Can You Hear?

The ability to hear is indeed an amazing sense God has given to humanity. With it we can make momentary judgements between danger or peace, calm or excitement, sadness or joy. In a crowded room we can be bombarded by a multitude of sounds, and yet distinguish the voice of one calling to us from the other side. On a busy city street we're confronted by the rumble of tires, the screeching of brakes, the horns of irritated drivers, and still we can make out the remote beep of our own parked vehicle. Or, in the midst of a wide open wilderness we might discern the distant roar of a river's fall, the busy chatter of flitting magpies, a rustling of aspen leaves, and quickly perceive the piercing cry of an eagle.

As easily it seems for us to use this gift of hearing we've been given it somehow can seem very hard to hear the voice of our Creator. While it may not be the audible sense of hearing that is required the skill involved is quite the same. I found since truly beginning to follow Jesus that He has much that He wants to tell me. Hearing Him however, requires my willingness to listen.

Will I turn the radio off while I'm driving to work even for a moment? Will I take time to really notice other people that have real need? That may seem like a strange question in relation to hearing God, but might He have something to tell me by noticing, dare I say caring, of them? Am I willing to take a few minutes to ask the Lord what He might think about the enormous decision I'm about to make? And what about the little ones? Doesn't He care about those too?

Then of course, if I'm really concerned with knowing what the Lord would say to me, that is if I really want to hear Him I'll open the pages of His Bible. And I won't just read the words I find there, rather I will allow His words to read me. I'll take a few moments and consider the message before me and I might even ask Him if He has anything further to show me, then I might just wait. Of course...that's if I really want to hear.

The Sublte Fade of Cynicism

What do you do when the fading leaf of cynicism has fallen to the ground and is beginning to settle in the soil of your heart? Like any attitude, ill or healthy, we can quickly recognize the things we feel toward others and develop opinions about these individuals based on our feelings. We may even feel justified in a particularly negative attitude if we know of wrong choices or behaviors, having been displayed by them. Yet, what do you do when a momentary response has subtly changed, like a fading and falling leaf, to become the new way of interacting with this individual?...and...despite the recognized illness and hurtfulness of the other's behavior we seemed to have lost the ability to really love them?

Oh, and I do not mean the kind of contrived love that can be identified by the quick way we respond to those we know we should love and return their spoken sentiments to them like a neatly folded napkin tucked into its drawer. What do we do when the love that Paul spoke of isn't resident within us, at least concerning this person for whom we've become cynical?

As I sit here in a cozy Northwest coffee shop the Lord didn't take much time to show me that I had my own illness of cynicism eating away at me. He used the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, verses 6 and 7 to be exact, as a mirror to my soul. I realized, at least concerning a certain individual, that the love I spoke was no longer rising to the the protection, trust, hope, and perseverance that my dear friend Paul said should at least in part define love. Then I was further convicted when the Lord reminded me that in the youthfulness, and foolishness, of my own life I had done many things which caused me to be soiled and shamed in His presence...Yet, in His great grace and love me He took me in, truly washed me clean, and called me His own. So, how can I not display the same kind of concern and compassion for another?

So, once again, I ask you my dear friends, what do you do when cynicism keeps you from truly loving another?

Grieving for Vegas

This past week I was in Las Vegas, attending a conference for work. This was the first time I had ever spent any time on the main strip, which is where my hotel was located. While I'm thankful that I didn't feel a pull to engage in any of the activities Vegas is known for I was still very bothered. During my free time my wife (Thank you for coming with me babe) and I made it our aim to spend some very valuable time together in what we considered safe environments. I was truly blessed that she was there with me and am quite sure that if she were not the time outside of the conference would have been utterly miserable.

