In the Garden

Busy, busy, busy - you know those words, don't you? The kids just helped me finish weeding the landscaping around our house and I must say that our garden now looks "spiffy". With all the rain we've been getting this summer our house in Pennsylvania looked like it was surrounded by a jungle - in fact there could have been a tiger or a monkey hiding admist the wild weeds - they were that tall!

Next week we'll be celebrating my grandfather's ninetieth birthday - what a milestone. My dear grandmother that I wrote about a few posts ago decided after much encouragement from our family to go on kidney dialysis. I do believe it was mostly because she wants to be here for my grandfather who because of his age and memory loss, needs a constant companion to help.

With that in mind and with all the flurry of activity at the beginning of a new school year for the kids, I keep thinking about a song called In the Garden. The words seem to echo the longing in my heart, a longing to get alone with God, which seems to be difficult to do lately. This song also happens to be one of my grandfather's all time favorite hymns. Well, here it is, maybe you can see why.

In the Garden

by C. Austin Miles

I come to the garden alone, While the dew is still on the roses;

And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, The Son of God discloses.

He speaks and the sound of His voice, Is so sweet the birds hush their singing,

And the melody that He gave to me, within my heart is ringing.

I'd stay in the garden with Him, Tho the night around me be falling,

But He bids me go - thru the voice of woe, His voice to me is calling.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own; And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

Oh how I need to walk with Him and let Him talk to me through the garden of His precious Word!

"The Lord is near unto all those who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth." Psalm 145:18

Live the adventure,

Crane Mountain - Revisited

My favorite mountain recently made the news... In fact it made the front page of a local Pennsylvania Sunday newspaper in the Travel section, the article written by someone from the Associated Press.

So in memory of the overnight mountain backpacking trip I missed to Crane Mountain in the Adirondacks (the one my husband, sons, and sister-in-law's family enjoyed at the beginning of August - see my post below for details), I've posted a reprint from the summer of 2007 about a day hike we took as a family to New York state's new celebrity - Crane Mountain.

Crane Mountain is special to my family for many reasons. In fact two of the pictures in my blog header were taken on a trip to Crane. I promise that in the near future I will tell you all about that mountain ladder and about another adventure that happened sixteen years ago that changed my life forever! Also, the blog header picture of the mountain where my head is turned was taken at the summit of Crane. The view from the 3254-foot summit is breathtaking.

Now onto that post entitled, Up The Mountain.

“Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools. They go from strength to strength; Each one appears before God in Zion.” Psalm 84:12

We’re on a journey. We’re just passing through this world. As Christians, how many times have we heard these statements? But what do they mean?

Our family recently hiked to the top of Crane Mountain in New York. My husband insisted our youngest son, age five, join us on the adventure. I wasn’t so sure. I thought a day digging in the sand with Grandma might be a better option. To my surprise, Joel scampered up the sheer rock inclines like a mountain goat. He followed his older brother and cousins and didn’t complain once.

Soon we arrived at a beautiful lake, three-quarters of the way up. We rested on huge rocks jutting out over the water, basking in the warmth of the sun. We munched on peanut butter sandwiches and a mix of raisins, chocolate bits and peanuts, washed down with a bottle of refreshing water. Ah… what bliss!

The last mile to the summit was a different story.

Not far onto the path Joel announced, “My legs hurt.” He flopped himself on the nearest boulder. We encouraged Jim’s sister’s family and his brother to keep going to the summit. We’d catch up later.

I brushed Joel’s blond hair back from his forehead. “Come on hon. You can do it. You did great going up those rocks before. Mommy had to race to keep up with you.”

“I don’t want to.”

My husband Jim smiled at our youngest son and gave him another sip of water. “You can do it, Joel. You can take rests. We’ll go slow.” After another ten yards, Joel sat down in the middle of the trail. Tears slid down his freckled cheeks.

“Come on Joel. I’ll carry you for awhile.” My six-foot teenage son swung his little brother into his strong arms. After a few minutes, Jared put his brother down. “It’s not much further now, Joel. Look I can see the light coming through the tree tops. See the blue sky at the top. We’re almost there.”

We eventually did arrive at the top and soon Joel was hopping around the summit, pointing to the lake below where we ate lunch.

Often we think we can journey through life on our own. I know I’ve tried. I’ve thought, “Okay Lord, I’ve got this one covered. I can handle this." It may or may not be deliberate. Sometimes it’s more a matter of leaving God out of the matter by not seeking the counsel of His Word or the precious gift of conversation with God called prayer.

Sometimes it takes going through difficult times to realize how much we need Jesus. Psalm 84 talks about the Valley of Baca, meaning the valley of tears or weeping. We will pass through those valleys in life, but verse six says for those whose strength is in the Lord, they will make it a spring, a place to be refreshed in a very dry land.

Verse seven says they go from strength to strength or resting place to resting place. God is our resting place, our strength through the valley and along the trail. He enables us to keep going, sometimes he picks us up and carries us, but then he puts us back down and encourages us to keep going in his strength, learning to take rest stops and drink in the living water of his Word.

At the very end, we’ll reach that summit one day. What a day it will be when trees no longer obscure our sight. One day Heaven, in all its glory will break through like the blue sky. Until that day, we’re on a pilgrimage, but we’re not alone. God himself promises to be with us, and in that promise, we can rest secure, through the good times, the bad times, and all the times in-between.

