Did you forget?

Sometimes it is so easy to forget what we have right close to hand. Maybe being close makes you takes things for granted, maybe you get used to something and don’t even think about it. Like a New Yorker who has never bothered to visit the Statue of Liberty or a Bostonian who has never gone to see the USS Constitution. Sometimes maybe we are even intimidated by what other people think of what THEY have. I have a cousin who visited from Texas when he was about 12 years old. When we asked him what he thought about New England, he said (in that annoying way Texans can have), “I’m absolutely amazed…we drove across three states in one day. In Texas we couldn’t get from one end of the county to the other in one day!”

So when you start talking about things like National or State Parks, and how big they are or how many attractions are there, you might think of a place like Yellowstone, or the Great Smoky Mountains. HUGE places with large expanses of wilderness. Places that loom large in our minds.

This last week I spent some time in a place fairly close to us in Vermont, in upstate New York in the Adirondack Park. Small pickings compared to the western parks, right? You want the truth? The Adirondack Park is the largest park and the largest state-level protected area in the contiguous United States, and the largest National Historic Landmark. It is larger in land area than the state of Vermont (9,400 sq-miles versus 9,250 sq-miles), covering 6.1 million acres. It is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks combined! There are more than 3,000 lakes and 30,000 miles (48,000 km) of streams and rivers. Many areas within the park are devoid of settlements and distant from usable roads. The park includes over 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of hiking trails; these trails comprise the largest trail system in the nation. (source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adirondack_Park)

Yes, sometimes it is easy to forget what you have when you are so close to it. Don’t we do that in our spiritual life, too? We forget who and what we are in Jesus Christ. We forget the Kingdom of Heaven is not just for when we die, but it lives within every believer! We have a vast power contained within us, with the Holy Spirit giving light and life. But we forget, and our light is hidden under a basket, so to speak. I am convinced that our quality of life is thereby infinitely diminished.

I went back to our family’s home-away-from-home this last week, Inlet, New York in the Adirondack Park, and re-discovered what I had lost. I found myself longing for the woods, the waterways and the life that is there. I even longed for the smell of the forest. And I find myself longing for the life of the Kingdom of Heaven, here on earth. It is not far, it is close. But I have hidden it away.

It is time to find it again. Would you join me?

"As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ "
Matthew 10:6-8 (NIV)

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Coy-dogs and other things that go bump in the night

The moon was full and the night was full of strangely moving shadows when a lone howl cut through the late night darkness. An answering cry was heard, closer this time. Shivers went up and down my spine as I wondered, was it a pair of vampires on the prowl, or perhaps a couple of werewolves out for a midnight snack? Nah, it was probably a coy-dog looking for mice and moles!

Lately I took some heat for posting a link to an article on Facebook entitled, “Top 20 Unfortunate Lessons Girls Learn From Twilight”, from the website “wired.com”. The article posed 20 different lessons that girls in particular take away from the Vampire and Werewolf thriller now in theaters. The arguments are totally non-religious, just basic psychology and sociology. In many cases they are simply common sense! The movie and books encourage the obsession many females have with the ‘bad boy’ and everything that goes along with it. Would you want your daughter lying to you, spending time with someone who engages in bad behavior that could hurt or kill them? It is amazing to me how many teen girls and even adult women are drooling over the hunks in these movies in an almost obscene manner. Most guys I have heard look at the phenomena with disdain and perhaps even a little jealousy.

I look at the 'Twilight' series and take note that nowadays vampires and werewolves are becoming more and more regarded as simply a fantasy subculture where there is good and evil, a microcosm of the human race. The evolution of this concept of a superhuman, supernatural subculture is fascinating. Viewed through the lens of Hollywood, the early films about vampires and werewolves regarded them as tortured beings, cursed and damned. They were evil, even if sometimes unwilling victims. 'Nosferatu' in 1923 showed an ugly and thoroughly detestable vampire. Lon Chaney was the epitome of evil when in his werewolf form, but as a human was an object of pity. Dracula as played by Bela Lugosi in 1931 was plain evil with no trace of good. As the mid-century approached the role changed. Frank Langella in 1979 changed the genre by portraying Dracula in a romantic light with his victim Lucy. The Anne Rice novels further evolved the character of the vampire, while films such as 'A Werewolf in London' changed the character of the changeling wolves. The 'Underworld' series of movies and brought together the two races in a different way. This culminates today in the 'Twilight' series of books and movies.

