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

October 4, 2012

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Psalm 61:2

In case you’ve been wondering where I’ve been since August—I’ve been helping my mother move! And now I’m getting back up to speed on what’s happening in our national parks…

I recently read an article in The New York Times about a professional rock climber who scaled Yosemite National Park’s three biggest rock faces in succession, alone, and in less than 24 hours.

My first thought was, there are people who are professional rock climbers? Second: Is he nuts? Third: Just the idea of it gives me the willies.

Seriously though, this task is called the triple, and Alex Honnold’s quest involved going straight up Mount Watkins, El Capitan and Half Dome, which total about 7,000 vertical feet.

But here’s the unbelievably scary part: Except for 500 feet, he ascended with no ropes or safety equipment.

“There is nothing in sports that compares to this,” says climber John Long in the article. “The physical exertion alone is amazing.” Most people need several days to tackle even one of those rock walls, and only a handful of climbers—at most—are capable of doing it in one day.

The reporter who observed Honnold complete the feat said watching was both “terrifying and impressive.” He also noted the comments of a nearby hiker: “Dude, are you serious! I can’t look.”

My feelings exactly…(if your stomach can take it, check out the piece on him from 60 Minutes).

The reason this story stuck in my head—aside from the fact that it’s about the national parks—is that we had sung the hymn “Higher Ground” in church the previous week. The second verse had really caught my attention:

My heart has no desire to stay

Where doubts arise and fears dismay;

Though some may dwell where these abound,

My prayer, my aim is higher ground.

This year, I’ve been working hard on prayerfully combating the myriad of anxieties that parade along well-worn tracks in my brain on a depressingly regular basis. On the Sunday morning I was re-introduced to this oldie-but-goodie song, I realized all over again that I really, really don’t want to wallow in the lowlands of doubt and fear anymore. Just like Alex Honnold, I’m aiming for higher ground.

Unlike him, though, I don’t have anything to prove by going it alone, nor does God ask or even want me to. My “triple”—Father, Son and Holy Spirit—supply the “everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27) I need for the journey. And when I’m all done, I’m headed even higher, to my forever home.

What “rock walls” are you facing? What’s keeping you in the valley instead of looking—and going—up? The trek may be terrifying at times, and the world might call you crazy, but the rewards from God are great (Hebrews 11:6).

As for the national parks, well, I’ll just stick to the trails, thank you very much…

Comments (0) Oct 04 2012

April 17, 2012

Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Isaiah 55:1-3

Good news for all you iphone, ipod touch and ipad users who love the national parks—the Passport to Your National Parks app is now here! (Sorry Android users—you’ll have to wait a bit.)

The app contains a database of all 397 units of the National Park Service, which you can search by name, state or region. Each listing provides addresses, phone numbers, maps, directions, entrance fee information, upcoming events and a brief description. A GPS function locates a site within 50 to 250 miles of your location. And it’s also interactive: you can digitally log your visits to each park and make lists of ones you want to visit in the future, and even add photos.

Best of all—it’s free! Just go to the itunes store and download it.

And here’s more freebies: the app developing company Chimani will once again give away its national park apps in celebration of National Park Week April 21-29. And they are for Apple and Android operating systems. The apps normally sell for $4.99-$9.99, so this is a terrific bargain. Last year, when the company began the giveaway program, over 100,000 apps were downloaded; this year it hopes to top the million mark, so go for it!

Among the Chimani apps are Acadia, Cuyahoga Valley, Grand Canyon, Great Smoky Mountains, Rocky Mountain, Yellowstone, Yosemite and Zion National Parks; as well as Cape Cod National Seashore and the general National Park app, which the company calls “a virtual passport for tracking visits to all national parks.” Each app’s information is constantly updated, with maps, shuttle bus schedules (no cost to ride!), restroom locations, auto touring points of interest, hiking guides, sunrise and sunset times for the most memorable scenic overlooks, tide schedules, lodging options, and more. The Android version is available from Google Play; the Apple versions, again, from itunes.

Two other freebies I’ve found online are from MapQuest National Parks and Conde Nast Traveler. Both feature a series of beautiful photography and/or videos of the parks, accessible from the comfort of your desktop.