Live the adventure,
Susan

Meeting on the Mountain

I don't know about you, but I LOVE a good story. But sometimes the "story behind the story" can be even more intriguing. What makes people write what they do?

The other day I was traveling up Rt. 30 in New York's Adirondack Mountains. Our family was on vacation and I should have been backpacking with my husband and my sons but something happened that kept me from going on the overnight excursion away from our cabin to Crane Mountain - I got sick. Now I was not deathly ill, but not well enough to exert myself on a rigorous overnight hike.

I was feeling pretty disappointed that I was missing an exciting part of the trip with my boys, but decided I would try to make the best of it. While returning from an hour ride to a pharmacy in a little one-horse town to pick up an antibiotic prescribed by my doctor, I turned the wheel of my car, the tires crunched into the gravel parking lot. Before me stood a beautiful log cabin with a sign saying it was a cafe and gift shop. I had noticed the log structure with the green roof before and had hoped to visit it, keenly aware that it probably wouldn't fit into our busy family schedule. But now...

"Well," I thought to myself. "It would seem I have time to visit. And since it's lunch time, I'll just get a bite to eat and do a little bit of shopping too!"

I opened the leaded glass front door to the adorable little shop called Mountain Memories filled with bright and beautifully crafted items. A woman greeted me with a smile and invited me to dine out on the covered porch in the back. "It will give you some privacy," she said while I picked up a menu from the glass pastry case.

Stepping across the wooden floor of the cabin, I walked out onto the porch and eased myself into a wrought iron chair. The log beamed veranda was surrounded with sandy-colored curtains drawn back and tied in the the middle, casually draping at the top. I felt like I was in a far away exotic land in this rustic mountain setting.

After ordering a soup and half a sandwich, I leaned into my chair, wondering what to do next. Usually I'd be pushing my seven-year-old's juice away from his plate so he wouldn't spill it or taking him to bathroom right after the warm soup would arrive. But now - now all I could do is revel in the cool breeze that rustled the curtains and gently caressed my face. In a way, it seemed like God's hand had reached down and touched me for a brief moment. "I'm with you my daughter," echoed a familiar voice in the recesses of my soul.

I closed my eyes and smiled. "Thank you Lord. Even if I didn't get to go backpacking like I had hoped, you have given me this moment to enjoy." And then a thought came to me -Write!

So I dug into my brown satchel purse and flipped open my little spiral notebook, my pen swiftly writing the following words:

Meeting on the Mountain
by Susan Skitt

I feel the Spirit stir, calling to respond
His gentle touch flowing over me, like the mist upon the pond.
And when my soul awakens, to my Father's call
The light of His great love surrounds me like the mountains great and tall.
He speaks in gentle whispers to the depths of this frail heart
And reminds me of His eternal promise that never will we part.
For when this life is over and my time on earth is done,
I will see my Savior, Jesus, the face of God the Son.

Before leaving, I felt compelled to write another copy of the poem and give it to the woman who waited on me, who I discovered before I left, owned the store.

Meeting on the mountain - had I planned it? No. But God knew and that is the story behind this story. What adventure is God taking you on today? Let Him lead you, especially on those unexpected detours. He might just surprise you in unexpected ways!

Live the adventure,

Trials - Who Needs Them?

For children of God, true believers in Jesus Christ, there are three questions to ask yourself when going through a trial. Trials are a test - a test of our faith. There are all kinds of trials. Big ones, little ones, long ones, short ones, you name it, there's a trial to be found. Trials are common and everyone has or will encounter trials.

So what exactly is a trial? A trial is "a painful circumstance allowed by God to transform my conduct and character." This is what we have been learning about during our Bible chapel time at Camp of the Woods.

You might want to check out James 1:2-5 before I give you three questions that you and I should consider. I've inserted a few notes below that I jotted down as the pastor spoke. Oh how often we read through Bible verses and don't stop to think about what God is saying. I know I am guilty of that. Why just this morning I breezed through a chapter in Revelation, not stopping to consider and talk to God about the Bible verses. Back to James now.

"My brethren (written to believers), count it all joy (think about it from a long term perspective) (joy does not mean happiness - joy is supernatural delight in God's person, purpose, and people) when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (a remaining under the pressure - don't quit, complain, lash out, run, or fold). But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, (remember the context has to do with trials so when you ask God, "why?" you should really ask, "Lord what is it you are trying to teach me?") who gives to all liberally and without reproach and it will be given to him."

So here's the 3 questions we need to ask ourselves when we are tested - are you ready?

1. Do you believe God is in control?

2. Do you believe that God is good?

3. Will you wait on God until the darkness becomes light?

I'm looking at my Bible right now as I write and there is a verse that I had circled months ago during my regular Bible reading. It's verse nineteen in James chapter one.

"So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God."

Folks, that is a tough one for me. I am easily irritated. Just ask me what happened at the dinner table tonight with my seven-year-old picky eater of a son.

So what qualities do you and I need in trials according to God's Word?

1. Swift to hear

2. Slow to speak

3. Slow to wrath

So the next time some trial comes our way, let's think about what we need to do to learn the lesson God is trying to teach us. Trials - who needs them? We do. Oh that is a hard pill to swallow, but it is so true.

Oh Lord, I blow it so often, please help me to remain down under the pressure until I have learned the lesson you are trying to teach me. All too often I do just the opposite of what you say - I am swift to speak and slow to hear. Open my ears and close my mouth and help me to honor you with my life. In Jesus name I pray it, Amen.

Live the adventure,