Looking For The Long Ride

We all know people who have the ability to take the weather with them wherever they go. If it’s rainy outside, they will bring the sunshine in and change a gloomy atmosphere to one of hope and anticipation.

I bring this up today, not because I am one of those people (though I tend towards being upbeat) but because it is a place that we can aspire to. It is an attitude of the heart that will help make our ride (and others) a little better, a little more enjoyable and memorable.

I remember several years ago, my mother and sister were visiting us during the summer. As those of you have lived in the mountains know, the weather can be rather hard to predict. What starts as bright and sun-shiny can quickly turn to drizzle later in the day. This makes planning an event or day-trip somewhat problematic.

I guess it was Tuesday and we had planned to go to Grandfather Mountain (a local scenic tourist attraction) and do what tourists do: have a picnic, see the bears and take a walk on the mile high bridge.
However, we awoke to a light misty type rain. A decision had to be made and everyone was looking my way. So, I went boldly where I had not gone before and said that I wasn’t going to let a little rain spoil my day. So we all climbed into my car, a big old Buick, and headed south to Grandfather Mountain.

And guess what: even though there was a light mist on and off all day, we never skipped a beat. We enjoyed the day and all that it had to offer and didn’t complain about the fact that it wasn’t perfect weather.
Had we stayed at home, we would have missed what the day had for us as a family.

As families, we have times that are remembered and sayings that become life-quotes.

So, every once and a while, when we are faced with a situation that is less than perfect (when the weather is not what we would want it to be) my wife or one of our kids will say, “We are not going to let a little rain spoil our fun!”
We have shared the ride and have taken our weather with us.

What’s your day look like?

For the past several weeks I have been playing a CD by Lincoln Brewster entitled “All To You…Live”. It would be called a comtemporary praise and worship album in today’s language. There are many songs on this album that are notable but one keeps playing in my mind. The songs’ title is “I Surrender” and is kind of hymn-like with a celtic lilt.
Brewster has a great voice and is an amazing guitar player, but what sets this album apart is that he is not singing about God but to Him.

Now bear in mind that I don’t just listen to Christian music. I woke up this morning with the lyrics of a Bob Dylan song, “The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll” echoing through my brain….with the refrain “…now ain’t the time for your tears” repeating itself.

I guess what I am trying to say today is that music is and important part of my life. From Bob Dylan and Miles Davis to Motown all the way through to today and Lincoln Brewster.

Music is an accessory to our lives. It enriches us and can give us comfort. It can stretch us and calm us. It can define a mood and make a movie come to life as a song plays underneath some on-screen action. It can be like “South Pacific” or the “Sound of Music” in its’ ability to help us understand our world.

As you have no doubt concluded…I like music. And while I mostly play praise and worhsip stuff I relate big-time to the singer-song writer genré as well.

I recently went to a music shop in Blowing Rock, NC called Pandora’s Mailbox. It is owned by a girl who knows a lot about all kinds of music. I told her I wanted to listen to something that I would probably never run into on my own. I told her what I liked and she picked a few CD’s for some sample tracks.
One of them was group out of nowhere called the “Weepies”. Just a girl and a guy singing songs they wrote. But it was delightful and struck a chord inside and is one of those sights along the way. Having only listened to a couple of songs part way, the money I spent could have been a waste but really turned out to be a great investment and a bright spot along the way.

What do you see on the sideline of your life today?

Sometimes, despite the best plans, our ride goes in a different direction than we had imagined or doesn’t take place at all.

Life has a way of throwing circumstances at us and often we have to make hard decisions.
In keeping with the long range plans of this blog, I will relate a part of what makes looking for the long ride important to me.

I grew up in Port Huron, Michigan, and after several months traveling the U.S. and Europe, I returned to my town to graduate from high school and begin attending community college.
As you can imagine, (having hitch-hiked through Europe) I love to walk and as I lived only two or three miles from college, I would often walk to class in the morning. It’s not that I didn’t have a car (there were times I didn’t) but on a beautiful day I would use walking (translate “ride”) to clear my head and do a little thinking.

I looked forward to that time. Just me and my thoughts and the sights and sounds around me. As a romantic, I would make up stuff in my head and this process would help me navigate my day.
Anyway, there were times during my walk meditation that someone I knew would stop and ask me if I wanted an ride. Most of the time I said that I didn’t and would proceed on my way. I would notice however, that these same people would not interact with me the same way after our encounter.

