Seeking to Know HIM

Sometimes, I feel as though I have been in a relationship with GOD for so long, that I couldn't possibly learn something brand-new about HIM.

Wrong.

Very, very wrong.

GOD has used this book to open up my eyes about something very deep in our relationship that needs to change.

                                               
                                                  Read on Kindle:

                   


Here's the thing:

I need to be seeking GOD with the goal of getting to know HIM more. Period. 

So many of my prayers in the recent past have started like this:

Dear God, Please open up your Word to me today. Show me how it applies to me. Tell me what I should do in order to glorify YOU with my life. 

Do you notice how many "me"s there are in that prayer? Before, I thought that I was totally on the right track. I want to glorify God with my life, right?

The problem: I've been wanting to read my Bible and learn more about God in order to know what to do in my life.

What I should be doing: Delving deep into learning more about GOD and HIS character simply to know HIM more. That is the greatest thing I can ever do in life: Get to know my GOD better. Spend time with HIM, over coffee or while lying awake at night, while talking to friends or listening to a sermon.

HE created the world. HE created me. HE has created more then I will ever know actually exists.

WHO is HE? I want to know. And HE is so huge, so complex, so amazing, that even if I spend every minute of every day learning about HIM, I will still not know HIM completely.

And that is exciting.

A side-effect of getting to know GOD more is that I will learn more about who I am. I will start to see why HE created me. How much HE loves me. And that is beautiful.

Have you read this book by Grace Thornton? Let me know what you think and how it has impacted your life. I have read her blog for years and have been so excited to see her share about what GOD has taught her with us through her writing.

When You Give a Nomad 3 Days in Copenhagen...

she spends every minute having fun, Scandinavian-style!

My photo that turned out like a postcard pic.

A few weeks ago, I had my first trip to Denmark, and it was definitely a different feel from other European cities I have visited. I was blessed to travel with some awesome friends, and we made many life-long memories.

There were several aspects of our trip that made it a delight, and I would definitely recommend each of these to anyone traveling to Copenhagen.

#1 - Stay at Urban House or a hostel. 
Because there were 3 of us traveling together, it wasn't quite cost-effective for us to get an Airbnb apartment this time around. So, we looked at hostels and settled on Urban House.

Pros: Close to the train station and tons of other sights, like the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek and the National Museum. Has a communal kitchen and dining room, which really cut costs on this trip as we were able to prepare breakfast at the hostel each morning and made dinner several times in the kitchen. Staying at a hostel also helps with finding out about local tours and for meeting other travelers.

Cons: Urban House is right at the Red Light District, so there is a very active night life. Each night it was extremely noisy outside of our window, so a light sleeper may find this a big problem. For only a few nights in the city, it was okay for us, but was a bit annoying.

#2 - Take a free walking tour.
We took the SANDEMANs Free Walking Tour, and our guide was Martin, a local Dane. This tour was 3 hours and loooots of walking, but it was well worth it. Afterwards, we had a much greater understanding and appreciation of Danish history and the many aspects of the city. I feel like I really saw Copenhagen because of this tour.

The house of the Crown Prince and his family. Seen on the SANDEMANs free walking tour.

#3 - Visit the National Museum.
I can now say that I have hidden behind a Rune stone, seen the skeleton of a now-extinct huge cow/moose, and learned that Vikings didn't have horns on their helmets - all because of our visit to the National Museum. There was a free highlights tour that we took, and it was extremely educational and the guide told many great stories.

Me and a Rune Stone! 

#4 - Get out of the city and see Kronborg Castle!
This was definitely the highlight of the trip for me. I am a huge Shakespeare fan, and this castle is the setting for Shakespeare's Hamlet. It did not disappoint, with amazing views of the sea and Sweden, beautiful ramparts, a MOAT, and a cute little village near it to boot. We took the free tour of the underground section of the castle, and it was cool to see the statue of Holger Danske that sits sleeping beneath the fortress. Such a great sight. 
Tip: If you are traveling by train from Copenhagen, go ahead and get a 24-hour unlimited ticket for all zones - it is cheaper than buying individual tickets there and back, and we planned our trip so that we could use the unlimited ticket again the next morning to go to the airport. 

Breath-taking view from atop Kronborg Castle!

My first trip to Scandinavia was quite the adventure, and I look forward to wherever I travel next in that beautiful region.

After my trip, it was exciting to get to scratch another country off the map, albeit a very tiny one :)