Life Lessons from the National Parks

May 21, 2013

I have set you apart to be Mine [says the Lord]. Leviticus 20:26

Let me catch you up on the newest members of the National Park Service (NPS).

First of all, we now have 59 national parks, with the re-designation of Pinnacles, which used to be a national monument (one of many titles for the 401 NPS units). Pinnacles is California’s ninth national park, after Yosemite, Redwood, Joshua Tree, Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Death Valley, Lassen Volcanic and Channel Islands.

Pinnacles, located 80 miles south of San Francisco, sits atop the remnants of a volcano, adjacent to the San Andreas Fault, and is known for its distinctive rock spires, called—you guessed it—pinnacles. It’s also recognized for its bird life—the park conducts a recovery program for the endangered California condor—and for its caves and as a great place for rock climbing.

The last park unit set aside as a national park was Great Sand Dunes in Colorado, in 2004 by legislation signed by President George W. Bush (only Congress can designate a national park). During his terms in office, President Bush also designated five national monuments, using the power of the Antiquities Act.

The Antiquities Act is a 1906 law that allows presidents to use their executive authority to set aside important sites for permanent protection. It was first employed by Theodore Roosevelt, and has been invoked by 16 succeeding presidents as a way of bypassing the lengthy Congressional approval process.

And this is what President Obama has done as well. In his first four years, he created four monuments: Cesar E. Chavez, at the farm labor leader’s home and workplace in California; Fort Monroe, a Civil War site in Virginia; Fort Ord, along the coastline in California; and the archeological site Chimney Rock in the San Juan National Forest in Colorado.

Now, he has named five more: First State (Delaware finally has an NPS unit—except that it shares it with Pennsylvania!), Charles Young Buffalo Soldiers in Ohio (Young was the first African American U.S. Army Colonel, and led the Buffalo Soldiers in protecting the first national parks), Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad in Maryland,  Rio Grande del Norte in New Mexico, and the San Juan Islands in Oregon and Washington State.

Note: Some of these sites actually are managed by government entities, in conjunction with the NPS, such as the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service.

The phrase “set apart” is used throughout Scripture to describe Christians, along with similar words like “consecrated,” “holy” and “sanctified” (which means “set apart”—it has the same root as “saint” and “holy”). Sanctification has three aspects. First, we’ve been “set apart” by our position in God’s family, which has been achieved for us not by anything we’ve done (Titus 3:5), but by Jesus’s death for our sins, for all the things we say, do and think that aren’t in line with God’s commands (1 Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:10,13:12). As we grow in our relationship with God, we’re progressively sanctified, that is, becoming more and more set apart for God’s use (1 Peter 1:14-16). Finally, we will be completely sanctified when we’re fully set apart for God in heaven (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Jude 24).

Having great lands and historic places set aside for our edification and enjoyment is a wonderful thing. Being set apart ourselves by the God who is “over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:6) is even better.

Comments (0) May 21 2013

December 6, 2012

The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. 2 Timothy 4:18

It’s that time of year again—time to light the National Christmas Tree!

And yes, it takes place in a national park.  The 90^th National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony takes place on the Ellipse at President’s Park in Washington, D.C. It begins at 4:30 p.m. tonight, and you can view it live at www.thenationaltree.org (in case you miss it, PBS will also be broadcasting it throughout December). The program is presented by the National Park Service and The National Park Foundation, the official charity of America’s national parks.

Of course, a tree lighting wouldn’t be complete without music. The pre-show will feature The Midtown Men, four stars from the original Broadway cast of Jersey Boys. During the actual show/ceremony, hosted by actor Neil Patrick Harris, the band The Fray; the U.S. Naval Band Commodores; pianist Evan Shinners; and singers Jason Mraz, James Taylor, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, Colbie Caillat and Phillip Phillips will perform. Actor Rico Rodriguez from television’s Modern Family also will appear (he just released a book, “Reel Life Lessons…So Far”—hey, he stole my title!). And, of course, President Obama and his family will flip the switch to light the tree (read all about the performers here).

Now, lest you think all this hoopla is being paid for by your tax dollars, please note that there are sponsors. The premier one is UL (Underwriters Laboratory), described as a “global safety organization” (you’ve undoubtedly seem its tags on tons of products). Its sponsorship is part of the company’s national safety campaign to educate consumers on how to keep their homes safe, especially during the holidays.

