Still Thought 1

Be still.
Recently my wife and I camped on the Okanagan River in Southern British Columbia. We spent a wonderful 2 weeks stepping out of our daily routine, waking up to a hot cup of coffee overlooking the rushing water, packing a few snacks and heading off on a trail for the morning to see and discover many things that we called "trail treasures" - a gold finch, bright pink lily pad blossom, blue heron and rows of grape vines that will produce a mellow chardonnay. As we walked along the river we came across a conservation volunteer who was working on a major project. She explained that in the 1930's, for irrigation purposes, the river was turned into a straight channel and they were now restoring it to its' natural condition, so that wildlife and fish would flourish. This would involve adding boulders, river bends, islands of gravel and sand, fallen trees and the like. These obstacles allow for the river's flow to slow, without becoming stagnant. In these pockets new life forms, insects appear on the surface, minnows arrive to eat the insects, larger fish are attracted to minnows, frogs and turtles have a place to hang out and so forth. Without these still spots in the river, life often doesn't grow or thrive.

In my own river of life there are times when the still water does not exist. I get so busy with daily activities, some as mindless as watching TV for hours on end.

Jesus knew the importance of creating times of stillness in our lives when he said to his apostles, "let's go off to a quiet place and rest a while." Mark 6:31. "He said this because there were so many people coming and going that they didn't even have time to eat." As I read this verse, I realize that, we too can be bombarded with many things that occupy our time, especially technology which keeps us connected 24/7/365. I can also recall our own dinner times that seem to last only a few minutes before everybody splits.

To know the Lord more, I am realizing the importance of slowing down the flow of things in my own life, making moments to just be still and more aware of His presence in all of creation. To make this happen I will have to be more deliberate about placing a few extra "boulders" in my own path.
Let's take a moment right now to spend some quiet the Lord.

Still Thought 2

Be still and know that I am God. And He will be exaulted! Psalm 46:10
Often in the sight of the Lord, a physical gesture will have heavenly results. For example, when Jesus rubbed a mixture of dirt and spit over a blind man's eyes and he was able to see. I'm sure the same result could have taken place with just a simple command, "open your eyes" or when Jacob wrestled with an angel until he received a blessing from God in Genesis 33.

Just digging a little deeper, the Hebrew word for still is raphah which means to let go, be inactive or cease activity. In Biblical commentaries there are two contexts of this verse, one deals with Israel's enemies ceasing from attacks or war against God's people, the other talks about the people themselves resigning from action and taking comfort in God's almighty power and ultimate control of everything.

For me, the physical act of taking a moment each day in my hectic life to put aside busyness, worldly noise, distractions, media, tv, cell phones etc. to just be still before the Lord, helps remind me of God's providence and control of all things in my life. And by doing this, the second part of this verse takes on a special meaning..."He will be exaulted!"

Join me in taking a moment to be still before the Lord, right now. Then listen to "He is exaulted" in the Worship music section.

Still Thought 3

Today is Sunday.
I didn't realize this, but since the beginning of the world the first ultimate act of stillness occurred in Genesis 2:1 "on the 7th day God finished creation and He ceased all His work and declared the Sabbath holy." I am beginning to realize that this has profound implications for my own spiritual walk. What this means to me is that while we can worship God anytime throughout the week, Sunday is a special day that I should set aside for this purpose.

In his book, the Meaning of Prayer, Harry Fosdick writes, "remember the Sabbath to keep it holy is God's command (not suggestion), but the experience of our race is clear that to keep one day of our week uniquely sacred (Sunday), will make all the days of the week more sacred." In short, remembering the Sabbath is the "tail that wags the dog". Fosdick, wrote this in 1910 and I think today we have more of a struggle with keeping Sunday special for the Lord, then any other time in history. On one of our RV trips we had the pleasure of spending Saturday night in a Walmart parking lot (I don't recommend this unless you have to). The next morning by 8 am the lot was already full of cars with people shopping and going about their daily business. When I was a kid, stores were still closed on Sunday and even if we were tempted to do our shopping for the week, we couldn't. The main events for me were going to church (worship), sitting down with family to a roast beef dinner for a couple of hours, reading or taking a walk and being with family and friends the the rest of day. What a novel idea-- Sunday can actually be a day of rest (from our many other weekly activities) and glorify God at the same time. From a worldly standpoint, all those years could have been a lot more productive--shopping, taking work home from the office, cutting the grass, cleaning the house, but for whom? I wonder if the Lord gave us this commandment because He already knew we are capable of being busy, connected, networked 24/7/365?

When our boys were growing up and applying for summer jobs at the local grocery store I always encouraged them to tell the manager that they observe the Sabbath. "But dad, they won't hire us!" they would say. "Don't worry God will provide" I would say, and every time the manager would call the next week and say "you've got the job". I wonder if he also knew importance of having this core value.