Oh, and the final piece of news? National Park Week means entrance to all the Park Service locations are free April 21-29! So you can put all those apps to good use! But even if you don’t have any of these devices, you can still have a great time at no cost.

Have I mentioned that all these things are free? Well, some at least for a limited time only…

I love a bargain. Even better, I love getting stuff for free. To me, the ultimate freebie is freedom from sin and guilt through the death and resurrection of God’s Son Jesus. That freedom—salvation, eternal life—is a free gift (Romans 6:23), a gracious present from God we did nothing to deserve and can’t earn (Ephesians 2:8, 9), and available to everyone anytime, anywhere (John 3:16, 6:37; 2 Peter 3:9).

Putting it in app terms—we can download Jesus for free!

Comments (1) Apr 17 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

March 23, 2011

For lo, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. Song of Solomon 2:11, 12

My calendar says spring, yet there’s a coating of snow on the lawn!

It’s not often that I quote the King James Version of the Bible. In the first phrase of the verse above, the New International Version starts off with, “See!” and the New American Standard translates it, “For behold.” But I love the poetry of the KJV here—it captures the wonder and joy of spring in the air!

Several people have sent me this video about Yosemite National Park’s frazil ice flows, unique events that occurs during March and April in the Yosemite Valley waterfalls. Rangers call the flows—which look like snow but are actually small crystals of frozen mist—“magical,” and visitors come specifically to see the phenomena. The appearance of frazil ice means spring is on its way!

If you haven’t seen the video, take a look. Share the wonder of God’s creation. Rejoice that He is in control over all the earth, setting “an appointed time for everything [and making] everything beautiful in its time” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 19).

Happy spring!

Comments (3) Mar 23 2011

March 7, 2011

First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, [saying], “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised? Ever since our fathers died, 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 out of water and by water…But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:3-4, 8-9

Get ready to have a better experience at Yosemite.

If the number of annual visitors to the national park continues on its upward trend, it just might reach the benchmark figure of 4 million for 2010 (final statistics are not in yet). Nearly half of the visitors come during June, July and August, and the most popular place they go is Yosemite Valley, where Half Dome, El Capitan and Yosemite Falls are located.

The 4,000,000 mark hasn’t been reached since the mid-1990s. Back then, park officials simply closed the gates when there were too many cars. Then the park began using summer staff, mostly young people employed only for the peak summer months, to guide motorists to parking and help them find less congested areas to visit.

This year, a new $1.2 million traffic-tracking system will be introduced. Underground sensors at park gates and an extensive computer network will send out constant updates on crowded areas. Visitors can get the updates via cell phone or online. Park personnel also will be able to project traffic flow and anticipate when the number of visitors peak at certain spots, and direct people accordingly.

Oh, the crowds will still be there. It’s not like this new system will keep them away. The National Park Service doesn’t want to keep anyone out anyway; they just want to manage the crowds better. It’s all about finding balance between accessibility and environmental impact, about meeting the needs of today’s Yosemite visitors while preserving the park for generations to come.

The here-and-now versus the future: isn’t that the dilemma we face every day, sometimes every minute? We try to figure out how much money to spend for our daily requirements and wants, and how much to save for retirement. We debate enjoying dessert after dinner over how that will impact the number on the scale if we keep it up. We vascillate between doing something now or leaving it for later. The decisions we make range from inconsequential (“I’ll do the dishes in the morning”) to life-threatening (“I’m too afraid of what these symptoms mean to schedule a doctor’s appointment”).

This spills over into our spiritual life as well. Consider these phrases:

–“I believe there’s a God, but I’m not ready to get serious about religion just yet.”

–“I’m a good person, and I think God will let me into heaven when my time comes.”

–“Who really knows what will happen after I die—might as well live it up while I’m here on earth!”

–“I’m not sure all that stuff in the Bible is true—I’ll just take my chances.”

These statements—and others like them—gamble today on what will take place tomorrow. They’re indicative of an indifferent roll of the dice against an unknown future.