The statistics UL cites about fire risks this time of year are sobering: fires cause over $18 million dollars worth of property damage and injuries, and send more than 13,000 people to the emergency room. Fire sources include dry trees, damaged lights, frayed extension cords and unattended candles.

The apostle Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy while he was imprisoned in Rome under persecution by the emperor Nero. He was cold and alone in his cell (4:10-12) and was aware his death was near (4:6-8). Some friends had remained faithful, but others had deserted him (4:9-16, 19-21).

And yet—Paul could conclude this last epistle with hope. “The Lord stood with me, and strengthened me,” he assured Timothy (4:17), and he knew God would fully deliver him soon.

Hazards, difficulties, tests and trials—physical, emotional, mental and spiritual—surround us not only at Christmastime but all year around. Sometimes the happy holiday atmosphere only serves to intensify those problems. But no matter how alone we may feel, we’re not really. There is a Friend who sticks close (Proverbs 18:24), who will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and who has the power to help us in this world and deliver us to the next, where we will bask in His glorious presence, all problems forgotten (Revelation 21:4, 22:3-4).

Better than a UL guarantee!

Comments (0) Dec 06 2012

May 3, 2012

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son.           Hebrews 1:1, 2

Perhaps you caught a small news item in the papers a couple of months ago, concerning a startling discovery at New Jersey’s Thomas Edison National Historical Park (NHP).

When the Edison home and laboratory in West Orange were donated to the National Park Service in 1957, a quick inventory showed a wooden box with brown wax cylinders in it. Two words were scratched on the wood: “Edison” and “Wangemann.”

Thomas Edison developed the phonograph in the 1870s, as a result of his work on two other inventions, the telegraph and telephone. At first he used paper wrapped around a cylinder to record sounds; later he tried tin foil and then finally wax. Cylinders had many problems—they were fragile, could only record 2-4 minutes of material, and couldn’t be mass-produced. They continued to be used until the late 1920s, as superior disc recordings—which had been introduced in the early part of the 20^th century—gained popularity (read the full history here).

When Jerry Fabris became curator of the sound recording collection at the Edison museum in 1994, he began the long process of cataloging all 39,000 phonograph recordings—wax and disc—in the collection. He finally got around to the intriguing box in 2005, but didn’t have what he needed to convert into digital files the sounds from the dozen cylinders in the box that weren’t too badly broken.  In 2010 the Friends of the Thomas Edison NHP purchased the equipment and consultant services to do so.

When Fabris heard German, he thought he might have something important.

In 1889, Thomas Edison had sent Theo Wangemann to showcase Edison Phonograph Works machines at the Paris World’s Fair. While there Wangemann recorded, among other things, Johannes Brahms playing the piano (unfortunately, that cylinder was worn out before it could be copied).

Then Wangemann went on to his native Germany. But the recordings from that trip had been thought lost. Until Fabris uncovered them.

It took two years and two additional consultants before the voices on the cylinder were identified: Helmuth von Moltke, aide-de-camp to Kaiser Wilhelm and later chief of staff for the Prussian Army, and German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.

It wasn’t what they said that was so electrifying—Moltke read Shakespeare and other literature, while Bismarck recited songs and implored his son to live morally and moderately. It was the fact that the recording is believed to the only one of a person born in the 18^th century (Bismarck).

“In the 18^th century, the human voice was described as one of the most noble capacities of human beings,” writes Stephan Puille, the German researcher who identified Bismarck’s voice, in an email quoted in an Associated Press article. “Bismarck is no longer mute. I think his voice allows a new access to him.” An essay written by Puille about the Moltke/Bismarck recording is found here, and includes a link to the digital transcription.

It’s easy to understand why the researchers were excited to make this discovery—how amazing to be able to hear famous voices from 120 years ago!  But you know what’s even more wonderful? We have the voice of God—who’s existed from eternity past—every day! We have it written down in the Bible—the word of God, instructions from His voice for all to read, understand and follow. “For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach…But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it” (Deuteronomy 30:8, 10-14).