A couple things to keep in mind, here. Werewolves and vampires are two fantasy races of what were originally conceived as embodiments of demons and demonic forces, hunting humans as prey. They are fantasy creatures, not real. However, spiritual warfare is very real. Those forces who oppose God will try anything to keep our focus off our spiritual condition and off God. The progression here also indicates the increasing fascination with a culture of death, seen all around us and in many ways, but is maybe most easily seen in Hollywood productions. Not only this, but our distinct human tendency to reverse the order of things become plain. Simply put, what was once called evil is now called good. What was good is now evil.

It is a sign of the times, I guess. It has always happened, and frequently happens in sub-cycles, too. The question is, do we recognize it? Or do we pass it off as the ravings of a few conservative religious nuts who don’t like movies and fantasy (which, by the way, I love both)?

So, is this a real evil, like a vampire or werewolf, or simply a coy-dog howling in the night?

“This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 21But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God”. John 3:19-21 (NIV)

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New Beginnings

We received our first snowfall of the season last night, or should I say...our first measurable snowfall. Half an inch measured at Burlington International Airport. We actually tied the record for latest first measurable snowfall. The world looks white and sparkly, like we have a new beginning. I like it. Of course, by the end of February I won't be in such a good mood when we get snow, and if we get snow any time past March I definitely won't be happy. But for now, it's nice.

I've had another new beginning this last week. I've been getting a bit stressed out over some conversations I've had with a couple people. My father-in-law and I had a long talk about them, and he pointed out to me that I have been taking the Lord's tasks and making them my own. They are tasks that I, in fact, cannot handle. So I have given them back to Him. I have gone so far as to limit my contact with these people...they have my phone number, my email address and my physical address so contact has not been totally removed, but I am no longer 'friends' with them on Facebook and other venues.

As I have matured in the faith I find that I have a hard time dealing with certain types of people. Specifically, I have no problem at all dealing with your typical unsaved and secular person, nor do I have a problem dealing with people who take their Christian faith seriously. But I have a huge issue with people who claim to be Christian, but put the lie to that claim by their actions during the week. As it says in Revelation 3: 15-16, "I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

So, a new beginning is at hand. I will not try to usurp the role of the Holy Spirit any more. I look forward to Advent and Christmas, and reclaim the joy that is mine in Him.

May the joy of His birth surround and permeate you today!

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Spots on the road

I was on the highway this morning, very early. It was about 6am when I started out, heading to a meeting with my prayer partner at the Friendly's Restaurant in Williston. We meet at 6:30am so that I can get to work on time, and actually it allows him to stay in bed late. Most mornings he is up at 3:15am! Suffice it to say, I am not up that early.

In any case, as I passed Exit 14 heading south I was struggling to stay focused on my driving and wondering why I was on the road at such an hour. Suddenly, as I passed a grease spot on the highway, my eyes snapped open and I frantically reached for the heater controls to shut it off. The stench was nearly causing my eyes to water; I realized the grease spot in the road I had just passed over was in reality the hapless remains of a skunk. The effect on my focus was amazing. Everything in my path was now crystal clear.

As I finished my trip I was thinking about this incident and how it might relate to some things that we have been dealing with recently (preachers always think this way). It occured to me that in normal circumstances we just kind of cruise along the highway of our life. It's quiet, kind of boring and we are half asleep. Then something in life comes along that really just stinks, but the effect it has is that suddenly we are brought up short and the events are brought into a sharp focus. Sometimes it is an illness, sometimes a job loss, sometimes the loss of a loved one. Other times it is conflict with another person or group, perhaps not even our issue but a problem with someone close to us such as a child. But the rest of life is now in sharp relief.

The issue with this is eventually the stink wears away, we forget it and go back to what passes for normalcy, our placid, bored drive, until the next skunk shows up and wakes us from our stupor. The good news is that God knows where all those stinky points in our lives are and He is still in control. So trust in Him, and watch out for the skunks!

"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song." Psalm 28:7


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Vacating

The air is starting to grow crisp and the leaves are beginning to turn into the red and gold’s of autumn. The Champlain Valley Exposition has come and gone. Whether we like it or not, fall is coming. The last two weeks were the only really decent weather we had this summer, with temperatures in the upper seventies, clear skies and a light breeze. If I closed my eyes I could smell the surf on Waikiki, but when I opened my eyes I saw maple trees instead of palm trees.

