My kids are
still trekking north along the Appalachian Trail. I've committed to writing them something each day. Here are my latest notes.
—Dan
------------------------------------------------
Day 18:
Birds of the Air. Flowers of the Field
So tonight
at church, for the bulk of his message, Jim recited the entire Sermon on the
Mount from memory. I knew he was going to do this. He's been practicing for
weeks. He even practiced it when we drove up to the property a couple of weeks
ago. He made it all the way from Matthew 5:1 to chapter 6. But tonight, he did the
whole thing--Matthew 5:1-7:29. He didn't miss a thing. More
importantly though, he didn't just stand up there on the stage and recite it
like a lot of us would by staring at the ceiling…as if trying to wish the words
to drop into our heads from the sky. And he didn't "act it out"
either…all emotive and overblown with dramatic pauses. No, he gave it like Jim
Burgen gives every message at Flatirons with real honesty and grit and humor. I
don't know how many times I've read the Sermon on the Mount, but tonight it was
different. Jesus' words felt more real and alive than I'd ever heard them
before. As Jim was rolling along through Matthew 6, he came across all those
verses about how…if God cares and feeds the birds…why do we doubt that He'll
take care of us too?
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about
your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds
of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your
heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can
any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry
about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or
spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like
one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here
today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe
you—you of little faith?"
Matthew 6:25-30
The birds
of the air. The flowers of the field.
The images
of these were as real tonight and as tangible as ever before…in the
here-and-now. In just the same way as Jim was making Jesus' words as real and
as tangible as ever before…in the here-and-now. I easily thought of you two
hiking through the wilds of North Carolina…taking in all that those woods have
to offer: birds of the air and flowers of the field. I also thought of Emery
and I walking hand-in-hand to the park this afternoon in the brisk wind…with
her picking dandelions along the way…and the robin redbreast hovering over the
playground…fighting the stiff breeze: birds of the air and flowers of the field.
The title of
Jim's message this weekend is "What is Real?" He began by
talking about the real things in life that we lean on and are important to us
(i.e., family, money, sex, others' opinions, etc.). Then, he launched into his
Sermon on the Mount recitation. Mom was home sick, so as I sat in the auditorium
by myself tonight I thought the thing that I want to be "real"…more
than anything…are those words of Jesus, and the promise that God will care for
you two…for Emery and Micah…for Ben and Ali…more than He cares for…
...the birds
of the air and the flowers of the field.
Love,
Dad
Day 19: The
Blessing of Rain
I don't
always love it, but over the last couple of weeks, I will admit…I love
technology! I've been amazed at the cell service you've had along the trail,
and how often you've been able to text us. So, it wasn't a huge surprise to get
home from going out to eat (We thought of you both as we sipped our margaritas
at Hacienda Jalisco!) and get your call. But FaceTime! That was a welcome surprise!
Choppy and brief as it was, it was good to see your smiles and hear your
voices. After we hung up, I looked at the AT mileage chart I have bookmarked on
the computer. Fontana Dam is 162.6 miles into the Appalachian Trail. That's
great! Oh, and thanks for sending pictures of the room at the hostel you're
staying at tonight! (Below) Warm bed…warm shower…and a toilet! Yippee!
While Mom and I sat at the restaurant eating chips and salsa, waiting for our food, I did a quick weather scan of the Fontana Dam area (not knowing you had actually made it there at that point). I saw that it's been cloudy with a chance of rain most of the week throughout that portion of North Carolina. You guys merely confirmed what we already thought…you've basically seen nothing but rain and mud for days now. I did see that you're supposed to get a bit of a break in the rain early this week. So, dry out tonight. Enjoy the warm, man-made rain from the shower. No telling where your next break further up the trail might be.
Jim's
message this weekend--where he recited the Sermon on the Mount--has my head in
that part of the Bible, I guess. I've mainly been consumed by thoughts of rain;
worrying about you two being waterlogged (at the least) or swept away by floods
(at the worst). I've kept those dark thoughts from Mom…until she reads this.
I've also been thinking about men's retreat coming up this weekend…and worrying
about the spring rains ruining all that we have planned outside. I hate this,
but I've been looking at rain like it's a real negative. The truth is, for most
of the world (and especially in the Bible) rain is a blessing! It's rare…it's a
treasured commodity…and it's welcomed by most of the planet. In Matthew 5:44-46
Jesus says:
"But I tell you, love your enemies and
pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in
heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on
the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you,
what reward will you get?"