Of course it would be very easy to get caught up in the debate of what is allowed on Sunday, just as Jesus was questioned by the pharisees when they saw His disciples picking and eating grain for dinner in Mathew 12. Jesus' response focused on doing good, acts of kindness above the law. In this same way, God looks at our intention or heart in keeping the Sabbath holy, which is nicely summarized in my Biblical concordance -- a day set aside to honour God through rest and worship.

Even now, as an adult it's easy to get sidetracked and as the father in our home, I try to lead by example and provide some guidance to my own family. We try to make Sunday holy by doing the following: worship together at our church, spend a few moments before worship to listen to Christian music or read a devotion, put off any form of business or commercial activity until Monday if possible, spend time enjoying God's creation with a walk, enjoy a family dinner together, get to know friends and have them over in the evening for dessert and coffee and most of all, try not to camp in the Walmart parking lot on Saturday night!
Join me in making this Sunday a special day for the Lord..."and He will be exaulted."

PS. After being involved with hospitals for 25 years, I also realize there are some professions that can't shut down on Sundays. If you find yourself in this situation, make another day of the week your Sabbath...."and He will be exaulted."

Still Thought 4

And know that I am God. Last week we brought our middle son, Phil back to university in Edmonton where he joined his brother Ben for another year. In route we camped at the base of Mt. Robson and took a 10 km. walk along a rushing river to Kinney lake, probably the most beautiful setting, in my opinion, that I've ever seen. The turquoise water under 14,000 ft. snow capped peaks is absolutely breathtaking and stops you in your tracks. It's not hard to be still and observe the majesty of the surrounding mountains and waterfalls. This time brought back memories of when my sons and I had a discussion about God in high school --Who created the world? How do we know God exists? Why should we believe in God? I shared with them that for me, knowing there is a God is a combination of fact, faith and following. The fact part is creation, especially when I see the majesty and complexity of all that exists. I know people who argue about how the world came into being, but something happened this summer that has made my conviction about God even stronger. On our vacation, we visited a world renown Astrophysical Observatory that uses radio waves to map the universe. Radio waves can reach farther than telescopes in determining what's out there and how much. The astrophysicist that led the tour answered many questions and explained that we are part of the milky way galaxy which contains billions of stars and beyond our galaxy there are millions of other galaxies in the universe! Of course, someone asked him, "is there life (extraterrestrial) out there?" He answered that he personally knows the people that run that institute and to this date they have not found any sign of life outside of our earth. For me, to know that the earth and its' inhabitants are unique in the universe of billions of galaxies helps me believe there actually is God -- a divine Creator. On the other hand, the whole concept of beginning of time, space, universe is so incomprehensible, even beyond my imagination. But then God did something I can totally relate to -- He created me and everyone before me in His image and gave us a wonderful place to live within the universe. To know God and have relationship with Him is where the faith part comes in. As Paul states in Hebrews, faith is "believing in things we don't see" and sometimes as humans we tend to only believe in things we can actually see in real life, like watching President Obama on TV. Maybe this is where the phrase "seeing is believing" came from. Even the Israelites were challenged with this and built a golden calf, something they could feel and see, to worship in place of God. Jesus' own disciples who could see and hear him also had trouble with this and often asked for signs and wonders. For me, the way to overcome doubt is to put faith (belief in God) into action. Fortunately, God helps me do this through His Word, the Bible and the gift of His Holy Spirit. And this is where the following part comes in --if you start by believing in God our Creator, then follow the instruction of His Word in the Bible there is no doubt that words of the psalmist, "and know that I am God" will become real for you. Join me right now in acknowledging the the God of the Universe, His Son and Holy Spirit with moment of silence and by listening to God of Wonders in the Worship Music section of this blog. If you don't know God and want to, just say ,"Lord of all Creation, I want to know you more, please come into my life right now". Leave a comment on this blog for further guidance. PS. If you'd like to see photos of Kinney Lake play "the Lord is my Song" in the Worship Music Section.

Still Thought 5

Age of Frustration.
Does anyone out there get the feeling that we are living in an age of frustration? Maybe you're not like me, thank goodness, but it's easy to be frustrated with anything starting with the moment you get out of bed. I wish this coffee maker would speed up. What's with this microwave I thought 1 minute was enough to heat breakfast. And as the day progresses it gets worse--this traffic light is so long, move over slowpoke I've got to get to Krispy Kreme before the "Hot Now" sign goes off. And those phone calls where the receptionist says, "can I put you on hold?" And my favorite -- "How come the internet is so slow, I thought we ordered speed of light package."

Some of my friends joke about this story, but the last time I went to BurgerKing, I asked the server if I could get a Whopper pattie fresh off the grill, rather than one thats been pre-cooked and in a warming tray. "No problem was the answer, but you'll have to wait 5 minutes". That was the best Whopper I had in my life! Hot, juicy, tasty. I told the manager and asked why they don't do that for every burger, he answered, "no one would wait that long!" It seems like the slower things go in our society, the more frustrated we become.

