Glaciers and Icebergs

Over the past few days I've been reading and thinking about glaciers and icebergs. I've never actually seen either, but I am just finishing a book by Eugene Peterson called Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places and during the closing pages of the book, Peterson talks about an article he read about glaciers and the environment.

So I decided to go online and read a bit about glaciers. A glacier is a river made of solid ice. It is formed as snow slowly accumulates over time. A little bit, day by day. Patiently, the snow falls. Maybe one day it is two or three inches. Another day is a dusting. And yet another day is two feet. Slowly, the sheer mass of snow causes it to compress and solidify. It becomes solid ice, and over time, the ice gets thicker and thicker. One day the ice is 50 feet thick. And then, it begins to move. Gravity begins to pull this huge mass along as it seeks to find sea level. Nothing can stop it or get in its way. In Peterson's words it is the most powerful force on earth. Glacial ice is the largest source of freshwater on the planet too by the way.

And when a glacier gets to the ocean, bits of the glacier break off and become icebergs. Icebergs are interesting because you only see the "tip of the iceberg". 90% of an iceberg lies beneath the surface of the water. So icebergs have all of this potential that no one really sees, and yet they are extremely massive and powerful.

So I was thinking about icebergs and glaciers, and then I started thinking about us. It's really easy for us to get impatient. As I think about the nearness of the opening of our café, sozo, I get really excited about it, but I also would love for everything to be in place--right now. That's not how glaciers work though. Glaciers are part of a patient process--and once they get started, they are unstoppable. I think that's what the community of faith should look like, a patiently flowing ice river that changes the landscape. My buddy Sam told me that Glaciers carve a U shape out of the valleys where they flow. Wouldn't it be something if God took all of that mass of the faith community, and all of the mass of a project like sozo, and used things like that to begin a transformation of the whole community for the better? Or what about your community--what would it look like there for that kind of transformation to take place? Are you willing to wait for it and work for it?

And more specifically, what about you? I was thinking that as individuals, we are often like icebergs. We are mostly submerged with about ten percent of us available for the world to see. Yet we have all of this potential that's hidden below the surface. What if you began to live out your potential and live out your calling in such a way that the world around you began to take notice? Just some thoughts I've had in recent days about water, and us.

Rankings

Rankings, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

I had thought I posted to my blog yesterday, but when I went to show a couple of people the site, my most recent blog wasn't there. Unfortunately, I didn't save it anywhere else either. Lesson learned, maybe.

I have been thinking a lot lately about rankings. For some reason, in America we have a fascination with ranking and categorizing things. Our school, our state, our country, it doesn't matter, we categorize and we rank. We feel a sense of pride, or dismay at our rankings too. In fact, one can easily get a sense of identity from "our" group being ranked somewhere really high.

For instance, after a quick perusal of the Mountaineer Sports Network website, I noticed that we not only have the #3 football team in the country, and our men's soccer team is #14 and our rifle team is #4. Those rankings excited me. In fact I feel a sense of pride in our teams even though I had nothing to do with their rankings.

My friend Jeremiah sent me a link to an article featuring another ranking. It appears that WVU is the #1 party school in the country according to the princeton review. This statistic came as a result of surveying 120,000 students from around the country. Needless to say, not everyone is rejoicing over a ranking like this. Some students and alumni are excited and proud of this ranking. Obviously, it isn't the kind of ranking that an administration looks forward to seeing.

Personally, it is just a reminder of some of the many places where we can go to find our identity, and the unique influences of the spiritual and climate of a college campus.

World Scout Jamboree

World Scout Jamboree, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

Earlier today, my buddy Ricky Beamer sent me a link to a newspaper article he was in back in his home town. You should definitely check it out.

Ricky is an Eagle Scout, in Order of the Arrow, and currently serves as assistant scoutmaster for his troop when he is in Wytheville. He is also a fourth year Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering major. He has been involved with our college ministry in Morgantown since his freshman year, does sound and tech work for us, and also works with one of our canvas groups. He's an amazing guy.

And earlier this summer, he had the privilege of attending the World Scout Jamboree in England. Over 40,000 scouts from several countries converged in England for 3 weeks. Everybody got along. Nobody fought. They cleaned up after themselves. They helped each other. They took care of their environment. For three weeks, Ricky and his fellow scouts gave the world a picture of what life could be like. But I wonder how many people noticed.

