The Sacred

“There are no unsacred places; there are only sacred places and desecrated places.”   Wendell Berry

In Robert Capon's book An Offering of Uncles he recommends we take a walk and discover our priestly role in nature and history. I couldn't agree more. In fact, if you want to stop reading right now and take a walk, I won't be offended. There is something about walking, especially in nature, that reminds me who God is and affirms His presence in creation and my individual life. Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, I have felt the presence of God on a daily basis and seen His face in the faces of the people I have met along the way.

To the praise of His glorious grace! 

God's Love

“We should be astonished at the goodness of God, stunned that He should bother to call us by name, our mouths wide open at His love, bewildered that at this very moment we are standing on holy ground.” Brennan Manning

I know God loves me and I can tell you how His love feels. It feels like the first rays of the sun peaking over a distant mountain ridge, an alpine meadow glistening with the morning dew, wild flowers dancing in afternoon breeze, and the cool refreshing water from a mountain stream. The beauty of creation is a lavish feast for our senses which John Muir describes like this: "God never made an ugly landscape. All that the sun shines on is beautiful, so long as it is wild."

Whenever I have the opportunity to spend even a few minutes in God's wild creation, I feel God's presence and power and love in a personal and intimate way. More than once I have walked through an alpine meadow or stood on a mountain pass and marveled at the beauty of creation. More than any sanctuary made with human hands, creation is where I feel His presence and know the privilege of standing on holy ground. This is why I am passionate about saving it, protecting it, and sharing it with others.

"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 display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." Psalm 19:1-4

I've Got Good News!

"The Gospel is bad news before it is good news. It is the news that man is a sinner, to use the old word.  He is evil in the imagination of his heart and when he looks in the mirror what he sees is at least eight parts chicken, phony, and slob. That is the tragedy. But it is also the news that he is loved anyway, cherished, forgiven, bleeding to be sure, but also bled for. That is the comedy. And yet, so what? So what if even in his sin the slob is loved and forgiven when the very mark and substance of his sin and his slobbery is that he keeps turning down the love and forgiveness because he either doesn't believe them or doesn't want them or just doesn't care. In answer, the news of the Gospel is that extraordinary things happen to him just as in fairy tales extraordinary things happen. Zacchaeus climbs up a sycamore tree a crook and climbs down a saint. Paul sets out a hatchet man for the Pharisees and comes back a fool for Christ. It is impossible for anybody to leave behind the darkness of the world he carries on his back like a snail, but for God all things are possible. That is the fairy tale. Altogether they are the truth." Frederic Buechner: Telling the Truth-The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy and Fairy Tale.

Frederic Buechner is another one of my favorite authors, and this brief description of the gospel has been a favorite passage for more than twenty years. I find myself reading it over and over, sometimes to remind me that I am loved and forgiven and that God can set me free from the darkness that still creeps into my heart. At other times I read it to encourage myself to continue to love and pray for those who still have not responded to the Gospel and who need the God who makes the impossible possible in their life. Sometimes I read it just because I like the way he writes and the images he uses to express the reality and bondage of sin as well as the hope and joy of being set free by the power of God. Just last night, I read it to my wife again as we were going to sleep and thought to myself...someday, when I grow up, I want to write like that. Someday...

Full of Purpose

"The quality of the astronaut corps is reflected in the fact that every time NASA says it's seeking twenty-five new astronauts, some three thousand candidates apply. Those selected for training are the best. Those selected for flight crews are the best of the best. The astronauts are a national resource and it was absolutely terrific to be back in that kind of atmosphere again, free of pettiness and filled with purpose." John Glen

I love that phrase: "free of pettiness and filled with purpose." In my ministry I have quoted it often to the people I work with to remind us that we are working for a purpose...not a paycheck...not the weekend...not to impress others.  So often it is pettiness that steals our time, saps our energy, robs our joy, and distracts us from the true focus of our life. In the past, I have found hiking to be helpful in focusing my heart and mind on the important things in life--like how to keep snickers candy bars from melting in the desert heat. Ok, that might not be so important, but you get the idea. What is your purpose? Rise above the pettiness and pursue it with passion.

