In a mentor of Faith

When...talking to a man who spoke at my church recently who has a true passion for christ. The conversation was great and I saw God in his advice and kind words. If you ever find someone you want to meet with, take the step and ask to meet them, people are often willing to offer advice

In a stream of consciousness

When...randomly thinking...and thinking....and thinking. Ever have a full ten minutes taken up by nothing but your own stream of conscious thought. I probably had 40 minutes in a row like that today...and every once in a while a thought about Christ or faith or love popped in, God just checking in to make sure I kept him in my consciousness.

In a recipe book

When...creating a recipe book and looking through pictures. I believe God gave us the endless possibilities of food, and I love nearly all of it. Looking at pictures isn't quite as good as eating it, but still fun.

At the gym...again

When...walking past a woman at the gym. She was probably in her fifties, and was wearing one of those 80's style brightly colored leotards over spandex shorts. I laughed to myself as I walked past...but felt bad for laughing. Then I realized I wasn't laughing at her, I was laughing at how awesome it was. I don't know her story, but I do know that the outfit was great, and as with many laughs I felt God in it.

In a Steam Room

When...sitting in a steam room at the gym after a workout. I just paused, stretched, and turned off my brain, trying to listen instead of think. I felt God in the heat of that room...and he didn't say anything, but I know he was there.

In a Coaches Words

When....the University of Hawaii coach spoke about God after beating my beloved UW Huskies. It's always great to hear men in positions of power humble themselves despite their victories and give the glory back to he who deserves it.

Today I saw God when a man wasn't afraid to share his faith during his personal moment of triumph on national television.

In a Friend's Pictures

When...reading my friend's Travel blog. She's traveling in South America, sharing her adventures with us back her, and it's amazing to see a part of God's creation that I've never seen through the lens of a friend the day she sees it...very different than seeing a picture in a book or something like that.

P.S. Lord, Nice work on the mountains and lakes in Peru.

In a clean room

When...cleaning my apartment. It's amazing how much better it feels when there isn't stuff everywhere. I have a habit of accumulating a lot of clutter, but a good 2 hours of picking up and cleaning later and it's amazing how much simpler life feels. Trusting God is kind of like that...makes life a whole lot simpler.

In a moment

When...I had a feeling that i should wear my glasses...it's a long story, but i needed to look smart. I'm not sure of the end result, but I felt God telling me to wear them

Maybe some day I'll know why

In a lucky click

When...randomly setting on a channel, looking to see what was on in 15 minutes (on the hour) only to see that my favorite basketball team was playing, something I would have been sad to of missed. Thanks God.

In a nap

When...napping. No explanation needed.

In a meal

When...my girlfriend made me an amazing dinner. She loves to cook and loves food, and both of us were quite pleased with her new experiment. I loved how excited she got when realizing how good the food was, she just lit up, and I saw God in her smile.

When we won

When...we won $100 in a company contest...it wasn't first prize, but it was more than we were expecting. Thanks Lord.

Today I saw God help us out.

In Getting Work Done

When...getting things done. I needed that today, and God helped me get a lot done. Thanks.

Today I saw God give me the time to do what I needed to do at work.

While out of breath

When...I had five minutes before a print shop closed and I was 10 minutes walking away. So I ran, in dress clothes, but made it, and got the proofs approved. I saw God keep my feet from dying as I sprinted through the city.

Today I saw God when i made the 'deadline'

In a heater

When...I put a space heater directly pointing to my cold toes. Yep...this one's a bit random, but my toes are cold, the heat feels good, and I bet part of heaven is that feeling when you've been freezing and suddenly are warmed by heat.

Today I saw God in warmth.

In daylight savings time

When...showing up to church an hour early since I forgot to change my clocks. However, I visited our christian book store, and had 30 uninterrupted minutes with nothing to do but read my bible...thanks for the time God.

Today I saw God when I was granted the gift of time.

In a free download

When...I heard on the Seattle christian radio station, spirit 105.3, that, one of my favorite new songs was actually avaliable for a weekly FREE download off of iTunes. I hadn't checked the free songs on iTunes in months and would have certainly missed the window to get the song...but, in one of those crazy timing specific events, I listened at just the right moment, to hear the song was avaliable. I truly believe those moments where all the timing has to work perfectly and orchestrated beautifully by God.

Today I saw God fill my room with a great new worship song.

In a soccer movie

When...watching 'Miracle Match.' I'm amazed I'd never heard of this story. Sports are amazing, and I love that God has given us an avenue to live dreams like this.

Today I saw God when watching the US beat all odds.

In Youth Basketball

When...coaching a youth basketball team. At one point, one kid triped another accidently and both were rolling on the floor laughing hysterically. I didn't really get it...but didn't need to, because there's just something magical about kids laughter.