Still, once we had left and started on our way home there were certain images seen from Las Vegas Blvd I found difficult to forget. One such image is that of a man that quite literally crossed my path our last day there. I don't know his story but I do know he's a man that has seen many many miles, and it showed. His clothing was utterly stained and tattered and seemingly free of any un-frayed edges. He seemed barely able to shuffle his feet across the sidewalk. His face also bore the harshness his life on the streets had become accustomed to as he held an expression void of emotion but whose eyes seemed to yearn for something, anything, better than he'd known.

While this man serves as only one example to me of the hurt and pain and disillusion of a city that glorifies every unholy thing there were also many others I will not soon forget. All of these people have, quite unknowingly I'm sure, been trapped by sin's allure. While I was tremendously bothered by the expressions of sin I saw so rampant I was also grieved for the many people there who live from day to day from the inside of a prison cell, and yet they do not know. Yet, I am also not so naive to not recognize that the same allures are not found in that city alone. Quite sadly they are nearly everywhere, though not often as available or obvious.

So tonight I grieve. I grieve for those that have been deceived by the hellish lies and the sin that promises to offer so much, but in the end only provides a cold floor and a door of bars. I pray that in such places the influence and love of Christ would break all bonds and that the captives there would truly be set free. Won't you join me in praying for them too?

"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."

Galatians 5:13-14

Peace and...Interruptions?

The wonderful richness of a freshly brewed cup of coffee along with my Bible and journal are three treasures I look forward to enjoying every week. Oh, I enjoy each of these daily, but not from the comfort of my favorite corner coffee shop. That time is usually only savored once every week. So, with my pack on my shoulder and one of my favorite mugs in hand I routinely go there before dawn every Saturday morning. I arrive at the shop and set my pack down on my preffered seat before acquring the caffeinated delight of choice. Then it's time to settle in and discover the freshness and depth of God's word to me for that day, and often for that season.

There is nothing quite so important to me as getting to know the Lord a little more from day to day and from week to week, and to hear Him speak what He will to me about my life. So, there in my own little corner of this coffee shop I attempt to attune my ears to His word, spoken through those written pages of ink. In fact, this has been so valuable to me that I try to utterly avoid (ignore?) the voices of those coming and going, and sometimes sitting right next to me. After all, is there anything so important as spending time with God, even to the extent of blocking out those near? Well, clearly I've revealed a flaw of character, and yet this had been my real attitude for years. I reasoned that since Jesus made it His practice to regularly go to solitary places to pray and be with His Father, shouldn't I do the same?

While it's true that Jesus did in fact make that His aim, He was also often interrupted by the lives of those all around. However, instead of causing people to feel like interruptions, He actually displayed His love and care for them, even in those moments when He desired to be alone. Not so long ago this reality began to sink in and the Lord challenged me to respond to others the same way, even in the midst of my beloved early Saturday morns. So, there I was yesterday morning, enjoying my hot cup of joe and trying to focus on the words of John Mark. However, I was distracted by a comment made by the gentlemen behind me chatting with the Barista. He mentioned that he was heading down that morning to visit with his wife, who was quite literally in prison.

I then immediately thought of a friend of mine that had recently become involved in prison ministry, and I wondered if she ministered at the same facility where this gentlemen's wife was incarcerated. Then, the Lord very quietly but very distinctly whispered to me telling me to speak to the man. So, of course I argued with Him about it...after all, how would he receive it? Since he would be taking his cup of coffee with him out the door in just moments what opportunity did I really have? When I realized he then had to wait a minute or two for my friends behind the counter to fetch him some creamer, or something, I knew the Lord had won the arguement.

"Sir...I couldn't help but overhear..." I said. To my surprise he very warmly received the words of concern and offer to connect his wife to this friend of mine. Although the exchange didn't go much beyond that the Lord made it clear to me that this gentleman was shown His love and care. As I sit here finishing this post (now over a week removed from the event of which I've written) I do not recall the content of my devotional reading and journaling that day. The Lord's stretching of my comfort zone is very clear however. May Christ so stretch all of us that those burdened by life's worries and hurt might know and feel His embrace.

