The adventure continues...
It was time to come down from the summit of Crane Mountain in New York's Adirondacks and I was not happy.
"Maybe a few of us can go back down the main trail and you and the rest of our family who don't care about risking your lives can go down that rickety old ladder bolted into the side of a cliff." I stood with my day pack strapped to my back, my hands on my hips.
"No, Sue. We'll all go down the same way." My husband hopped off a big rock toward the ladder trail. His decision was firm.
I had heard about this dreaded ladder through the years and had somehow avoided it up until this point. This year, however, it looked like there was no way around it. We were going. All I could imagine was a rickety old wooden ladder hanging over the side of a cliff swaying in the wind by some rusty old bolts.
"How do you know those bolts are safe? That ladder has been exposed to extreme elements. It's old - the bolts could be rusted through. I really don't think it's safe, especially with Joel being only five."
I tried to keep pace right behind my husband's long stride. "We'll be fine. They have people who check it and make sure its maintained." Jim kept walking down the narrow trail. That was the end of the conversation. We were on our way to Crane Mountain Ladder.
Soon we arrived at the dreaded destination. I peered over the edge of the rocky incline. Just as I pictured, a wooden ladder leaned upright, bolted with a few wires into the solid rock. What I didn't anticipate was that at the bottom, there was a wide landing area to climb off the ladder before the trail began again. "Well," I thought, "at least we won't fall off the bottom into oblivion."
My brother-in-law and teenage nieces climbed down and then my sister-in-law. "Let me go down first," Diane said. "And then you and Jim can help Joel onto the ladder. I'll stay right behind Joel all the way down."
My heart was in my throat as my young son stood on the edge of the rocky incline and stretched his arm out, his little fingers grasping in the air for the top of the ladder. "Just hold on real tight honey and take one step down at a time." My voice quivered. "And don't look down at the ground. Just look at each step on the ladder. Aunt Diane is right behind you."
"And I'll be right in front of you." My husband Jim knelt down and looked into our son's blue eyes as Joel stood paralyzed near the top rung. "You'll be just fine Joel. You can do it."
Step by step my five-year-old climbed down. My daring fifteen-year-old son found his own way down. Clinging and climbing down the rocks next to the ladder like he did in a local rock climbing gym, Jared stayed right next to his little brother. "I'm right beside you Joel. You're doing great."
My palms were sweaty. Minutes ticked by until I finally blew out a sigh of relief. I clapped my hands. Joel stood on solid ground. "Yea, Joel! You did it!"
My husband looked up at me from the ladder. "It's your turn now, Sue. I'm right under you if you slip."
"Ha, what happens when I fall on top of you?" My legs felt like butter. "I'm way too big for you to catch me."
My husband shook his head. He knew my flair for the dramatic and yet he also knew my fear of the unknown. "Just come on. You'll be fine."
I reached out my hand and grabbed the side of the wooden ladder. My grip felt like iron. Swinging my leg out, I planted my foot on the narrow rung and heaved my backpack laden body onto the wooden structure. Step by step I climbed down, making sure my foot was squarely on each rung before I moved to the next. I let out a sigh of relief once I reached solid ground.
"See, that wasn't so bad." My husband flashed a brilliant smile, his blue eyes twinkling.
"I guess so." I didn't want to admit he was right. "I suppose I thought there wouldn't be anywhere to climb off as easily at the bottom. That's what had me more scared than anything."
"You need to learn to trust me."
I took a deep breath. That stung.
Slowly, I nodded. My voice sounded small. "You're right."
Jim turned onto the trail. Our family was all ready making their way down the rest of the mountain. "Let's go catch up."
I grinned and took the next step and thought about all the adventures God had brought me through. All God asks for us to do is trust Him. I breathed in the deep forest scent letting if fill my lungs with its freshness. "Yes," I thought, "I have a lot to learn on this adventure called life."
Live the adventure,
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Crane Mountain Ladder - Part 2
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Crane Mountain Ladder Aventure - Part 1
It's time for a story... before the picture of the ladder in my current header disappears. Yes, it's been a year and since I love to change accessories in life, so I love to change accessories on the web. I'm getting a blog makeover soon.
Enough of that for now, you'll get to see the changes soon enough. So what is that ladder on the rocks in my current header about? Some of you have wondered and I've promised for a long time I'd tell you about it. It's time to deliver - in fact let me tell you a story.
One summer day, several years ago while our family was on vacation in New York, we drove about an hour from our rental cabin up a winding, bumpy dirt road to the trail head parking lot of Crane Mountain. We jumped out of the car with our day packs loaded with water, gorp and peanut butter sandwiches, excited for our Adirondack Adventure for the day.
Now if you've heard the name Crane Mountain before in previous posts, you're right. In fact on a beautiful rock outcropping over 17-years ago, my husband slipped a diamond ring out of his pocket and proposed. I was shaking so bad that I was afraid I'd drop the diamond in the deep crevices of the rock as he slid the sparkling ring onto my finger.
