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The Dilemma: “Do SOMETHING!” or Be Still

Posted in Church, God, God Stories, Prayer, tagged , , , , , , , , , on February 23, 2018| Leave a Comment »

I woke this morning with a couple mental pictures from the past week rumbling through my mind.  The first was of tweets bashing people who were praying for the victims and families of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.  The second was of another similarly minded person who, after mocking 2nd amendment supporters and those who would pray, screaming, “Do SOMETHING!”  This is truly a gut-wrenching situation because I grieve for those who have suffered and I desire healing and unity in our nation.   There are good things that can be done, but true sustainable results will not be found in a knee-jerk reactions.  All the facts must be accurately shared and a civil discussion needs to be had.  Then I think we can begin to separate ideas that will work from those that are extreme and foolish.

But overarching all this is the real crux of the issue.  When we remove God and personal accountability from the equation we are doomed to poor results.  I was reminded of a journal entry a few weeks back that helps me put this into perspective.  I hope it blesses you.

 

Be Still

 

12-1-17   ‘The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”   ‘Exodus 14:14

 

This verse resonates within my spirit today.  For about a week the Lord has been stirring in me the call, the necessity of His followers to understand how to effectively win in the spiritual war we find ourselves.  In the natural realm we see the conflict manifested between national interests. We see it between political parties.  We see it in families torn by conflict.  We see it between generations, races, socio-economic classes.  But the root cause is Satan’s rebellion against the Lord God.  From Satan’s view point we are pawns in the war.  We are the battleground where he wants to create as much damage as possible.  Why?  Because he knows the Lord values each and every person.  When Satan is able to inflict pain on people, he believes he is striking God, who has become his enemy.

 

God, loves with an everlasting love.  He is patient and it is His desire for people to choose to respond to His love, to seek to enter into a love relationship with Him.  God’s plan for each person is to know and to grow into the fully redeemed and renewed person we were created to be.  It hearkens back to the garden where Adam and Eve walked with God.  That intimacy is God’s desire for us.

 

But to get there, we must pass through this life and the spiritual conflict that it entails.  Today’s verse speaks to a truth that we believers can rest in.  Let’s unpack it a little.

 

This verse is what Moses told the nation of Israel as they stood at the edge of the Red Sea.  The Egyptians had gotten over their mourning about the death of the all first born, the 10th plague brought upon Egypt due to the Pharaoh’s refusal to obey God.  They got over their mourning only to rise up in wrath toward the Israelites who appeared to be wandering aimlessly in the desert.  They mounted their war chariots and stormed out after the Israelites ready to conquer and enslave them again.

 

What a powerful picture of what Satan desires to do to believers.  When we come to faith, we are sealed as God’s children forever.  The Holy Spirit is given to us at our conversion and we are marked as God’s children.  As His children we are Satan’s enemies.  And because Satan cannot reach God directly, he seeks to hurt His children.  Like Pharaoh, Satan wants to punish and enslave us again. 

 

Prior to our conversion we garnered little of Satan’s direct interest.  After our conversion we become objects of his wrath.  Part of the reason is because he targets us as God’s children, therefore his enemies. But also because as God’s children we become the instruments of God’s grace in the world.  We are direct threats to Satan’s hopes and plans.  He wants to rule the world, but believers are God’s representatives who stand against his plan.  Our very presence is a reminder to Satan that his days are numbered, his rule is not total, and his end is certain.

 

He will attack and he is a dirty fighter.  Yet, God is omniscient.  He knows all things including Satan’s plans and desires.  As God’s children, we are called to maturity.  Part of our calling as mature men and women of God is that we participate in the battle.  Evangelism, Intercession, Service, Worship – all our acts of faith are edifying to the body of Christ and militant acts against Satan’s end goal.  Satan wages war against the Church, but he is constrained to those persons he can manipulate.  ISIS, Terrorists, corrupt politicians, elitists, and the anarchist mob are all people ultimately serving the devil’s purpose.  But none of their maneuverings are hidden from God.

 

Through the Holy Spirit the Church is fully equipped for the battle.  But… and this is probably why I am being stirred as I am, it is our responsibility to listen and submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  This is both an individual and a corporate responsibility. 

 

Which brings me back to “unarmed” Israel on the sea shore facing the menace of an angry, fully armed enemy army.  In the natural things did not look good for Israel. I am sure many of the people were near panic state.  They had been wandering so the question of where they were going and the clarity of leadership would have been a logical question.  But they had been called by God to this point.  The Lord had demonstrated His power through progressive plagues upon Egypt and protection for Israel.  Even as the battle heated up, God’s care for Israel became more visible and real. And there was the pillar of fire which even now was restraining the Egyptian army. 

 

So, when Moses gave the word, ‘The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”  The people needed only to look at God’s provision thus far and project that onto the current situation.  His faithfulness is not variable, He is always faithful and true.  Even when we are not, God remains faithful.  He loves us and it is His desire and plan that we be conformed to the image of His Son.  When we lose faith, He is ready and willing to pick us up, dust us off, and wrap His love around us anew to reassure us that He is for us and not against us.

 

In this situation the people responded in faith and God unveiled a plan that was as amazing as it was miraculous.  God held the Egyptians at bay and then opened the sea for the Israelites to pass through.  When the Israelites were through He released the sea and the Egyptians were finally destroyed.

 

Let’s go back to the “be still” part the Israelites were called to.  In my minds eye I see the strong wind coming and lifting the waters, but I also see this as taking some time.  The Lord dries up the sea bed.  Yes, He could miraculously in an instant, but again I see this as taking some time.  All the while, the Egyptians are just on the other side of the pillar of fire (night) or cloud (day) trying to figure out how to get to the Israelites.  I suspect their shouts and war cries were heard by the Israelites.  Throughout this time the Israelites had to be still and wait. 

 

This reminds me of Ephesians 6:10-17 where believer’s are encouraged to STAND.  God is the One Who fights for us.  We are to do what we know to do – pray, give, worship, serve, but ultimately when the battle comes, it is God who fights for us.

 

At exactly the right time the ground is dry in the sea bed and the Israelites stream in, through, and out of the Red Sea.  All make it through unscathed.  The Egyptians now are at a fever pitch.  They charge in vowing to destroy Israel in their anger.  But God’s plan is to bring an end to the Egypt phase of their growth and begin the desert phase.  The water crashes down and the Egyptian army is no more.

 

“Be still and know that I am God.”  In every battle there will come a time when we are to simply stand still and know God is in control.  “The battle is mine,” says the Lord God of Hosts.  “I will never leave you or forsake you,” says the Lover of our souls.  “You are my precious child.  I love you with an everlasting love.”

 

Be blessed my friend.  And let God bless through you as you seek to love and serve the LORD.

