Switchback

A first in my life came just a few months ago as I boarded a train with my son for his 7th grade field trip. It was a 4 hour train ride through some of Alaska's beautiful country side. I had never been on a train before so I was looking forward to spending the day with my son and the train ride. That time I spent with my son on the train ride was better than I could have ever imagined and it was great for us to share that experience together. 

Many of the kids were having "screen time" with there cell phones and other electronics which was a disappoint to me but that is for another blog in the future. 

My son and I passed a number of glaciers on the trip...

                  

Beautiful mountain lakes some the color of glacier blue and others reflecting the sky, mountains and surrounding trees. 

Some grand visas of valleys that seem to stretch on and on.

Small streams still surrounded with snow on the valley floor so remote that it made me wonder if anyone had ever walked through the area besides when the rails were laid many years before.

Larger rivers, this one with moose tracks marking the passing of these 1000+ pound animals of the north.

 Most of the time the train moved from valley to valley and through mountain passes or tunnels cut through them.

About half way through the trip we were told we would need to begin to climb out of the the valleys to higher altitudes to make our way through the mountains in order to begin its decent to Seward which is a sea level. 

In order for the train to do this climb out of the valley the train tracks has been laid in a zig-zag pattern up the mountain side. This system of tracks is sometimes referred to as switchback tracks. The train would have to so down through the number of switchbacks as it climbed its way up from the valley floor to the higher mountain passes.

As David and I silently watched the climb and the scenery go by I realized for the first time that I could see the front of the train and where the engine was taking us and at the same time look back to where we had been and seeing the caboose of the train. 

Switchback after switchback we slowly made our way to the top. It was slow progress to the top and if you were in a hurry you would not likely enjoy the ride. Life though is full of switchbacks. It is good to slow down and look back from where we came from but not dwell in the past. It is also good to look ahead and see where we are heading. 

In this area there was only one set of tracks we could take but in life there are many crossroads and ways to veer off in different directions. Some of those ways lead to dead ends. Other turnoffs or sets of connecting track lead into bad areas or dangerous places that we should avoid. Still other tracks can take us toward new adventures. It is good to keep our eyes looking ahead and seeing where the tacks we are on are taking us. 

Ultimately though never forget as a person of faith in Jesus that your track that Jesus laid for you through the cross will take you to a different place. Remember the words of Paul: 

We are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 

We live by faith, not by sight. 

Enjoy the switchbacks of life

Enjoy the journey

Enjoy knowing where your destination is and who has laid it out for you

Enjoy the fact you do not travel alone...ever! 

For Jesus is with you always.

An Alaskan Tradition... Ice Out or Winter Break Up!

An Alaskan Tradition...Ice Out/ Break up! 

We all look forward to seeing the ice and snow leave after a long winter. This is celebrated no where in Alaska that I know of better than the small town of Nenana Alaska. 

 A large tripod is erected each winter on the frozen Nenana river by the community. 

Hundreds of thousands of tickets are bought at $2.50 a pop betting on when the tripod will topple and the ice flows move down river! 

People wait and watch...holding on to their ticket of the day and time down to the second.

 

The winner takes home about $300,000 if they are the only one to pick that date time that the flows start moving and the giant wooden poles of the tripod heads down river. 

Winter break up got me thinking as I walked around the church parking lot with my boots on about how God works on our hearts. 

For safety reasons we throw gravel on the parking lot in winter. The gravel gives us a grip on the ice as we walk across making our way in and out of God's house. What I noticed this year which was extreme when it came to ice, is the gravel would get covered over by snow and soon it was useless for gripping. It was embedded in the ice. 

It made me think about sin. Sin embeds itself into our life. Now ice does not feel but we do and when sin embeds in our heart there it causes agitation and pain. Sin not dealt with and denied in our life affects us and those we have in our life. Wounds, old and new and hurts come out of us in many ways. Anger. Hatred. Depression. Withdrawal. Attitudes of all kinds come from wounds and hurts not dealt with in openness.  Not forgiving others of their wrongs, real or imagined, leads to bitterness in our life and more brokenness. 

How does God work on the ice that covers... 