One day while I was walking, a thought came to me about this situation. I realized that most of these people thought they were doing me a favor and didn’t realize the importance of my daily walks. They more than likely thought I was giving them the cold shoulder and that was not the impression that I wanted to give.

So, I determined that people were more important than my walks and that if anyone stopped and asked me if I needed a ride, I would take the ride in order to value the person, even though I really didn’t need it.

Later in life, I was faced with this same situation, although in a different arena.
I love to read the paper and have very little time in which to indulge myself in this endevour. So, I would often take my paper with me to lunch in order to read it during that hour away from work.
Many times, I would go to a restaurant and end up seeing someone I knew and they would invite me to eat lunch with them. All I really wanted to do was read the paper during lunch and return to work. However, I remembered the lesson of years past, and would put my paper down in order to take advantage of the moment and what had been placed in front of me.

As time would have it, I don’t eat alone to much anymore and do take time to read the paper at night when I get home from work.
People are always valuable and I do believe we will continue to be tested in our devotion and dedication to being a friend to those who need it.

And in so doing, we will get what we need as well.

As I get ready to take a bike ride on one of my favorite roads, Railroad Grade in Todd, I am reminded of last night.

Sandi and I went to Wilkesboro to hear Kim Clement. He is a frequent contributor to the Elijah List prophesy newsletter via internet. I must admit I don’t follow all that stuff too much so I am not up on all the latest that is happening in that realm. He is mostly known on the west coast and is a great piano player and singer who gets prophetic words during a song service type format.

The place that we met was a refurbished warehouse that holds maybe 2,500 people. Morningstar had just recently bought lots of nice chairs for the place and is currently using it as their church meeting place.
I would say last night the place was 2/3’s full and was viewed as a major event for the area.

What I was struck by however, was not Kim’s style or what he brought to the table, etc. but the hunger of the people attending.
There seemed to be a pent up demand for things of the Lord. A longing for a supernatural experience with the Holy Spirit.

What I came away with is that people need to be loved and encouraged in the things of the Lord. Graham Cooke says that the shallow end of the prophetic pool is “encouragement” which literally means to “put courage into”.

As the body of Christ, we can do this. We can hear God for our brothers and sisters and help them see their future in terms of what the Lord has promised.

We can love and accept and pray.
For the joy set before Him, Christ endured the cross, despising its shame.

Are we ready?

Today’s post is called “The Fourth Day” for a very good reason. This morning I woke up with a moment in time remembered and right away my mind started writing.
A short time after returning from Tanzania, Africa, in 2004, I spent 72 hours with a group of people on what is called “The Walk To Emmaus”.

The Walk to Emmaus is a spiritual renewal program intended to strengthen the local church through the development of Christian disciples and leaders. During the three days, the community of people sponsoring the walk literally take care of every need that you have. They drive you to the location, carry your luggage, feed you and provide everything you need for the 3 day event. Watches are taken off and cell phones are silent during this period.

The Walk to Emmaus gets its name from the story in Luke 24:13-35, which provides the central image for the three-day experience and follow-up. Luke tells the story of that first Easter afternoon when the risen Christ appeared to the two disciples who were walking together along the road from Jerusalem to Emmaus.

Anyway, in Emmaus talk, everyday after the third day is called the fourth day. Everything you do during the extended weekend is focused on your fourth day…the day that you enter back into your “normal” life and really begin your journey outside the protective environment of the retreat.

This really is the essence of “Looking for the Long Ride”! Taking time away to learn, to reflect and prepare for the future. Knowing this, that your time in preparation will pay great dividends in terms of interest on your investement.

Most of the rides I have taken in my life have not been planned; they have been mostly spontaneous, spur of the moment type things. I mean there has been some forethought but not like planning a career around four years of college.

I remember a time that Sandi and I took a day and just started driving. The loose goal was to have an adventure with a destination being a place that sold Asiatic Lilys. In the process, we saw a little sign off the road that said “Day Lillys”. We followed the markers and ended up at an old homeplace literally packed with all kinds of Lilys. An older woman, widowed for years, met us at the door and proceeded to amaze us with her hospitality and knowledge of all kinds of perennials and other flowers. We spent a couple of hours at her place and thoroughly enjoyed our visit. It was a GOOD ride.