 

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An Answer for Today

Posted in Church, God, Prayer, Responsibility, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 20, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Traditional institutions like marriage and family are under attack like never before.  The home, the nuclear family, the church, faith in God, even God Himself, are the target of a systemic and focused campaign to undermine their value and rightful revered place in society.  It breaks my heart, because I am intimately aware of the value these have meant in my life and literally thousands of others over the course of my lifetime.  It’s more than just an emotional value.  It is a practical… real… solidify-your-world value that creates emotionally and mentally healthy individuals who are then able to positively impact society.  That, my friends, is the most desperate need in our families, communities, nation, and world today.  There is a solution that then serves as a catalyst for a whole host of “right answers” to what needs to be done.  But we must get that answer right first for the other answers to make sense and fit together.  Jesus was asked what the most important thing was.

‘Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” ‘ Mark 12:29-31    https://www.bible.com/bible/59/MRK.12.29-31

Whenever a person enters into a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus, they become a child of God, adopted into God’s family in a marvelous and miraculous way.  A transaction takes place where Jesus’ death on the cross is substituted for the just and right punishment for our sins and God accounts the righteousness of Jesus to the repentant, new believer.  We become a new creation.

‘Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. ‘ 2 Corinthians 5:17-21   https://www.bible.com/bible/59/2CO.5.17-21

God has His eye upon us for good and not for evil.  He desires that every single one of us would turn to Him in faith and begin the journey into the rich and abundant life He has for us.  But He also allows us to make choices.  Each choice we make has consequences.  Each choice results in a new set of options with a new set of consequences.

I was raised when maps were all we had to help us get around.  I loved reading maps. Finding and following the shortest route was my goal and I enjoyed a real sense of accomplishment when we successfully completed a trip.  One thing I learned though was that wrong turns sometimes occur.  Once you realized you had taken a wrong turn you needed to take immediate action to get back to the desired path.  Continuing down the road thinking it will eventually get you to your destination was a losing proposition.  I learned the U-turn from observing my father.  As an adult I have pulled a few U-turns myself.  A good church word is “repent” which in essence means “do a U-turn”.  It carries the connotation of recognizing you are on the wrong road, headed in the wrong direction, and you take decisive action to go the other way into the right direction… into the arms of Jesus.  God’s desire for every person is that they enter into a relationship with Him through His Son, Jesus.

This is the beginning of the most incredible journey, a journey which consists of the rest of this earthly life, continuing on into an eternal life in heaven.

There is another similarity between our road trips and this journey that Jesus calls us to.  The further we have travel down wrong roads, the more backtracking we will have to do.  There are habits that develop heading down wrong roads that are not helpful to our new life.  There are addictions to be broken, lifestyle choices to be turned away from, and relationships that will have to be altered.  We are adopted and become God’s children the moment that holy transaction takes place.  But God’s desire is that we grow  into the whole, healthy, faithful, mature men and women He created us to be.  That transformation takes our active participation and it lasts a lifetime.  He works in us to make us holy.

‘Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. ‘ NIV  Romans 12:1-2   https://www.bible.com/bible/111/ROM.12.1-2

Our nation is badly divided right now.  It is extremely sad that a rational, thoughtful conversation between people of differing opinions is so hard to achieve.  While I have a political opinion on the many issues of the day, I am dismayed because I know that anything our governing authorities may do will only treat the outward symptoms.  And they often carry unintended negative consequences.  Only when I turn to Jesus do I see hope.  And it is a marvelous hope.  When God’s people get busy doing what we are called to do – pray, seek God’s face, love God, love others, intercede, serve, and obey Him, then we will see the deep work in lives that will result in the transformation of our marriages.  As our marriages are strengthened our families will grow healthier.  Healthy families undergird strong, growing communities – the Church family and local communities.  And healthy communities in turn positively impact our state, nation, and world.

God’s plan is the positive transformation of society through the transformation of the individual through a vibrant, growing relationship with Him.  In my last three posts I spoke of the Kingdom of God being real and current, yet only partially revealed.  God’s kingdom is the picture of what society can be like – people seek to love Him and love others, brokenness is healed, loss is genuinely comforted, the confused and lost are found and given direction, and through it all God is lifted up and glorified.

  • It is a young teenager who gives up her addictions when she finds out she is pregnant.  Or better yet, she decides to wait to experience sexual intimacy until she marries her husband.
  • It is a troubled youth that has a father at home to see and head off the down-ward emotional spiral.  Or better yet the father was there from the moment of his birth to invest into his young son and to head off issues very early.
  • It is a doctor, alert to the needs of every patient, noticing a young man that is slipping deeper into a violent mindset who determines to intervene not just with more drugs but compassion and wisdom and a different course of action.  Or better yet, the doctor is sensitive and compassionate enough that he prays and intercedes for the troubled young man and gets Holy Spirit given direction in bring healing.
  • It is a local community that is close enough and communicates well enough that a troubled and violent youth is identified early enough that they prevent a mass tragedy.  Or better yet, the community is one where faith and love predominate and a sad and troubled youth is loved, embraced, and gets the deep help he needs early.

One of the more difficult things to measure is a problem avoided.  Since it didn’t occur you don’t have something to count.  Yet it is true that if you do the right things, you will get the right results.  This is true in industrial plant maintenance.  It’s true about taking care of your car.  It is true in our families.  It is true in society.  Doing the right thing in our society would be to recognize and support the Judeo-Christian principles that this nation was founded upon.  Latitude was given for persons of other belief systems, but this nation was founded as a nation under God specifically because He gave us the privilege to do something new in the world.  We must not abandon the foundation that made this nation the great nation that is has become.  Faith in God, responsibility to God, family, and community, genuine love for others, clear and compelling laws and a judiciary that rightly interpret the laws, are all cornerstones of the just, fair, and compassionate society our forefathers attempted to establish and that we are responsible to preserve.

Lord Jesus, please move in this land to bring this nation back to it’s founding principles.  Jesus bring an awakening to this nation and cause us to turn back to you.  Stir your body, the Church, to pray, to intercede with fervor, and to minister in the power of your Holy Spirit.  Help us to wage warfare in the spiritual realms and minster in your mighty power in our homes, schools, workplaces, churches, and the hi-ways and bi-ways.  Bring your answer to today’s issues Lord with clarity and emphasis.  Lord God display your power and love in and through your people. Be glorified today Lord.  Make your presence known Holy Lord and be glorified today.  It’s in the name of your glorious Son and our mighty savior, Jesus Christ, we pray.

And all God’s people said – Amen!

 

 

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The Kingdom of God – Present Reality, Partially Revealed

Posted in God, God Stories, Responsibility, Vision, tagged , , , , , , , on February 16, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Jesus talked about the kingdom of God a lot.  I was told He mentions the Kingdom of God 84 times in the Gospels.  At the very start of His ministry He proclaims in Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Mark 1:15 ESV   https://www.bible.com/bible/59/MRK.1.15.ESV  The Kingdom of God was not a future event Jesus was calling people to prepare for eventually.  The Kingdom of God was a present reality He was calling them to join now.  He is still calling people to join the Kingdom and to partake of the benefits and responsibilities of kingdom citizenship.