Today I saw God in kids having fun playing basketball.

When Watching an ESPN clip

When, hearing the story of Donald Driver of the Green Bay Packers. He spent his life in a uhaul truck, moving between hotel rooms, sleeping on the street, and scrapping by with little food and no security. He's now a star receiver on one of the NFL's hottest teams. He turned his family's fortune around, and with tears coming down his face he admits that he's nothing without his family, and nothing without God.

Today I saw God when he turned around an entire family's fortunes with one man's faith.

In a passionate praiser

When...at church. A moderately obnoxious guy was VERY passionate during the singing (he almost hit me in the face twice with his arm raising)... but God made me remember that that's a great thing, that being on fire isn't a bad thing...even if it doesn't almost hit you in the face.

Today I saw God in a man with his hands waiving in the air.

In a Football Stadium

When...watching a football game. Sports fans are just crazy, even when your team is losing. I like how sports relates to faith...win, or lose, we should be just as passionate about our faith.

Today I saw God in a packed football stadium...even when losing, a bit like heaven on Earth.

In a Pudget Sound sunset

When...I was lucky enough to randomly be standing by a window in a skyscrapper in downtown Seattle overlook Pudget Sound at 6:45pm...as the last of the sun was setting. It was gorgeous. I'd missed most of the color, but there were still hints of orange and red over the dark black water.

Nice painting Jesus.

In a friend returning home

When...my friend came home from abroad, and it was fun to talk with him again.

Today I saw God in friendship.

In warmth

When...walking to grab some quick dinner, since nothing was in my fridge. I figured I'd run in the shorts and long sleeve shirt I was wearing to keep warm...but it was quite pleasant outside, a beautiful fall day with a nearly full moon on the horizon against a blue sky...gorgeous.

Thanks God, for breaking up the rainy Seattle days with some warmth

In companionship

When...God throws curveballs...and hopefully you have people in your life who can help teach you how to hit them. I think I do.

In Worship Music

When...singing with the Illuminate Band at Overlake Christian Church in Redmond, WA. Lead singer Jesse Butterworth wrote a song...'Illumination,' that's amazing. God gives me chills nearly every time I sing it

Today I saw God in the beauty of a thousand voices singing.

In big, giant wet leaves

When...walking on a leaf covered sidewalk. These big, wet, fall leaves made the slightest crunch, and definitely made the walkway a lot more fun to walk on.

Today I saw God's result of a rainy fall afternoon.

In a power outage

When...the power went out, all around Seattle. It went out at my home too...but you know what's neat about a power outage, especially with the clouds reflecting the moon? The middle of the night is a lot less 'pitch black' than you'd imagine, you can actually see quite a bit. Very cool, thanks God...but please turn my power back on.

Today I saw God in the greyness of night.

In People Loving What They Do

When...meeting a bunch of people who love what they do. Went to Tat's in Pioneer Square in Seattle, saw a bunch of imports from Philly loving making cheesesteaks. Meet a bunch of entrepreneurs, all passionate about their companies. Finally my girlfriend loves her new job, and loves what's she's doing.

Today I saw God in 'work' that isn't really work.

In a bran muffin

When...yep...eating a blueberry bran muffin/loaf thing. It was that good and it hit the spot perfectly.

Today I saw God when hungry...and then satisfied.

At the gym

When...working out. The feeling of muscles pumping, or the realease of rest after physical exhaustion, is an awesome God given reward for keeping your body in shape.

Today I saw God in the straining of my muscles.

In the city

When...driving in downtown Seattle, unable to see the tops of buildings because of fog...yet it was sunny. Really cool look.

Today I saw God...no explanation necessary

While lost

When...I heard on the radio that the interstate heading north in Seattle was backuped with traffic. It was a beautiful day, sun shining, and I turned up a side street, figuring I'd double back to a different way up north. Instead, the side street I turned up went as far north as I needed to go, and was absolutely gorgeous, lined with trees, all in fall colors. Gorgeous, thanks for letting me know traffic was backed up God.

Today I saw God in a lucky turn.

In a sports field

When...driving in a run down part of Seattle. The area was nutoriously a lower income area, one of the places that people tended to avoide at night. Yet, when driving through, I came up over a hill and looked down on a huge playfield where a bunch of football players were running through practice. It's easy to keep your eyes forward in areas like these, try and avoid them and keep them out of your mind, yet God put me in this area, and reminded me that football is football, regardless of the income level of the parents. Football, just like all sports, can unify.

Today I saw God in an awesome sports complex in a suprisingly upbeat area.

In the Internet

When...comparing credit cards online. It's absolutely amazing how much easier finding relevant information is when using the web. What would I have done in the past, gotten some applications in the mail, picked one and then gone from there? Seems so ridiculous now. I can't wait to see the technology God has planned in the future.