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us, then, who are mature should take such a view of things." Philippians 3:12-15

That You May Contribute A Verse

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

For years we have quoted this verse to make ourselves feel better when things don't seem to be going our way:  Our English translations of this verse suggest that God is working behind the scenes, much like the wizard behind the curtain, to make sure the circumstances of our lives somehow end up making sense to us. Our role in the process ends up being passive-we wait and trust God for the good things he promised. It's all true of course; God is good, God is in control, and we must trust Him when things don't make sense. But I believe this verse has a more important message for us.

The Greek word for "work together" used in Romans 8:28 comes from the word  συνεργός "sunergeó" which is often translated "fellow worker" and is used 13 times in the New Testament. From studying the word in context, it is used to describe individuals working together for a common cause. If that is the common understanding of the work and the correct meaning for Romans 8:28, then maybe a better translation is: And we know that God works for good, together with those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose (my translation). If I am right, then God is calling us to more than passive trust in His goodness. He is calling us to take action. He wants us to be co-laborers with Him to accomplish His good purpose not only in our own lives, but in the lives of others. He wants a partner-someone prepared to contribute a verse to the powerful play of life. What will your verse be?

I found this video on Vimeo. It's obviously a promo video for a sermon series, but it is based on the same Walt Whitman poem and I like it!

Robert Farrar Capon

Robert Farrar Capon

"Our pride drives us to establish our own righteousness. We strive all our life to see ourselves as keepers of rules we cannot keep, as loyal subjects of laws under which we can only be judged outlaws. Yet so deep is our need to derive our identity from our own self-respect – so profound our conviction that unless we watch our step, the watchbird will take away our name – that we will spend a lifetime trying to do the impossible rather than, for even one carefree minute, consent to having it done for us by someone else." Robert Farrar Capon

I know this is not a PCT/hiking post, but if you are curious about this specific PCT thru-hiker, you need to know this. One of my favorite authors is Robert Farrar Capon. He passed away in September of 2013, at the age of 88. He wrote 27 books, most of which are focused on theology and the theme of grace, but his other passion was cooking and he wrote several cook books as well. I was introduced to Capon in college and immediately fell in love with his writing. It was his book on the outrage of God's grace that forced me to see that I had not truly experienced God's grace and that most of my life I had been living on the bus fumes of religion and my own righteousness rather than in the pure air of God's grace and the freedom it offers. Just getting the book is a story in itself, and as soon as it arrived, I began reading. After finishing it the first time I was angry...how can he say that? How can he make it sound so easy-so cheap? The second time I read it I was scared...what if he's right? What if God really is that in love with us? And after reading it a third time, in less than a month, I remember waking my wife up in the middle of the night, in our first year of marriage, and with tears in my eyes telling her: "God loves me! And it's even better than that. He likes me too! He doesn't just love me because He has to; He likes me and has invited me to the party." GOD loves me. God LOVES me. God loves ME!

Have you experienced God's grace?

"The life of grace is not an effort on our part to achieve a goal we set ourselves. It is a continually renewed attempt simply to believe that someone else has done all the achieving that is needed and to live in relationship with that person, whether we achieve or not. If that doesn't seem like much to you, you're right: it isn't. And, as a matter of fact, the life of grace is even less than that. It's not even our life at all, but the life of that Someone Else rising like a tide in the ruins of our death.” Robert Farrar Capon

That someone else is Jesus. Just say His name. He is there and He is listening.

Best Ideas

 

“All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.” 

― Friedrich Nietzsche

I often joke with my wife that I get some of my best ideas while in the bathroom, but it's not true. (It is true however, that I enjoy reading the newspaper while sitting on the porcelain throne.) But new ideas, answers to problems, and moments of clarity often do occur when I am hiking. There is something about being outdoors, in motion, and free from distraction that awakens my mind. I was day hiking a few weeks ago on a Friday and was thinking about one of my favorite theological themes: atonement, and there was a moment of clarity when I got it! It was like I could see it clearly in my mind. I understood how it "worked" and the relationship to other themes like law, sin, grace and forgiveness. I tried to focus and make the most of my aha moment, but then I met another hiker on the trail and we spent a few minutes chatting about the weather, lack of rain, and the trail conditions. When I decided to push on, it was gone. I couldn't even remember what it was that I had discovered. Oh well, I will have plenty of time on the PCT to think deeply about the atonement and many other topics. Keep calm and hike on.

