1500 Miles, 72 Hours, Lots of Baggage

The motorcycle trip to South Dakota is over, the Buell is developing a fuel pump issue, and I am tired.

The trip itself was great: the Badlands, the Black Hills, and Mount Rushmore.


One of the best parts was a stretch of asphalt called the Iron Mountain road to the south of Mount Rushmore - it is candy for a motorcycle.




It's one 15mph hairpin after another, pigtail bridges, one lane tunnels and a couple of interesting portions where the two lane divides and it's like having your own personal twelve foot wide sidewalk through the forest to ride on. The video below shows just a few minutes of the road (not sure why the fella didn't film the whole thing!
All in all, this journey was everything a motorcycle trip ought to be: hot, cold, some mechanical difficulty, road deafness, amazing views and good, hard riding.

What I didn't expect was what I came home with - all the extra baggage. Not the souvenir type, but all the stuff that came to mind while riding that I am facing in life right now. These are the parts of me that need work. Growth should never stop in a Christian's life because there is just always more to learn and to acheive. Some stretches of life are particularly challenging, and I think I'm there right now.

Even though my marriage is great and my children are doing well, there are occasions when I feel like I'm pushing through some kind of cocoon. More than anything, I want to shed more of my selfishness and pride and be able to hear the voice of God more clearly than ever.

It's like riding the interstate, heading into a buffeting headwind in 95 degree heat: it's uncomfortable and taxing, but every mile of asphalt under the tires brings you closer to home.

The Twenty-Seventh of August

Today's date will forever be stamped into my memory for two very profound reasons.

Four years ago today, a lovely teenage girl was killed in an automobile accident. She was a student in my youth group, and had one of the sweetest hearts for Jesus that I had ever known. There were 500 people in attendance at her funeral and they all heard the Great News about Christ that day, just exactly like she would have wanted.

Five years ago today, my fifth son was born. He was, and is, a miracle. Early in the pregnancy, he was diagnosed with ARPKD. This kidney disease is fatal to 50% of children in utero, and of those that are born, only a small percentage live through their first month. Our son turns five today. That summer of 2003 was like nothing I've ever experienced before. I've never been so lost or afraid, and never so supported and assured.

Life is such a wonderful mystery. How is it that pain sometimes brings healing, and fear can be a launchpad for faith? God blesses us in so many unexpected ways, and it's always better than we imagined. Above all, He is always, ALWAYS faithful.

The Right Dosage

Well, my specialist prescribed 1200cc's, applied externally until it soaks in, taken daily as needed until I feel better. I've been on it for only one day now and I must say I feel great! :) If you've never toured this country on the back of a motorcycle, there's no better time than the present!

Speed and Freedom

The hardest thing about working hard isn't the hard work. It's taking time off from the hard work. Like most folks, I work hard, do what's expected of me and try to do a little extra. I don't neglect my family for the sake of work, but it is possible that I neglect myself. It's easy to not take the needed time away from work to recoup. Therefore, I will be throwing a leg over my motorcycle after church on Sunday and riding away until Wednesday. My closest friend and companion (read: my wife) thinks this is just the thing I need. I was reluctant at first, but I think she's right.

The late Rich Mullins liked to ride a motorcycle occasionally, and even sang about it: "Maybe we could borrow Beaker's bike, let the road wind tie our hair in knots, let the speed and the freedom untangle the lies." The rest of the song is actually quite beautiful and moves me to tears, but that's fodder for another post. I don't have any lies to untangle, but after a frenetic summer schedule, I need the "quiet" of the wind and the road noise. Oh yeah, and the sound of a 1200cc V-twin. I have found that some of my best thoughts come while I'm on my bike as the detritus of many busy days kind of settles out and the good stuff has time to distill.

More importantly, I'll have hundreds of miles to listen to the voice of the One who rides the ancient skies.

The Coolest Slide Shows

If you haven't found Animoto yet (perhaps you havent'), and you've got some digital pictures tucked away on your PC (and I'll bet you have), just watch this:




Ahhh technology; you gotta love stuff that makes you look cool, smart and creative. Now, go make yourself a way cool slide show.

Nonsense Of A High Order

"Addressing the idea that time plus chance could have created life, Sir Fred Hoyle said, 'Now imagine 10 to the 50th blind persons (that's 100,000 billion billion billion billion billion people - standing shoulder to shoulder, they would more than fill our entire planetary system) each with a scrambled Rubik cube and try to conceive of the chance of them all simultaneously arriving at the solved form. You then have the chance of arriving by random shuffling (random variation) of just one of the many biopolymers on which life depends. The notion that not only the biopolymers but the operating program of a living cell could be arrived at by chance in a primordial soup here on Earth is evidently nonsense of a high order."

Now, I'm no uninformed fundamentalist fanatic (well, maybe a fanatic), but Darwinian evolution is one of the most bizarre ideas to ever be proffered to mankind. The words above speak of a concept called "irreducible complexity". In a general sense, this means that in order for a system to operate, all of its constituent parts must be present, and these parts must have been present at its inception.