As it turned out, the place we had originally intended to visit was much less interesting and more business like.

So, take time to take a ride…whatever that means and/or looks like to you. Feel the road, enjoy the moment and share your excitement with someone you care about.

During three weeks this past October, my wife Sandi and I attended some meetings in Moravian Falls, NC. The event, to celebrate 3 Jewish feasts, was called “Fulfillment Fest”.

The first week celebrated the Feast of Trumpets, the second the Feast of Atonement and the third was the Feast of Tabernacles. The meetings were day and night and were held in a big tent that could hold 500+ people. Each session began with a different group of musicians leading a worship time for about an hour. The lights were low and the spirit high.
At some point after this a moderator would make some announcements and then introduce a speaker for a half-hour session to be followed by the “headliner”.

Among the people speaking were Bobby Conner, Heidi Baker, Lou Engle, Ray Hughes, Shawn Bolz and the like.
It was definately a time where the body of christ could come together and get its’ lamps filled up with plenty of oil. Each person had a different slant on what was amazingly the same message.

God is doing a new thing…a quick thing. That there is a place for each of us in what He is doing. He is uprooting some in order to re-plant in different soil.
The excitement was heavy…you could almost taste it. The sense of destiny and purpose was all over the place. And all this was happening in our own backyard…not more than 20 minutes from our house. In a farmers field off Hwy. 16 in Wilkes county, North Carolina.
I had (and still do) the feeling that this event was going to impact the nations…much like an Azusa street outpouring.

Anyway, my wife and I had been involved in a lot of trials during the year proceeding this time of meeting and were in need of some fuel and direction for our lives. Without it…we were almost on empty. We came away full and refreshed…ready to take the last steps that would move us into a new dimension in the church (spiritual) realm.

The details of what we were (are) going through are not important here. The point being that it is always worth it to take time to seek the Lord and to be found by Him…encouraged by Him through His servants and to once again be filled with an excitement to serve Him with all our strength.
There is more to be expressed and much more to be found…I’ll hold that for another time.

Yesterday I talked about “The Ride” and the beginning of that thought process. The word today seems to be “The Race” as in the Hebrews 12:1 sense.

Hebrews 12:1 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…

Race in this passage means a contest, a striving for, a moving forward. So we begin to see that our “Ride” really is our “Race”.
There is a starting point and there is a destination.
As I am more journey minded, I like the little side trips that we are given along the way. Really, I am more lazy than that and sometimes need to be shaken up by my wife to take the time to enjoy the journey.

Recently, I have taken up bike riding. I got a good deal on a road bike (the kind with the thin tires) and have put over 1,200 mile on it since March or April. This is not much when compared to most of the guys around here but a really good start. Living in the mountains of North Carolina (where Lance Armstrong trained some) is a really good place to be a rider. I have found that I have regained some of my youthfulness in practicing this sport.

I am reminded now of what Isaiah says:
Isaiah 40:31 (New American Standard Bible)
Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
This race, this journey, this bike riding is a gift from God.
What is His gift to you today?

Here is the first entry to this blog, which has been an idea in my mind and heart for a long, long time.

The thoughts leading up to this are: During my hitch-hiking days (late 60’s), in the United States and Europe, the goal was to get the longest ride possible towards your destination. Many people would stop to pick you up, but you didn’t take every ride. Many times people were only going a little way up the road and would actually let you out in a worse place than where you were. So, you would ask how far they were going and if it wasn’t raining, you might just pass up a ride that wasn’t going very far in hopes of a better ride coming. The drivers would often be surprised that you were turning down a ride, but most seemed to understand ( I guess it was a kinder and gentler time in history ).

Anyway…we are all on a journey. From birth until death. And I am still looking for and intrigued by the concept of “The Long Ride”.

Many years ago, I entered into a relationship with Jesus. The ride has been a good one and we are still on our journey together. There have been side trips, day trips and bad trips along the way. I have been tripped up, side-tracked and delayed as well.

I have been on the mountain top and in the valley. It has been a good ride.

Yet I begin to see that there is an end to this part as well.

I think I know where I need to be in terms of my response to today and all that it has to bring my way. But I don’t know what this looks like. But I am on the road….my thumb is out….and I am excited about the next phase of my journey.

How about yours?