Rome at Last

Rome is fantastic. At first glance, it's swarming with tourists and traffic, but underneath that, it has the character of thirty centuries. I gave my on-site presentation yesterday at the Temple of Saturn in the Forum. We also went to the Colosseum, arches, and the Pantheon. I have loved trying to picture the way Rome was before it was pillaged and repurposed. We are staying at a hotel near the Pantheon, so we're right in the middle of it all. Last night, most of us went out to dinner for Sarah H's birthday. It was a blast.
Today, we went to tons of incredible churches then had the second part of the day free. During the free part, I went with some girls to the Capitoline Museum, the first public museum. My favorite thing there was the original manuscript of Martin Luther's excommunication. I also got to see the original statue of Marcus Aurelius, the "she wolf" statue, and some Caravaggio paintings. Again, all the ages of art coming together in one space.

One of the oddest parts of being here is looking at all the depictions of God and not knowing them at all. Some artists painted icons and others painted Christ in a believable way, but none are my Jesus. Seeing them is very different than looking at a picture of my best friend. Although man can paint an imagine, we cannot do Him justice. My eyes are not satisfied. I long even more for the day when I see His real face in glory, without the taint of human perception. In heaven, my belief and sight will become one. This side of eternity, I will never be able to aptly depict what I love the most.