Eyes to See

"Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters; They have seen the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep."   - Psalm 107:23-24

My son seems like a wholly different person than some years ago when I caught him unawares, gazing at the power and enormity of the sea.

I can still see the awe in his eyes as he later remarked, "The ocean's angry today, Dad.".  Josh had gotten a glimpse of His power.

Images like this mean more and more to me as I get older - for all the usual sentimental reasons.

But I think I'm drawn to this particular picture because - regardless of all the opportunities and experiences I've been blessed to have - I think I still feel like Josh did at the moment I took that picture.

It's as if I'm continually standing on the edge of something much larger and more mysterious than I can quite comprehend.  The feeling is oppressive and foreboding and crisp and exhilarating - all at the same time.   That's just how Adventure feels.

Life is truly an adventure for those who have eyes to see.

Father, give me eyes to see.

My Kind of Kid

I was sitting on a mountainside at about 11,500 feet in Colorado late one afternoon, and this little kid and his mom showed up.

I find wildlife fascinating for all sorts of reasons, but this time, it was the grace and agility with which this mountain goat family ran up and down the mountain slopes.

I'm talking serious boulder chutes and tough 4th class terrain that I tend to poke through like a sloth. His momma just bolted down out of nowhere with him in tow, leaping and lunging, defying gravity like furry John Woo characters.

That blurry background is about 800 feet below the little fella, but he hopped right up on that stone, stuck like Spidey and took a peek over the edge.

I was impressed by these two. The momma teaching her son to survive in the mountain environment, to be constantly aware of his surroundings, to know his limitations and yet boldly approach the challenges that appear in his path. The kid, humbly learning and then testing his skills. Awesome.

Father, help me to be both child and parent - learning and modeling a wise and bold approach to the future.

Now Faith Is...

These 3 verses fall at the end of chapter 10 in the book of Hebrews. 

"For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.

FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE,
HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY.
BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH;
AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK,
MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.

But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul."    - Hebrews 10:36-39

These verses set the stage for the magnificent Chapter 11 - perhaps the greatest words ever written about the lifestyle that we Christians are to pursue.

I've been spending a lot of time reading, meditating and teaching on the "lifestyle of faith".

I spent a day recently helping high school students understand the difference between faith and experimental knowledge.  And last night, our house was packed full of bright college-age friends studying through this very topic.

I can't in one blog post repeat everything we covered last night.

The best thing to do is to read Hebrews 10:36 through 12:3 in a single push.

Think hard about what each person did, the decisions they made, the actions they took and THE HOPE they had for the future!

"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
For by it the men of old gained approval."  - Hebrews 11:1-2

Think about their lifestyle, how they blended a strong belief about what God was ultimately going to do (the resurrection and the kingdom to come) with their decisions in the present.

And then consider how you might live your life like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab and the rest of the crew.

In a nutshell, we MUST pursue a lifestyle that involves risk-taking, positive decision making and sacrifice - just like those great men and women in chapter 11.

The thrust for this lifestyle is the belief that God exists and will reward those of us who seek him diligently with a resurrection body that will never die, and a real, physical Kingdom where Jesus rules the entire world in perfect Justice, with no more death, no more sorrow and no more pain.

I pursue adventures in the mountains for this very reason. I train myself and those I mentor to seek adventure in every area of their lives - to develop the capacity to take appropriate risks, to sacrifice and to make positive decisions in the midst of an uncertain world.

I believe this prepares us to live our lives like those great people of faith in chapter 11. 

"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. . ."    - Hebrews 12:1

DON'T shrink back.

LAY ASIDE every encumbrance.

RUN the race.

ENDURE!

So, whaddya say - you in?

How Do You Know?

I spent a day last week teaching and challenging the high school students at a fine Christian school.  We talked most about how to keep our faith in the midst of a contradictory world.

The seniors will soon blast off, and most of them are going to secular universities around the country - places that can be quite challenging and contradictory to keeping your faith in God.

In fact, we're hearing that about 3 out of 4 Christian students drop their faith by the end of their first year in college.  That's an abrupt about-face on such an important subject, don't you think? 

So I asked, as I often do, "How do you know that God exists?  And if he exists, how do you know his name is Yahweh?  How do you know that Jesus is who the Bible says he is?".  

Really, how do you know?

I ask these questions because I know that these students will soon face a barrage of questions just like that from their college professors.  All too often, the intent of the prof is to corrode the student's core beliefs.  

And I think the best way to prepare these young men and women is to start the process BEFORE they're away from the influences of parents, church and Christian school.  I'd rather start the discussion and the discovery process sooner rather than later - while there's still time to help make things clear.

I want the students to be comfortable in the uncertainty that will (certainly!) come their way, and to know why they believe what they believe.

The students' answers and the resulting discussions were invigorating as always.  

And so, I thought I'd ask you, "How do YOU know?".