England (Spirituality)

This has been a long time coming.  I spent the beginning of May and the end of April (in that order) in England this year.  It was one of the coolest things ever.  I have been wanting to blog about the trip for a while, but I just haven't been able to think of the best way to do it.  I still don't think I have it figured out, but this is going to be a slow week, so here it goes! (I'll have to credit Colin Rivera, Kelcey Herring, and John Meyers for most of the pics in these blogs because I suck at taking pictures...)

Today's blog will actually just be about 2 places we visited in London: Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's Cathedral.

First, some reference pictures:

This is Westminster Abbey (all the instagram pics are Colin's.... he's so hip)

This is me in front of St. Pauls (all the goofy pics are Kelcey's)

As expected we have no pictures from the inside of these breathtaking buildings, but it is the experiences I had inside them that I'd like to include in this blog.

First, Westminster.  The gothic design and magnificent structure of this nearly 1000 year old house of worship captivated me from the moment we walked in.  The audio tour showed off the final resting place of dozens of monarchs and other notable political figures from over the centuries.  However, I think my favorite moment was near the end of our stay there.  After seeing the graves of Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin I took a moment to light a prayer candle and offered a silent petition to heaven that I might do so much more to be more than just a Mormon, but to be a real Christian in my life and seek to learn and grow in whatever way God would ordain me to.  It was amazing to see worship and spirituality take so many forms in every person who was there.

St. Paul's.  The sheer size of this cathedral is overwhelming to say the least.  The place where I felt the most spiritual power was, not surprisingly, at the High Altar at the back of the main floor.  Words do not do it justice, but the gold alter itself surrounded by mosaics telling the story of the creation, the fall, and the birth of Christ just left me overwhelmed.  As I looked at the altar and its highness I was left, as the artist I'm sure intended, to ponder of the unfathomable greatness, highness, and unknowableness of God.  His perfect love is something I can't pretend to understand, His clear understanding and complete omniscience I cannot comprehend.  Yet He is here, He is part of this world, and He wants to be known.

I guess more than anything I learned that God works in and through everyone, every belief, every understanding, every individual in order the bless and shape the lives of His children.  I hope that I can do much more to understand how I can do whatever He would have me do.        

Also, we found this AMAZING hummus restaurant just down the street from St. Paul's.  It has since become the greatest 2 words in my vocabulary.

Hummus Bros!!