There is a GOD, he is alive in China!

So.... we have made it safely back home to Texas but my heart and mind are still in Beijing!  As I consider the many blessed events that transpired in our two weeks in China my thoughts continually revert back to the simple idea that our God is the I AM! 

Before we left Gary (missionary and tour guide extraordinaire) took us to visit a very popular place, The Temple of Heaven or more accurately translated the Alter of Heaven - Tiantan.  A place where the Emperor (the Son of Heaven) made sacrifice to an "unknown god above all" Tian (tee-anne).  Tian is the god that is over all things and is considered higher than Buddha or the Emperor and is widely known and recognized by the Chinese. The name "Tian" appears in many descriptions and names of places around Beijing ie. Tiananmen Square.  Does this idea of god sound strangely familiar to some of you?  It did to me.  In my simple understanding there is also a western god most associated with Christianity, Shangdi (shawn-dee). There are similarities and differences between the two names Tian and Shangdi but they are not the same. Ironically the name Shangdi appears on a plaque in the "Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest" but you would be hard pressed to find a Chinese person to admit it.  

You can research and learn all you want about the nature and evolution of these names which is all fascinating but that aside...There is a God who is above all, in all, and before all things and regardless of language or culture his name is the I AM and He is in China!