Today I saw God as he makes formerly difficult tasks relatively painless.

In a Mac

When...I rented a new MacBook for the week. It could seem strange to see God in a computer...but these little guys are just so slick, I'm always amazed. I see God in their design, their ease of use, and the way they make you feel (yes, I'm a Mac fan).

Today I saw God in a beautiful little laptop that makes working fun.

In laughter

When... laughing, hard and often, with friends. I can't imagine a world without laughter...without God. Since Jesus is the light of the world, I see laughter as a form of light, and when you're sitting, laughing so hard it hurts...I think God's laughing with us.

Today I saw God laughing with me.

In Traffic

When...hitting my first morning rush hour in a long time. The nice thing about starting a company is you set your own hours, namely missing 7-9 am traffic. But to make a meeting, I was on the road, bumper to bumper at 7am as the sun started rising. It'd be stop and go for 30 minutes, then, out of nowhere, I was going 65 mph. Then, 3 minutes later, bumper to bumper. That cycle repeated itself. I don't understand it, but I think God likes keeping us on our toes.

Today I saw God when driving 65 mph after sitting in bumper to bumper traffic for half an hour.

In a Cross

When....driving home on the highway at 10:30 at night. You come around a corner on Interstate 5 in north Seattle, and all you see is a bright white cross (granted it's a small one but still). Quite beautiful against the black night...I'm guessing someone planned that.

Today I saw God in the symbol of his mercy for us.

In Pounding Rain

When...it was pouring, absolutely pouring, on my car while I was driving. Typically pouring rain isn't fun...but driving through it today was. I saw God in the rain.

Today I saw God in a rain drop...about 3 million of them.

In a TV show

When...watching one of the 'tv on dvd that you could watch for 24 hours straight' type shows. Heroes, 24, and Lost, all fall into this category for me. In this case, Heroes allowed me to get wrapped up in a show for two hours and forget that anything else was going on. Sometimes God gives us the means to escape into a world where the rules of reality change...great books do the same thing. I think that's what heaven will be like, consistently changing the rules of what we think is reality.

Today I saw God in a world where the line between reality and a story is blurred.

In a piece on Jon Kitna

When...reading ESPN the magazine. Check this article out 'Kitna seeks advice from above'

Today I saw God in the faith of an NFL quarterback.

After a Football Game

When...players prayed after the game. UW lost to USC in a bit of a heartbreaker, but UW fought hard. Coach Tyrone Willingham has made his faith in God known, and some of the players meet at midfield to pray after the game. Today, I saw white USC jerseys intermixed with the purple jerseys praying. They'd just played a brutal sport as rivals...but prayed at the end together as brothers. It was beautiful.

Today I saw god in purple and white jerseys, when both colors bowed together to their king.

In a Silver Lining

When...I walked outside on my way to meet with friends, and literally saw a silver lining....the moon was behind the clouds...but was high enough up in the cloud cover to light up the time line. Hard to explain, but it was a literal silver lining.

Today I saw God make a figure of speech literal.

In the love of a parent

When...I received a 'happy fall' gift in the mail from my mother. There's no love like the love of a mother...and we know where that comes from.

Today I saw God when thinking of my mom.

In Tuesday Night Lights

When...Fog was rolling on the field at a soccer/football park northwest of Seattle. There's something special about lights on an athletic field on a crisp fall evening. Beautiful

Today I saw God on an athletic field...beautiful.

At Church

When...I went to church. Lots of place to see him there...even if you aren't necessarily looking.

Today I saw God in singing, worship, prayer, and preaching.

At night

when... I was thinking about the process of looking around to find God everyday. Just laying in my bed, praying to him at night, staring at the ceiling and trying to comprehend a God who is in everything. I should see him everywhere...and I'm trying to. Actively thinking about it works.

Today I saw God when thinking about seeing God.

In the moon

When...I looked up above the trees at the moon. I was listening to Jeremy Camp's Walk by Faith while walking, and saw a half moon in the daytime, looking beautiful against a blue sky over tall evergreen trees. God has a fancy paint brush

Today I saw God in nature, where it's so easy to see his creation if you just stop and look.

In being alone

When...I spent nearly the entire day alone. I think I talked face to face with only about two or three people, and on the phone with two others. It was a very 'on my own' day. Cool thing about recognizing the concept of a God who is in everything though...is just that. He's everywhere. In everything. You're never alone.

Today I saw God keep me company.

In a praise song

When...my favorite praise song came on at church...on my birthday...right when I'd made a personal commitment to God. The second that commitment was made...the band started singing. It was amazing.

Today I saw God make the mountains tremble.

Did you feel the mountains tremble?
Did you hear the ocean's roar?
When the lost began to sing of
Jesus Christ the Risen one.