It occurred to me that this summer has been very busy and that we really didn’t get much time off. We either had church business to attend to, children to get back to school (regardless of the time off, four straight days driving is NOT vacation!) or other busy work. We took one weekend off in July to go to my in-laws in Maine, during which time it rained. This last weekend was the New England District Men’s Retreat, which I could not afford either in terms of time or money, so I was not able to attend. Consequently I feel somewhat starved for a true time of rest and relaxation.

What is a ‘vacation’ anyway? It is a time to ‘vacate’, in other words to ‘empty oneself’. You’ve gotten full and feel like drowning, and need to empty some of the cares and worries from your heart and mind. ‘Recreation’ is another word we use for this, meaning it is a time to ‘re-create’ oneself.

Sensing the lack, one of my prayer partners and I will be spending a couple days in October at an undisclosed rustic location in southern Vermont. We have no agenda; we will walk, talk, read the Bible, pray together and eat stuff we shouldn’t eat. We’ll catch up on family and mutual acquaintances. We’ll enjoy God’s creation out under the stars (weather permitting). We’ll take pictures and empty ourselves of our cares, so that when we return home we can perform our tasks with renewed passion and vigor.

Have you vacated and re-created lately?

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."
Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

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The Sound of Snow

It sounds a bit strange to hear, especially if you are a southerner reading this (anyone south of Concord, NH!). But snow can have not only different looks and feels, but distinct sounds associated with it. As the snow falls when there is little or no wind there is a silence that falls over the world. It seems as if everything has gone still and into hiding. Even a passing car makes little noise. Talk between people is hushed. A scientist would say that this is because the falling snow absorbs sounds…as if you were trying to speak in a room surrounded by curtains and hung with laundry. Whether it has a simple explanation or not, I love the peaceful feeling the silence of the snow brings.

There is another sound the snow brings. As you walk across snow you can literally tell how cold it is by the sound. A soft, slurpy sound tells you that the temperature is near the freezing point of water, maybe even a little above. The snow has been partially melted and is that most terrible of mixtures known as slush. The danger with slush is manifold. It is the kind of snow most likely to cause heart attacks in the elderly when they try to shovel, since it is very heavy. It can quickly saturate your clothing, and cool your body, sending chills up and down your spine. If not dealt with quickly it can lead to hypothermia.

Another sound is when the snow falls and the temperature is a bit lower, often referred to as ‘crisp’. The whoosh of your boots through the snow tells you that it has just enough moisture in it to make a good snowman or a snowball, but not enough to instantly soak you. This is the snow kids love to play in.

And there is yet a third sound you may hear. When you walk across the snow you hear a distinct crunch and there is an edge to the air that takes your breath away. The temperature is low enough that there is no moisture left. Snowballs crumble, snowmen are an exercise in futility. Breathing is difficult and every exposed area turns red and numb in short order. When you hear the snow make this sound, there is danger afoot. Frostbite can strike the careless in minutes or even seconds.

In our Christian life there are instances where a single action in and of itself may lead to different results and consequences. The act of watching television, for instance, can be very uplifting and educational, or it can lead to potentially harmful actions, incline the mind to temptation or be sinful in and of itself. To tell someone watching television is always sinful is taking the easy way out. But to go the other way and discount its potential danger is foolhardy, like hiking up Mount Washington in September in a t-shirt and shorts. The same can be said for many things we encounter daily. Paul says, “…if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” (1 Cor 10:12-13 NIV)

Keep your eyes open, your mind sharp and your eyes fixed on Him and He will provide for you. And listen to the snow.

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Spring has sprung!

Last Wednesday morning something happened I have anxiously been waiting for. As spring approaches I watch the sides of the hills around here, especially towards Georgia over the waters of Arrowhead Mountain Lake, and look for signs of color. But not green like you might expect; I watch for red. Oh, sure, the green of the evergreens is always there, and the green of the hills will come ("Green Mountain state"...hint, hint) but the first color of spring that I look for is the red of the budding leaves of the maple trees. The hills turn a distinct shade of red. It's more subtle than the shades we see in the fall, but whereas the autumn colors mean that we have only a few days left until 'stick' season and then winter, the red that comes in spring means that in a few days we'll see the world turn green once again. The red color is the first sign of hope in new life.

So too, in the Christian life red is the color of hope. The blood of Jesus was the means by which we could have hope for a new life. "Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!" Romans 5:9 Every year I look for the red of the hills so I can know that spring has really come. And I look to the blood of Jesus to know that new life has started.