the light of His presence

Rainbows, such as this one produced by artificial light shone on an icy Niagara
Falls, are just one special effect of light, a marvel that reveals the world to
us. Light sets our biological clocks. It triggers in our brains the sensation of
color. Light feeds us, supplying the energy for plants to grow. It gives us
life-changing tools, from incandescent bulbs to lasers and fiber optics.
Scientists don't fully understand what light is or what it can do. They just
know that it will illuminate our future.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "The Power of Light," October 2001, National Geographic magazine)

I read somewhere before that nature is our first missionary. And I agree to it. How many times have I felt so small when I look at the sky above, or when I gaze at a full moon.

Here in Tianjin, the sunsets are awesome. I was once on a bus talking to a Chinese friend when we passed by a lake with many trees surrounding it and as my Chinese friend asked me to look at the sun, the timing was perfect for I saw the magnificent reflection of the sun on the lake, and the sturdy trees around it swayed to the lullaby of the wind. I was almost in tears because earlier that day, I prayed to God that He would surprise me with His beauty. And that was one of His many answers.

Sometimes, we get used to the amazing nature around us that we don't even consider what it wants to say to us. Nature speaks, loudly in fact.

Consider the marvelous rainbows after a drizzle, or the blooming flowers at Springtime...don't you ever asked yourself where they come from? How about the stars above sparkling brightly on a Summer night? Or the rocks that glimmer on a clear, clean river?

All these, and more, points to Him, our Creator.

Sadly, many of us missed the point. Many tried to explain why such beauty exist; and cracked their heads for they could not find the formula, the reason, the understanding, the knowledge behind all they saw and discovered. And in the end they say there is no God? It's just unacceptable to some that many things of this world are way beyond what our brain can hold.