God's Great Dance Floor

There is a quote by Wendell Berry that suggests the Bible makes more sense when read outdoors. You can read the quote here. I think the same thing may be true about some of the worship music we sing in church. Recently we started singing a new song entitled "God's Great Dance Floor." Here are some of the lyrics:

I’m coming back to the start,
where You found me
I’m coming back to Your heart,
now I surrender

Take me, this is all I can bring.

You’ll never stop loving us,
no matter how far we run

You’ll never give up on us,
all of heaven shouts:

Let the future begin,
let the future begin.

I feel alive, I come alive,
I am alive on God’s great dance floor.

I used to watch the vocalists at church sing this song and dance on stage wondering what all the fuss was about, and then one day, I closed my eyes and imagined singing it in the wilderness, in a mountain meadow, in my trail running shoes, shorts, and t-shirt, and all of a sudden, it just made sense. Nature is where I feel God's presence and surrender myself to Him. Splashing in a mountain stream is where I experience His love and the promise of a future. Standing on a mountain top I come alive and feel like dancing! 

There is a woman on the worship team at my church who can really dance. She's not a show off, and would probably be embarrassed if she knew I was writing about her, but I love the way she moves when she worships God, and I bet God enjoys it too! I would love to learn to dance like that...to express praise, worship, joy, thanksgiving, and grace with my whole body! Maybe I'll get inspired as I hike and it will just pour out of me...on God's great dance floor.

Here is a light hearted video called the PCT Happy Dance. I look forward to dancing my way to Canada!

Nature's Golden Rule

“Do unto those downstream as you would have those upstream do unto you.” Wendell Berry

When I read this quote the first time, I thought to myself, that's amazing! Why didn't I think of that? It's practical but also makes you think. One of the goals of backpacking is to minimize the impact we have on the wilderness we are enjoying. We call it "Leave No Trace" (LNT) and the goal is to leave the trail, campsites, rivers and lakes as we found them. I have always been a conscientious hiker and have tried to leave no evidence of my presence, except for foot prints.

But does the leave no trace philosophy apply in cities and towns where the goal is not to preserve the natural state of the land but to change it; to shape the landscape, build structures, and use the land for our purposes? Should we even be doing that? When I read the Bible I find God put Adam and Eve in a garden, which might make us question our desire to improve on God's design, but that's not the end of the story. God made humanity stewards of creation and almost immediately, we began building. In Revelation, heaven, our final destination, is described as a city. I find it interesting that heaven is not a return to a garden, but a city that God has specifically prepared for us.

I believe the overwhelming evidence of scripture is that the use of land and natural resources to build cities and the infrastructure needed to support them is biblical. What is not biblical is to live beyond the limits of what the land can support and to impact our neighbors and future generations by abusing the land. Extravagant living, choosing convenience over conservation and sustainability, the impact of consumerism and a disposable lifestyle; these are all examples of not being good stewards of creation. I want to live in such as way that as both a city dweller and a wilderness traveler, I am a good steward of all that God has given us. Who will join me? Here is a link to a website with some excellent tips on being a good steward of God' creation. Let's get started today!

Carry Our Fears

Fear is the stories we tell ourselves 

For backpackers, fear means a heavier backpack. Some hikers are afraid of the cold, so they pack too many clothes or a heavy sleeping bag. Others fear hunger, so they carry more food than they could possibly eat. Still others worry about emergencies, so they bring an enormous first aid kit. Some worry about wild animals or crazy people, so they bring pepper spray or weapons. Some fear being alone, so they pack cell phones and other devices to stay connected to the "real world." The list of things to fear in the wilderness seems endless, butt in reality, the list of essentials you need to survive is very short.. Yes, there are things that may make you more comfortable and possibly make the trip more enjoyable, but everything you add means carrying more weight, and carrying more than you need for 2,650 miles is definitely not enjoyable!

