The Beulah Land Blog
Unfortunately for me, there are few things in life that I find awe inspiring. It is almost as if I am always saying, “That’s all you’ve got”. I am not sure if it was my upbringing or if it is the world we live in. I lean more on thinking it is all about the society in which we live. We are always searching for bigger, faster, cheaper. It puts us into this state of bemusement. I do worry that one day this fast moving society will come crashing down and all the surviving generations will not know how to cope with the changes. However, that is a thought for another post. Even though it seems I can’t find anything that is awe inspiring, there is one thing that always makes me stop and drop my jaw; it’s the ocean. If God were to reside anywhere on this earth I think it would be on the ocean somewhere. When I stand on the shore, no matter which one, with the salt spray hitting my face looking out on the vastness, my mind wanders to God. This is God’s power. This is God’s beauty. This is God’s grace.
There is not a force on this earth that can stop the power of the ocean. We have seen its power recently with Irene. You pile sand bags a mile high, and if the ocean so chooses, they don’t stand a chance. Man can build levies to protect cities, but they don’t stand a chance. We are not in control as much as we pretend we are. Scripture shows us the powerful hand of God many times. All the plagues in Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the list goes on. So, standing on the shore, here is where I can feel close to the power and majesty of God. Here is where you can look out to the horizon and see that you are small, and God is big.
I have had the opportunity to wake up to a view of the ocean many times in my life. When I was a child my family spent many summers in Gulf Shores, AL. While technically not the ocean, it works for me. The picture of the ocean, particularly at sunrise is most certainly awe inspiring. You look out and you see gentle waves stretching toward shore. The birds float on the gulf breeze with ease. This is the picture God created. So, if this is what He created, can you imagine the beauty of seeing His face? How marvelous must it be to see the light beaming off of His face much the same as the sun light shines off the ocean. The beauty of the ocean is never ending. You can travel the whole earth on water and make it back to where you started. Here is where God and the ocean are the same. God never ends; He never has to stop for anything. The beauty of God and the ocean goes on forever.
Anywhere we are to stand on dry ground is made possible because the ocean allows it to be so. Think about it. There is enough water in all the oceans of the earth to cover all the land that is on the earth. All the ocean would have to do is break its banks. We have already said there is nothing that man can do to stop the ocean. So, we are at its mercy. However, the ocean shows us its grace by staying in its banks. It doesn’t want to cause trouble. It is here for us, not against us. The ocean will and does show its mighty hand but the majority of the time it extends a hand of grace out to us. God is much the same way. He doesn’t want to be a vengeful God. He does show His power, but for the most part He wants nothing but peace for His children.
It might be a stretch to consider the ocean like God, but I feel closer to God when I am on the coast more than any other time. All because of the combination of feeling power through the roaring waves, seeing its vastness past the horizon, and knowing that the champagne shore is its gentle hand extending out to us, telling us that it’s okay to trust it. We can use it to support life. Humans for generations have used the ocean as a means to survive. I hope that humanity continues to use God’s great ocean in that manner. I also hope that through the ocean we can all find our place with God.
Ever since high school I have loved camping and backpacking. I did not grow up with a family that did either of those things. In many ways I guess that it is strange that I ending up loving camping. I thank my wife for introducing me to this world, along with my field studies teacher Mrs. Slate. Never the less, I love being outside. Yes, one could stay in cabins and consider themselves outdoors and “camping”. However, camping for me is a tent, propane stove, flashlights, lanterns, bug spray, and sleeping bags. There is something about the air you breathe when you are tucked away at a campground. The atmosphere and the company you share while camping is most likely the single most unique thing I can think of. Inside a campground everyone there becomes family. Everyone invites each other over to their fire to share marshmallows and fellowship. If you forgot ketchup for your hamburgers, just ask the people in the site next door.
All of these are the reasons that my wife and I were anxious and excited about getting our daughter into camping. We love it so much that we would be devastated if she did not enjoy it. Like most things in life, the only way for us to find out if our almost four year old liked camping was to jump right in. So, as a surprise for my wife and daughter I got a camp site at Monte Sano State Park. I got everything setup and ready to go and then told them to meet me up on the mountain at the park. It didn’t take long for me to know how my daughter was going to like it. As soon as she climbed out of the car, her face was in full amazement. That is when I knew, she was a camper. The weekend went well and she didn’t want to leave when we had to pack up. This is now going to become a family tradition. (I love those)
While I am on camping, I want to share with you the last thing that, to me, makes camping great. To camp normally means that you leave many of the “comfort” items you use at home, well, at home. You get to shed the pull of your cell phone, the hum of the air conditioner and stand in the presence of God; after all, it is His creation. Spending time outside in the middle of nature is like getting a big hug from the Almighty. The clarity of His voice is something to be marveled. The sound of all the creatures that He created just so this whole planet could work the way it is suppose to still amazes me. Out here is where God lives; outside is where God does His greatest work. For me it is almost impossible to hear God through all the clatter of my every day. I need times like these to remember exactly what it is God has called me and also my family to do.