If ricky and his friends from all over the world can get along for three weeks, what about the rest of us. Couldn't we at least start to make a change? I know that Ricky is extremely excited about the possibilities in our world as a result of the combination of his time in England, and what God has been teaching him through scriptures.

As you read this, I want to challenge you to begin to imagine together with me how God could use ordinary people like you and I to change the world. If the scouts can do some thing like this (and they are a great group), just imagine what the church could do if we began to find our satisfaction in Him and not walk around in fear, insecurity, and isolation.

Greenery

Greenery, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

This year has seen more and more press given to "greening" our lives. From hybrid vehicles to Compact Fluorescent light bulbs, to buying locally grown foods (or growing your own), people are seriously considering lowering their ecological footprint. Your ecological footprint is a measure of how much resources you use by doing your weekly routine. Today, I just thought I would attempt to find out what my footprint is, and I found out that if everyone lived the same way I do, we would need 3.4 earths to sustain us. That's pretty dismal news, being that we only have one earth. (By the way, I would love it if you took the quiz and posted your results!!!)

Earlier today, I was listening to a podcast featuring Eugene Peterson, the guy who wrote The Message a version of the Bible in contemporary language (He has also written many other wonderful books). This in turn led me to a website with a further interview which led me to a Washington Post Article about Christians and the environment.

In the article, it mentions one of my favorite preachers, Dr. Joel Hunter of Northland Community Church. During four straight summers, I attended Dr. Hunter's church while in Orlando, FL. He is a thoughtful, articulate, and an exemplary storyteller. He also has been doing much to encourage Christians to engage in being socially active in their communities as a reflection of their faith in Jesus.

Anyways, the article really provoked me to think more deeply about how I can better love God and love others through my stewardship of the environment. Lot's of folks want to debate issues like global warming, or they want to complain about escalating gas prices, or the prevalence of environmentally related illnesses in our world today. But, how many of us really want to take time and effort to wrestle with how this (among many issues) can be simplified down to how effectively are we loving God and loving others?

I implore you to take some time today and think about some small changes you might be able to make to better care for God's earth. Things like walking instead of driving (short distances), riding a bike (weather permitting), or recycling go a long way, and they actually are good for you too (you just feel like you've made a difference when you recycle, and you see your number of bags of garbage drastically diminish). And when you decide what you are going to do (or are currently doing), post a comment. And don't forget to tell me your footprint.

On the summit

On the summit, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

Last Friday, I drove to Seneca Rocks with my brother, nephew, dad, sister, and brother-in-law. Together we hiked to the top of the rocks. This is my third such pilgrimmage in the last month. This time, I had the privilege of sharing the journey with my family.

My brother, interestingly enough, also recently hiked to the summit of Mount Whitney in California. While the views were significantly different, the appreciation of the summit was highly similar I'm sure.

So this week, we all returned to our "normal" routines. I returned to Morgantown to fully engage in the prep work involved in opening a cafe, as well as the work involved with preparing a church, and a college ministry for the arrival of approximately 27,000 students. My brother returned to the busyness of caring for his wife and son and balancing responsibilities to work, family, and community in his daily life.

My dad and sister and brother in law returned to not having us around, not waking up and planning out what we would do as a family, not sharing hikes, laughs, and quality time together.

It's been a period of adjustment. But isn't that the case with life. We are always going through periods of adjustment. Some days we are on the summit, and the view is beautiful, and the wind is blowing our hair across our face. And then some days are like a valley that gets no air, and it seems somewhat sufficating.

In the middle of it all, God remains constant. God walks with us in tough times. God is our sustainance and our hope.

Sunday I was talking with my dad and sister briefly en route from a baptism at our church in Morgantown where over 60 people were baptized, and they mentioned that one of our relatives had a stroke. My sister called yesterday afternoon to tell me that the same relative, Lizzie Cooper, went to be with Jesus yesterday.

Lizzie was an amazing woman of God, and an inspiration to many. Her departure was both sudden and unexpected. She was just recently teasing my dad because he missed Sunday school (he came up to Morgantown that weekend).

Now she is with my mom who is with Jesus. Everything is better than being on the summit for them. For us, we will continue to grow and persevere in faithfulness, using our time, our efforts, and our talents to glorify our maker Who is the true satisfaction of our lives. We will remember the summits, but even more we will remember the One who gave us the summit. We will lament the valleys, but even more we will praise the One who rescues us from an eternity far worse than any temporal valley.

