Home

"The Kingdom of God is where we belong. It is home, and whether we realize it or not, I think we are all of us homesick for it." - Frederick Buechner

This morning I'm sitting on the porch, with coffee, and thinking about home. Which is a little ironic since I'm in my house. But house doesn't equal home. And the worlds that we carry around with us are so much more than the green and blue rock we live on. Frederick Buechner said it this way, “You can kiss your family and friends good-bye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you.” My world is the others that have been engraved in my mind and heart: my wife, my daughters, my siblings, my parents, my mentors, and some who were only on my path for a moment.

Lately, I had a time of healing prayer with a friend, where I was able to receive and listen to what God is saying through circumstance: past and present. I was reminded of a time that I experienced frequently in the mountains of Arizona. Lying on a picnic bench, staring up at the vast, crystal clear, constellation, and having the strong awareness that I was in the Lord's presence; as I spoke to Him, and as He whispered His sovereignty into my heart. That's home for me. And no matter how shaky today gets, I remember the truth that reverberated through my heart on those nights. That truth is still true. The Psalmist (46) referred to that reality:

God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who is always found
in times of trouble.
Therefore we will not be afraid,
though the earth trembles
and the mountains topple
into the depths of the seas,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with its turmoil. Selah

Home (with a capital H) is now and not yet. Jesus always spoke of the Kingdom ("of God" - and in some places "the Heavens") in such vibrant ways, with (I believe) the most vibrant being the invitation for the ragamuffin disciples to pray it onto earth, and then for His commission (to them and us) to be the bringers of that reality. There is life after death, but it starts now -not after death. Maybe each step of faith we take is making us live out the reality of Home now. And maybe every difficult leap thrusts us toward to that doorstep, that while it's not-yet, it is now. Jesus whispers to me "I'm still bigger than your problems," and He is; and it's one thing to hear it, and another to walk it out - believe it - bank on it - and be abandoned to it even when everything else seems to the contrary.

My song "Dust" has been coming to my mind lately.

"...Let the moon chase the morning sun

Let the stardust ride upon the dawn

Awaken my weary eyes to see

Your sovereign plan for me...

You're calling me Home" Dust

Whispers of sovereignty: Stacking Stones Part V

Today I've been sitting outside quite a bit (praying, working on my computer, thinking, etc), and I decided that one 'stone' in my Josh 4 memorial is nature. Not just generalized - nature as a concept - nature, but those moments when I get to commune with God. God often speaks to me through nature...not like a 'being one with nature kind of way,' but rather, nature being a sanctuary where my heart and mind can be still, and where I can pause and experience a 'come Lord Jesus' moment (being one with my Creator). God speaks loudly to me in the quiet (which may be paradoxical when put like that), that is, He speaks powerfully in the quiet of nature. Like now, when the soil of life seems to be up-tilled, I sit and hear the wind blowing through the trees, the sound of the leaves creating soothing choruses, while I find rest as creation seems to remind me that the Creator is in control. Or like the pause that gazing at the Milky Way gives me as I breathe in the cool mountain air. It never fails to take my breath away, while it whispers the mighty power of the One Whom I follow. Sometimes it's the Lord's voice that I hear, saying: "I see your heart, I hear your voice, I love you..." In those moments it's not just about noticing the impact of the moment, but the realization that I am noticed...by the most important One: the One who made me, Who desires me, and Who has called me to lose myself in the experience of knowing Him.

So 'stone' number 9 is the revelatory moments (as small as they may have been), where God has grabbed my attention through nature, wooed my attentions and affections, and reminded me who I am and why I do what I do.

Let it Snow

Snow in May: unexpected.

We had a high day of 91 the day before, and the Thursday before Memorial Day weekend a cold front blew in accompanied by moisture which gave us some snow. So, we retired our sandals for 2 more days.

So much for the: "Arizona is just a big desert". We are actually up around 6,300-7,000 feet in elevation, we have the largest standing of ponderosa pines in the world (not even exaggerating) and (while the White Mountains were not named for snow, but for James White) we have one of the 2 ski resorts in Arizona.