No, we don’t always know what tomorrow will bring, and yet we must do some planning for it today. That takes time and resources, but most of all, thought.

So let me ask you: have you prepared for your life after death? I guarantee you, it’s going to be much longer than the time you’ve had on earth. And on what or on whom are you basing your preparations?

I’ll be frank: if you’re basing eternity on fuzzy feelings and a vague hope that it will all work out well in the end, then you’re not any more prepared than the Park Service would be if it ignored its hordes of summer tourists.

Years ago, I read a saying that stuck with me: heaven is a prepared place for prepared people. In John 14, Jesus said He’s got it all ready, and even gave us directions how to get there (vs. 1-6).

He also said that hell is just as real. The parable of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 gives a vivid description—conscious existence in torment and agony, forever separated from God, with no do-over.

If you haven’t settled your eternal destiny, please do, right now. I’m not asking you to jump in blindly. Faith requires critical thinking. Study the Bible: don’t just read about it, but go to the Book itself. It can stand up to the scrutiny.

“I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days” (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20).

And don’t worry about crowd control. Heaven has room enough for us all.

Comments (1) Mar 07 2011

November 15, 2010

But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups [Jew and Gentile] into one, and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall…that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross… Ephesians 2:13-16

My thanks to my neighbor Kay who brought this article in The New York Times to my attention, about the National Park Service’s efforts to reach out to African Americans.

According to the article, in a survey done in 2000, “only 13 percent of black respondents reported visiting a national park in the previous two years [as compared with] 27 percent for Latinos, 29 percent for Asians and 36 percent for whites.” And those numbers have not changed significantly since the 1960s, when the problem of less minority visitation was first identified as an issue.

Of course, there are more black visitors to sites such as the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, “but attendance tends to be more homogenously white at wilderness parks like Yosemite, where…visitors are overwhelmingly non-Hispanic white, highly educated and affluent.”

Shelton Johnson, a black park ranger in Yosemite, who was also featured in Ken Burns’ national parks documentary, America’s Best Idea, sent a letter to Oprah Winfrey, in which he pleaded, “Every year, America is becoming increasingly diverse, but that diversity is not reflected in the national parks, even though African-Americans and other groups played a vital role in the founding of the national parks [black Buffalo Soldiers guarded the first national parks, and Mr. Johnson wrote a novel about them, and also portrays a Buffalo Soldier in reenactments]. If the national parks are America’s playground, then why are we not playing in the most beautiful places in America?”

In answer, Oprah went to Yosemite, and featured her visit on two recent segments of her show. Mr. Johnson said he wasn’t surprised to learn that this was her first trip to a national park (and her first time camping). He says he’s “more likely to meet someone from Finland or Israel in the park than from, say, Harlem or Oakland, Calif.”

Joe and I have noticed the same thing. Europeans are a common sight in the parks, but blacks—from America or elsewhere—are not. And that’s a terrible shame.

Fortunately, Jonathan Jarvis, who took over as director of the Park Service last year, is looking to remedy the problem. “There’s a disconnect that needs addressing,” he says in the Times article.

Some of the steps the Park Service is taking to be more welcoming are incorporating stories like that of the Buffalo Soldiers into park tours and brochures, planning partnerships with high schools that arrange park jobs for students, more naturalization ceremonies for new citizens in the parks, and recruiting employees at black colleges. He acknowledges that the efforts are scattered, though, and many more are needed. Of course, the Oprah segments help, as does having a black family in the White House who has visited two national parks already.

The early church had something of a similar disconnect. The book of Acts spans 30 years of transition following Jesus’ ascension, as the gospel message moved from being directed mainly to Jews to including Gentiles as well. Chapters 10, 11 and 15 especially deal with the struggle of Jewish and Gentile believers coming to terms with their different habits and ways. The church’s continued existence depended upon hearing each other’s concerns, finding areas of agreement, and hammering out concessions so that everyone, no matter what their heritage or background, would feel welcome in this new religion called Christianity.

So, let’s continue in that vein, being sensitive to what would keep fellow Americans from visiting the parks and encouraging more diverse programming and such on the part of the Park Service.