"Life" is complex at a mind-boggling scale. That's not just a layman's viewpoint. Scientists from all disciplines marvel at the wonders of the world around us. Yet, strangely, in the face of all this wonder and complexity and marvelous design, many still attempt the mental (or philosophical? logical? moral?) gymnastics to explain it all with evolutionary theory.

Why deny God? The true creationist (a class which includes many prominent men and women from all areas of science as well as lay people) doesn't dumb down the universe or refuse to investigate the world using the scientific method. The creationist is fascinated by the complex, awesome nature of, well, Nature, and marvels at the intricate design engineered by an intelligent Creator. Creationists come to the end of study and take the logical step towards attributing this massive, marvelous creation to a Creator instead of the strange, nonsensical leap toward denial of God in favor of evolutionary theory.

But How Do You Stop?

OK, I thought riding my motorcycle in the mountains was fun. Check this crazy action out:

Lebanese Trees

"The cedars of Lebanon, which He hath planted..." Psalm 104:16

Regarding this verse, Charles Spurgeon has written:

"Lebanon's cedars are emblematic of the Christian, in that they owe their planting entirely to the Lord. This is quite true of every child of God. he is not man-planted, nor self-planted, but God-planted. The mysterious hand of the divine Spirit dropped the living seed into a heart which He had Himself prepared for its reception. Every true heir of heaven owns the great Husbandman as his planter."

Words like these are exactly what I need when the lens I use to focus my life has a greasy smudge or I'm dizzy from the 432 things I have to do this week. Just knowing that my Redeemer lives, has chosen me and is even now caring for me is the ballast I need to stay on an even keel, no matter what kind of winds are blowing (if you're a sailing type, please forgive any inaccuracies in my metaphor). I really can't conceive living life apart from God and His supply, nurture, care, protection and discipline.

It's just exceedingly cool that those redeemed by the Lord are "a planting of the Lord for the display of His splendor." The Reformers cried "Soli deo gloria!" and it's true; salvation is of the Lord, for His glory alone.

Hotel Aquarium

Just a little something for your listening and viewing enjoyment. I love the band Falling Up. Their music styling is fresh and creative and their lyrics are un-cliched and clever. The video I REALLY wanted to post is called Hotel Aquarium from Falling Up's latest release, Captiva. Unfortunately, embedding was disabled . . . :p Therefore, you'll see Escalates here instead.

Growing Young

My wife takes particular joy in my birthdays. I think it must be because I'm older than her, and obviously always will be. I don't mind birthdays. In fact, I can't wait to get old. I'm not sure exactly when that happens, but I'm looking forward to it.

Sure, I anticipate the eventual breaking down of my physical body, and even of my mind, but at this point I'm firmly convinced that's better than going back. You couldn't pay me enough to go back 20 years. Not even five years. Don't get me wrong; I have enjoyed my life so far. But the thing is, I'm so much better off now than I used to be. The cumulative joys and sorrows, celebrations and sufferings of each passing year bring a depth to life that I would loathe parting with.

Proverbs 15:15 declares that "The cheerful heart has a continual feast." This must be why life for the Christian just gets better. Or at least it ought to if we have the right understanding of things. If I state that my life is better now than it used to be, it's certainly not because I'm making more money now (not much, anyway) or that trials have vanished (do they ever end?).

Life is better now because every passing year, every trial endured, every blessing savored, confirms to me the faithfulness of God. Soli deo gloria! My heart truly does have a continual feast, because my satisfaction, joy and contentment are founded not on natural things, but on things that are beyond nature, as C.S. Lewis described.

Rich Mullins wrote a song called Growing Young in which he beautifully tells the story of a prodigal (himself...me...you) who finally runs back into the Father's arms. He sings of how life apart from God makes us old and steals our innocence: "we are children no more, we have sinned and grown old." The thrilling part, however, is when we return to the Father and begin "growing young."

Without a doubt, the prospect of the righteous is joy! So, as I stated earlier, I'm looking forward to growing old, and growing younger. :)

To quote one of my favorite Irish poets, Paul Hewson: "As you entered this life, I pray you depart, with a wrinkled face and a brand new heart."

Awww Grow Up!

Silly title, serious post. I created the painting to the left during a fit of inspiration while still in college. I was in the throes of some serious growth back then, and indeed, in the intervening years I have found that growth (mental, physical and particularly spiritual) is never quite what one expects. It's usually better, once the process is complete and the fruit is mature. As a man, I appreciate what the Lord has brought about in me, and I'm well aware that in many ways I'm still a sapling!

To focus this down a little further, allow me to quote a Pyromaniac :

Real manliness . . . is defined by Christlike character. Not just the gentle-Jesus-meek-and-mild-style character, but the full-orbed fruit of the Spirit rounded out with strength, courage, conviction, and a stout-hearted willingness to oppose error and fight for the truth - even to the point of laying down your life for the truth if necessary.