Big Bloom

Big Bloom, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

A little over a week ago, my sunflowers finally bloomed. When the bloom started to come out, they hit a growth spurt and shot up an additional 1-2 feet. This particular flower is over 10 feet tall.

I'm so glad I added these flowers to my garden. I have no idea how I am going to harvest the seeds or extract any oil from them, but sometimes we just need to see and remember beauty.

I've felt a need to be extremely pragmatic and efficient with my time and efforts over the last few days, and this flower is a reminder that you can be efficient and pragmatic and still let beauty shine. The sunflower's broad leaves and thick stalk are two traits that reflect it's effeciency and pragmatism. There is no way a plant could grow this tall without having those broad leaves to catch the sun's rays and a thick stem to give itself support.

The flower uses its limited resources to grow and develop so that it can flourish. In our lives we have limited resources of time and money (among many other things). How effectively do we use them? Is something beautiful coming out of our efficiency and pragmatism? Is there something coming out of our efforts that makes people pause and say--what a wonderful gift, and what a beautiful use of resources.

As we put in long hours this week on the cafe and in preparation for the return of students this is my prayer. It's also my prayer for you. That you would use the gifts, skills, and talents that the Creator of the universe has given you to bring beauty into your world--that He may be glorified through your efforts!

Del Monte Cup

Del Monte Cup, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

Friday night, history happened! Some of my cousins had a bunch of us over for a summertime bar-b-q. It was a great evening of sharing stories, laughing together, and simply being family.

And then, I was introduced to a new game, and a new competition was born. I don't know, maybe you have heard of cornhole before, but I hadn't. Sure, I have seen people playing a game with what I thought were bean-bags before WVU football games, but I never took the time to find out exactly what was going on.

This game is a blast. I watched some of my cousins play the first round, and then my brother and I took on my dad and my uncle Bill. Then, my sister and her husband Ray stepped on the field of play. They totally dominated. Their only loss was in an overtime (tiebreaker) against a young duo of one of my second cousins and his buddy. (They later trounced the same team.)

Little did we know that there were stakes involved. (Although we had eaten steaks for supper earlier). The now famed "Del Monte Cup" was the prize for the top team of the evening. Now my sister and her husband are the envy and the target for the rest of the family. Serious training is under way. Who knows when the next competition will come about, but I know that I for one want to be ready. After all, it isn't just about bragging rights--the "Del Monte Cup" travels with the top team. I think it would look good on a shelf in a prominent position in my house.

The only problem is, I imagine there is a similar sentiment all through my family . . .

Watermelon

Watermelon, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

Over the last week, I have been traveling a lot. I've logged over 1000 miles on my car in my travels. My brother and nephew have been in town, and it has been awesome.

Over the last week, I have driven to Morgantown four diferent times. I've been privileged to share a lot of what I do vocationally with my brother, my nephew, my sister, and my dad during those times.

It has also been crunch time for me and the people I work with as the beginning of the school year is just around the corner. Folks have been working really hard to get sozo ready, and to get ready to welcome the 27,000+ students who will be arriving in Morgantown in a little over a week.

And I've got a watermelon in my garden. I'm pretty fascinated by the watermelon in general. I mean, just think, from a single little seed there are several feet of watermelon vine in my yard, and now watermelons are starting to grow along that vine. One tiny little seed is producing that. I'll probably talk more about that thought in another blog in the future, but today, I've been thinking about this aspect of the watermelon.

As I deal with the joyful fatigue of pouring my life into family, community, and vocation, I think about the watermelon. It starts as a tiny little seed, that yields its life to yield all of the vine and all of the fruit. From that seed, God takes it, and expands it, and makes it something far greater than outward appearance lets on.

I think that's kind of like our lives. As we yield ourselves to the Creator, He takes our small lives, and makes them grand. He stretches us, and we have a greater capacity to love, to give, and to yield fruit. As I have been driving and doing over the last few days, I have felt extremely stretched. But when I look at the variety of beautiful experiences I've been part of, I get a vision of what God has been doing in me.

When we lay down our lives for others, we have no idea the beauty and the fruit it produces.

Sunflower Bud

Sunflower Bud, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

Saturday evening, while enjoying some fresh cooked squash from the garden with my roommates, I noticed a change in the row of sunflowers I had grown. They all had buds. I wanted to capture a decent photo of one of these buds, but in order to even get this angle I had to climb on top of a chair.