Trail Guide

Venturing to any mountain’s ridgeline is a journey that always leaves me captivated and enthralled. The sheer beauty and majesty of it seems to take hold of me. I take joy in every wild flower that dances from the gentle movement of a welcome breeze. Every white ripple, no matter how great or small, breaking upon moss laden rocks brings delight to my soul. There is a thrill of catching just a glimpse of the mountains’ kingly creatures whether roaming about the land or soaring upon the wind. Yet, despite the glory of such natural bounty and creativity I find that I can at times be left exhausted, and not only physically.

You see I’ve discovered in recent years that the solitude of the wild has become like an intimate sanctuary for me. There are places where I am able to escape while enjoying a truly fulfilling rest even as I’m expending my energy. Yet, these journeys only provide me with the opportunities for such welcome peace. An outdoorsmen’s outlet alone cannot allow me the solace my soul longs for. That only comes when those places and moments I so much enjoy are shared with the One for whom my soul longs to be near, Jesus. I can journey across hills, through canyons, and over a mountain but I find that if such an adventure is not spent alongside my Lord it is only exhilarating in the moment while later I am spent. This usually only happens when my focus rests only on the content of my surroundings rather than the content of my company.

I also find this same reality to be at work in other places of my life not limited to a landscape penetrated by trails. Recently, I’ve felt challenged by the Lord to dream and to trust Him in a way I never expected He would desire me to, and yet His call could not be clearer. So I have responded to His beckon by taking the steps I have thus far seen placed before me. However, having done so I now find myself in a place of waiting, not because I’m unsure of where the trail might lead but simply because my Guide has said to wait. Yet, this has been incredibly challenging. Just as I can be compelled to take in the beauty of a wilderness and not share it with the Lord, since hearing this call I have also tended to set my gaze upon the trail that is still before me rather than upon the One I am meant to follow.

I don’t mean to write in such a mysterious way, it’s just that only a very small part about this journey has been shown to me at this point. While that may seem to be, even to me, the impetus for my frustration' I know that it is not. I have been frustrated and at times exhausted because I have given myself to anxious thoughts and even fears centered upon the unknown. These have caused me to feel just the way Bilbo describes himself in the Lord of the Rings, “thin, like butter scraped over too much bread". However, the Lord is never the author of fear or anxiety. While He will take that which causes us to question Him (or to doubt) and challenge us in those fears, this is only done so that we might give ear to Him and trust Him more surely. I don’t know exactly how this trail that has been set before me will unwind, but I do know that when I walk beside my Friend and Guide the journey is far richer.

I remain confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart, wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:13-14

October Snowman

The cool crisp mornings of autumn have a way of making me feel just a little more alive. That sudden snap in the air of a new day's dawn makes that first breath as I step through the front door a little sweeter. The arrival of autumn in northern Utah this year was sweeter still. This past Sunday as I rose for the day and set out to join with my church family for our morning service I was welcomed by a surprising yet beautiful blanket of snow and a still falling white sky. It wasn't just a little snow either, by the end of the day there must have been at least 6 or 7 inches in my yard.

Of course this could mean only one thing to my children. We must venture out into the 30 degree air and the 15 mph wind and snow to make snow angels and build a snowman. While I immediately recognized the genius of such a plan we had to restrain ourselves, after all the conditions seemed a little less than preferred for my little munchkins. I did however suggest that the next day offered much more promise for such necessary tasks, which my daughter seemed to accept, however her younger brother wasn't quite so sure.

A bright blue sky with not quite the same bite as the previous day was revealed the next morning. However, it was also Columbus Day which for me meant an additional day off from the regular routine. This of course, as we all know, further meant that I would have a great many things to tend to before the day should sunset. Yet, that was one thing my little ones had no concept of. Instead they were all too aware of the diminishing snow and with it the possibility to craft a snowman. Still, every once in awhile I tend to get caught up in a little too much of me. I can so quickly forget that what is really the most important thing are not the goals or work or things that I must do, but the time spent with those I deeply love. This is something I would have the opportunity to recall well before the days end.