I suppose there is also a lesson here beyond hiking. While backpackers carry fear on their backs, the rest of us carry it in not so obvious ways. Fear affects the way we think and feel about ourselves, others, and the world around us. It changes the way we act and respond. If we are afraid, we don't speak up, we don't show love, we avoid new things and meeting new people, or even asking for help. The Bible tells us over and over that fear is not from God. Here is just one example: The LORD is my light and my salvation-whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1

I am not a particularly brave man, but I am learning to overcome my fears by trusting in God: to listen to Him rather than the naysayers or my own questions and doubts; to forgive, to accept a compliment, and risk being vulnerable. Sometimes I still get afraid and have to stop myself and focus on that still small voice: For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you. Isaiah 41:13 What are you afraid of? Let God set you free. He promises that nothing; not your fears, or failures, or circumstances will keep you from knowing his grace and power. He promises hope and joy and peace that cannot be explained. I have experienced this and know it to be true. Take a moment and allow God to minister to you through this song that expresses the hope and joy of God setting us free from the things that hold us back from knowing Him and being all that we can be. In Him you are free, whole and want for nothing.

I Shall Not Want by Audrey Assad

Purchase On Itunes

In Search Of

I hiked the John Muir Trail last summer with a young man in his 20's from the church I attend. I often tried to keep him motivated and his mind occupied with something other than the pain of hiking twenty plus miles a day with 5,000 feet of altitude change. I would tell personal stories, dumb jokes, talk about the Bible, and share theological insights along with interesting details about the trail. I remember one day trying to explain my passion for exploring nature and talking about the biblical concept of being a steward of creation. The idea I was trying to get across was that if I am going to care for creation as God commanded, I better have some idea of what is out there...hence the desire to explore nature.

I was reading the creation story in Genesis chapter one recently and noticed something interesting that got me thinking.

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. Genesis 1:3-5

It says God saw that the light was good. It didn't say He knew it, or thought it, or said it. Seven times in Genesis chapter one, God saw what he created was good. G.K. Chesterton wrote that the sun doesn't rise because it has to: it rises because, as God watches it set each evening, He says, "That was nice; do it again." The creation story suggests that God watches and enjoys His creation; that he rejoices in its beauty and admires it not as a past event but as a present experience. Isn't this what Jesus suggests in the New Testament when he says: "Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care." Matthew 10:29

Could it be, that the desire to explore, to experience, and to see for ourselves what God IS creating today is part of what it means to be made in the image of God? I was talking with my wife about this very topic the other night as we were lying in bed. She was trying to stay awake because she knows how frustrated I get when she falls asleep half way through my late night sermons. Just as she was dozing off, she says, "I wonder if God saw that it was good so that we can say that it is good. He saved the saying part for us." Well, that got me thinking again and I graciously released her to her beauty sleep.

Have you enjoyed a sunset lately?

Eric Liddell

The movie Chariots of Fire is the story of Eric Liddell, who won the gold medal in the men's 400 meter race in the 1924 Olympics. In one scene, Eric's sister expresses her concern that running is distracting him from his calling to be missionary to China. Eric tells her: "I believe God made me for a purpose and that purpose is China, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure."

I know what it's like to feel God's pleasure and I feel it when I hike. I feel God's pleasure in my body in the rhythm of walking and breathing. I know the joy and satisfaction of hiking over a steep mountain pass or covering 20+ miles a day. I feel God's pleasure in nature: "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good" Genesis 1:31. I feel the sun, wind, and rain and hear the sounds of nature. I see the clouds, trees, flowers and grass and rejoice in knowing the God who made it all. Here is a good blog post that also takes Eric Liddell's words and applies them in a very theological and practical way. You don't have to hike 2,650 miles to honor God with your body! Keep calm and hike on.

"The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why." Mark Twain

The Bible

I love this quote! Don't skip it just because it is long.

“I don't think it is enough appreciated how much an outdoor book the Bible is. It is a "hypaethral book," such as Thoreau talked about - a book open to the sky. It is best read and understood outdoors, and the farther outdoors the better. Or that has been my experience of it. Passages that within walls seem improbable or incredible, outdoors seem merely natural. This is because outdoors we are confronted everywhere with wonders; we see that the miraculous is not extraordinary but the common mode of existence. It is our daily bread. Whoever really has considered the lilies of the field or the birds of the air and pondered the improbability of their existence in this warm world within the cold and empty stellar distances will hardly balk at the turning of water into wine - which was, after all, a very small miracle. We forget the greater and still continuing miracle by which water (with soil and sunlight) is turned into grapes.” Wendell Berry

I have a Bible on my iPhone to read and mp3 player to listen to and I look forward to hearing the Bible in a fresh new way as I hike, listen and read.