Some may ask, if God is good and His Kingdom is present now, then why do we still have school shootings, and wars, and conspiracies, and child molesters and on and on.  Two primary reasons come to mind.  The first is God is patient and desires everyone to have an opportunity to hear and respond to the Gospel.  Jesus died so that all may enter into the Kingdom of God.  But entrance into the Kingdom is not automatic.

The Kingdom of God is unique.  God the Father is the King and like all Kingdoms He reigns supreme.  I have studied a bit of history the past few years and one of the realizations that I came away with is just how long civilization has existed with monarchies as the primary form of government.  And under good, benevolent kings life flourished.  God is the ultimate in good and benevolent.  His people are not simply subjects to be ruled, but when we enter His kingdom we become His children.  We are heirs with Christ Jesus becoming daughters and sons of the Lord God.  Unique to God’s family, we enter through a dual process.  In a natural family you are either born into it or you can be adopted into it.  But for God’s family we are both born into it and we are adopted into it.

‘Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.” Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” ‘  John 3:1-8
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/JHN.3.1-8

‘For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. ‘  Romans 8:15-17  https://www.bible.com/bible/59/ROM.8.15-17

Jesus ushered in the Kingdom of God with His life, death, and resurrection.  The Kingdom of God is a present reality.  But as mentioned in the second paragraph, why are there still bad things that happen?  So God’s mercy is one reason.  God’s plan is the second reason.

There is war in the heavenly realms.  Satan was once an angelic being of high status.  Unfortunately he desired higher status still and pride brought about his downfall.  Since that time he has lead a rebellion against the Lord God.  Humanity is the battlefield.  Mankind is God’s crowning creation.  We are specifically created to be able to choose to love.  That is God’s plan and our purpose.  Satan strives to thwart that.  God will not “make” us love Him because then it wouldn’t truly be love.  And thus we have the reason the Kingdom of God is not fully revealed.  God desires for the Kingdom to be revealed through His children living in such a selfless, loving, sacrificial way that those who are not yet His children will question, will wonder, will be drawn to Him.  He desires that those who don’t yet know Him will become seekers of the Truth behind a people who are manifestly different than the rest.

Being a Jesus-follower for many years now, I can see the Kingdom of God all around me.  But I know it remains obscured to many.  God has called me, along with every born-again child of God, to live in and display the reality of the Kingdom of God right now.  It is not something far off, but here and now.

I thought about today’s post a good bit yesterday as I had a 3-hr drive late in the evening.  I had the title and I had thought about a lot of different things to share about the Kingdom of God, but as I neared my destination, I whispered a prayer, “Lord, give me the words you want me to share.” and I knew He would provide.  As I dreamed last night I met my best friend from high school, Scott.  He was playing in a band.  He had either a clarinet or some other marching band type instrument in his hand.  We haven’t seen each other in quite some time so we hugged and celebrated getting to see each other.  He was preparing for a parade.  I laugh because he told me he was playing three different instruments now.  It was great to see Scott and my heart was full from the visit.  You see, my friend Scott passed away over 17 years ago.  He was an athlete and as far as I know he never played any musical instruments.  But in the presence of the King, he has learned new ways to celebrate and make a joyful sound.

Yes, the Kingdom of God is here right now and it is bigger and better than we realize.

Be blessed my friends.

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Your Kingdom Come

Posted in Church, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Prayer, Responsibility, The Father, tagged , , , , , , , , on February 16, 2018| Leave a Comment »

When His disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray Jesus gave them a short model of prayer that became known as “The Lord’s Prayer”.  It is recorded Matthew 6 and Luke 11.

‘”And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.‘ Matthew 6:7-13 https://www.bible.com/bible/59/MAT.6.7-13

The first intercession within the Lord’s prayer is for God’s kingdom to be manifest on earth.  Combined with the fact that Jesus repeatedly spoke about the Kingdom of God giving example after example of what it is like, it’s apparent that the Kingdom of God is a big deal in Jesus’ work.  So what is the Kingdom of God?

Simply stated, the Kingdom of God is the entire community of Christ-followers and all that makes up their lives…possessions, attitudes, passions, and occupations living under the dominion or rule of the Lord God Almighty.  While there is a difference between the spiritual realm and the natural realm, with respect to the Kingdom of God, all is to be submitted to the sovereignty of God.

Those who have entered into relationship with God through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, are made citizens of the Kingdom of God.  But just like foreign born persons who immigrate to the United States, becoming a citizen is just the beginning of the process.  In fact, the appropriate approach to becoming a citizen is to diligently study and learn about your new country so that you are continually more knowledgeable and useful in making your new country great.  I was speaking with a friend yesterday and his wife is from Germany.  She has lived here several years and within the past week she, along with 88 other persons from 38 different countries, became a US citizen.  There are rights and privileges with citizenship, but let us not overlook that there are responsibilities too.

Citizenship in the Kingdom of God also has rights, privileges, and responsibilities.  Fortunately, Jesus promised that citizens of God’s Kingdom would have a helper, the Holy Spirit, Who would live within each and every person who puts their faith in Him.  The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity of God.  The Holy Spirit knows God’s heart and His unique purpose for each person in the Kingdom.  It is incumbent upon us to learn how to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit if we are to be good citizens in our new Kingdom.

Because of the unique nature of God’s Holy Spirit living within every believer, we have the potential of living life differently or set apart.  While we live in a natural world that does not fully embrace the principles of the Kingdom of God, we are still able to live these kingdom principles through the power of the Holy Spirit.  The definition of holy is set apart unto God.  That is what we as members of the Kingdom of God are called to be – holy or set apart unto God.  While it would be wonderful if every person immediately manifested the radical transformation from self-centered to God centered that occurs when they meet Jesus, submit to His Lordship, and become citizens of the Kingdom of God, it usually is a process.  Oh, a spiritual transaction takes place immediately.  Our eternal destination is flipped in an instant when we give our lives to Christ.  The Holy Spirit is given to every person at salvation as God’s internal guide to truth.  But the process of replacing old habits and thought patterns takes a bit longer.  In fact the process of sanctification will last the rest of our earthly lives.

One of the truly amazing things though about the sanctification process is that it not only changes us individually, but it transforms society around us.  When we look at the march of “civilization”, the good and wonderful elements of society today have been brought forth through people living out their faith in God, i.e. the Kingdom of God.  There was a time when orphans were simply abandoned by society until Christians saw the need, responded, and began taking these children in and giving them love and places to live, eventually developing orphanages.  Hospitals for the public at large were begun by Christians seeing a need and responding.  Throughout history, the frontlines of the undeveloped world has seen the Kingdom of God as the first outreach.  Missionaries bring the Gospel and essential practical care in the form of schools, medical care, agricultural aid, and general parenting knowledge.