I don't know how much you know about sunflowers, but I've been trying to glean as much as I can from watching these broad leaf plants grow. These particular sunflowers can grow up to sixteen feet tall. I can recall memories of little league and mouthfuls of sunflower seeds tucked into my cheek (when I wasn't chewing rain-blo bubble gum, or, for special occasions, big league chew). My sister woudl get sunflower seeds for an after school snack too, and my first experience with these seeds was probably bumming them from my sister.

But I haven't seen too many sunflowers in my day. We had a few planted on my tribe's ceremonial grounds a few years back, but that garden didn't lend itself well to day-to-day observation. Honestly, I just remember seeing huge drooping flowers.

I planted the sunflowers in the garden this year because I thought they would look cool, and I wondered how tall they would get. I also figured they would make a cool "pole" on which some of my beans could grow.

I used to think that the sunflower got it's name because it looked like a big yellow sun when it was fully mature. But after some observations I'm beginning to see other reasons. For one, the sunflower grows taller than any other plant in the garden--so its like they are growing closer to the sun than any other plant in the garden. They shoot straight up. Their huge leaves absorb massive amounts of sunlight. And, the sunflower bud is called heliotropic. It likes the sun and the bud actually moves during the day. It points eastward in the morning, and gradually moves west as the day progresses. This photo was taken around 6.30PM on saturday, so can you guess where the sun might have been in the sky based on where the bud is pointing?

I've been learning a lot about spirituality from this garden. The sunflower has been teaching me about standing strong--it's stalk is probably 1-2 inches thick at its base. It not only firmly roots itself in the earth, but also, it keeps an intense focus on the sun. It's leaves open widely to receive whatever blessings might come from above. When I think about this flower and what it understands about survival, I am shamed in my faith. How often do I keep that kind of focus, that kind of thankfulness and supplication, those firm roots? May we all aspire demonstrate this kind of devotion to the One who makes the sun rise and who is the true sustainer of all life.

Anticipation

Anticipation, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

This picture was taken on June 3, 2007. We had just attended my dad's church, eaten some lunch, and Dad wanted to show my brother and nephew this place called fort boreman hill. Oddly enough, we didn't plan to color coordinate our attire--it just happened that way.

That river running behind us is the Ohio River. For generations, my family has lived along that river. When we needed time to think or to pray, we've journeyed to that river. It's been a place for us to go to remember, to reflect, and to contemplate the future.

It has also been a place for us to go make new memories like the one you see.

Today, I will travel across that river on my way to pick up my brother. It has been nearly two months since that day we hung out at fort boreman hill. It's weird when I think back to that day. The day before, my mom led us all through a wonderful and emotional spiritual experience. We were hopeful that mom would be home from the hospital soon. We had no idea that she wasn't coming to the place where dad and she had lived, but instead she went to her eternal home.

Tonight, i get to hang out with my other brother, Willie. I get to pick up my older brother chuck, and his son. I get to spend time with family. Everything I've been doing lately pales in comparison with that privilege. I truly can't wait to be on my way to columbus to pick them up. I think we will be returning to Morgantown the next day.

It's a really busy time of year for me as the return of students is fast approaching, but I'm looking forward to spending many spare moments in close community and fellowship with my family! I'm honored to be able to pick him up, and can't wait for our reunion!

Of course he is also pretty excited too I imagine. Among other things, he will probably be receiving his name while he is here. Plus, he gets to be reunited with family, and being with people you love and love you, that's pretty cool!

Corn Flower

Corn Flower, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

I certainly hope folks aren't getting tired of pictures from my garden. I'm just so fascinated by the thing that I keep taking pictures and writing notes and exploring all that is going on in this little square of my yard. To me, it is just soooo cool that from a few seeds, some dirt, some water, and sunshine emerge all of these plants. I remember when there was nothing in that little square of my yard, and now--it's going like gangbusters.

So I've been learning some stuff about corn. Of course Indigenous people here in america are credited with giving corn to the world. In shawnee the word is Tah-MEE. Our three main ceremonies of the year celebrate God's gift of corn to the people. In fact, there is a ceremony that comes up in August called the "green corn ceremony" ; it celebrates the arrival of corn for the people and the provision of God for food for another season.