In Friendship

When...I had my first ever surprise birthday party where I was the one being surprised. It was amazing and fun and made me feel loved.

Today I saw God in the people he's put in my life.

In a podcast

When...I was listening to a podcasted sermon by Mark Driscoll at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. I was working out (which of course fit perfectly with his one hour sermons), and listened to a fantastic message about Jesus, and whether or not he really reserected. Guess what, there's a lot of evidence that he did...even stuff not published in the bible. And guess what...I know he did, regardless of the non-biblical stuff. After working out, I walked home, listening to Jesse Butterworth, looking at a cloudy sky, and feeling God in this world.

Today I saw God in a series of events, over an hour long, that made me feel his presence.

In Friendship

When...I saw a close friend who I hadn't seen in a few weeks. When you're used to seeing people almost daily, it's often strange when you go for a prolonged period of time before seeing each other. Yet, when you hang out again, everything's still fun and normal.

Today I saw God in the familiar laughter of a friend.

In compounding problems

When...all the little things were going wrong. It was a tough day...and a lot of little mistakes or random occurrences became expensive to fix. Life can be good but God likes to challenge us, and I saw God today keep me on my toes, not putting more on my shoulders than I could handle, but just enough so I could feel his weight there, reminding me that no matter how hard I try he is, was, and will be in control.

Today I saw God and praise Him, through the good and the bad

In a book about him

When....my non-christian friend, while looking through my bookshelf, grabbed Lee Strobel's The Case for Christ, and spent the night skimming through it while we watched tv. Who knows what will come of it...but perhaps I just witnessed God planting a seed.

Today I saw God in the seeds he sows.

In Bread

When...I tried a bread sample at the Great Harvest Bread Company. Their honey whole wheat bread was amazingly delicious...probably similar to the loaf of bread that feed thousands.

Today I saw God given talent at taking something as simple as bread and making it spectacular.

In pain relief

When...I put aloe on sunburn. If you've ever had a sunburn, and then put aloe vera on it, you know what I'm talking about.

Today I saw God in the creation of a plant that someone at some point relieved felt great on burnt skin

In a 4.95 miracle

When....my new bookshelf crashed onto my new wine glasses. Made a run to Ikea for a bookshelf for my new home. Ikea furniture comes in boxes, you assemble it yourself...the bookshelf was big and awkward, and positioned at an angle on my cart. Ikea also sells 6 wine glass for 4.95. After purchasing both, the bookshelf flattened out on the cart, with a loud crash on top of the wine glasses. Miraculously...only 2 broke. All 6 should have...plus, I only need 4 wine glasses anyways.

Today I saw God when thin glass withstood a 78 lb box.

Installing Internet

When...everything finally worked out. After hours of waiting for the internet guy to come hook up our cable, and even more time spent on various phones trying to make our wireless network work, everything finally clicked, and here I am, adding to a blog post wirelessly.

Today I saw God ease my frustrations once all the pieces finally clicked.

In the fog over the water

When...the fog rolled in over the water. The city of Seattle was covered in fog all day, and I rode a ferry across the pudget sound, seeing a city and a region covered in a light haze of clouds. When I see beauty I haven't seen before (I've never ridden a ferry here) hidden in a blanket of heaven, I see another day that God created.

Today I saw God cooling down the summer.

In the soup line

When... I ordered 'healthy fast food' Panera Bread company makes the best cream of chicken with wild rice soup I've ever had. I ordered it with a chipotle chicken sandwich. My receipt said Brent 24. 24 was my high school football number. I don't know what the odds are that I'd be that order number, at least 1/24 (4%), probably closer to 1/50. Yet there it was, making my soup and sandwich that much more enjoyable.

Today I saw God beat the odds to bring me joy.

In my security deposit

When...I returned a Uhaul trailer....intact. Uhaul offers a $5.00 'insurance policy' against a lot of fine print...namely damages inflacted whilst driving. I didn't take, as I'm so trained to say 'no' to the additional offers always presented at checkout time. Before driving away, I asked if it was too late to get that policy, they said it was. But that's alright, because, $5 isn't much of a security net, compared to the one that I have.

Today I saw God as my insurance policy, no deductible required.

In the darkness

When I was lying in bed, unable to sleep as my head raced around the idea of what God wanted me to do with the "Today I saw GOD" idea. My alarm is set for six hours from now, yet my brain will not stop processing.

I saw God laughing with me in the darkness, where it's a joy to dream before falling asleep.

When I was at the driving range

A man came out from the back entrance, where the putting green is located. I'd turned to change clubs, and he had this big dumb smile on his face. I was a little off put because I thought he was smiling like that at me. But he was smiling while waiting, because up the path waddle his 5 some odd year old son carrying a big bag of golf clubs.

I saw God in the big goofy smile of a father.