Pastoral Ponderings—Fleeting

Pastoral Ponderings—Fleeting

Our recent trip to the Grand Canyon included along with it a brief drive through Zion National Park in Utah, where wife and kid were eager to show me a tunnel they had found back in the Fall when Kaz was first moving out there. That there was a tunnel through a mountain wasn’t so unique, but that it had openings or “windows” along the side to peek out as you drive through was something special (you can see in the pic attached the line of cars waiting to go thru!).

I think we drove thru it three times, with my trying to get some pictures, which, even driving slowly (no pull offs to stop), were fleeting opportunities at best. The last time I took videos I need to try to capture stills from, but I’m not that smart yet!

Then shortly after getting back home from that same trip built around a hike in the Grand Canyon, I saw in the news several articles about the Grand Canyon, including some specific landmarks we had passed on our return up to the South Rim. There had been a heat warning—which is saying something in the summer in semi-arid conditions where it regularly gets over 100 during the day.

As I understand it, the regular summer rule there is to not hike during the heat of the day, so don’t be on the trail between something like 10 in the morning and 3 or 4 in the afternoon. But in this news article, a fellow was hiking during a heat warning at 10 in the morning, and was found unresponsive at about 11:30.

Then within a few days, forest fires have consumed thousands of acres and buildings on the park, including the historic Grand Canyon Lodge—gone in a flash. Both the loss of life, loss of forest acreage and the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, are reminders of how fleeting life and things of value can be.

“All is vanity/meaningless/fleeting” says the familiar line from Ecclesiastes—so true—UNLESS we shape our values to eternity, rather than mere earthly concerns. Some of you may remember I recently used this passage in a sermon, with the reference to the Hebrew word translated as “vanity” or “meaningless”- hevel, which really means more like vapor, insubstantial. But while vapor is certain insubstantial, it is the art media God uses for every sunset, it is in the hands of our Gardener God, what brings the rain that is the foundation for all life, and in the hand of human engineers, brings light, air conditioning, even digital messages like this that can bring hope around the world.

When put to eternal uses. How do you use your fleeting time to invest in eternity?

— Pastor Jim

Pastoral Ponderings- Sculpted Beauty

Thank you for the chance to get away! We flew out to CA to spend time with Army kiddo Kaz while there, and Kaz and I hiked the Grand Canyon “rim to rim,” down from the North Rim, up the South Rim route, a total hike of about 23 miles. I’m ALMOST past the sore muscles and my blisters are almost healed! We then had other kid and wife come join us for a couple days at DisneyLAND—a first for all of us but Karol.

But the hike was the most amazing part—likely a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Didn’t get to see much coming up the South Rim—it was dark by then—but the STARS—with no clouds, no light pollution at all—what a sight! Next morning we did the shuttle bus to see what we could from above the South Rim—which appeared much like you’d expect with the stark beauty of all the layers of rock that God carefully carved over time. The North Rim, though, was a surprise—I wasn’t expecting the trees and shade! But they were VERY much appreciated, as the temperature was around 108 when we got to the bottom of the canyon by around 7pm.

I’m always struck by the beauty of God’s artwork in nature. The Grand Canyon is quite the sculpture, with miles of carving thousands of feet deep, leaving intricate layers and signs of what has come before. Have you ever noticed that beauty often comes like that in our small lives? Becoming visible only after the long passage of time, with layers carved away through water, wind and grit, to reveal the beauty beneath.

We marvel at God’s sculpting majesty in the Grand Canyon and the beauty it brings—yet complain with a few scrapes and bruises when God is trying to sculpt His artistry on and through us! And forget the process taking time as it did with the Grand Canyon—Lord, I want relief NOW, and if I need more patience, bring it quick! (but NEVER pray for patience—God has a way of answering those kinds of prayers by providing LOTS of practice!)

Might it be possible when WE are going through times of carving, being worn down, that we could change our perspective? Can we eagerly look for the beauty that God is working to reveal in and through the wearing down process, as we can with the Grand Canyon? More often than not, we’d rather complain with every scrape, and pray for it to just be over quick! That canyon wouldn’t even be a creek, let alone even approaching being one of the seven wonders of the natural world if God would have stopped THAT sculpting as quickly as we pray for our little times of being worn down to stop!

Being blessed by God’s crafting hand—Pastor Jim