The world today exists in the between stage.  There is still much evil that exists.  We’ll discuss the World, the Flesh, and the Devil at a later date, but suffice to say their influence in the world is still strong and the ramifications of that influence are decidedly negative.  But God has a people, the Church, who are also members of the Kingdom of God.  We are dual citizens if you will.  While we live on the earth we have an opportunity, actually we have a responsibility, to live as change agents.  But it all emanates from our intimacy with our Father God and obedience to the prompting of His Holy Spirit.  Jesus taught His disciples to pray knowing that we, His followers 2000 years later would also pray that prayer.  But prayer is to be two-way communication.  When we pray, we must also listen to hear His response.  As we listen we will hear Him say, “Go, show my kingdom to them today.”

God bless you my friend.

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At the Speed of Sacrifice

Posted in Church, God, Responsibility, Spiritual Growth, The Father, Worship, tagged , , , , , on February 14, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Brad said it 10 days ago yet it is still bouncing around in my head.  “The Kingdom advances at the speed of sacrifice.”  We are revisiting our core values and the 4th is Having a Kingdom Mentality.  Very briefly, this means we fix our eyes on Jesus and seek to live each day from the understanding that we are members of God’s kingdom.  Living from this perspective changes the way we approach many situations.  Instead of worldly wisdom, we seek to apply biblical wisdom to the challenges of the day.  Living from the knowledge that the God of the universe is actively engaged in the redemption of life on this green planet alters how we think, how we act, what we say – essential everything is flavored by this new perspective.  A key principle is that love and sacrifice are pillars in the Kingdom of God.  The following story from the gospel of John portrays this beautifully.

‘Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, “Not all of you are clean.” When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.“ ‘  John 13:1-20
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/JHN.13.1-20

Jesus demonstrated His love for us in numerous ways.  Washing the feet of visitors was one of the lowest of servant roles in Jesus’ day, yet Jesus didn’t hesitate to minister to the disciples in this manner and then called them to follow His example.  But this wasn’t the first or the last time Jesus would model sacrifice.

On the cross Jesus fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law paying the penalty for sin… for all sin… for your sin and my sin, so that we might enter into relationship with the Father.  His sacrifice is the watershed in all world history.  Everything is changed because of His sacrifice.  Yet, He calls us to partner with Him in the redemption  of the world.  The good news of Jesus’ love and sacrifice hasn’t reached everyone.  There are those who have not heard it because of their physical location.  There are those who haven’t heard it because of local beliefs and false religion’s hostility to the gospel.  And there are those who have not heard because the message is not compellingly delivered.

There is nothing wrong with the gospel.  But at times we fail to deliver the message from a true kingdom mentality.  Have we been on our knees in prayer interceding for our friends before we share the gospel?  Do we allow God’s principles to guide our actions causing us to live differently enough that people notice and are attracted by God’s grace showing through us?  Do we allow the Holy Spirit to guide our actions such that when we are nudged to step out of our comfort zone we promptly respond even if we may look a little foolish?  Are we willing to sacrifice when all the clamor around us says indulge, enjoy, treat yourself?

Let’s journey together this Lent and look at what this kingdom mentality looks and feels like.  I have been nudged to sacrifice a bit of sleep for the next 40 or so days to share some thoughts on the matter.  Please join me and share your thoughts.

Love and peace to you this Ash Wednesday, 2018.  May the Lord bless you with the richness of His grace.

 

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Cleft of the Rock

Posted in Beautiful Places, God Stories, Jesus Christ, Photography, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on November 2, 2017| Leave a Comment »

I expected colder temps as I set out for the mountains at 4 am.  What I failed to expect was that the calm where I lived would be replaced by 15 – 20 mph winds.  Fortunately I dressed warm and for the most part I was comfortable.  The hike from 5500 feet to 6000 feet also kept the blood pumping which meant for the first hour I was relatively comfortable.

Shining Rock in the Pisgah National Forest was created as one of the original federal Wilderness Areas when that designation was established in 1964.  The high mountain range consists of a concentrated number of mountain peaks in western North Carolina with several over 5000 feet and three, including Black Balsam Knob, over 6000 feet in elevation.  Surrounded by thickly forested mountains slopes the closest town, Brevard, NC is some 20+ miles south.

As I emerged from my car near the trailhead I was stunned by the vast number of stars visible this far from manmade lights other than those I had just turned off.  Since the moon had set, the stars had the stage all to themselves, and what a performance they gave.  For the second time in two weeks I caught the glimpse of a shooting star as it’s long and invisible existence came to a brief, yet fiery end colliding with the earth’s atmosphere.  The wind was howling as I entered the 200 meters of trail running through the strip of fir trees just off the service road.  I prayed a prayer of thanks for the folks who had laid white rock on the trail through the trees.  It would have been very easy to lose the trail without it.

Breaking through the trees, the expansive view opened to the first hints of light on the horizon.  An hour before the official sunrise, I had time to soak in the immensity and grandeur of the night.  Even without the moon, the stars were bright enough to give a sense of shape and flow to the land.  The dark shape of the mountain rising to my left and the swaying form of the trees I had emerged from falling off to my right were silhouetted against millions of stars.  Toward the eastern horizon the hint of color slowly grew with one bright star shining above the brightest point.

“The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge.

They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.”

Psalm 19:1-4a

Creation speaks if we listen.  It is not loud or demanding, but more of a gentle whisper… most of the time.  The message is one of beauty, power, and majesty.  From the top of a cold, windy mountain bald far from civilization I knew the creator’s presence not as in an artist’s work created and left behind, but in a world that He Himself fills and sustains.  God – the Almighty, was there on the mountain and my spirit soared to embrace His loving presence.

Another thought came.  When I look at creation, I realize the utter emptiness of an atheistic point of view.  The belief that all of this – the sun, the moon, the stars, earth and the exact combination of so many variables necessary to sustain life, just happened in a cosmic accident, is far too hard to believe.  That all of this came from nothing is the definition of foolishness.  I don’t make light of the fact that there is much we do not know about life and the universe.  There are mysteries that we mere mortals do not and may not ever know.  But evidence and logic make an indisputable case of an intelligent designer and creator.

As the sun rose I realized that winter had come to the high places.  The trees were all bare and the grass-covered bald was colored in various browns and greys.  As a lover of light and color, the view through the photographer’s lens was much closer to bleak winter than the festive fall I had hoped to capture.

I hiked to the top of Black Balsam Knob.  By this time I had been out in the wind for a couple hours.  Being stationary while trying to snap long exposure shots, the chill had seeped through my gloves.  The fleece-lined jeans were doing their job and my son’s borrowed yarmulke had my head toasty, but I realized my fingers were numbingly cold.  The intensity of the wind made it a challenge to get my fingers warm.  Frost-bite was suddenly a concern.  I looked for shelter, but the trees were about a mile back down the trail over the open mountain ridge.  I had selected the rock out-cropping I was standing by to serve as a foreground element in a few shots.  I suddenly remembered David and Elijah taking refuge in the cleft of a rock.  Sliding down the lee side of the rock from the wind I found immediate relief.  As an added bonus the morning sun was now hitting me without the wind stealing it’s warmth.

