{"id":39464,"date":"2013-05-04T10:00:20","date_gmt":"2013-05-04T15:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=39464"},"modified":"2013-05-04T23:11:05","modified_gmt":"2013-05-05T04:11:05","slug":"finding-god-at-town-lake","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/05\/finding-god-at-town-lake\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding God at Town Lake"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AustinSkylineLouNeffPoint-Jun2010-a\"<\/a><\/p>\n

So a couple of days ago I went running at Town Lake. Well actually, it wasn\u2019t really running as much as it was jogging for 2 minutes and walking for the next 10. (I haven\u2019t worked out in a while, ok!)<\/p>\n

As I was run-walking, I couldn\u2019t help but be in awe at the beautiful creation God has given us Austinites. I\u2019m from a small town outside of Lubbock, TX appropriately named Plainview. The name says it all; there isn\u2019t much to there to write home about. Even though I\u2019ve lived in Austin for almost 3 years now, big trees and tall skyscrapers still amaze this small town girl.<\/p>\n

The beauty of God is evident all around us: in our friends, in our family, in our beautiful city. Now that it\u2019s springtime, the flowers are blooming, the trees are green, and everything is alive again. \u00a0It\u2019s in this Easter season, amid all the new life, that God asks us to make new our love for Him.<\/p>\n

\"IMAG1232\"<\/a><\/p>\n

But what really caught my attention as I was running were the tiny flowers along the trail. Think of how much care and love God put into making just one of those small flowers. God had to choose the exact color of every flower, the exact size of every petal, the exact amount of rain that flower would need to grow. But even though the making of that tiny flower is so complex, it\u2019s beauty is so simple. All we have to do is glance and see the beauty of our God.<\/p>\n

We as humans, with our talents, dreams and desires, are infinitely more complex than that one flower. We are made in the likeness of God, so how much more love and care has He lavished on every single one of us. That\u2019s how much our God loves us. How amazing is that?<\/p>\n

Think about the complexity of a God who made not only that tiny flower, but also the entire universe. He is so great and powerful and intricate that even if\/when (hopefully!) we all go to Heaven, we will never be able to comprehend who He really is. But God\u2019s purpose for us, like the beauty of that flower, is simple. \u00a0All God wants from us is to love Him, follow Him and serve Him with all of our heart.<\/p>\n

How do we do that? We love and serve God by loving and serving others, which can be anything from serving as an extraordinary minister to smiling at that homeless man on the Drag. We also love God and His Son Jesus through spending time with Him in daily Mass and adoration. All that God asks of us is to put love in everything we do.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice.\u201d (John 10: 2-4)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

So a couple of days ago I went running at Town Lake. Well actually, it wasn\u2019t really running as much as it was jogging for 2 minutes and walking for the next 10. (I haven\u2019t worked out in a while, ok!) As I was run-walking, I couldn\u2019t help but be in awe at the beautiful… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":150,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-39464","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-blog","7":"entry","8":"has-post-thumbnail"},"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":40950,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/08\/seeing-god-in-creation\/","url_meta":{"origin":39464,"position":0},"title":"Seeing God in Creation","author":"Rita Suva","date":"August 1, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Whenever I am out truly experiencing nature (ie, I\u2019m not just sitting inside my house staring out the front door at the lawn), such as amongst Texas wildflowers, in a national park, hiking in the mountains, etc, I always have a moment (or several) of \u201cHow can someone see all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Grand Parismatic Spring in Yellowstone National Park. 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I picked up a few\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/24bc368a9115f1196508c111d43387fe_liturgical-clip-art-traditional-catholic-clip-art_1000-409-332x136.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":90963,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/02\/changes\/","url_meta":{"origin":39464,"position":2},"title":"Changes","author":"Rachel","date":"February 23, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Right now my life is going through many changes. I have a new job that signifies a new phase of my professional career. I moved into a new home in a new part of town, and there is a lot yet to be settled and figured out. It's a whirlwind\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A photo that my mother took - a perfect fit for the end of this blog - You light me up!","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/StMdPSunsetMom-550x362.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/StMdPSunsetMom-550x362.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/02\/StMdPSunsetMom-550x362.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":192082,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2015\/12\/home-holidays-reflection-octave-christmas\/","url_meta":{"origin":39464,"position":3},"title":"Home for the Holidays: a reflection on the Octave of Christmas","author":"Shawn Rain Chapman","date":"December 29, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0I know you might feel a little wilted, Reader, after all the Christmas presents and family and food (and sugar, etc.) I do too. I kind of like it though. The Octave of Christmas is a peaceful time. I deeply enjoyed Christmas Eve with my daughters and our\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_1341","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.austincnm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/IMG_1341-e1451253686837-127x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":250216,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2016\/05\/selfesteem-image-likeness-god-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":39464,"position":4},"title":"How is self-esteem linked to the image and likeness of God? – Part II","author":"Sheila Morataya","date":"May 19, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\"We humans have not self-esteem, we have dignity, we are the children of God\". Sheila Morataya The root of our dignity and value It seems that one of King Louis XV of France, Luisa, was once the object of some reproach by one of her nannies. The princess did not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Faith"","block_context":{"text":"Faith","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/faith-blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Imagen de Dios","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/atxcatholic.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Enamorada-por-primera-vez-190x190.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8335,"url":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2011\/12\/the-meanings-behind-all-our-christmas-decorations\/","url_meta":{"origin":39464,"position":5},"title":"The Meanings Behind All Our Christmas Decorations","author":"Jason Elizondo","date":"December 16, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"I originally posted this last year over at my Catholic Warthog blog but thought it would be a good idea to cross post it here at ACNM. 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With\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blog"","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/category\/acnm\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.catholicwarthog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Christmas-Tree-Nature1024-226431-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/150"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39464\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}