As my wife and I explored the quaint town of Bartlesville, Oklahoma, our first adventure in the downtown area was into a store that bore our last name. “Campbell’s Antiques,” the sign read. So, of course, we marched right in, and hopefully you can tell from my photo what we saw there.

That tiny little shop was packed absolutely full with all kinds of treasures. From wall to wall, from floor to ceiling, literally everywhere we looked was something else upon which to set our eye’s gaze. The proprietor, an older lady, enjoyed chatting with us and the other folks crowded into her place of business. I’m not sure we learned very much, but we most definitely saw a lot, and we even brought a couple of those treasures back home with us. There is a lot of truth in the old phrase, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”

The art of exploring is one which I enjoy very much. For a few days, we roamed around Oklahoma prairies, walked through beautiful little towns, and were amazed at God’s handiwork as He painted glorious pictures across the sky. No trash there. All treasure indeed.

Part of the excitement of exploration is that you never know what you will find. We walked through that little shop and a few others, at each place intrigued at the enormous selection of various things gathered from times past. As we drive mile after mile, we were constantly commenting on the animals, land, and other scenery that lined our way.

As I sit down with the Lord’s Word in my hands, I pray that I handle it as delicately and yet as firmly as I held onto the steering wheel of the car as we drove through unknown territory, faced with prairie fires and seventy-five mile-per-hour wind gusts. I pray I peruse the Scriptures as intently as I scanned each and every crowded little shelf in those stores. I pray I’m even more gloriously amazed by the Bible as I have been by the things that flew past our view along the way.

In our travels through the week ahead, may each of us stand amazed in His presence, ever thankful for the beauty of it all, His loving arm of protection through it all, and His willingness to be our all in all. What a treasure He is!

Brad Campbell