Again, Jesus spoke these words in a place and
time where water was rare, drought was common, and rain was welcomed (and seen
as a blessing from God). But Jesus uses rain as a teaching tool here. He's
talking about how we're supposed to love everyone--specifically our enemies.
Due to the fact that we all need water to survive, Jesus points out that
God--although He could--causes rain, life-giving, much-needed rain to fall on
the good/righteous and the bad/unrighteous or…in other words…God's friends AND
His enemies! Jesus hammers home the point that, if God is willing to basically
save the lives of His enemies…how hard can it be for us to "turn the other
cheek" to ours…or simply be kind to those who don't like us? I know. It's
much easier to write those words, than to actually live them out. You have both
been witness to my many failures.
The blessing of rain...
I seriously hope that you two will get a much
needed break from all the rain, but if not, try to see it for the blessing that
it is. Rain hydrates all that beautiful landscape you're walking through and
fills up the reservoirs there too. Let the rain also be a reminder of Jesus'
words…and within those words…the promise that (as His children) God is always
raining down HIs love on you…a shower of blessing.
Love,
Dad
Day 20: Hope
and Renewal
So, I hope
you were able to retrieve the packages we mailed you at the post office this
morning--before leaving Fontana Dam. Nick you should have your other hiking
shoes…and you should both have enough Pop Tarts, rice and ramen noodles to last
you until Green Corner Rd. (the next place I see on my AT mileage chart where
you can get re-stocked--70 + miles up the trail from you). Let us know when you
want your next box shipped, where to ship it, and what you want in it.
I spoke with
Uncle Dave tonight on the way home from the office. He recently posted a nice,
little Facebook note to his friends informing them of your AT hike. We got to
talking again about trying to connect with you two in Harpers Ferry, WV--the
halfway point of your journey. Uncle Dave said he wants to visit the Civil War
battle venues there, then try to connect with you and take you out to eat or
something. When he first mentioned this a couple of months ago, I told him that
I'd love to fly out there and join him. I think it would be great to hang out
with Uncle Dave at some of the Civil War historic sites, let him take ALL
of us out to eat (Ha ha!), and then join you two for a small section of the
trail. I sat down tonight to try and figure out your ETA in West Virginia.
Averaging out your distance and time on your trip so far, I have you landing in
Harpers Ferry sometime in late June-early July…but you know my math skills… :)
Either way, I got excited about it and looked over my summer calendar to see if
it would even work…and if those dates are right…it could be a magic window for
me! Those dates are sandwiched between a couple of the weddings I'm doing this
summer, but I think I can make it work! Remind me to talk about this when you
get cell service and we talk again.
I hope I can
make that happen this summer.
Hope. It's
such an integral part of our relationship with Jesus…and at times…one of the
most difficult parts for me. Here's what I mean: I have all kinds of hope in
Jesus. Here's where my hope (and faith) lie: My hope is in the words Jesus
said...and the promises He made. I have hope that when this life is over…I'm
going to stay with Him in heaven (whatever that looks like or whatever that
experience will be like). I have hope that heaven will be beyond anything I
could ever dream or imagine. And I have hope that when I die I'm going to get
to see and hang out with friends and family who are already there--living out
this eternity experience with Jesus. I also have hope that my other family
members that I leave behind here on earth will eventually join me there someday
too.
Still, I
have all this hope and most days…it's easy to claim. Other days…not so much. I
have days where my hope feels faint and the mundane parts of this life chip away
at it. My hope gets battered and beaten and (at times) feels like there's
almost nothing left to it but a nub…like the end of an old stubby pencil. But
even so…my hope is never destroyed…never gone. It's constantly being renewed. I
wish I could manufacture this renewal, but again…that's not the way Jesus
works. The Apostle Paul wrote about our hope in Romans 8:24-25 and said:
"For in this hope (the hope of life eternal) we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience."
There it is.
Hope isn't something tangible…something I can touch or something I can see.
It's something wholly different…yet just as real!