And oh yeah, let’s do that in our churches and our neighborhoods while we’re at it. Because heaven will be populated by people “from every tribe and tongue and people and nation,” all purchased for God with the blood of Jesus (Revelation 5:9).

Comments (3) Nov 15 2010

November 1, 2010

Today, I’m doing things a little differently. I read some quotes by John Muir, who is often called the father of the national park system, and decided to feature them in this week’s blog, along with appropriate verses from Scripture.

But first a few words about the man. In the January 1916 John Muir Memorial edition of the Sierra Club Bulletin (he founded and was first president of the club), he was described this way: “He sung the glory of nature like another Psalmist…To some, beauty seems but an accident of creation: to Muir it was the very smile of God.”

The writer then goes on to relate this story about him: “[H]e stood with an acquaintance at one of the great view-points of the Yosemite Valley, and, filled with wonder and devotion, wept. His companion, more stolid than most, could not understand his feeling, and was so thoughtless as to say so. ‘Mon,’ said Muir, with the Scotch dialect into which he often lapsed, ‘Can ye see unmoved the glory of the Almighty?’ ‘Oh, it’s very fine,’ was the reply, ‘but I do not wear my heart upon my sleeve.’ ‘Ah, my dear mon,’ said Muir, ‘in the face of such a scene as this, it’s no time to be thinkin’ o’ where you wear your heart.’”

So…as you read Muir’s vivid and often profound descriptions, may you not “be thinkin’ o’ where you wear your heart,” but just rejoice in and be moved by “the glory of the Almighty,” as he saw it in our national parks.

From “Explorations in the Great Tuolumne Canon” [in Yosemite], Overland Monthly, August, 1873:

I used to envy the father of our race, swelling as he did in contact with the new-made fields and plants of Eden; but I do so no more, because I have discovered that I also live in “creation’s dawn.” The morning stars still sing together, and the world, not yet half made, becomes more beautiful every day.

Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth!…Who set its measurements…or who stretched the line on it? On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” Job 38:4-7

From My First Summer in the Sierra [also Yosemite], 1911:

Oh, these vast, calm, measureless mountain days, inciting at once to work and rest! Days in whose light everything seems equally divine, opening a thousand windows to show us God.

The waving of a pine tree on the top of a mountain, a magic wand in Nature’s hand, every devout mountaineer knows its power; but the marvelous beauty value of what the Scotch call a breckan in a still dell, what poet has sung this? It would seem impossible than any one, however incrusted with care, could escape the Godful influence of these sacred fern forests.

The air is distinctly fragrant with balsam and resin and mint, every breath of it a gift we may well thank God for. Who could ever guess that so rough a wilderness should yet be so fine, so full of good things. One seems to be in a majestic domed pavilion in which a grand play is being acted with scenery and music and incense, all the furniture and action so interesting we are in no danger of being called on to endure one dull moment. God Himself seems to be always doing his best here…”

The place seemed holy, where one might hope to see God. After dark, when the damp was at rest, I groped my way back to the altar boulder and passed the night on it, above the water, beneath the leaves and stars, everything still more impressive than by day, the fall seen dimly white, singing Nature’s old love song with solemn enthusiasm, while the stars peering through the leaf-roof seemed to join in the white water’s song. Precious night, precious day to abide in me forever. Thanks be to God for this immortal gift.

Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls; all Your breakers and Your waves have rolled over me. The Lord will command His lovingkindness in the daytime; and His song will be with me in the night. Psalm 42:7, 8

From “Three Days with John Muir,” from the book The World’s Work, 1909:

[People] can not pause long enough to go out into the wilderness…and contemplate for even an hour the wonderful world that they live in…The good Lord put those things here as a free gift that he who chooses may take with joy.