And while Moltke and Bismarck don’t say anything earth-shattering, God does. He shows His power, glory and yes, fury, through His thundering voice (Psalm 18:13-15, 29:3-7), and His comfort, strength and gentleness through a whisper (1 Kings 19:11, 12). At the beginning of His ministry, Jesus (described as the Word in human form—John 1:1, 14) was introduced by God as One with equal voice—“This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” (Matthew 17:5)—who too would proclaim truth (John 18:37). Jesus healed merely by speaking (Matthew 8:8:5-13), and commanded the wind and rain to cease with just a few words (Mark 4:36-39).

The Holy Spirit left behind after Jesus’s death and resurrection continues that ministry of communication  (John 16:13). And we can look forward to the day when “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with trumpet of God” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17), “when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live” (John 5:25).

Do you hear that voice speaking to you? I guarantee you it is. Oh, I’m not going to go all woo-woo on you, and tell you that He necessarily speaks audibly. But you’ll know the Good Shepherd’s call, because He makes it plain (John 10:1-11). And what He says will reach down into the deepest depths of your soul (Hebrews 4:12).

Of course, you can stop up your ears and refuse to hear or believe (John 8:45). The children of Israel challenged God’s authority and rebelled, and failed to enter the land He had promised them and instead died in the wilderness (Psalm 95:7-11, Hebrews 3:7-11, Numbers 14-21). A more dire fate awaits those who ignore God’s compelling voice—eternal separation from Him (Luke 16:19-31). “See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking,” the writer of Hebrews solemnly concludes. “For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven” (Hebrews 12:25).

As the German researcher noted, those long-ago historical voices are no longer mute, and are now accessible. It’s great that they were able to be captured off those brittle cylinders so now everyone can hear them via Internet.

But God’s never been silent, as the first verse of Hebrews notes. He’s always been available (Psalm 145:18, James 4:8), for the whole world (John 3:16). And He and His Word live forever (Psalm 9:7, Isaiah 40:8, Daniel 7:14, Hebrews 13:8).

All we have to do is listen.

Comments (0) May 04 2012

April 25, 2012

The very hairs of your head are all numbered.  Matthew 10:30

The statistics on national park visitation in 2011 are out. They show that among the National Park Service units (all 397 of them), the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia was the most visited. A close second is on the opposite coast, California’s Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Of the 58 units designated as National Parks, Great Smoky Mountains is number one; Grand Canyon is in second place, with nearly 5 million less visitors. An exhaustive list of the numbers for each unit, searchable by location, name and ranking, can be found here.

Behind these figures is recent data showing that “the average visitor to some of the nation’s parks and wilderness areas is getting grayer,” according to an article in USA Today. It’s a worrisome trend. “Without ‘a generation of kids who have had good experiences with national parks, then in a very short amount of time, we may not have enough people who care about [them] to keep them going,’ says John Hayes of the Dunes Learning Center at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.”

Reaching out to young people in a variety of ways is a priority of the Park Service. Disney is even getting in on the act, awarding the National Park Foundation $500,000 to help connect kids and families to nature through the parks. The money will go specifically to the foundation’s “Ticket to Ride” and “America’s Best Idea” programs, which provide transportation to and support community projects in the parks.

As you might know, there’s a book in the Bible called Numbers. It’s part of the Pentateuch, or Torah, the first five books of the Jewish and Christian scriptures. The Hebrew title is taken from its first verse, and means “in the wilderness,” because most of Numbers records the history of the Israelites in the forty years of wandering in the Sinai wilderness. The Greek translation of the Old Testament entitles the book Numbers, because of the prominence of census figures (in chapters 1-3 and 26). Numbers also contains a well-known and beautiful blessing: “The Lord bless you, and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance on you, and give you peace” (6:24-26).

Numbers was written at the same time as the book of Exodus, with the same author—Moses. It was he who brought the Hebrews out of Egypt after 430 years of bondage (Exodus 3-14), planning to lead them to the land God had set aside for them (Exodus 3:8, Genesis 13:14-17).

Unfortunately, once they crossed the Red Sea into the desert region between Egypt and Palestine, they forsook gratitude and began complaining. “Would that we had died by the Lord’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you [Moses] have brought us out into this wilderness to kill us” (Exodus 16:3). They forgot that the God who miraculously made a way for them to escape slavery was more than able to provide them with food, water and anything else they needed as they traveled toward the Promised Land.

