We slept LATE yesterday. I haven’t slept that late since…well, I don’t know! It was actually very delicious to not care.

We decided to head across the street to a local brasserie for lunch. Crammed with locals ducking out of the rain, it was warm with conversation, and steaming plates of French food. Afterward, we decided to grab a cab to Notre Dame.

The couple of cabs we’d taken so far had the radio tuned to rap music in French. It’s interesting to hear that beat with the melodic sound of the French language, but I still didn’t like it much better. So, it was a very noticeable difference when we entered this particular cab and it was quiet, save for what sounded like a familiar gospel tune.

We greeted him with a “bon jour” and gave him our destination, then sat back for the ride. I listened as the instrumental version of an old hymn, that I couldn’t quite place, changed to another song. And suddenly….

…You are holy, holy…you are Lord God Almighty…worthy is the Lamb…worthy is the Lamb…you are holy…

And it was in English.

Kevin looked at me, as stunned as I, and I sat smiling, with tears in my eyes.

“Pardon moi, Monsieur. Parlez vouz anglaise?”

“Non, Madame.”

Yet he hummed along and sang with Lord God Almighty. Actually, we sang together.

And then we pulled up to Notre Dame and its towers that reach into the heavens.

I AM everywhere, sweet child of mine,” The Lord said to my heart. “Everything around you may be different, but I AM that I AM.”

Later, as I stood in a quiet reverie in that holy place, it was suddenly broken by a cell phone. The woman, embarrassed, worked quickly to silence the music that was her ring tone.

“You are holy, holy…you are Lord God Almighty…worthy is the Lamb…”

And it was in English.

“God said to Moses, I AM who I AM…” Exodus 3:14 MSG

“Am I a God who is near,” declares The LORD, “And not a God who is far off? Can a man hide himself in hiding places so I do not see him?…Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD. Jeremiah 23:23-24 NASB