When the apostle Paul writes about the characteristics of true Christian manhood in Ephesians 4, he focuses on one vital mark of spiritual maturity: "That we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by the craftiness in deceitful schemes" (v. 14). You want to be a man as opposed to a little boy? Grow up in your grasp of the truth. Get a grip on sound doctrine . . . get anchored in the truth, and learn to defend it.

To become more mature is to learn to stand firm, rooted in the truth. The real key to growth is surrender. The shoots must become tender for the blossom to emerge, and we must submit ourselves to God. The blossoms must then fall for the fruit to emerge, and we, too must sacrifice our own glory for the sake of His.

Caedes Backgrounds

Just a quick link for you. If you like to change your computer desktop image from time to time, check out http://www.caedes.net/. There is a plethora of categories, thousands of stunning images, and nothing nasty! :)

Daddy!

So the other day we (me and the wife and five sons) are out together at a local outdoor mall, relaxing and enjoying time together. We visited a western store, which was rather odd since we're really not that "country", but my wife does have a pair of Fat Baby boots that she loves. Well, it was time to leave and I went to collect my four year old who I could clearly see ambling through the maze of clothing racks. I called his name: "Matthias." Still ambling, not hearing. "Matthias!" Ambling still, but faster now and apparently still not hearing. "Matty!" No good.

He was determined, it seemed, to head away from me as he tried to find his way through the labyrinth of hanging clothes. I quickened my own pace to catch up to him, realizing now that he wasn't hearing me and that he was growing more concerned about the fact that he could no longer see his parents, just western plaid and pearloid buttons.

Finally I managed to connect with his zig-zag pattern and there was a clear stretch of space between us. One more time: "Matthias!" He turns and screams, "Daddy!" and runs into my arms where he promptly breaks into tears. "It's OK, babe, I've got you now," I tell him. He held on pretty tight for quite a while after that.

Wow. What a picture. It struck right then and there how we so often find ourselves out wandering through life and have the realization, or at least the sensation, that we are LOST. We wonder where God has run off to, and we begin to get a little anxious. We quicken our worried pace and before we know it, we're running off in the wrong direction as fear fills our hearts. All the while, though, the Father knows exactly where we are and is calling our name to bring us back. He keeps track of us and knows the path we take. Finally, mercifully, He comes into our view, though we've never been lost to His, and we turn, cry out His Name and run into His arms, and weep. Sweet relief.

I am not a perfect father, probably not even an outstanding one, but I love my children fiercely. Knowing the depth of love I have for my kids, I realize how much more incredible the love of the Heavenly Father must be for me, and I feel very secure in that. It makes me want to love Him more.

What Makes Me What I Am

Nothing gives me chills like a bold declaration of something true that I have come to know so deeply that it stirs me inside. Nothing gives me confidence like knowing I can trust God's absolute truth. Nothing centers me like the rock solid words of Christ.

Before he died (obviously ;) ) Rich Mullins set to music the words of The Apostle's Creed. The video of the song is below. It's certainly not award winning in its production or wow factor, but it's beautiful nonetheless. I mean, hey, it's Rich Mullins playing his hammer dulcimer in the Flint Hills of Kansas and singing about eternal truths. What could be better?





I believe it. I BELIEVE it. I didn't make it, it is making me. The longer I live, the more I understand this and take comfort in it! We don't decide what truth is, we discover what it is because God's truth has always been. It did not at some point become the Truth.

In another song, Rich wonders about the wonderful faith that he is "climbing to or falling in." He calls the love of God a "reckless raging fury." And it's true. There is nothing like being caught up in the workings of God, constantly and consistently awed and amazed by His wisdom, His plans and His mystery, and feeling like I'm struggling so hard to grow yet all the while knowing that somehow I am lifted up and drawn closer by God's strength and not my own. This thing is making me, and that is the power of God's Truth.

A Storybook Ending

It may be that I'm crazy, but sometimes when I look up at the sky, particularly in the evening, I have the overwhelming feeling that I'm living out my life within a painting. The only thing is, of course, that the painting is alive and the Artist is constantly at work, directing everything as He wills.

Which somehow brings me to this: I love books. I love a story well told. Give me O. Henry, Tolstoy, Louis L'Amour, C.S. Lewis or Charles Dickens and I'm a happy guy. And lately I've been realizing that the reason I love life so much is that it's so much like a good book.

When I look at the sky and I'm filled with awe, it's because I sense the movement of the storyline going on around me. The things that make a book so good are the very things that I enjoy about life: there are the despicable and difficult characters, the heroes and heroines with their human weaknesses, the twists and turns that add depth and develop the plot, and of course the hope of a really good ending. God is such a good writer.

For a true Christian, their life story holds a lot of hope and promise. The certain doom that faces the main players in A Tale of Two Cities seems inescapable until the last bit when you realize something wonderful is about to happen. It's a fabulous story of redemption, and no matter how many times I read it, the ending thrills me every time. The story is long and sinuous, but it ends up just the way you hoped it would and thought it should.

I have a list of obstacles and difficulties and trials as long as my arm, but you know, I just don't feel too badly about them. I have every reason to hope that, because of Christ the Author and Finisher of my faith, I'm heading toward a storybook ending.