...our heart! For we need our heart broken free from the ice that covers it. 

If you have seen the Disney movie Frozen the queen withdraws from the world to the safety of her castle. When forced out and into the world, we see for her that world is turned upside down. She then retreats into the mountains to be alone. She is stuck in her own world of loneliness, fear and sadness. 

This is not the way God wants us to live. We are formed I believe more and more to live in community as God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit live in unity and community. 

Not only does God provide for our sins to be taken care of but He wants to restore us. God wants to melt the ice that surrounds our heart to set us free.

The Celebration of Easter is approaching!

Spring time is on the way!

Ice out/ break up is approaching!

This time of year is God's reminder to us of His plan to thaw out our hearts through the love of Jesus Christ His one and only son. 

We use gravel for the parking lot to give us grip as we walk. Yet on the sidewalks, salt is used. 

When I walk around and see where salt hit the ice as we try to keep the walkways clear I can see how the salt melts down through. 

As the salt punches holes through the ice making it look all honeycombed on the top it also worked from inside the ice.   

From the inside of the ice the salt melts and as the ice turns to water it begins to remove the ice from the inside as well as working from on top.

God works in a similar way. 

The Holy Spirit works from inside our hearts. The word of God coming from the outside makes its way inside of us and melts us. 

The love of Jesus who died on the cross for our sin breaks through bringing healing as he has taken away our sins.

The result...

Growth.

New life.

 The ice that covers us and keeps us from a healthy relationship with God our heavenly father and with each other now flows free like Jesus' love flowed free to us. 

Blessings as you continue your Lenten journey!

Generations

Three generations are in this photo. 

No I am not expecting and and neither is David. As far as I know it is still impossible for men to have a baby in spite of Hollywood movies like Junior.

There are three generations represented in this photo. David's, mine and Michelle's dad's generation on the mantle piece. 

The flag on the mantle reminds us of David Shepherd, Michelle's father who passed to life eternal some years ago due to cancer. 

He was a good guy and I liked being around him. He gave me some good advice, was a "thinker" and made me laugh often but I would NEVER sit down at a game of cards with the guy because he cheated! 

Do me a favor, go back and look at the photo again. Look at the shirt I am wearing.

A famous book store and an independent one too boot which is rare these days. I picked that shirt up when traveling recently through Oregon. Powell's is famous for a few reasons but one that stands out to me is the fact of how they stock books on the shelf. 

They have new books lining the shelves, unmarred by human hands or dog mung. The pages are crisp and clean with no underlined words or phrases or dog eared pages. If you open the book and stick your nose into it, you can still catch the sent of ink. The spine makes a cracking sound when opened.

The shelves also have old books on them. Right next to the new books you might find a used copy of the same book. The cover will likely be a little discolored and the pages smell more like dust and time rather than fresh ink. The books show some tender wear and yet were loved and cared for. You open them and the spine does not crack and pop like a new book. What did the previous owner think of the book? Where did the book travel as it was being read? What is that spot--Coffee? Maybe one crisp morning while reading that book over breakfast the owner spilled that drop of coffee on the book as they read it. It reminds you there is an addition unwritten and untold story about that used book in your hand. We can only guess or dream about the things that happened around the book before it was bought in to be sold again to a new owner. If the book could only tell that story as well it could be a book of all its own. 

New, old, and older all sitting on a shelve together. Not unlike the picture of three generations. 

I get to stand next to my son (and my daughters) as Michelle's dad stood next to her and to me for a time. What do I do with the time I get to stand next to this new generation? I am getting older. I have some spots I did not have a few years back and some dog eared corners but I do not smell like a BENGAY factory yet!

I remember Michelle's dad standing next to me one time shortly after Michelle and I were married. Michelle and I had been thinking about not having any kids. Michelle's dad invited me to go on a walk with him through the property he owned. As we walked together through the woods he asked me why we were thinking about not having kids. I told him I did not know if I wanted to raise kids in the world with the way everything was going. He stopped and looked at me and said: "Andy, the world needs parents like you and Michelle". He was saying that for the next generation it was important for us to stand next to them and tell the story of our life. The next generation can learn from our fears, our joy and lessons we learned as we grew up and life changed around us. He shared his life in unvarnished detail with me over the years. I am thankful that he did share so much of his life with me. It was not always pretty or smooth. He made plenty of mistakes besides cheating at cards.

