WONDER: a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar, or inexplicable.

A great word, wonder, both a noun and verb, and part of an adjective, Wonderful.

I had a wonderful time.

I saw a wonderful thing.

It felt wonderful.

What a wonder that was!

The word inspires a feeling, don't you think? Its a feeling that we educated adults seem to have lost. What happened to that childlike wonder we used to have? What happened to the natural ability we had as children to just be amazed, to believe, to see the wonder around us? Remember when your eyes would be amazed by a butterfly, a flower, a puppie's nose? Remember being amazed by the first taste of ice cream? I have not forgotten.

I have sat on the ocean shore at sunrise and been amazed by the red, gold, and pinks in the sky. The thing is, I don't just say WOW, I raise my hands and say

"Praise the Lord! What a wonder you are God, and what a wonder this morning is!'

I cried the day the Apollo 8 astronauts read from Genesis while orbiting the moon. WOW!, now that was something really wonderful.

I told the Lord what a wonder He is when I held Christine my first new-born daughter and again when I held Jeri, my second one, and again when I held my son. You bet I said it when I held my son. It was all I could do not to dance for joy with Joel in my arms while shouting "Praise you Lord for saving my son!" Actually I think I did dance in the hospital hall when I was alone.

I have seen many wonders some in the sky, some on the ground, some in the next room, and like a child I have been amazed by each and every one.

So my question to you, to all of us, is this. "Do you still see wonder around you? Do you stil see God in the heavens and in the earth, do you consider Him and what he has done? Have you lost that? Well get it back! Think like a child, not like a logical adult for just a moment. Its time we looked hard at the wonders around us, and think about our Wonderful God. Its time we realized just how small we are and also realize again just how big God is, He created the infinite universe, but yet He is still small enough to live in our hearts. WOW! The creator of everyting wants a relationship with us, wants to love us. How wonderful and excellent is that?!

Psalm 8

1 Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

You have set your glory

in the heavens.

2 Through the praise of children and infants

you have established a stronghold against your enemies,

to silence the foe and the avenger.

3 When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

human beings that you care for them?

5 You have made them a little lower than the angels

and crowned them with glory and honor.

6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands;

you put everything under their feet:

7 all flocks and herds,

and the animals of the wild,

8 the birds in the sky,

and the fish in the sea,

all that swim the paths of the seas.

9 Lord, our Lord,

how majestic is your name in all the earth!

Derrick