My old chief used to talk about corn and corn flowers in such beautiful terms--I may blog more about it in the future. You see, what most of us call corn silk is actually a corn flower. What we call corn tassels, is also a corn flower. The corn silk is the female flower. My ancestors used to talk of the cornflower as the hair of a beautiful maiden who gave of herself to provide for the people. Each strand of corn silk goes down into the husk to one kernel of corn. It's almost like the cornflower is really a bouquet of cornflowers. Each strand nurturing one seed, one kernal, one gift of life.

It's pretty amazing when you think about it. In a day where most of us get our food from a grocery store, it's kind of cool to think about where that food comes from. Somebody has to grow it. Somebody has to plant a seed, and it takes a measure of faith to believe that little seed will grow into a plant that will produce beautiful flowers and food.

So when I look at these beautiful strands of "hair", I'm reminded of the One who gives life and nurtures each one of us. The One who provides every good and perfect gift. The One who lays down his life--unless a seed falls to the ground and dies it remains alone, but if it dies, it bears much fruit.

Pretty amazing that so much comes out of this beautiful, and yet unexpected flower. Be sure to take a moment as you enjoy the provision, to thank the provider.

Butternut Squash

Butternut Squash, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

My garden is growing like crazy. I've been trying to make it a tradition to go out every morning and enjoy these beautiful blossoms. My old chief used to say that if you spent enough time with a blossom, you would see God. I think there's a lot of truth to that statement. After all, the book of romans says that his eternal power and divine nature can be seen in what is made. It's like he has left His fingerprints everywhere, and we just have to look around.

I was pretty stoked about how this picture turned out, because for some reason I have a hard time with the macro function on my camera. But this picture captured many of the waterdrops that were gathering on this butternut squash blossom. I'm really looking forward to eating some butternut squash soup later this summer and fall--it's absolutely delicious. Isn't it amazing how lenses can bring out some of the details, like the waterdrops, or the tiny hair like texture of the flower itself. Absolutely amazing how much detail is in this one little blossom. In the movie The Last Samurai, one of the main characters says a man spend his whole life looking for the perfect blossom, and it won't be a life wasted. That's the thing about beauty--it's worth searching for--it's worth treasuring.

There's something beautful about these flowers. And I think there is something about beauty that we hunger for in our world. It's like when we are close to it,or more realistically, when we open our eyes and become aware of it, something comes alive in us.

Take some time today, or this weekend and enjoy the good earth God has created. Go for a hike. Spend time with family. Soak in the beauty that is all around. I believe it will restore and renew your soul. As you do it, keep in mind the source of all beauty. Like John Piper said in that video earlier this week. Let's enjoy the Giver over the gift--He is behind every good and perfect thing that we enjoy--and He is the source of true joy and beauty.

Sister

Sister, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

This past saturday, I drove down to Parkersburg to surprise my dad and sister! Last Thursday, my sister had a big chunk of skin on the back of her leg surgically removed in an effort to insure the melanoma she was diagnosed with was thoroughly eradicated. The surgery (and simultaneous skin graft) insure her with 96% confidence that the melanoma should be completely gone.

Anyway, she's been having a tough time. She has to be extremely careful with the skin graft, and her leg has been incredibly sore over the last few days. She is accustomed to walking several miles a day, and for the next few days her walking will need to be significantly curtailed. Not only that, she's been doing a lot of lying on her side too. She has really been a trooper through it all!

So today, she gets some of the bandaids taken off her leg and skin graft area, and she is attempting to return to work.

My sister is gentle and lady-like, but she is also tough as nails, just like our momma. I'm so thoroughly proud of my sister for the way she has gone through this challenge.

And then this morning I read something in scripture that I feel is an encouragement to anybody like my sister who is facing tough times.

In Deuteronomy 1.30, it says, "The LORD your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt before your eyes."

When we are going through those tough times, the LORD is with us, and He fights for us. Just like He did, when we were slaves in "Egypt".

Going through a challenge? Remember the LORD who fights for you, who rescued you, and who gives you the ability to stand.

John Piper on the prosperity gospel

The last week has been a busy week for me, and I've been unable to post a lot to my blog, but I look forward to changing that this week. There's been so much on my mind lately--so many things God is teaching me, and breaking my heart with.

Like this video. My best friend on the planet(and my brother) , Willie, sent me this video. It's a 3 minute video, so it won't take much of your time. It's from a sermon John Piper gave in Birmingham, AL.