But that's another story for another day. You see, Crane happens to be one of our favorite mountains to climb. It's been listed in the mountain guide books as one of the most scenic hikes around, with a beautiful lake nestled near the top of the mountain. From the summit, it seems like you're in a faraway fantasy land of rocks and trees overlooking a breathtaking blanket of green.
But on this particular day it was decided by my husband and my brother-in-law that we'd go up the regular trail and come down the other side of the mountain where the dreaded ladder was.
Now I say dreaded because I had long avoided this side of the mountain. We'd always come up the main trail and come down the main trail. As much as I love hiking and backpacking, I do not like heights. Well, let me rephrase that. I do not like heights when I feel I am in danger. As long as I'm far enough away from the edge of the cliff and can grab onto some solid rock or sturdy tree, I'm just fine.
"Do we have to come down that side of the mountain?" I caught up to my husband on the trail, trying to plead my case. "We have Joel with, maybe it's a little too dangerous to be hanging over a cliff, clinging to a ladder that is only bolted into the side of the mountain with our five-year-old."
"We'll be just fine. I've done it before."
Jim seemed so confident it would be safe. But I wasn't sure. In fact I dreaded what was to come.
Stay tuned for the end of Crane Mountain Ladder Adventure tomorrow folks...
Live the adventure,
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
* Just a note about the post below: I have NO idea why each section got bigger and bigger. All I did was try to make the first line, the Hebrew name of God one size larger. When I tried to fix it, it did not change.... strange... but maybe there's a reason for it.
Names of God - Part 2
There's a lot in a name, isn't there?
And it's interesting to know that the one true God has names in the Hebrew language that describe him and help us to know him better. So, here's Part 2 in our 4 part Names of God series.
A blogging friend in the first post in this series asked if I remembered the song, El Shaddai. I do and I loved to sing and play that song on the piano. In fact, it's one of my 13-year-old nephew's favorite songs.
I pray that today, these 4 names will speak to your heart in a special way and help you to better know the God who loves you and gave his life so you might live.
Meaning: God Almighty
Reference: Genesis 17:1; Psalm 91:1
Significance: God is all powerful
Yahweh Yireh
Meaning: The Lord Will Provide
Reference: Genesis 22:14
Significance: God will provide our real needs
Yahweh Nissi
Meaning: The Lord is My Banner
Reference: Exodus 17:15
Significance: We should remember God for helping us
Adonai
Meaning: Lord
Reference: Deuteronomy 6:4
Significance: God alone is the head over all
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
A Promise Not Forgotten
How long will we live with God? God has a very definite answer. Once we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, we don't have to wonder.
As a young child, I can remember when my dad taught us Psalm 23. Well, not exactly the day and time, but the memories of his playful way of teaching his four children lingers still - how he'd gather us in his strong arms and smile when he'd tell us wonderful things about God and God's precious Word, the Bible.
A recent post about Psalm 23 from a blogging friend jogged my memory and so I thought I'd share a few thoughts with you. I know I have shared something about this Psalm before here on my blog but I hope that by writing about it today, it may remind you of God's forever promises to those who love him and are his children. I pray that you will never forget His great love for you. If you do not know Christ as your personal Savior, you can, and you can have the assurance of eternal life with Him.
Here's Psalm 23.
Psalm 23
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
King James Version
And here's what I wrote on a friend's blog:
My dad used to tease us as kids and say, "I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for 50 days..." and we'd say, "NO DADDY!" "Oh," he'd say, "I meant for 50 years." We'd respond the same, only with more intensity. Then he'd finally say, "No, I meant 5000 years." And in turn we'd shout, "NO! FOREVER!"
My two sons well know this story, because I in turn have told it to them and through the years their frantic and furtive response has rung loud and clear: "No, Mom! I will dwell in the house of the LORD - FOREVER!"
Live the adventure,
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Names of God - Part 1
Did you ever wonder exactly who God is? I mean, what is He like? My little eight-year-old asks that often. "Mommy, who is God?"
The Bible has much to say of course, after all it is God's love letter to us, but I came across something interesting I'd like to share with you all. It's a paper that I got at my church that describes the names of God, helping us to understand more about his character.
Over the next four weeks, I thought it might be fun to share sixteen different Hebrew names of God, four each week for a total of four posts. (Hey, I'm the daughter of a pastor and Hebrew professor, so why not?)
These brief posts will be called "Names of God" and I will write the name, meaning, Bible reference and significance. Many of the references refer to Genesis too, so it will follow right along with my Interactive Bible Series on the book of beginnings.
What an amazing adventure this will be. I hope that it will help you understand more about God and help you on your journey to know the One who gives you life and holds you in the palm of His hand.
Today's names:
Friday, October 23, 2009
Count on It
Genesis is the book of beginnings and it’s where I am reading right now. Lately on this blog, I have been writing, journaling my adventure with an Interactive Bible Series in Genesis. What you see here is a compilation of my notes as I read. I’m not a scholar, just a gal who loves God and wants to dig deeper in His Word, comparing Scripture with Scripture.