Sitting beside the rock I was aware of warmth emanating from within as well as from outside.  The physical rock behind which I sheltered brought to mind the Rock Who is my forever shelter – Jesus Christ.  I had felt His presence the entire time on the mountain, but as the winds swept over and around the rock, I thought of the challenging times of my life when He walked me through.  Sometimes He had to carry me.  Always, His strength was able to supply what I lacked.  With a smile on my face I rested in the relative warmth of the sun and the eternal warmth of the Son.

I did manage to find some color at the lower elevations.  The following shots are some of my favorites of the day.

At mid-afternoon I found myself standing on Caesar’s Head overlooking the Blue Ridge escarpment falling off into the South Carolina piedmont.  A couple hawks and then buzzards flew by, but I did not see any of the Peregrine Falcons I had hoped for.  It was fine though because the view, like so many this day, inspired yet another thought, this time from Isaiah.

“Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”

Isaiah 40:28-31

It’s fitting that the last act of this trip was to make two new friends with whom I shared not only the view off the mountain, but a faith in the Lord.  As we stood there and chatted, we realized that we had been inspired by the view in a very similar manner – with wonder and praise for the Creator of such beauty.  We were standing on a different rock outcropping than my Black Balsam Knob, but since rock was a common thread running through this day, I enjoyed the thought that my two new friends and I were knit together as family because of our common faith in the Rock.  And that Rock’s name is Jesus.

I hope you enjoy the pics.  But even more I hope you are encouraged by the truths the Lord has given to us… to you every bit as much as to me.

“Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.”

Psalm 62:8

“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 8:37-39

Be blessed today and be a blessing!

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Zone of Totality – Light to Dark to Light

Posted in Beautiful Places, God, Photography, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 22, 2017| Leave a Comment »

We were fortunate to be in the center of the eclipse that crossed the USA this week.  It was surreal seeing the clouds on the northwest horizon suddenly go dark while clouds all around were still brightly lit.  Within a few seconds the light went dim as if a dimmer switch dialed down our celestial light just short of the “off” position.  As I slowly spun around, the “sunrise” visible on all 360 degrees of the horizon was beautiful.  The corona flared from behind the sun while pearls of light trickled through lunar valleys 250,000 miles away.  One hundred a fifty-three seconds after it started, the diamond ring appeared and our eclipse glasses had to go back on.  It was an amazing, and for most of us once-in-a-lifetime, experience.

Since I am in a sling I wasn’t able to do much photography during the eclipse.  However, I found several really good pics on the website BoredPanda.com.  I am attaching ones that I particularly enjoyed.  I hope you enjoy them too.

The hype for the eclipse was tremendous here in the USA, and particularly for those of us  in the “zone of totality”.  The eclipse became a cultural event crossing the US from coast to coast.  It was a nice respite from controversial matters, if only for a day.  One commentator in Oregon even made mention that for some the eclipse was a “spiritual” event.  While I don’t subscribe to the stars dictating things of the spirit, there is precedent of the Lord using the stars and other celestial bodies to point us toward truths that He wants to emphasize.  Here are some truths that yesterday’s eclipse brought to mind.

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:5
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/JHN.1.5   The sun is hidden from view during an eclipse, but is never put out; likewise, Jesus is the one and only Light of the World.  His enemies try myriad ways to diminish or divert His light, but they cannot.  The light of the sun was darkened for a time, but it was never put out.  All we had to do was wait and trust in the light we couldn’t quite see and shortly the light again shown brightly upon us.

“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words,
whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.
In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber,
and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens,
and its circuit to the end of them,
and there is nothing hidden from its heat.” Psalms 19:1-6 https://www.bible.com/bible/59/PSA.19.1-6

The ancients thousands of years ago saw the same sun, moon, and stars we do.  They stood in awe of the marvels in the heavens and realized that the intricacy and order in the universe point to the existence of a creative hand.  The second law of thermodynamics states that all things progress from order to chaos without the input of energy.  There had to be an intelligent designer- creator to achieve the tremendous complexity and perfect inter-relationships we see in creation.

“”Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”  Matthew 24:29-31  https://www.bible.com/bible/59/MAT.24.29-31

There is a day coming when Christ will return.  By His resurrection, Jesus has conquered death, hell, and the grave.  Yet God has chosen to allow life on earth to continue until a set time, a time of His design.  Until then every person has the opportunity to draw close to God or to turn away from Him.  There is a climax to time on this earth and one set of heralds of this end are amazing signs in the heavens.  One of these signs sounds like an eclipse that is witnessed by multitudes.

Those who follow Jesus, who have traded their broken sinful lives for His, will rejoice at His appearing.  Those who have chosen to follow anything other than a relationship with Jesus will be dismayed.  They will mourn, for they have chosen not just the lesser thing, but the wrong thing.

My prayer as I close is that you will be lifted and encouraged by the pics to consider the awesome Creator Who provides such amazing sights.  And as great as His creative genius is, His all encompassing love is even greater.  I encourage you to seek Him while He may be found.

Be blessed and be a blessing today.

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Arm in a Sling, Life in His Hands

Posted in Beautiful Places, God, God Stories, Photography, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on August 12, 2017| Leave a Comment »

When our youngest son announced he was going to complete his under-graduate work in Germany, I began making family travel plans to visit as he completed his studies. Since flights are a major expense we began saving money and vacation time so we could spend three weeks sightseeing in Europe. With over a year to plan, I did a lot of research and built an impressive list of things we wanted to do and see.

As I have stated before, my desire in this blog is to share my faith story in progress – an open, honest picture of the ebbs and flows of one person’s walk with God. I intend to show God’s grace which is a constant even though at times I progress in this life in Christ while at other times I slip. God always uses my misses to teach me valuable life lessons when I give them to Him. Our epic European trip demonstrates this in an unusual, yet marvelous way.

Because trip planning began so early, about March I had a pretty full itinerary for the three weeks in July. It was also about this time that I began sensing a check in my spirit about the trip. By April I had come to realize I had once again rushed ahead of God. I planned this great trip, but it was with a vision of “pack in all the fun and historical sights I can” without really seeking the Lord’s guidance on what to do. I was guilty (once again) of what I believe is all too common for many of us… “Here is what I’m going to do God, please bless it.” Rather than taking the time to seek the Lord’s guidance from the beginning, I rushed ahead and did my own thing.

The climax came during a time of prayer when I realized I had to give up the trip. I was on a business trip later in April when I told the Lord I was willing to give up the trip and I meant it. Even as I began figuring out how to start canceling the multiple elements of the trip, I sensed the Holy Spirit reassure me that if I had a heart to accept His leading throughout the trip, He would be glorified. With this came a sense that I had to hold my plans and expectations for the trip very loosely. Additionally, the understanding came that there may well be challenges to arise that would make the trip less fun than what I was planning. I remember again offering this up to the Lord for His glory.

