Finding God in America
Julian, CA
God’s Law is removed, but His presence remains.
A small Café, an old mining town, and the smell of something delicious as we rode
into town. It was the first stop of many as we travel the roads of America, looking
for the remnants of God that still linger in our country during a time when separation
of Church and State seems to be getting the upper hand. It is just days after the removal
of the Ten Commandments that stood in a Court House in Alabama. Laws “written” by the
Mighty Hand of God, being taken away to a dark storage room.
On that note, we start our search across this country, just my husband and I, on a quest to find God in America. Does He still exist in our large cities, in our small towns; or is He only to be found in the beauty of nature?
A quaint Café in Julian, California held the first answer for us. Julian is a quiet mining town rich in History. Apple pie being their specialty, and it is offered aplenty along the main street of this little town.
We entered the first place we smelled, the Julian Café and Bakery. It quickly grabbed
our attention as we pulled into town--just a small little restaurant dating back to
1872. It was crowded with tables and gifts to satisfy both the shopping and hunger
appetites of many travelers. The waitress was pleasant, and all seemed fairly typical
for any Café in America until the Cross on the wall became apparent, the stained
glass Cross above the front door attracted our attention, and the quote from Proverbs
on the placemat matched the music that played…could it be? They were singing about
Jesus! We were listening to worship music as we ate our breakfast!
Prayer in the Julian Café seemed most appropriate!
Praying over a meal anywhere in restaurants across America seems so out of place. Not a natural thing to do in the society we live in today, but praying over our meal in the Julian Café seemed most appropriate. As we read further on our placemats and also the back of the menus provided, we read of the rich history of this Café and the beliefs of those who had owned it through the years. We also learned that they had been voted to have the Best Apple Pie! We’ll have a piece to go, thank you very much!
We felt the draw to linger a bit.
As we enjoyed the magnificent giant cinnamon roll and some biscuits and gravy, we were surprised by the comfort we found in just being in this place. Most times in America, we eat and run, and yet here we felt the draw to linger a bit, to enjoy the feeling of being with family, although surrounded by strangers. As the music sang of God’s mercy, and even a funny little tune about Jesus being on my bumper, but is He in my heart, we were relaxed and at “home.” We also laughed with God because, this being our first stop of many as we search for God in America, He had made His presence so completely obvious. It was like He was saying, “I am still here! Thanks for looking for me!”
As the time came to leave, the pie we ordered to take home arrived at our table too warm to close the lid on. It was fresh out of the oven. I snatched a quick bite of apple before we left, but it was nothing compared to eating it even the next day with the delicious crust! I’m no expert on apple pies, but this one was excellent!! I should have listened to my husband and bought two pieces!!
Rejoice!
Is God still alive and well in America? Can we say “In God We Trust” even if it is removed from our currency? I think our question was answered quite clearly in this small Café in Julian. Unashamedly, they sang His praises and it seemed the most natural thing to join Him there for breakfast! God hasn’t gone anywhere, even if we try and put His laws in a dark closet away from public view. He is still with us, sometimes we just need to search Him out in the most unlikely places and rejoice in His presence over a simple piece of Apple Pie.
Quote from Placemat at the Julian Café and Bakery:
“There can be no freedom in a Godless nation.”
Jim and Diane Shore travel fulltime across America writing of their many adventures with finding God in what could be the most unlikely of places. They can be reached via e-mail at diane@dcshore.com and welcome your comments and suggestions of places to visit where God is waiting to be found by thirsty travelers.