I encourage you to go camping. Especially if you find yourself lost and in need of some words from God. Turn off your smart phone and leave your laptop in its bag. You don’t need those things to get closer to God. Being surrounded by God is the best way to hear His still small voice. Come and let God fill you up so that you can go back to your everyday refreshed with a new purpose and direction.
Imagine if you will that you are cruising along a long stretch of road in your sports car through the desert. You are having a good time when all of a sudden your engine starts sputtering. You try to give it more gas but the engine is not responding. Finally, it quits and you slowly coast over to the shoulder of the road. While you are trying to think of what could possible be the cause of the problem, you remember that you have neglected to preform some routine maintenance. For starters you aren’t sure if you have ever replaced the air filter since you bought the car three years ago. How could you have missed that simple task? That brings to mind all the things that not having proper fresh air through the intake can do to an engine. The spark plugs come to mind as you realize that they can be become dirty and start fouling out. Add those things to the hot, dry, and dusty environment you are currently driving in and you soon have come to a conclusion as to what happened. I have been this traveler stuck on the side of the road. I have been that person that was hoping a stranger would come along and help me. Have you?
Much like your nice sports car needs fresh air to stay running correctly, we need fresh air for our spiritual life to remain healthy. Spiritually speaking, fresh air can come in a few different forms. The easiest might be to take fresh air literally. Get outside! When we leave the confines of our air conditioned existence we are able to completely surround ourselves with God’s presence. Just take a walk in the evening and listen to the animals. Here in the south you can hear the cicadas buzzing away. All of that is God. You can stock up on Holy fresh air. So, after you finish this blog post, go outside. Breathe the air but first we must check on our filter.
All that fresh air must travel through the air filter in order to reach the engine. We all know that it won’t do much good if that filter is dirty and stained. In our spiritual lives we have our actions or our thought process as our filter. It can become dirty, clogged with negativity and sinful thoughts. Much like a re-chargeable air filter, we must be washed. Every day we need to be bathed in the Word. The Word will wash all the sin and dirt away. If you have skipped this crucial step in last several days, months, or years don’t worry. It doesn’t matter what kind of dirt or sin is keeping that Holy fresh air from getting inside, the Word can wash anything away.
After you have cleaned that re-chargeable air filter, your next step is to oil it. That way the dirt is less likely to stick and stop the air flow. Here is where our spiritual lives need community. That fellowship and community creates a barrier that sin has a hard time sticking to. It is less likely to cloud our judgment and affect our decisions. You will find that a community gets together and makes the job of bathing in the Word a joint effort. We should never be left to keep this maintenance up alone.
I hope this has shown you how important “fresh air” is for your car and your spiritual life. Our faith needs maintenance; make sure you don’t neglect it. If you find yourself stranded on the side of the road right now, looking for mercy from a stranger, I challenge you to pick up the Word and drown yourself in it. For losing yourself to the Word is where living begins.
Journey is the topic for this month’s Christian Writer’s Blog Chain. This is a warning, I went in a little different direction with Journey. I hope that is okay. Please take some time and read the other writers in this chain. They are a great group to be a part of and are all much more talented than I.
Most people consider life to be a journey. Some call it a race in which to be won. No matter what you consider life to be, it has never promised to be easy. Some of the things that make life difficult can be brought on by our own decisions. Working hard and obeying the golden rule generally keep you out of most journey’s hardships. Perhaps that is why Brent Berkshire couldn’t believe what his journey had handed him.
Growing up Brent was a good kid. He made decent grades in school and grew up in a traditional American house, the one with 2.2 kids, a house, and a pet. He managed to keep his nose clean and always found a sense of peace in the traditional Christian way. He was not necessarily raised in the church so to speak, but he enjoyed it there. Like the other aspects of his life, he kept his faith on a low profile and managed to never take anything for granted. He was certain he had things easier than some. He was able to talk to both of his parents, if he ever wanted to, and always had a meal on the table. Even not being close to his parents was okay for him, less emotional that way.
Now twenty-six and married his faith has grown and he strives to keep faith a priority in his family’s life. He has worked hard in his chosen career and has been given a great opportunity at a locally owned small business. Things were shaping up nicely. So they appeared.
One February morning, Brent was in his office finishing up a review on his company’s financial reports when his journey took a major detour. The phone rang and Brent noticed it was his mother. He thought about not answering it, normally the call would be about what family dinner was planned and on what night, but he picked up anyway. His mother was frantic, his father hadn’t come home last night and she had just spoken to him on the phone; he was in jail. She told Brent to call his father’s attorney to get all the information about what was happening. Brent quickly called the attorney’s office, never giving much thought to why his father actually had an attorney. What the attorney told Brent changed everything he knew about his father and the life that he had provided.
What follows will change what the role of father means to Brent and how he associates it with his faith. With Brent’s father serving a long prison sentence, Brent will have no choice but to turn to the only Father he really needs. Brent will use the strength given to him by his heavenly Father to piece together some mysteries from the past and patch together what is left of his mother and sister’s lives. Remember, God never said your journey would be easy, He said that He would never leave you.
