Great Shot.

"Wow, what a great shot!"

This has been a common refrain of mine since we moved out to Atlanta. I don't know where I got it from, but somehow I've started adopting this phrase. I guess the best way to describe its usage is whenever you see something that would make a beautiful picture. If you live in Atlanta, my favorite "shot" of the city is going westbound on Freedom Parkway where it intersects with Boulevard NE right outside the King Center just before you hit the Jackson Street Bridge. I love that view of our city. If you are a KC person, no doubt your favorite "shot" of KCMO is the Country Club Plaza at Christmas. I'm excited to go home and see it again this year.

These kind of shots are on postcards, stamps, posters, advertisements, and videos going into or out of commercials during telecasts of sporting events. We all know them. We all treasure them. They witness to the beauty and what we love about our cities.

Of course, those are not the only "shots" that serve as a witness.

There are many people who claim to be a "witness" to God. Preachers exclaim from the pulpit, "Can I get a witness?!" We want to share our testimony, or witness to what Christ has done in our lives. We pray for the "great cloud of witnesses" that have come before us. People can be witnesses to what God is doing in our world. They can tell the story of what God is doing here in this world with these people.

However, witnesses don't always speak or do any sort of action.

We have a God who created all of this stuff. It feels disingenuous to call it stuff. But what else do you call it?

In the book of Job, God cross-examines Job, asking him if he was there when the earth's foundations were laid, or when the morning stars sang together. God asks if Job has set the measurements of the sea or commanded the morning and the night. Of course, we and Job both know that it was not Job, but God. God is showing Job just who is in charge, and the powerful works of the Creator through the witness of creation. The mountains were there when God gave them birth. The seas heard the command, "that's far enough." The hills watched as God commanded the sun and the moon when to rise and when to set.

Creation witnesses to the Creator and the works of the Creator's hand.

I've been a lot of places in this country. Grand Tetons. Grand Canyon. Rocky Mountains. Blue Ridge Mountains. Smokey Mountains. The Tall Grass Prairie. Brasstown Bald. Ana Ruby Falls. The Black Hills. The Badlands. Tybee Island. Hilton Head. I've seen the works of the Creator. My jaw has dropped at the awe-inducing wonder of what has been created.

We are so lucky to be able to listen and see what these witnesses know. Even more so, God has allowed us to see these witnesses, and says, "Go enjoy" so we become participants in the witnesses of the goodness of God.

We are called to be stewards of this land. We are called to take care of it. We are called to enjoy the creation that the Creator has made.

We can get enjoyment from hiking, exploring, rafting, swimming, playing, fishing, running, jumping, and just being present in this Creation.

Of course, it is possible to abuse this privilege.

Now, it is true, there are resources provided in creation that help sustain us and help us live a good life. However, the question must be raised, "How much is enough?" The question has to be asked, "How can we do this better?" We must figure out, "How do we use the resources of the land in such a way that it is not destroyed and future generations can enjoy it like we have?"

This has been in the news a lot lately. I'm not here to argue with any sort of person about any particulars. That is for those who know me and talk to me personally. However, you don't have to strain too hard to know how the guy who makes his own granola, leads a hiking group, wears too much flannel, talks about creation witnessing to God, and is running out of room for his recycling feels about public lands.

But here is what I know and can witness to you today, oh dear blog reader.

We have a God who loves us. We have a God who has given humans a beautiful earth in which to live in. All God asks of us is to take care of it, so it may continue to witness to God's majesty for generations to come after we are long gone. We can do it. We must do it. We can accomplish great things when we work together.

What a great shot that'll be.