Little Cabin In The Corner Of Glory

Once again, I am using as my title a phrase uttered by someone. In this case the wording came from a sermon that my pastor was preaching a couple of weeks ago. He wasn’t preaching about “A little cabin in the corner of glory.” But he used the phrase and I thought, “Hey, that would make a great blog title!” That’s sort of how this business works for me. The words kind of conjure up the image of a bright, clean cabin sitting in the clouds a stone’s throw from God’s front door. Little did I know at the time that I would be in a setting that resembles that image just a short while later. Neither did I catch the resemblance to the lives of disciples and disciple makers. This past weekend we visited our dear friends Dwight and Carol. They were hosting a “chainsaw party,” which equates to a day of chopping wood, eating barbeque and fellowshipping. And what a day it turned out to be. Twenty-five years ago my wife and I dedicated our lives to serving the Lord. Dwight was immensely instrumental in my spiritual development. His approach was simple. He became my self-appointed mentor. Didn’t even give me a choice. Some people are that way. Because he and I both had wives and children he developed a plan to involve me in the construction of a sunroom at his house. Needless to say there were myriad other things that we all did together. Dwight and Carol are two of the finest people to ever walk God’s green earth. If Dwight is not the greatest friend a man could ever have, he surely would be tied for first among a mere handful of men. He worked with me through thick and thin. (Trust me, I been both!) The investment that this couple made in our lives is evident every time we attempt to do anything for God’s kingdom. Anyway, a few years ago Dwight and Carol bought a home in the Sierra Nevada. It wasn’t much to look at, only consisting of some rough framing and an undeveloped site. But they had a vision to make it their home. And wow, what a home. Call it Mountain Luxury or Luxury Mountain, or whatever. It is simply beautiful. We talked for hours about our families and the work of God. We watched videos of each other’s kids and grandkids. (I believe that we tied in the contest for who has the greatest grandchildren.) And we reminisced about the paths that we have taken. I let Dwight know just how much I appreciated his labor of love toward my family and me. I realize how much of an investment he made in me. And I realize the sacrifice that his wife made in the adventure as well. Sort of like the cabin they’re building in the mountains. Cabins In The Corner Of Glory. Go build one. Thanks Dwight and Carol.

Don't Stop, But If You Have...

Have you ever gotten up at night and drank something cold? Or maybe something hot first thing in the morning? If so, you know that sensation of temperature that follows the liquid from your mouth to your stomach. It seems to happen to me only when I have an empty system. Perhaps I’m thirsty or maybe it’s just been a long time since I drank anything. Those times, more than any other instances, make me sense the course of the cooling beverage. I’ve also noticed that during the first drink my system becomes acclimated to the temperature. The following sips, though only seconds later, do not have the same effect. Similarly, the more sated I am, the less I notice this feeling altogether. Which brings me to my point. In life we go through our routines without much of a break. Our system is full of the stuff of life. For most of us, daily life has its stresses, but for the most part is uneventful. Who I would call happy, contented people, don’t experience many extraordinary sensations in their daily habits. Monotonous? Perhaps, but that’s life for many of us. But when something breaks our routine, when we do something so out of the ordinary, we experience a new sensation. Or at least revisit feelings we haven’t had in a long time. I think it’s because we’ve been satisfied with our life, or have surrendered to its routines. Thus far I have lived my life with Jesus as my central focus for over 25 years. Oh, I cram family and jobs and fun stuff in there too, but it’s just not the same without Him. What I have noticed is that too often I wondered where that ecstatic, emotional sensation went. I still love what I do, but it seems so routine at times. Then it dawned on me. I have become sated. In case you’re wondering, sated means “satisfied, full, stuffed.” I haven’t been hungry because I haven’t left the table in a long time. There is certainly no problem in this. It’s just that my system is still acclimated to the feeling since the last time I filled up from empty. So my advice to you is this. If you are struggling in your faith because you don’t have those same feelings that you used to have, it may not be that something’s lacking. On the contrary, it may be that you are full and stuffed to overflowing. Again, there is nothing wrong with this. This should be normal for those who choose to walk this path. If however, you have already given up, I encourage you to take another drink. See if you don’t experience that refreshing sensation running through your system as if it were the first time in a long time. The Bible says, “Taste and see that the Lord, He is good!” I say, “Go ahead, give Him another shot.” It just might be what you need. Bottom’s up!

Life in the Spin Cycle, and the Load's Unbalanced!

I heard my title phrase from two friends who were discussing life in today's world. It had such a ring of reality to it that I told them I was going to use it as the basis for a blog. Just think of it. Our daily routines are so rushed that before we have a chance to unwind we've already transitioned into tomorrow. If fact, just how do you unwind the spin cycle. We spin and we toil endlessly it seems. Even the camping trip that we went on to unwind was too short. Complicating this is that sometimes too many things are out of balance. We don't spend enough time playing, loving, laughing or just talking to our loved ones. We work for our bosses, we work for our church, we work for our friends, we champion one or two noble causes and the next thing you know there's an uneven distribution of weight in our spin cycle. So what do we do about it? What can we do about it? The most logical answer - and by far the hardest to implement - is to simply slow down. Put less on your plate, bite off smaller pieces and push away from the plate when you're full. It's almost impossible to do, but we've got to try. Back to the camping trip. I got off real early last Friday, packed up my wife, son and the camping gear and headed out to Plumas-Eureka State Park outside of Graeagle. Great campground, cool temperatures and right next to the restroom facility. Flush potties and hot and cold power showers. What more could you ask? Family and friends had given me gift cards for my "L" birthday. (See earlier post.) This enabled me to buy a new tent and a queen-sized air bed on a frame. It was decked out complete with a three-drawer storage unit and twin night stands. Not really furniture, but camping gear used appropriately. Wow! What a weekend. Nine miles of mountain hiking and a cool dip in a crystal-clear mountain lake made it a Saturday to remember. And a two-hour nap on the shore of Lake Davis on the homeward trip made it the best camping trip I think I've ever been on. Talk about resetting the spin cycle! That's the way to do it. I've often wondered about those people who go camping and bring televisions, videos, boom boxes and every other reminder of the rat race we call "everyday life." I'm not a doctor, but I do have a prescription for those stuck in an unbalanced cycle. Get loose, get lost, get familiar with family and friends again. And by all means check out God's creative genius. After all He didn't just make the forest for the animals. He made them all for us! (That's your reading assignment. Go check it out.) How nice to just chill and enjoy the blessings. Taste and see.