The Best Thing About Italy

It has been a while since I have blogged, a fact my son reminded me about by placing a link to my blog on his updated website.  I have no excuses, not really.  I find it challenging sending my musings into cyberspace, uncertain as to who might read what I say and if it will make any difference at the end of the day. As a pastor I have this strong urge to be pastoral in some way, and since the blog is connected to the church website, I guess I should.  But I also have the desire to speak more personally about what I am thinking, how I process things, how I interact with God.  On top of that, it is always a lot more fun reading my kid’s blogs than writing my own.

Back in March 2010 the First Baptist Church of Rolla honored our twenty years of service to the church (I am now in the 22nd year – crazy!).  They threw a party, said a lot of nice things, and gave Holly and I a trip to Italy.  Our daughter Alyssa and her husband Paul had been to Italy before, and they immediately said they wanted to be there with us, serving as our tour guides.  The time of Christmas was set (cheaper, more days for your money, a beautiful time in Italy, etc.) and finally it came.

It was a tremendous trip, one that we will always remember.  We were in Florence on December 23rd through Christmas morning, then headed to Rome from Christmas to New Year's Eve.  Not being world travelers, my wife and I were uncertain about a number of things, but we couldn’t have asked for anything better.  My son-in-law, with a Masters in Antiquities, was a splendid guide, taking us to all the places tourists go and then to places tourists would pay a high price to see.  I enjoy Renaissance art and saw original works by Michelangelo, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Bernini, Caravaggio – you get the idea.  We visited museums, saw churches larger than any I had ever seen, enjoyed Italian cuisine, were amazed at ancient ruins, silenced by age-old catacombs.  We walked 8-10 miles a day, traveled by subway, bus, train and taxi.  I loved every minute of it – well, we did get lost in Florence on Christmas Eve and got soaked to the bone – but I almost forgot that in the midst of all the good things.

I have been asked the question several times, “What was the best thing about your trip to Italy?”  I can name several, sharing the time and the sights with my wife and children, reflecting on ancient Christian origins, overwhelmed by masterpieces of art.  But I think the best thing is simply the fact that First Baptist Church of Rolla gave us this gift in the first place.  They didn’t have to – a card, a plaque, a gift certificate to a restaurant would have expressed appreciation.  But this went way beyond all that, lovingly extravagant, expressing love and care for Holly and myself in a splendid way.

So very much a gift of grace, like those our Heavenly Father gives us on a regular basis through His Son Jesus.   Merciful, extravagant, prodigal, amazing grace.

The picture is of Alyssa, Paul, Holly and myself standing before the ruins of the Emperor’s palace in Rome and Circus Maximus – as my son-in-law says, “Think Ben-Hur.”