Things got so bad that finally the Lord decreed, “Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to you…Your children, however…I will bring them in, and they shall know the land which you have rejected. But as for you, your corpses shall fall in this wilderness. And your sons shall be shepherds for forty years in the wilderness, and they shall suffer for your unfaithfulness” (Numbers 14:30-33).  Only two men who remained faithful—Caleb and Joshua—survived to enter the land.

Life holds plenty of wildernesses, but God has vowed He will help us through them (John 16:33). “Be strong and courageous,” Moses encouraged the people, “do not be afraid or tremble, for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). That same message is repeated over and over again throughout Scripture (Joshua 11:6-9, 1 Chronicles 28:20, Hebrews 13:5, among other verses).

The God who knows us so well that He keeps track of every hair on our head is certainly big enough to handle anything that happens to us.

I’m “counting” on that!

Comments (1) Apr 25 2012

November 9, 2011

I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord. Psalm 27:13, 14

I’m struck by the string of tragedies in the national parks that have made national news this past year:

–A grizzly bear killed a man hiking with his wife in Yellowstone, the first death from a bear there in 25 years.

–In Yosemite, three people plunged over Vernal Fall  after they crossed a guardrail and wandered too close to the precipice. A woman descending Half Dome slipped during a thunderstorm and fell to her death. Overall, there have 17 fatalities at the park, 6 of them water-related.

–A man fell 300 feet down into the caldera that makes up Oregon’s Crater Lake after he went beyond a park barrier at an overlook and slid partway down toward the lake.

–A woman was swept over Niagara Falls after straddling a railing and losing her balance.

Disasters come in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes we bring trouble on ourselves by disregarding safety precautions, not using common sense or simply by making a mistake. For example, here are the opening paragraphs of this article on Yahoo News, entitled “Half Dome Survivors Wished They Had Taken Heed:”

Armando Castillo knew he should not attempt the last treacherous stretch up Half Dome with storm clouds looming. But he felt he had come too far not to accomplish his goal.

So up the side of the slick, granite monolith he went, 400 vertical feet at nearly a 40 percent grade.

 “About three-quarters of the way up it started hailing,” he said. “There’s a bunch of people and everybody just stops. Some women started crying because it was slippery and pretty scary. Then it cleared up.”

While others turned back, Castillo pushed on up the park’s iconic feature, making him one of Yosemite National Park’s worst nightmares— the increasing number of wilderness neophytes who mistakenly think the government is obligated to save them.

“People are pushing their luck, trying to beat the weather, and their backup plan is to call for a rescue,” said Mark Marschall, project manager for the Half Dome interim permit program. “They’re not understanding what that means. We can’t fly in that kind of weather. They’re on their own.”

 Those hikers were fortunate—they all eventually made it down okay. Nevertheless, they put themselves at risk by ignoring the warnings from the weather and posted signs.

But sometimes problems happen…just because. One minute we’re walking along, minding our own business, and trouble suddenly comes upon us, like the grizzly, which was defending her young. (There are signs noting that bears are in that area of Yosemite, although attacks are rare. Hikers are advised to make noise, travel in groups and carry bear spray, highly effective in warding off attacks.). Or circumstances beyond our control sweep us off our feet, like the rock climber, who was using cables installed to guide people along that particular steep stretch when the storm came up.

Ironically, Timothy Egan, writing in The New York Times, believes that the more national park rangers try to caution visitors about hazardous conditions, the more careless people seem to become. But there’s only so much the rangers can do, he concludes:

There will always be steep cliffs, deep water, and ornery unpredictable animals in that messy part of the national habitat not crossed by climate-controlled malls and processed-food emporiums. If people expect a grizzly bear to be benign, or think a glacier is just another variant of a theme park slide, it’s not the fault of the government when something goes fatally wrong..[I]t’s impossible to safety-proof a national park.

 Life, like nature, is risky and uncertain. In this current economic climate, we’ve seen government bailouts, both here and abroad. The news carries a seemingly endless string of turmoil, wars and other dire reports.