Little men, with only a book knowledge of science, have seized upon evolution as an escape from the idea of a God. “Evolution!” a wonderful, mouth-filling word, isn’t it? It covers a world of ignorance. Just say “evolution” and you have explained every phenomenon of Nature and explained away God. It sounds big and wise…But what caused evolution? There they stick. To my mind, it is inconceivable that a plan that has worked out, through unthinkable millions of years, without one hitch or one mistake, the development of beauty that has made every microscopic particle of matter perform its function in harmony with every other in the universe, that such a plan is the blind product of an unthinking abstraction. No; somewhere, before evolution was, was an Intelligence that laid out the plan, and evolution is the process, not the origin, of the harmony. You may call that Intelligence what you please: I cannot see why so many people object to call it God.

For since the creation of the world [God's] invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made…” Romans 1:20

Comments (2) Nov 02 2010

September 20, 2010

The tongue is a small part of the body, and yet…how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity…it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father; and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. James 3:5, 6, 8-10

Bet you didn’t know that next Tuesday is Ask a Stupid Question Day (September 28 is the “official” day, although it’s sometimes “celebrated” on the last school day of the month). Neither did I, until I read about it last year. And I’ve been waiting all this time to write about it!

But what does it have to do with national parks, you may ask? Well, it seems a lot of people ask thoughtless questions at national parks. A 2007 article in the Sacramento (California) Bee lists some of them:

–at Grand Canyon: “Exactly why did you guys put it here?”

–at Denali: “How much does Mount McKinley weigh?”

–at Everglades: “Where are all the rides?”

–at Mesa Verde: “Do you know of any undiscovered ruins?”

–at Yellowstone: “How do you turn it [Old Faithful geyser] on?”

–at Carlsbad Caverns: “How much of the cave is underground?”

–at Yosemite: “Where are the cages for the animals?”

And from a blurb in the December 2009/January 2010 edition of Reader’s Digest, this gem, which stumped a ranger at Olympic National Park: “Do you have any trails that just go downhill?”

Okay, these comments are good for a laugh, but often the things that come out of our mouths aren’t so funny. I cringe when I remember remarks I’ve made over the years; I can feel my face turning red at the very thought of them, even if they were decades ago!

And then there are the unkind, insensitive and even cruel words that have been aimed at us…

Scripture has a lot to say about the way we talk. A single reading of James 3 should pull everybody up short. The Bible details the many ways our tongue lands us in hot water, tears others down and dishonors God—through obscene and coarse language and empty words (Ephesians 5:4-6); gossip (Romans 1:29, 2 Corinthians 12:20, 1 Timothy 3:11, 2 Timothy 3:3, Titus 2:3); malice, slander and abuse (Colossians 3:8); bitterness (James 3:11); and lying (Exodus 20:16, Psalm 120:2, Proverbs 12:22, Acts 5:3, Colossians 3:9, to mention just a few).

For this last category, it would take a long time to find all the verses that addressed the subject . I’m sobered by the fact that lying is often grouped with what we might call the “big sins”—sexual immorality, idolatry, murder and sorcery (Proverbs 6:16-19; Revelation 21:27, 22:15). Kind of puts dishonesty in a more serious light, doesn’t it?

Jesus sums up the issue in a straightforward and frank fashion in Matthew 12:36, 37: “I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you shall be justified, and by your words you shall be condemned.”

Whoa.

So what to do? Thank God, when He points out a problem, He also offers a solution! He not only provides confession and cleansing from every sin (1 John 1:9), but specific direction on how to control our tongue and use it for good:

–through prayer:

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:11)

–through Scripture:

“Let the word of Christ richly dwell in you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father” (Colossians 3:16, 17)

–with humility and reliance upon the Holy Spirit:

“And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom…my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Corinthians 12:1, 4)

--through love and forgiveness:

“And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. And beyond all these things, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity” (Colossians 3:12-14)

–through grace:

“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were, with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person” (Colossians 4:6).

What’s striking about these verses is that in 3 out of 5 of them, the heart is the key component. Bingo! “For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart,” Jesus bluntly declares in Matthew 12:34.  Take in good stuff, and good stuff will come out.

Lord, help us to fill our hearts and minds with what’s true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent and praiseworthy, so we can pass on to others in word and deed that peace You say will be with us as we dwell on and practice these things (Philippians 4:7-9).

And please don’t let us be found on anybody’s stupid speech list!

Comments (3) Sep 20 2010

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