I know that
you two have professed this hope. One of the greatest joys and blessings of my
life was getting to hear each of your confessions of faith, and then baptizing
you. I'm choking up just remembering each of those separate occasions and
writing this down. Yet, I know that (like me) this hope thing can be a struggle
for you too. I just want you to remember that on this journey…you'll never be
able to see it, but that doesn't mean it's gone. Like Paul writes…have
patience. Wait for it. Wait and see how God is going to open your hearts and
minds to this hope in ways you've never experienced before. Then, wait and see
how it grows and is renewed each day on this hike.
That's my hope for you.
Love,
Dad
Day 21:
Love Language
I sat down
at my desk at work to try and write my note to you. It was after 6PM and
Mom was on her way to meet me. We planned to go grab a bite to eat, then sneak
into the back of the auditorium at REV and listen to Ben give the message
tonight. When Mom made it to the church offices, I was still sitting at my
computer…struggling. I was still trying to figure out what to write to you
both…what I could say that might help or encourage you in some way. I was
drawing a blank. I don't know why. Maybe it was because it's been a mad,
all-out dash to get things done before the men's retreat this weekend and I'm
burned out…maybe it was all the mental Post-It note reminders I have floating
around in my head…and maybe it was because I had no clue where you were, how
you were doing or what you've experienced over the last few days. So I did what
I normally do in situations like this…I procrastinated some more and went out
to eat with Mom. We went all out! It was Goodtimes! Chicken tenders for Mom and
a mushroom cheeseburger for me (I knew that would probably make you jealous!).
To cap things off, Mom made me drive through Wendy's to get her a chocolate
Frosty. But while we were in Goodtimes both our phones chimed, "Ding.
Ding." Mom and I both said at the same time, "Text from Katie!"
It was great to read the following:
"Hello! Service is kind of spotty, but I'm
hoping a text will go through. We got the packages! Thank you so much. We are
now in the Smokey Mountains! We are 182.7 miles in. Tomorrow we will be in
Tennessee for a bit! We are finally feeling stronger and feeling like we can go
longer. Today we did 17 miles. Today was absolutely beautiful. The weather was
perfect. At one point we were literally walking through fields of flowers. We
didn't want to stop walking. We love you guys so much and we miss
you!"
182.7 miles!
You're SO close to reaching the 10% mark of 220 miles! I hope that you guys are
as proud of yourselves as we are of you! Whatever I was even remotely thinking
of writing to you earlier is gone! If I have any real words of encouragement
for you it's this, "Great job! One step at a time you are getting
closer and closer to fulfilling your dream." And the Bible verse
that's in my head right now is from Hebrews 10:24:
"And let us consider how we may spur one
another on toward love and good deeds…"
The only way I am able to encourage…or spur
you both on right now is through words of encouragement or affirmation--by
writing or talking on the phone. I'm sure you both remember that we give out a
book at church for our ONE: Premarital Workshop titled "The Five Love
Languages" by Gary Chapman. You each got a copy when you went through
the workshop a couple of years ago. It's a good book, and if you remember, the
5 Love Languages are: (1) gifts (2) quality time (3) words
of affirmation (4) acts of service and (5) physical
touch. It's a great model for married folks. Mom and I…are on opposite ends
of the spectrum. She's all: physical touch…and I'm: words of affirmation. I
don't remember what each of you are either, but here's the thing; this trip…the
next 5 months…from Georgia to Maine…you're going to experience them all! I
mean, quality time! You're going to get quality, quantity and everything
in-between! Acts of service? That's about all you're going to be doing
for each other to get you through the journey! And I know there will be LOTS of
words of affirmation because along with acts of service, how else are
you going to be able to finish this? Physical touch? Everything from
pushing each other uphill, lifting the other off the ground from a rest, and
the tight quarters of your tent…physical touch is obviously a major part of
this trip! You are going to be walking (hiking), talking, living examples of
the 5 Love Languages! I know you will always have your primary love language,
but this trip is destined to draw you two closer to each other and deepen all
the languages in your life.
And no, I
didn't forget one. Gifts. This is the
one that I admire the most about you two. The gift you've given each other in
this hike. Whether gifts are your primary love language or not, the gift that
you've given each other of time and place along the Appalachian Trail is
probably the greatest gift you will give each other in your lifetimes…aside
from children (one day) but, maybe that's just Grampa talking!
This hike is a beautiful gift and one you
will treasure for your entire lives. Thanks for speaking love so well.
Love,
Dad
No comments:
Post a Comment