That is what I get to do with my kids now as they are the new generation. Michelle and I share what their grandfather's were like. We share their stories and add our stories of life to the mix. New and old standing together. 

The church needs the new. The church needs the old... and everything in between. 

Times change and the generations change. It is wonderful to know God does not change. In the church God brings his people together from every generation and every land. When it happens right and in a God pleasing manner it becomes a beautiful thing. 

Old learn from young. Young learn from old. There is mutual respect, love and care. Personal agenda's are put aside for the sake of God's kingdom. Prejudice and bigotry disappear.  There are not winners and losers or hostile takeovers.    When it happens right God is glorified and lives are transformed. 

Pray for your families, your friends, your church and be willing to stand beside each other on the bookshelf knowing we are different but the same- 

WE ARE GOD'S CHILDREN!!

Spiritual Funk

Too long...
Time gets in the way. Time ticks by fast. I cannot believe it has been March since my last blog. It is not like I have been sitting around doing nothing. I have been busy, real busy and that is the problem! I was recently reading an article referencing The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. It has been a while since I read that book--like years!!! The article reminded me of a section of the book where the senior devil is writing a junior devil to give him advice on how to tempt human beings. There is one great letter in which the senior devil, says: "Look. If you have a client who is starting to think maybe there is a God, maybe there is a Jesus, maybe these things are true, or maybe the Bible is right, for goodness sake, don't argue with them. Don't get his reason going. Don't get him to ask big questions. Get him busy in life. Get him busy with the hustle and bustle. Show him the bus going by. Show him the papers being sold on the street. Keep him busy! That's the ticket to spiritual blandness." 

So the Holy Spirit again hits me upside the head with a spiritual 2x4! 

I am a pastor that means I study the Bible. I prepare sermons each week. I put together Bible studies. I answer people's questions about the Bible and faith. I disciple people in their walk with Jesus. I sit with people and offer counsel from the word of God. I cry with people. I call on them when they are sick (try too). I pray with people. I laugh with people. I do devotions with my kids. We pray together as staff. We pray as a family. The list goes on and on. 
For the last month (since Christmas) I have been in a spiritual funk. I was really sick for a while. I blamed being sick for my funk but I have been healthy for a few weeks and still find myself in a funk. There is some outside stress in my life like a relocation back into the newly refurbished parsonage (great but disordered and stressful), some money issues as we wait for insurance settlements to pay up medical bills and other life issues but as I deal with those things I still find myself in a spiritual funk. 
I was out to lunch on my day off with my best friend (my wife!). Between that lunch dialog I had and and the article I read reminding me of The Screwtape Letters God has helped me understand what is causing my spiritual funk. 

I have been really busy! 

Time gets in the way. Time ticks by fast. See all that stuff above in blue. Where do you see in that list where I took time to feed myself spiritually?  I did things for other people. I did things with other people. I prepared for this and that event. Where is the time alone with God where I am making sure my soul is nourished and and refreshed and it is not about prepping for something or someone? 

The devil sure did a good job of making me busy. I am not half as smart as I think I am. An old time trick and one I should not have fallen for because I know better. Pastors burn out and often they burn out because they are burning up the time doing lots of good things but really not making sure the lines of communication are open between God and them. If this can happen to a pastor, don't think it cannot happen to you. It is such an easy going and slow process you are in trouble before you are aware! 

Remember all the times Jesus went into the wilderness, mountains to pray and get refreshed? When the Holy Spirit helps us see our errors do not get down on yourself but make a change. I am back at reading what others have written to help nurse my spirit and see Jesus and His love / work in my life. I am reflecting and contemplating on God's word not for others only but for myself. Guess what, I am feeling better. It is not an instant pill to cure my ills or yours but but I am feeling a sense of me following and Jesus leading. That is the way it should be. God guides and blesses your journey!