Some of the notes and thoughts in this series are my own, some have come from being under the direction of a great dad who just happens to be a pastor at a church and a Bible teacher at a seminary and most importantly is a man who reads and studies the Word diligently. What a great example and teacher he is to me and my family!
So, if you’re interested in seeing how God is interested and active in our lives, let’s continue on this Genesis journey through chapters 12-16 (fair warning: this is a long post, you might need the weekend to read it – or just come back to it when you have time - lol!) and take a look at another name you might recognize: Abram.
Counting down the family line, we discover that Abram is in the line of Shem, (remember Shem was one of Noah’s three sons). Abram’s father’s name was Terah. Abram also had two brothers named Nahor and Haran. Now Abram’s brother Haran died fairly young, at least before Terah his father died and it would seem that Uncle Abram took his nephew Lot, Haran’s son, under wing.
Whew, wee, whew - much happens in Genesis chapters 12-16. The Lord talks with Abram and makes some pretty dramatic promises to a old guy who is married but doesn’t have any children yet. And then the Lord actually appears to Abram. Isn’t that cool? There God is again directly interacting in peoples’ lives. Haven’t we seen that right from the start with Adam and Eve? God is not a distant cosmic being who set the world into motion and then leaves us to fend for ourselves. He is very near to those who call on His name. You can count on it!
And there I believe is the key to God being close in our lives. Maybe there’s times we feel God is distant. Could it be because we have pulled away from God? God never leaves us when we truly know Him as our personal Savior, but sometimes we walk off on our own thinking we know what God wants when in reality it is what we want. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways, My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8,9
When the Lord appears to Abram, God tells him to get out of his country and away from his family, to a land that God will show him. God was going to do something special in Abram’s life. God said, I will make you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great, I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.” This was the work that God was going to do, not Abram. God just wanted Abram to get up and get going to a land that God would show Abram. Abram didn’t know where that would be or how long it would take, but God did and that was enough.
So, what did Abram do? He obeyed God. Now the journey wasn’t without a few bumps. There was a famine and good old Abram took things into his own hands and out of fear made a mess in Egypt. But God did not abandon Abram. Then Abram has to rescue his nephew Lot who decided he was going to dwell near the city of Sodom. We’ll see more on what happens with Lot and his family in that wicked city, some nutty, crazy stuff - yikes!
The Lord comes to Abram again and confirms his promise. He tells Abram not to be afraid, that I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward. Then Abram says, “Lord God what will you give me, seeing I go childless?” Then God takes Abram outside for an object lesson and says, “Look now toward heaven and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And God said, “So shall your descendants be.”
Abram believed in the LORD, and the LORD counted it to him for righteousness. Plain and simple.
Do we believe the Lord when the way seems impossible? When the path is unclear, do we say to God, “I believe you LORD, that you will guide me and show me the way?”
Well, Abram believed the Lord, but just like a child waiting for Christmas morning, he got impatient. Abram and his wife Sarai decide to take things into their own hands. They decide that God is taking too long to fulfill His promise to give them a son. So they thought they would help God along. Enter Hagar, Sarai’s maid and now Abram has a son named Ishmael with someone other than his wife Sarai.
What a mess! Jealously, anger, hurt. This wasn’t God’s plan. You can look at the result of Abram’s disobedience until this day with the problems with Ishmael’s wild child descendants (yes, God calls Ishamael a wild man whose hand will be against everyone), the modern day Arabs.
So what is God driving home to me so far in my Bible reading in Genesis?
First, call on the Lord. Talk to Him. He is listening and He cares. He is active in our lives.
Next, obey God when he tells you to do something. Listen to his Word, the Bible. If we walk outside of His guidelines in life and in marriage, we can make a big mess for us and others.
But God can even redeem our mistakes. God’s good at making good! It’s His speciality. Everything God makes is good, remember what God said during those six days of creation?
And last but not least, wait on God’s timing. Don’t take things into our own hands. How do we do that? How do we know when to act, or not? What to do? Where to go? Well, one way is pretty clear, if what we choose to do is clearly outside of God’s will, ie: the principles and guidelines of his Word, then don’t do it. That’s a pretty safe rule of thumb.
I recently found a great little blog called Always Searching, Always Growing. In her sidebar she has a quote that reads like this: "Whatever weakens your reason, whatever impairs the tenderness of your conscience, whatever obscures your sense of God, whatever increases the authority of your body over your mind, whatever takes away from your relish for spiritual things, that to you is sin, no matter how innocent it is in itself." It is from Susanna Wesley to her son, John.
Do you and I believe God? Is God enough of a reward or are we seeking more? Don’t. God is enough and He will meet all our needs. What we need might be different than what we THINK we need.
Now, don’t go getting worried or become afraid. Hey, I’m good at that – lol! So I’m saying this for you as well as for me. Remember what God told Abram? I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward!
So here's today Interactive Bible Series Question: In what way has God become your shield and your exceedingly great reward?
Are you ready to live the adventure? Let’s go! We can count on God because He is trustworthy. There will be more on Abram soon and the son that God promised. I can’t wait to see what God has in store!
