Archive January 2007
View from the top — of the mountain
Greetings to all you envious skiers stuck back in Kansas City. I just thought I had better update you and assure you that I am still in one piece with all my members (I just counted). My first day on the mountain was Tuesday and the locals were lamenting the fact that they were low on snow. They only had a 37 inch base. I always tell them that the worst day skiing at Vail is better than the best day skiing in Missouri.
Today, though, we were rewarded with a foot of new snow! If you ski, you know this is as good as it gets! We spent the day discovering virgin patches of snow and laying down our tracks. We skied until our legs screamed at us for mercy. Six of us met here, including Dale Moline, Allen Smith, and John Romero, men sent out from KCBT. Also present are our own Kent Liles and Craig Rookstool. We have had a blast and this is a great bunch of guys. Well, except for Kent who passed over to the dark side a few years back and converted to snowboarding. But, we took a vote and decided we love him anyway. He’s behaved really well! Here’s a shot of me and John Romero, typical Vail ski bums enjoying some good coffee after a hard day’s work on the slope. Kent was even nice enough to take the picture.
Loving Life!
OK, Y’all! You may or may not hear from me later this week. I am taking a few days off. That’s right, OFF. As in chillin’. Literally. I am in Dillon, Colorado where the temps are nose-diving. Chillin’ in Dillon. That might not sound like fun if you don’t ski, but this is my annual ski week and I’m pumped!
The day started by stopping at Aaron Duckworth’s fine establishment for a cup of Duck’s incomparable latte that I savored all the way to the airport. Thanks, Duck, for the coffee and the comment, too. Then, the riches of friendships. I was picked up at the Denver airport by a high school friend and the former US Marshal for Colorado who took me to my rental car and shared a quick lunch before I headed to the high country. Waiting there were more friends, some of the men our church has sent out over the years to other places. Some of us have been skiing together for years. Friendships that last for years — can you think of anything better? Tomorrow, it’s off to the famous back bowls of Vail. I’m telling you, it doesn’t get much better than this!
Stop! Slow down. Where is God’s beauty in your life today? Here’s my list: great coffee from a great barista and friend, friends dating back to High School, friends in ministry for years, beautiful mountains and skiing. That’s just today’s list! I’ll try to keep you posted on what’s happening here. Then again, I just might ski myself tired.
On the beach with Jesus
No, it’s not what you might think. A few years ago there was a group of fine young men in our church who used to run together. They had an acronym that they shared with me. One would say, “Where you at?” The answer was, “I’m at the BEACH,” meaning Baskin’ Everlastin’ After Choosin’ Heaven.
I thought of that today as I was reading in John 21. In the initial confusion after the crucifixion and resurrection, the disciples had gone back to Galilee. They were discouraged, confused and disorientated, having lost their sense of purpose and vision. Arriving back at the lake, Peter suggested they go fishing, something they had not done for some time. This would probably also be the last time any of them would go fishing. They fished all night and caught nothing. You probably know the story of how Jesus called to them from the shore and directed them to cast the net on the right side of the ship resulting in a catch so big they couldn’t handle it.
Verse four of John 21 is what caught my attention. It says that as the dawn was breaking, Jesus stood on the beach, but none of the disciples knew that it was Jesus. Here they were looking for direction, purpose and provision, and there stood Jesus on the beach where they were headed, yet they didn’t know he was there. Here’s the point: no matter where you are headed, no matter what the circumstances, and no matter whether you recognize him or not, Jesus is already there waiting for you, standing on your beach.
Yo-Yo Ma
Tonight Cheryl and I had the privilege of hearing Yo-Yo Ma with the Kansas City Symphony. Mr. Ma is simply the cellist of this generation. I have heard many world class musicians, but Yo-Yo Ma is one of those rare individuals that come along only once in a great while. The powerful synergy between him and his cello makes it impossible to tell where one begins and the other leaves off. What an amazing evening!
At one point during the Hayden concerto for cello and orchestra, the connection between director Michael Stern, Ma, and the orchestra was so seamless it brought tears to my eyes and seemed as though this was the very first time this piece of music had ever been played, even though Hayden wrote it in the latter years of the 1700′s. They did more than play music tonight; they made it.
James’ words came to mind when he said that every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). That’s not a commentary on Ma’s spirituality or the lack thereof; it’s a commentary on the goodness of God that continually surrounds us and manifests itself in an infinite variety of ways. I grow weary of the contemporary Christian tendency to divide everything in the world into “Christian” and “secular.” This is God’s world, and the fullness thereof (Psalm 24:1). All good music is God music. All good art is God art. All good beauty is God beauty. All good literature is God literature. Paul understood this. Preaching to pagans in Athens, Paul found good in pagan poetry and quoted it as true, saying that in God we all live, move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). This doesn’t make the Bible any less unique, true or divinely inspired.
So, when was the last time you saw God in a glorious piece of music? When was the last time you discovered God in a book you could never buy in a Christian book store? When was the last time you thanked God for perfectly blended guacamole made at your table side? I’m serious! Don’t push God out of His own world. Don’t try to keep him in a box or a cage. We are surrounded by Him and our mission is to point Him out to others. That’s hard to do if you can’t see or hear his beauty and glory all around you.
For those of you who started reading this post because you thought I said “Yo Ma-Ma,” thanks for sticking it out with me to the end to hear what I had to say.
Don’t miss this!
The incredible work of sorting through and translating such a fabulous quantity of material and the infighting of dueling bands of scholars kept the public in the dark for years about many aspects of the contents of these scrolls. They contain both biblical and extra-biblical items, including an almost complete copy of the Book of Isaiah a thousand years older than any other. Many questions remain about the group who assembled this library, their purposes, and the content of some of the scrolls. The bottom line: the Dead Sea Scrolls are an amazing confirmation of the accuracy of the Hebrew scripture, or the Old Testament as we Christian call it. Fragments of every book except Esther were found. They are of vital interest to every Christian and Jew.
Next month, Kansas City will be one of only seven North American Cities to host a traveling exhibition on loan from the Israel Antiquities Authority. The exhibition will be here for only a limited time and will be at Union Station. There will surely be crowds and you will want to make plans and get your tickets ahead of time to see this. This would be a great small group activity. Our pastors have already planned to go together. I’m going with them and another time with Cheryl. For maximum benefit, read up a bit before you go. Can you spell google?