The trip arrived and we experienced several great days of sight-seeing. One highlight was the many new friends made on our Viking Rhine River cruise. Here are a few of my favorite pics as we visited 6 different places in France, 4 different locations in Switzerland, 6 places in Germany, and one UNESCO World Heritage site in the Netherlands before heading to Prague to begin our final week visiting the Czech Republic, Vienna, and Budapest.

Our arrival in Prague by train from Berlin was a bit chaotic. Expecting our son Sam, who has become quite competent in German, to be our initial guide was a bit unfair. They don’t speak German there. However, between his understanding of city travel in Europe and Google Maps we found our AirBnB and then the E-Bike rental. And this is where the story took an interesting turn.

Most of our E-bike tour in Prague was really great. We had clearing weather and after riding through several interesting spots in the Little Quarter, Old Town, and the Jewish Quarter, we crossed the Vltava River and climbed up to the Castle District. I am including a few pics from this portion of the trip.

After visiting St Vitus Cathedral inside the castle complex we headed further along the Castle Hill. I noticed my front tire was going flat. Since we were close to the end of the trip I assumed I could make it the final half mile. Unfortunately, the final leg was down a relatively steep hill through an orchard. I made it down the straight part but the curve at the bottom proved my undoing. Even riding the brakes hard all the way down the hill I was having difficulty controlling the bike. In the curve, I lost control and crashed landing hard on my right shoulder. I broke my right clavicle at the end next to the shoulder joint.

The realization that I may have done serious damage came pretty quickly. Miss KJ, our guide, came back to check on me when I didn’t show up with everyone else. (I was last in line.) I am so appreciative of her help. We called for the ambulance and she and I sat in the orchard by the bike path waiting for them to arrive. Up to this point my body was somewhat in shock, but as we sat there, crystal clarity came over me. I knew the “vacation” was over for me, but I had an absolute peace. As I began to pray I was absolutely overwhelmed by God’s goodness and love. Instead of prayer, praise just flowed forth. I knew that my plans were gone and yet I could not help but smile because of the certainty of God’s immediate presence which I was experiencing. And I was also aware it was not for my benefit alone, but for Miss KJ and others who might hear this story.

The ambulance ride, the hospital visit, x-rays, and the conclusion that my shoulder was broken and needed surgery consumed the next 3+ hours. Throughout that time though I was never alone even when there was no one else present. I remember two more times when the love of the Lord again became tangibly real. At one point, I was left alone in the front hallway of the hospital facing the open front door. The hospital was in a building that I am sure is older than most (if not all) communities here in the USA. There was no traffic whatsoever outside being on the cul-de-sac of a narrow, cobblestone drive. But there were large trees across the cobblestone drive. As I sat looking at the golden light filtering through the trees, the wind began flirting with the leaves causing branches to sway and leaves to wave. I was reminded of Acts 2 where the Holy Spirit arrives as a mighty wind, touching the lives and enlivening the spirit of those who seek the Lord. And I was again enraptured.

The final divine touch that evening occurred as we were leaving the hospital. Miss KJ had been a tremendous help. None of the medical personnel knew enough English to communicate effectively. Thankfully Miss KJ served as our interpreter. As we left the hospital – my wife, Miss KJ, and I prayed together and the sense of the Lord’s love for us and for Miss KJ was amazing. I have experienced God’s touch many times and in many mountaintop experiences, but what I experienced in Prague with a broken shoulder on that Sunday evening was miraculous. No pain meds, no real treatment other than to be x-rayed and given an arm sling, nothing but the Lord’s grace carried us through a broken shoulder and the loss of 6 vacation days with peace and even joy.

As I type this one handed… with my left hand… it’s 16 days later. I have had surgery and I have a hook plate installed holding my clavicle together so it can mend. I have learned to do most things left handed. I am functional, if neither fast nor good with the left hand. And there are some things I simply can’t do now that I could before the fall. But these things are all temporary.

I didn’t have regrets as I sat in that orchard realizing our vacation was over and I still don’t. Because the Father had brought me to a place of relinquishing control, I have not been battered by what-if’s and regrets. I know that the Father’s plan is perfect. I am satisfied that in my accident, God is bringing good out of it. He is revealing Himself to others and meeting needs that otherwise would have remained hidden and unmet. And that makes me smile. My arm may be in a sling, but my life is in His hands and that’s a marvelous place to be.

Be blessed my friends. Seek the Lord with all your heart and you will find that He is but a whisper away.

Don’t forget to be the blessing you were created to be!

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A Mt Pilatus Mountain Top Experience

Posted in Beautiful Places, God, God Stories, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Photography, Prayers, The Father, Worship, tagged , , , , , , , on July 16, 2017| 2 Comments »

Good Morning or Guten Morgen as we are docked in Kel, Germany this morning as we awake. I have had a challenging time keeping up with my pictures and posting to you due to the fullness of our schedule. (Also, the number of pics I am taking.) Hopefully now that we are onboard the Longboat Eir on the Rhine River, the pace will slow enough to edit and post a few pics. This morning being Sunday I’d like to post a few pics of our Mt Pilatus excursion and tell a story of affirmation that the Father gave me up on the mountain.

Several weeks ago, my friend Greg shared with me how God powerfully spoke to him one day when in a time of prayer and meditation he asked, “Lord, what would you have me know today?” I was thinking about that a few days later during my prayer time and so I asked the same thing. Upon asking that question I opened my bible and these verses literally jumped out at me.

Proverbs 3:5&6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make your paths straight. (or direct your steps as I’ve memorized it).

Proverbs 4:4 “Take hold of my words with all your heart; keep my commands, and you will live.”

Proverbs 2:7&8 He (the LORD) holds success in store for the upright, He is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, He guards the course of the just and protects the of His faithful ones.

That has turned into a recurring theme for me in my prayer time since. And our Mt Pilatus adventure was one of three or four times on this trip where the Lord has again affirmed my role of trusting in Him fully and His faithfulness in guiding and leading.
MT PILATUS

The day broke cloudier than forecasted, but as morning warmed, the low clouds dispersed some and sunshine and beautiful blue sky became predominant. Our drive from Zurich to Lucerne revealed the charming Swiss countryside – crisp, clean, and green. While navigating into Lucerne I could see the much higher mountains across the lake were visible on the lower reaches, but shrouded in clouds at the top.

We met our guide, Annette, and boarded the bus to the cable car for the ascent up the mountain. Up to the first and second cable car connections we remained under the clouds and the view became increasingly expansive and majestic. We switched cable cars at around 4000 feet elevation where we were still under the cloud cover, but in deep shade because of them.

The final cable car was a 30- passenger car that swiftly whisked us up from 4000’ to the visitor center near the summit at 6700’. I fly frequently so the sensation of entering the clouds and “white out” is common. However, it was a little disheartening when you are anxiously anticipating the amazing 360-degree view which includes close-ups of the Alps and you exit the cable car to white-out outside and gift shops inside.