Growing up I had the joy of spending time with my grandparents in a little ranch house in northern California. While I sometimes saw that my grandmother was tired, she was never frustrated. When she got up in the morning, she would light the potbelly stove, we all sat around anxiously awaiting its' warmth to fill the air. She put on a pot of tea or coffee and we enjoyed that together by the stove for at least a 1/2 hour before anybody got out of their pj's. Then the steel cut oatmeal went into a cast iron pan, my grandma refused to use teflon, and she would always say, "it takes a good 1/2 hour for this to cook properly. We then enjoyed breakfast together, not madly running off in all directions, like our family does now--my son still has several cereal bowls in our car. My grandparents were married for 60 years and I wonder if unrushed mornings together had anything to do with it?

In Matthew 6:25, Jesus says, "Be not anxious about anything, for your heavenly Father will look after you." It's really hard not to be anxious in an age of anxiety. And how do you tell someone who's lost their job or who is sick -- "be not anxious". For me, when anxious or frustrated it's helpful to combine this passage in Matthew 6 with a verse in Isaiah 6, "and they worshiped Him by singing, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord, the earth is filled with His glory." So now, when I'm anxious, worried or frustrated about something it's like that traffic signal that turns from red to green, with the green light my signal to direct my thoughts to worshiping the Lord, saying "You are Holy", even for a moment. In his book, My Utmost for His Highest, Oswald Chambers says that to get through any crisis or anxiety in our lives, we must have an existing pattern of worshiping God in "everyday occasions" throughout the week. This can be done at home, work or play. As discussed in the PURPOSE section of this blog, this is very easily accomplished with a moment of silence, worship song and the phrase ,"Lord you are worthy"! I think you'll find the result of doing this will be far greater than waiting 5 minutes for a fresh Whopper.

In the mind of Oswald Chambers life's highest calling is worshiping the Lord. Why not join me in reducing any anxiety or frustration you have in your life right now. Take a moment to listen to "I stand in Awe of You" , in the Worship Music section, close your eyes and say, "Lord you are Holy and Worthy."

Still Thought 6

Camped @ Kerith Creek.

This story of Elijah in 1 Kings 17 has had a profound impact on my own life. Here's Elijah, quite overwhelmed and burned out from constant conflict with the people of Israel, King Ahab, Jezibel, and prophets of Baal and how does God help him deal with the situation--He tells him to camp at Kerith Creek, a small brook in rocky, desert terrain.

In the midst of the storm, God calls him to retreat, "get out of the hot kitchen", park himself along side a stream in the desert, be quiet, don't worry about food, water or shelter, rest, soak up sun, just live day by day, etc. As Christians sometimes we feel that if we're not doing something, meeting a challenge head on or taking the "bull by the horns" we lack faith or power. Our modern day society and media reinforces this concept of quick fixes, instant remedies and self empowerment. It was quite the opposite in Elijah's case, by removing him from the situation, giving him a long rest from conflict, God was empowering him and building his reliance on Him. I once heard that Elijah suffered from anxiety, depression, stress and I can understand why, afterall he was human. To help him through this, God didn't give him a good pep talk or send in an army of angels, he simply put him beside a creek. How simple! How brilliant! How uncomplicatated! How freeing! How creative! How nice!

After 30 years of working in a fairly intense, stressful career I felt that God was calling me to take some creek time in my own life. He was asking or telling me to put aside my avid pursuit of financial security, achievement of personal and career goals and just live day to day, relying on Him to provide. How scarey! Last fall I resigned from a job I held for 20 years and for 2 months the Camino Trail in Spain became my brook Kerith. 800 km of meandering paths and roads, much of it through dry, dusty regions, along beautiful little creeks. How peaceful! How wonderful!

We didn't buy a guidebook with all the 4 star places to eat or stay. Instead we relied on God to provide for our needs with shelter and food each moment the along way. To help us acknowledge our dependence on God, we started each day by saying the Lord's prayer. Although at times, living moment to moment was somewhat unsettling for someone like me who likes to be in control, it was a wonderful way to go!

Now that we're back home, I still gravitate to a creek bed on my weekly walks with family and friends. Sometimes in the desert like conditions of our local terrain, we come across a little trickle of a stream surrounded by catus and sage and I just park myself for an hour or so....and think of Elijah camped @ Kerith creek.

Maybe at this time of your life, rather than saying "be strong", "fight on" or "accomplish more" God is saying "retreat", go to a quiet place for more than a moment or two, search out a Kerith creek for a day, week, month or even a season and just allow Him to provide for all your needs -- physically, emotionally and spiritually. Why not take the first step right now by spending a quiet moment with Lord and saying, "Lord, show me a Kerith creek and more importantly give me the faith and courage to go there". Listen to I am the Bread of Life in the worship music section.