And perhaps your life is in turmoil, not only financially but emotionally, physically and spiritually. Maybe you’ve lost your job or you’re sick, and you feel lost and confused, and you’re finding that government, friends, family and even your own determination to pull yourself up by the bootstraps haven’t shielded you from disaster.

That’s because, ultimately, they never will. When it comes down to it, just like those hikers stuck on Half Dome, we’re all on our own. Certainly there’s a place for government help, and everyone needs the support of loved ones in times of crisis. But steep cliffs, deep water, and ornery unpredictable animals (and people!) will always be a messy part of life, and no organization, person or positive attitude can fully safety-proof us from them.

Now, you might think I’m about to say that God will. Nope. One thing I love about Scripture is that it’s real and down to earth. The Bible doesn’t sugar coat the way things are. “In this world you will have trouble,” Jesus bluntly says in John 16:33. Romans 8:35-36 lists some of the possibilities—hardship, persecution, lack of life’s necessities, danger, war.

Ah, but then comes the good part:

But take heart! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

If God are for us, who can be against us?…In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us…Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31, 37-39)

No temptation [trial] has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not let you be tempted [tested] beyond what you are able to bear, but with the temptation [trial] will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

God Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I every forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

No, we can’t necessarily expect rescue from life’s problems this side of heaven, but right now and for all our tomorrows, if we have put our trust in God, we can expect Him to supply us the power to bear whatever comes down the trail.

P.S. You can get into the national parks for free this coming weekend, November 11-13, in honor of Veterans Day!

Comments (3) Nov 09 2011

August 30, 2010

Now is the day of salvation. 2 Corinthians 6:2

America is still struggling through economic woes for sure, but I see some hopeful signs of recovery, both nationally and personally. In the past few months, two people I know have gotten jobs after looking for a long time—one of them is my daughter (yay!).

Friday’s New York Times ran an article about how vacation travel is rebounding, but with an emphasis on frugality. That’s good news for the National Park Service (NPS), which expects about 285 million visitors this year. Already, the number of tourists at big parks like Yellowstone, Yosemite and Death Valley exceeds last year’s totals. The Times piece quotes an NPS spokesman as saying, “We usually see an uptick in visitation when times are tough.”

That phrase made me wonder if church attendance had gone up as well, and according to a Gallup poll, it has “inched up” so far in 2010. But the organization adds this caveat:

There has been well-publicized speculation about the possibility that church attendance has risen over the past two years as Americans became more despondent and worried as a result of the economic recession. However, trends in Gallup’s Economic Confidence Index, an ongoing measure of perceived economic confidence, reflect just the opposite pattern, with both church attendance and economic confidence increasing from 2008 to 2009, and now into 2010.

Such correlations do not prove causality, and it is possible that despite the more positive economic confidence, other economic realities such as unemployment could be related to the increase in church attendance. Still, these particular population-level data do little to directly support the theory that people seek out the solace of religion, as measured in religious service participation, when economic times turn tough.

So what does it take for us to turn to God? The first thing is the conviction of the Holy Spirit, that is, as Charles Ryrie explains it in his study Bible, “to set forth the truth of the Gospel in such a clear light that [people] are able to accept or reject it intelligently; i.e., to convince [them] of the truthfulness of the Gospel. The Spirit will help break down the indifference of the typical pagan who has no conviction of sin, who holds a low regard for righteousness, and who pays no heed to warnings of the coming judgment” (from John 16:8-11).

As Ryrie notes, we are free to accept or reject this truth; however, the middle ground—indifference—is a more typical response among unbelievers. The apostle Peter warns of this attitude: “’Where is the promise of His coming? [they say] Everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.’ But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed [and] by the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of [the] ungodly” (2 Peter 3:4-7). In other words, God’s work in creation is proof enough that He does what He says He will do.

But still there are those who will say, “Okay, okay, I get it. But I’ll think about it later.” Have you ever heard the Winans’ song, “Tomorrow” (not the one from the musical Annie)? If you’re not familiar with it, please listen to them sing it on youtube.

No, tomorrow is not promised, as the song concludes.

What God does promise is today, and eternity (Hebrews 13:6, John 3:16).

If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Savior and as Lord of your life, better choose the Lord today.

For tomorrow very well might be too late.

Comments (2) Sep 01 2010