The girls headed to the gift shops and Jeff and I wandered outside into the fog. We walked around a bit managing to find a trail to a mini-summit with a cross on it. The picture in the fog was a little hard to see, but we snapped it to show we had “climbed higher”. To add insult onto injury, there were posted placards that showed the amazing view we could be seeing if we weren’t wrapped in the deep fog. I have to admit, I was feeling a little sorry for myself.

I know what some of you may be thinking… “Dan, you are on this amazing trip… you had all the beautiful views on the way up… you are with your wonderful wife on an adventure of a lifetime and you are feeling sorry for yourself? What ingratitude!” Well, you happen to be right.

Fortunately, it was only a little later I realized that for myself. As Jeff and I worked our way down this little path I noticed another path diverting along the mountain top. I took that path off into the fog as Jeff headed to check on the girls.

I’ve learned that for me, as for many people I imagine, it is hard to really focus upon God, to seek His wisdom and guidance, and to clearly hear Him speak to my heart when: 1) I am ungrateful, 2) I am focused upon my own schedule / plan / or goals, or 3) when I am surrounded by to many distractions, like hundreds of other tourists. When I started down that foggy mountain trail, I had given up my goal of seeing the view from the mountain top because there was no view to view. I headed down a trail that the crowds either didn’t know of or care about.

As I trudged with my camera in hand I felt my heart softening as I realized what I have mentioned above. I was not where I wanted to be in my heart. The reality that the God of the Universe loves me and has provided bountifully for me began to fill my awareness. I repented of my self-centeredness. I moved into thanking the Father for the many wonderful blessings He has provided to me and the ones I love. Then I began praying for family, friends, my Radmen friends, and others whom I knew God was going to send across my path.

As I am sure many of you have experienced, I felt a weight lift. My soul was lifted as I turned my heart toward our good, good Father. And I hiked through the fog with an uplifted spirit. After a little while I noticed a couple young Swiss ladies hiking up from down below. I asked how far down until I could be below the clouds. Through their minimal English (and my non-existant German) I understood it was several hundred meters. I prayed asking the Lord to guide me whether to hike down or not. I sensed to stay the course, so instead of hiking down I exchanged pictures with them and continued along the path in the fog.

The next 10 – 15 minutes of hiking the rugged mountain trail in the fog was delightful. I had given myself over to accepting whatever opportunity I was provided to meet people and love them with Jesus’ love. I remember whispering one little prayer, “Lord, I’d love to see some of the view from up here.” But that prayer was uttered from a place of complete surrender. Whether the fog lifted or not, I was satisfied the Lord would do what was best.

I stepped into the gift shop to find girls and then a water closet and when I stepped out I was shocked – I could see all the way across the patio… and even the near-by summit that had been completely shrouded in fog the entire day. I quickly hustled out with camera in hand and snapped a few pictures. I saw the trail to the highest peak beside me and I quickly headed up the final 300 feet toward the now- visible summit. I had not gone far before the clouds began to close in again. I realized I had gotten exactly what I had asked for although now having a taste, desire for more sprang up tempting me back into the self-centered funk I had been in earlier.

“NO! God, you have been good to me. Lord, I thank you for the glimpse that you have given me. It was beautiful. And I loved the fact that across on the summit opposite me there was a cross.”

I remembered at that moment that our guide explained how the mountain got it’s name. Surprisingly it is named after Pontius Pilate. It seems that when he died, no one was willing to take his remains. So, they brought them to this mountain and threw them in a lake. The irony that on the mountain where Pontius Pilate’s remains may lie, there is a beautiful cross just resonated God’s greatness.

At that moment, I sensed the Holy Spirit whisper, “Do you trust me?”

“Yes, Lord, I trust you”

At that moment, for about 3 seconds, a single ray of light broke through the cloud and illuminated me and the trail where I was standing. While that thrilled me, I sensed I was to hike on to the top. The clouds quickly swirled back around me, but I pressed on. In less than 5 minutes I was at the top. As I arrived the clouds opened again for about 3 minutes. I did something a little uncharacteristic for me. Instead of whipping up my camera and snapping dozens of shots, I moved from side to side soaking it in and praising God. I did get a few shots before the clouds completely settled back in, but I mainly just worshipped.

There was one other thought that I believe was a gift from the Lord. One of the shots that you will see is of the cross on the other summit. It was clearly seen when I first got to the top, but I didn’t take the picture until it was almost obscured again. I was a little sad when the fog closed back in and I couldn’t see the cross. That was when the Holy Spirit spoke to me again. “Do not worry. Like that cross which is still there even though you don’t see it, I am always with you.”

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The start of the first chair lift in Kriens.

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Two happy tourists – our daughter Rhiannon and my photography padewan, Jeff. He’s also our son-in-law.

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Just getting started. About 1500 – 2000 feet up I believe.

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Just about to enter the first cable house. Still 15 minutes to go in this car.

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The distance from cable house one to cable house two where we exited to the final cable car.

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View back to cable car house one. You can see the Swiss central highlands spread out past Lake Lucerne.

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Cable Car house two and our first exit. Elevation about 4000 feet and just under the clouds.

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This high valley had a ropes course, a toboggan ride, and other extreme sports activities. We had to wait about 10 minutes for the 30 person cable car to the top.

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Sign showing our trip.

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In the 30 passenger cable car heading out from the station.

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Last view before going into the clouds.

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This was one of the clearer shots when we first arrived. These horns were so mournful when we hiked around and could hear the sound in the deep fog. One other remembrance – when the fog lifted, the guy was playing Amazing Grace. I don’t know if he started before or after the fog lifted, but it was so cool.

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Jeff as we head up to the mini-summit.

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Jeff at the foot of the cross.

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Me at the cross. See how deep the fog is. This was true for almost the entire first hour we were up here.

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Look how steep the “not steep” side of the trail was. We were a good ways into the alpine region above the tree-line.

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I am on the steep side of the mountain. The Swiss girls took my picture for me.

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This was what I saw when I came out of the water closet. That is the mini-summit where Jeff and I had hiked about an hour earlier.

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Another shot during the first brief opening in the clouds.

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View over the gift shop during the first opening, but as the clouds were sweeping back in.

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View at the highest point I hiked to on Mt Pilatus – summit Esel at 2118 meters or 4000 feet.

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The entire moutaintop at the clouds begin to settle back in.

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Summit Tomlishorn, a little higher at 2138 meters. This is where the cross I mention in the story is. This is my wide angle lens so it is so far away it is hard to see.

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The cross on the summit of Tomlishorn, the highest peak of Mt Pilatus.

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Heading back down the trail, confident that God is always with me. Just like that cross that I could no longer see because of the fog, yet I know is still there, God is with me and with you even when the fog of trials, challenges, and difficulties arise.

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The cog-railway we rode down. It has the steepest incline of any railway in the world with one section at a 48 degree descent.

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Final view of the mountain top from the cog railway on the ride down.

