Pretty Shells

Last year, Amanda and I were fortunate enough to take a long overdue honeymoon. We made it to Italy, which was a dream vacation for Amanda. We had two nights in Rome, three in Florence, two in Venice, and one more in Rome before flying home. It was an incredible time for anyone who enjoys history, architecture, and fine food.

As you might imagine, there are plenty of churches in that country. The photo is of Santa Croce, which is in Florence. This is just one of the many beautiful churches we saw. After a while you get kind of overwhelmed by all the opulence and splendor of places like Santa Croce and the Duomo in Florence, Saint Peter's in Rome, and Saint Mark's in Venice.

This opulence hides the sad fact that Italy is dying spiritually. According to my missionary friend Mark, Italy is one of the more atheistic countries in Europe. And yet they have all these beautiful cathedrals. Where is the disconnect?

I'm afraid that this is where religion and spirituality begin to part company. I couldn't imagine calling the Duomo in Florence my home church. The closest thing I can relate to was riding over the Bay Bridge every morning for my daily commute into San Francisco and enjoying the view of San Francisco, Angel Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Marin Headlands, the bay, etc. There are so many absolutely beautiful churches there and so few people that really worship in them. Instead, they are shrines of the past when Rome was the seat of both political and religious power in the western world.

My fear is that I will someday be like one of these buildings. I never want to look good on the outside only to find that I'm empty on the inside. And I never want to look back on these days of sweet fellowship with Christ and think, "I remember when I was 32 and I was really close to the Lord. That was great..."