Finding God in NYC

New York, New York!

Mom and I had always wanted to visit New York City at Christmastime, and our wish finally came true! (We decided to let the boys join in too.) This city is overflowing with life, and two weeks before Christmas, it truly felt magical. There are thousands of people, decadent desserts, bright lights, skyscrapers, Broadway shows… anything and everything you could dream.

As we weaved through hoards of people bustling through the streets, I tried to take in the sheer number of people that filled this city. I couldn’t help but wonder how many of these people knew the real Christmas story. Had they ever had someone personally share about who Jesus is? It burdened my heart to think that in the city of lights, decorations and festivities, people might not know the Savior behind the true Christmas story.

So many people need to hear about Jesus, I thought. In this enormous city, where is God at work?

Well, friends. HE. SHOWED. UP! Here’s how I saw God in New York City:

THE CROSS AT GROUND ZERO

Sunday my family visited the 9/11 museum, which was an experience that is hard to put into words. Most of the stories were paradoxical, colored with incomprehensible devastation and resilient hope. One of my most memorable parts of the museum was viewing the famous steel beam cross, that worker Frank Silecchia discovered at Ground Zero. Rising out of the rubble and ruin, Silecchia described the cross as "a sign that God hadn't deserted us."

TODAY SHOW FRIENDS

You may have already seen on socials, but Mom and I made it on the TODAY show! This was the craziest, most wonderful experience, and I could tell you ten stories to go along with it. BUT, I’ll tell you about our new friend Amy.

We arrived at the Rockefeller Plaza around 6 a.m., probably 20th in line. We began talking to the woman in front of us, and before long, we realized she and Mom both graduated from Carson Newman College, a small Christian school in Jefferson City, Tennessee. Out of all the people in New York City, what are the odds?!

As we waited outside in the literal freezing cold weather, we talked with Amy about how we got to where we are in life today, and how God is always working, even when we can’t see His plan. Just as He provided in the past, we can have faith that He will show us the way in the future. Now who would’ve thought we would have that conversation with a stranger in the middle of Manhattan? God is ever-surprising.

BROOKLYN TABERNACLE CHOIR

This was SO. COOL. I knew very little about the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir before this trip, but you can be sure Pastor Jim Cymbala’s book is on my reading list now! Several decades ago, Jim and his wife Carol started a church in a rough area in Brooklyn, with few resources and a willingness to obey the Holy Spirit’s lead. The congregation grew from less than 20 to over 10,000, and their choir (led by Carol) is a Grammy-award-winning ensemble. They are a multicultural congregation with members from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

My family attended their 2019 Christmas program, and I can’t tell you how my heart was lifted through their worship. The music was phenomenal. The program was filled with dancing, from ballet on pointe to hard-core hip hop, and it was all I could do not to get up and dance along with them. The entire show was a beautiful picture of God’s kingdom, with children from all nations, worshiping God with their heart and soul. If this is what choir in heaven is like, I’m all in!

EVERYDAY KINDNESS

Yes, we met a couple of stereotypical, non-nonsense New Yorkers, but I was amazed at how many wonderful people we encountered who showed us true kindness. For example, Mom and I both had a bad habit of dropping one of our gloves in the midst of taking on and off 1,293 layers of clothing. One day a woman called after Mom and the street and let her know she dropped her glove. The woman then realized we were lost (#tourists), and she used her phone to look up directions and point us the right way. So kind!

Another day I was having a bizarre sneezing epidemic, which was actually quite hilarious. I don’t know what in the world set me off, but every few minutes, I would have a VIOLENT sneeze that shook my whole body. After the first dozen sneezes, we just started laughing at it. Anyway, as I experienced one of these earth-shattering sneezes while walking down the street, a cab driver leaned out of his window and yelled “bless you,” smiling as we went along. These kind strangers reminded me to be generous with my time, gentle with my words and gracious to others, just as Jesus was.

Mom captured the memories of me sneezing my head off in the lovely Plaza Hotel.

SNOW!

Sometimes I like to say that God gives “cherry on top” blessings––a gift from God that is something you want, you don’t need and probably haven’t even prayed for. It’s a sweet, extra blessing out of the kindness of God’s heart that shows His fatherly love.

Snow was our cherry on top blessing. We had wanted to see a good snow in New York, and while it had sprinkle-snowed some, we hadn’t witnessed anything out of the ordinary. However, on our last full day in New York, we each got a weather alert on our phone announcing that a “snow squall” was coming. We later learned that a snow squalls are “quick and intense bursts of snow accompanied by strong, gusty winds” (see here).

Sure enough, the snow came at us like a gray, hazy wall. When it hit, we were surrounded by gusts of swirling snow, like we were in a snow globe! Mom was brought to tears. While we could make plans and buy tickets all day long, only God could make it snow. And He did! What a sweet surprise.

There are more stories I could tell, but I want to leave you with a verse I shared earlier this month, Acts 17:27:

“God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.”

Friends, God is near. Whether you’re in New York City, California or Tennessee, He is near and ready for you to find. He loved you so much that He left His home in heaven to come to earth as one of us, fully human, so that we can know Him. Open your eyes and look for God this Christmas season. I promise you, He is there.