Friends, it was thrilling. In fact, I guess it qualifies as a mountain top experience – twice over!

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Lost…Well Almost!

Posted in exercise, God, God Stories, Spiritual Growth, tagged , , , , , , on May 4, 2017| Leave a Comment »

A friend of mine introduced me to trail running a couple years ago.  It combines two of my favorite activities – running for fitness and hiking in the outdoors.  I definitely prefer trails to running on the road.  However there are more opportunities for mishaps in trail running.  My experience after 15 or so solo trail runs, there are also numerous opportunities for “life lessons” while on the trail.  I had a number of life lessons reinforced in a single run this week.

There is a state park between the plant where I am working and my hotel.  Morrow Mountain State park is a rolling, wooded haven for deer, squirrels, lizards, and more in central North Carolina.  I’ve hiked and run there a number of times and I enjoy the peaceful solitude.  On the trails I have encountered few other travelers although the trails appear fairly well travelled.

Trail running in West Virginia last week I slightly tweeked my ankle, so I was a little apprehensive considering this trail run.  The Morrow Mountain trails are very rocky with a plethora of tree roots providing trip and ankle-rolling hazards.  For this reason I made sure I told two folks at the plant my plans.  In the back of my mind I thought, “In case I don’t show up at work tomorrow, they will know where to send a search party.”  Both gentlemen shared stories about adventures at Morrow Mountain with snakes and ticks being a predominant theme.

When I pulled into the open field that serves as the parking lot I was only slightly surprised there were no other vehicles.  While this is the parking lot for the horse trailers as well as the start of a hiking only trail, my sense is that is primarily a summer and weekend activity.  My plan was to run about 4 miles.  Looking at the map I made a plan to start on the hiking trail for about a mile, jump onto a cross-over hiking trail for about a half mile, then pick up the short loop horse trail for the remainder of the run.  At the last minute I folded up the map and slipped it in my pocket.  I’m glad I did.

I set off and I had to remain focused on the number of roots and rocks in my path.  The hiking trail was neither smooth nor level.  My hyper-caution was making the run less fun.  When I first began trail running I was amazed to learn that trail running really only took a little greater attention to the trail than street running.  However since I had tweeked my ankle last week, I was too focused on the trail and I was overthinking my steps.  Life lesson #1 It is easy to slip into the need to control everything.  We can’t.  Trying to do so will rob the enjoyment out of life.  Trust God and the instincts He has given us.  Prudence is to listen to the Lord and walk (or jog) in wisdom.  I stopped after about 1/3 mile, stretched, and made my mind up to run more naturally and quit trying to plan every step.  It was mentally fatiguing and, as I had experienced in the past, unnecessary.  Running after that was much better.

After about a mile I was to jump on a cross-over trail.  I didn’t notice the cross-over when I first passed it since it was on a steep downhill descent.  I overshot it by half a mile.  When I realized my mistake I cringed.  If I kept to my original plan, them my run just became a 5 mile run instead of a 4 mile run.  I am a 3 – 4 mile run guy.  It’s been awhile since I ran 5 miles and I wasn’t sure I was up to it.  Life lesson #2 – Sometimes we find ourselves in situations that demand more of us than we think we are able to give.  Sometimes we realize we are headed in the wrong direction.  Seek God’s wisdom, follow His leading, and press on wherever He guides you.  If we find we are heading in the wrong direction, turn around.  He is faithful and true.  He will not abandon His child.

I found the cross-over trail and set off down it.  It was a section of trail that I had not been on before.  I had hiked this trail further ahead where it steeply ascends Morrow Mountain, but this section appeared on the map to run downhill for a ways and cross a couple streams before turning up the mountain.  I had run for a few minutes and crossed at least one stream when I noticed the trail turn up a steep slope.  “On no,” I thought.  “I’ve missed the turn again and now I’m heading up the mountain.”  My recent memory of adding a mile to the run was fresh in my mind.  I did not want to add any more distance to today’s run.  A quick consult of my map and I saw that the trail I wanted shouldn’t be more than 100 yards east of me since I had just crossed that stream.  So I headed off the trail toward what I assumed was the right trail.  Well 100 yards became 200 yards.  When I realized there was no trail, I turned south intending to cross the Bridle trail that showed up on the map.  That was IF my new estimate of my location was correct.  I wandered around in the woods for about 5 minutes with three thoughts.  First was the thought that the trail has to be around here somewhere.  The second and third thoughts were about snakes and ticks.  I’m not sure why that part of my earlier conversation made such an impression.  Life Lesson #3.  Fear is a poor partner in decision-making.  Fear can and will steer you off the proper path if you let it take an inordinate role in making decisions.  Fear has a role.  It can cause us to stop and think through a situation critically.  Once you stop though, use data and rational thinking to make your decision.

I finally stopped and did a serious reconnoiter.  My Boy Scout training kicked in.  Panic was the enemy.  Fear of running too far and driven me off the trail.  Now fear of snakes and ticks were clouding my critical thinking.  And for the first time in several minutes I prayed.  “Lord, I need a little help here.”  Was I lost?  Well, I didn’t know exactly where I was.  But I knew the direction where the trail I had left should be.  I set off in that direction not sure if it had turned away and up the mountain or not, but at that moment getting back to that trail was my best bet.  I had only gone a little ways when I saw movement and color up ahead of me.  It was a hiker, the 2nd and last I would see all evening.  I knew I was headed right direction.  I picked up my pace and soon I was on the right trail.    There was another life lesson here.  Life Lesson #4.  When you lose your way, God is right there with you.  Call to Him.  Ask for help.  Follow His guidance.  Critical thinking is very good.  Prayerful, critical thinking is the best.

My attempt at avoiding adding extra distance to my run added about a half mile.  I was at the point that should have been a little over a mile and I was not too far from 3 miles into my run and I was pretty sure I had at least 2 miles left to run.  I set off again now that I had the trail.  It was familiar and, being predominantly a horse trail, it was wide and smooth.  Life Lesson #5.  Life, like the trail that day, has twists and turns, ups and downs.  The Lord has laid out a path for us.  While the path won’t always be easy, it is the tried and true way to your destination.  Don’t seek to avoid the challenges, but rather face them head on and persevere to the end.

The remainder of the run was relatively uneventful.  I guess I had enough to consider after all the lessons of the day.  As I jogged and prayed I sensed the Father’s presence encouraging me to press on.  Nearing the end of the run was a quarter mile, very steep incline.  I knew it was coming and as I got to the base of it, I simply started walking and gauging my fatigue level.  While tired, I was confident that if I stayed the course I would make it.  And after 5-1/2 miles and a little over an hour I found the parking lot and my car.

Thankfulness for the Lord’s kindness, care, and the life lessons which made a physically demanding run so insightful flooded my soul.  I think I’ll be back… but I will probably hike instead of run…. and I will definitely stay on the trail.

Be blessed today my friend.  And be a blessing to whoever the Lord brings into your life today.

 

 

 

 

 

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