMES OF REFRESHING

      New York City: High Line Park / SOMETHING NEW FROM SOMETHING OLD

      Charleston, South Carolina / POSITIONED FOR BLESSING

      Monument Valley, Utah / UNTOUCHED BY THE YEARS

      California: The Pacific Coast Highway / SURPRISES AROUND EVERY BEND

      Nebraska: The Sandhills / A PRAIRIE WHISPER

      Lewes, Delaware / WHAT IT MEANS TO BE FIRST

      Florida: Everglades National Park / A SEARCH FOR SOLID GROUND

      Idaho and Oregon: Hells Canyon National Recreation Area / THE DEPTHS

      Route 66, USA / A WELL-MARKED HIGHWAY

      Plymouth, Massachusetts: Plymouth Rock / REMEMBER AND RETURN

      North Carolina: The Blue Ridge Parkway / TAKING TIME

      Montana: Flathead Lake / CLARITY

      Washington: Mount Rainier National Park / SUDDEN MAJESTY

      Indiana: Indianapolis Motor Speedway / FAST AND SLOW

      Boston, Massachusetts: The Freedom Trail / A PATH MARKED IN RED

      New Hampshire: White Mountains / EXPECTANT

      Nantucket Island, Massachusetts / OUT OF THE FOG

      Oregon: Crater Lake National Park / A GOD SO DEEP

      978071803661_0006_001.jpg

      Introduction

      HOW AWESOME IS THIS PLACE!

      When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it. He was afraid and said, How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.

      —GENESIS 28:16–17

      When Jacob opened his eyes at sunrise in his sheltered camping spot, the first thing he remembered was the vision that had come to him in the middle of the night. If he lived to be 147 (and he did), he would never forget it. He’d seen a grand stairway resting on the earth near his little camping spot, with the stairs winding up, high through the night sky into the wonder of heaven. God Himself had been standing at the top of the stairway, and countless magnificent angels had been walking up and down the stairs.

      Jacob was stunned and shaken by what he had experienced. It was more than a dream; he knew he had seen something real. God had been in that place—and he hadn’t even realized it.

      When he had curled up in his cloak to sleep that night, it had seemed like a perfectly ordinary camping spot. Grass, trees, rocks, crickets, a whisper of wind in the treetops, and a few drowsy night birds. But now . . . after he had seen God in that place, with angels coming and going on the golden stairs, it could never be ordinary again. This wasn’t just a random tent site under some trees; it was the very gate of heaven!

      What Jacob discovered in the land of Canaan we can discover in America as well. If we catch a glimpse of heaven and experience God’s nearness in the places we travel and explore, those places will never again seem ordinary to us. Instead, they will be threaded through with memories of walking and conversing with Him. We won’t be just seeing America, we will be seeing God in America. And that is a very different proposition.

      This little book is like looking through a keyhole at some of the loveliest, most intriguing, awe-inspiring corners of our much-loved nation. You’ll see quick glimpses of all fifty states, highlighting some of the most unforgettable cities and towns, panoramic vistas and natural wonders, boundless parks, and scenic highways that seem to ride the top of the world. From the dancing northern lights on a clear arctic night in Anchorage, to the mysterious glowing white sand dunes of southern New Mexico, to the color-splashed autumn hills of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina . . . No matter which of these places you explore for yourself, God has already traveled ahead of you, scoped out the details, and prepared for your arrival.

      Every corner of America and everywhere you go can be a gate of heaven, if you have eyes to see it. With Jacob, you’ll find yourself saying, How awesome is this place!

      97807180366_0011_002.jpg

      Kansas City, Missouri

      CITY OF FOUNTAINS

      For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me—the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!

      —JEREMIAH 2:13 NLT

      Back in 1893, the Kansas City Humane Society built the city’s first fountain on the corner of Third and Minnesota. It wasn’t supposed to be aesthetic. In fact, it was a large square pedestal with four small pools for the benefit of thirsty dogs and horses. People liked it too, however, and somehow the idea of Kansas City fountains caught on and kept growing through the 1890s. The first city-built fountain was dedicated in 1899, at a cost of $12,000. Fountain-building, with its decorative statuary, surged in the 1920s, and building has continued throughout the city’s history. Today, fountains form part of Kansas City’s identity and honor many of its prominent citizens. While the city itself has two hundred fountains in the Metropolitan area, that number doesn’t include hundreds more found on corporate and private property. Only Rome, it is said, has more fountains than Kansas City.

      Fountains bring beauty and life to any city. In Scripture, God refers to Himself as the fountain of living water (Jer. 2:13 NLT). Jesus said, Those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life (John 4:14 NLT). Water, then, is a picture of life—eternal life in heaven and abundant life here on earth. And no matter what our world or culture might tell us, God is the only Source of that life. He is the Fountain, the Headwaters, the Artesian Spring. In Jeremiah’s day, people were turning away from God, looking for life in themselves, in their pleasures, in traditions, and in false gods. But all of these attempts were like carrying water in a leaky bucket, and real life just slipped away from them. It’s the same with us. We can become preoccupied with many good things—careers, hobbies, politics, recreation, sports, family, and even church responsibilities—but the true source of life never changes. Unless we draw life every day from Jesus, we begin to dry up inside and have little to offer anyone.

      Lord, I realize today that I can’t

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