The moment my daughter arrived home from school she knew what she must do, she had angels and a snowman to build after all and my experience in such matters was certainly required. As she was inviting me to join her in her mad dash I had on mind those remaining tasks for that day. It was at that moment that the Lord caused me to realize how rarely the opportunity exists to craft an October Snowman with one of the people I love most in this world. I quickly began to melt just as the snow was also doing. Still, I had one more task to do, so I walked upstairs and but on my boots, hat, and gloves and ventured outside with my little girl and together we made an October Snowman.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. - Luke 12:34

Thank you Lord for teaching me once more where my treasure should really be. May we all grasp the importance of cherishing the moments with our loved ones that we'll never get back...http://www.godtube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=eac4832eebb6a5e40202

The Winding Road

In every national forest or wilderness area that I've ventured into I've traveled upon long and winding roads. The roads themselves weren't really a part of the journey I sought, but still had to be used if the real adventure could ever ensue. Then, each time along the way to the trail heads that mark the entrances into the lands I sought I've realized these roads do in fact become part of the journey. Of course the greatest joys and exhilirations for me are always found on the trail rather than the road, but the road is so very necessary. Without setting out on the pavement I could never reach the point where the soil of the longed for trail begins.

As I began writing this I immediately thought about the Christian believer's way of faith, and that the way of and in Christ is in fact straight and narrow. Let me quickly reassure you that this musing is not intended to be a commentary on the way of belief intended for Christ's followers. Instead this is simply an observation that in the distant, and often recent, pasts that precede the moment we live in there are these long and winding roads. They represent the actuality of the roads we've taken and the ways we've lived rather than what the Lord has necessarily intended. Thank God that Jesus meets us on these roads and points us to the trail heads we've been aiming for, and which He's been calling us to. Yet, let us not mistake that these winding roads are there and it is by His grace that they do in fact wind rather than being one hairpin turn after another.

If the trail I was looking for started when I heeded Christ's call to know and follow him during an Air Force chapel service in basic training then my own winding road started somewhere in my early teens. It was in those days that I was beginning to challenge many of the vitally important truths I had been told, whether about family, life, or God. As with nearly every teen there are numerous factors that contribute to rebellion, but at the core of a young man's heart is a need to be affirmed and highly valued by his father.

I didn't know this back then but my father was doing every thing he knew to do in an effort to be what he understood a good father to be. The long hours my dad would often work along with the difficulty of his labor caused me to take great pride in him as a little boy, but as the years went by I mistakenly began to lessen the importance of his efforts in my mind. By the time I was in my early teens I had been frustrated a few too many times by unmet expectations and missed opportunities, but I lacked the ability to express these to him. So instead I'd become a little more angry about the missed football or basketball games and a little more unwilling to do what he expected of me. Of course each time this happened I'd wind up getting a little further down a road that was not only creating more distance from my father, but from the Lord as well.

There were other influences in those years that also caused me to take a number of foolish turns that actually steered me away from the trail of significance I was trying to find. Rather than glorify lifestyles of hurt and pain, which were characterized by behaviors I knew were both unhealthy and wrong I'll simply say that God's grace to me was very very great. It was because of that amazing grace that the trail guide I needed met me on the confused labyrinth of a winding road I had traveled. As I said the Lord met me in that boot camp chapel service and I knew that if I were going to venture out from that trail head everything before that moment would have to change, and it did. With the Holy Spirit as my guide I realized my responsibility for the difficulty in the relationship with my father and sought to began restoration. He also began to show me the tools and techniques I would need to journey and navigate well on the trail I had finally found. Living on this trail would of course mean that I would never again require the use of any long and winding road.

What is the winding road in your rearview mirror?

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."
Isaiah 30:21