Sunrises and Steeple Chasing...

AI generated picture of a small stone chapel at twilight. A small light over the door is on which is dimly illuminating a path to the building.

In my work within the biotech industry, I’ve enjoyed covering a large territory in the Mountain West and Central parts of the US. I often cover it by car and leave early in the morning which means I often see amazing sunrises.

Since I serve medical professionals, I’m always encountering chapels within the hospitals, along with their inspirational and healing wall art. I also drive through the older parts of urban areas and I often find really cool old church buildings . When I see something that strikes me as inspiring, I like to take a photo and send it to my wife. It is her idea to call this “Steeple Chasing.”

I share these “captured moments” with you in the hope that you can pause with these pictures as I have when I took them. Zooming into a photo and prayerfully reflecting upon it is a practice known as “Visio Divina” and I invite you to explore what these images might awaken within you.

Enjoy!

Feel free to play this background track as you view the pics.

“Relaxing”: Royalty Free Music: https://www.bensound.com License code: RBG5C4ASMNZZQZ3J Artist: : Benjamin Tissot

chapel at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, FL

Photo of a sunrise on the border of Nebraska and Colorado. The clouds reflect the morning sun which is just emerging on the horizon. — Sunrise on the Colorado/ Nebraska border.

Actual picture of large historic church with two very tall spires on each side of the building. The view is facing the front from the Street level looking up. — Catholic Church, Lincoln, NE

Picture of a Wooden historic church with a tall steeple and pointed windows on Coronado Island. — Historic wooden Church, Coronado Island, CA

Actual photo of stone chapel on Coronado Island. Large stained glass window adorns the front — Stone chapel, Coronado Island, CA

Image of St. Fidelis Catholic Cathedral in Victoria, KS. Image is from the street view looking upward at the twin spires that point to the sky, which overshadow the center portion of the building where a cross is centrally located. The front steps from the street rise up to three doors at the front. — St. Fidelis Cathedral in Victoria, KS

Picture of an old brick and stone church building with tall spires pointing upward. The picture is from the vantage point of being on the street looking upward as the building points to the sky. — Sacred Heart Church, Park, KS (formerly Buffalo Park, KS)

Picture of an early sunrise over Vona, CO. The picture has a long distance view of the horizon with the sun about to cross over. There are grassy plains as far as the eye can see and low colorful clouds on the horizon — Sunrise near Vona, CO

Picture of St. Mary of Magdalene church in Omaha, Nebraska — St. Mary of Magdalene, Omaha NE

Image of brick church building with white trim and a tall steeple. — Brick church steeple taken in Oklahoma City, OK

large brick church with tall spires and steeple with a cross at the very top. Located in Oklahoma City, OK — Large brick church in the arts district of Oklahoma City, OK

Image of a chapel inside of hospital in Sioux Falls, Iowa — Chapel inside hospital, Sioux Falls, Iowa

Picture of very large stone and brick church with spires and tall steeple. It is the St. Louis University Church. — St. Louis University Church, St. Louis, MO

A close up picture looking straight up at the St. Louis University Church — St. Louis University Church, St. Louis, MO

Image of a log cabin nestled in the aspen trees in Vail, CO — Contemplative log cabin, Vail, CO

Wall art in a hospital that reads: "Be still and know that I am with you" Isaiah 43:2 — Isaiah quote, Adventist Hospital in Castle Rock, CO

Image of the field house nestled against a reflective pond with pine trees surrounding it. Castle Rock, CO — Field House at the MAC, in Castle Rock, CO

Sunrise over Southern California with palm trees in the horizon. — Sunrise in Manhatten Beach, CA

sunrise over rural Colorado moments before the sun comes up over the horizon. — Sunrise over Rye, CO

Sunrise over pine trees with snow in the foreground — Sunrise over Castlewood Canyon, Castle Rock, CO

Stairs in a hospital that have sayings on each step. From the bottom up the steps read: "You are worthy, you are special, you are amazing, your are valuable, you are wonderful, you are important, your are enough, you are loved, you are strong, that's the truth" — Inspiring stairs at Cheyenne Regional Hospital, Cheyenne, WY

A picture of a large mountain in the vast distance with the rays of the sunrise shining on the face of the mountain. A long meadow stretches out to the base of the mountain. — Sunrise on Mount Princeton, near Buena Vista, CO

Sunrise over the grassy plains with a great distant mountain vista on the horizon — Sunrise over Wagon Mound, NM

Sunrise prior to flight at Colorado Space Port, Watkins, CO

Sunrise on a cloudy day in the Spring time over a large grassy terrain with mountain vistas in the distance — Cloudy Spring sunrise in Wagon Mound, NM

Sunrise looking down from the top of a butte with a cloudy sky. In the foreground is a mountain bike resting next to a rock and some scrub oak. — Sunrise over Hidden Mesa opens space, Castle Rock, CO

Sunrise from the top of a mountain looking down into the distance. There is a large meadow that goes downhill toward a small lake with mountains behind it. It is fall and the leaves are changing color — Sunrise over Snowmass mountain. Snowmass, CO

An inspirational quote by Bernard Hinault on the wall of the USA Cycling headquarters which reads: "You can't win without suffering. Whether it's in the mountains or in a time trial, you have to spare no effort. You may feel drained at the finish, but the joy of winning helps you forget everything" — Inspirational quote, USA Cycling headquarters, Colorado Springs, CO

A picture of the break of sunrise from the seat of an airplane looking out over the wing — Daybreak from business class

A picture of sunrise over the ocean with a cloudy sky — Sunrise over the ocean, near Grand Cayman Island

A picture of the sun emerging in a radiant cloudy sky over the rural plains of Wyoming. — Sunrise near Chugwater, WY

A picture of a fatbike leaning up agains a fence along a long dirt road that goes off into the distance. It is the moment of sunrise and the light is shining from the horizon — Sunrise on a cold country road. Castle Rock, CO

A picture from the bottom of a deep valley between large sandstone cliffs looking up toward a big sky. In the foreground are bushes and desert trees. — Sunrise near St. George, UT

A picture of a sunrise coming up over the ocean. In the foreground is the beach and the sunlight is reflecting off the wet sand. — Sunrise in Puerta Vallarta, Mexico

A picture of tree close up. It is a freezing cold morning with the sun shining on the tree which has been covered with a layer of ice over the entire tree. It is reflecting the light in a brilliant way. — Sunrise on a cold winter tree. Castle Rock, CO

A picture of the early morning in an aspen grove during the fall when all the leaves have fallen to the ground. There is a path leading through the trees — Sunrise in the Fall, Angel Fire, NM

A picture of the interior of a beautiful Church. The view is looking down the center isle of the church with the very tall pillars and light shining in through the windows on the side. — Sanctuary of big Church, not sure where I took this.

Picture of the exterior of the Church of the Holy Ghost in Heidelberg, Germany. It is a large stone church from the 1300's with a view of the steeple looking straight up. — Exterior steeple view of the Church of the Holy Ghost, Heidelberg, Germany

Picture of the exterior of the Church of the Holy Ghost in Heidelberg, Germany. It is a large stone church from the 1300's with large vertical windows surrounding the long building. In the distance the spire reach up to the sky. — Exterior of the Church of the Holy Ghost, Heidelberg, Germany