I watch it, and it pierces my heart. While I am writing this little children are dying unnecessarily.

My friend Jake wrote this little paragraph about a farmer he met while doing research in Kenya.
"She was young, but you could read the years of struggling to survive in the lines on her face. She had four small children. Her small, ¾ acre farm did not produce enough for her to adequately feed her family. She couldn’t afford to buy the badly needed fertilizer to enrich her nutrient-depleted soil. In fact, the yield her land produced was only enough to feed her family for four months out of the year. The other eight months she (in her own words), “relied on the grace of God” to be able to feed her family. During the hunger season, she would routinely have to leave her children in the early morning to go hire herself out to work on other farms all day – earning about 75 cents a day – so that she could afford to buy the family’s one meal of the day. Each child would have a cup of tea in the morning and some corn flour porridge or ugali for his one meal at night when she got home. This extreme level of malnutrition has greatly weakened Josephine’s children. The young ones may not make it. She has already lost five children…their young, malnutritioned bodies finally succumbed to malaria because she could not afford mosquito nets to protect the children or malaria medication to treat the disease."
As you start the week this week, I pray that you will think about people like Josephine (the farmer). I pray that you will join with me in prayer about being part of the solution.

The needs in our world are so great. God has called His people to work toward meeting those needs.

It breaks my heart when I am confronted with these realities. When I come face-to-face with the fact that we have brothers and sisters in the world who are suffering and dying because they can't eat, or because they have illnesses that are treatable--it breaks my heart. I have friends who are working on sustainable solutions to these problems.

In the end, I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is the only hope that anyone in this world really has. I also know that part of a reflection of that gospel is that we who have found Jesus are empowered to care more deeply for the poor, for the environment, for the sick, and the needy, because we know this brings glory to God, and it witnesses to His great love.

Love the Lord your God, with all your heart, mind soul, and strength.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

I'm praying for creative ways that I can love my neighbor, by caring both for their spiritual needs, and for their physical needs as well.

So there's some heavy thoughts for a monday! Pray with me!

Rise Above

Rise Above, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

This past Thursday evening, my dad and I drove up to our fish camp together to camp out and cut our grass. But that’s not all.

Early Friday morning, we woke up and got on the road, and my hybrid was challenged on some 9-10% grades as we traveled from our camp to Seneca Rocks. It was my second time visiting the state park this week. I think this is one of my dad’s favorite places to visit. There’s something refreshing that happens when you climb to the summit of Seneca Rocks.

Aside from the beautiful view of the valley below, Spruce Knob, and North Fork Mountain, something happens inside. You start to get a little different perspective. Maybe that’s what folks mean sometimes when they talk about a mountain top experience.

You see, I think climbing to the top of those rocks gave me and Dad some fresh perspective (and fresh air!). When you are looking down at the valley below, and see where you’ve come from, you feel like any problems you have are down in that valley too, and they aren’t nearly as big as they once appeared.

We spent a couple of hours on top of the rock, and then the people started coming up. We felt like it was probably time for us to go at that point. As we passed by others on the trail, we both found ourselves wondering if the people we passed would make it to the top. Would they get discouraged and turn around? Would they run out of steam?

Sometimes it seems like the odds are against you as you seek to attain goals. Sometimes problems emerge when you least expect it, and for a moment, it seems they will overwhelm you. There’s something about hiking that trail to the summit that teaches about perseverance too. Step by step, taking our time, we made it to the summit, and then we returned to our car.

Our problems, our fears, our anxieties, somehow seemed less significant and less overwhelming when we returned to the car, and when we eventually returned home. The problems didn’t go away (they rarely ever do) but the perspective and the refreshment we experienced during our brief stay on the mountaintop gave us hope and perseverance.

I think sometimes God gave us the hills so we could rise above our circumstances from time to time to get a fresh perspective—do you need some time on a hill top—even if you can’t go to Seneca, you can experience that refreshment by slowing down and letting Jesus give you the rest that he offers. The problems may still be there, but you will be refreshed and renewed if you take a little time for fresh perspective.

Tenacious Faith

Tenacious Faith, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

I just thought this picture was kind of fun. It was taken as I hung from the edge of a 1000 foot cliff at the summit of Seneca Rocks.

Yesterday evening, me and a few of my friends had an awesome little faith venture in the wilderness of West Virginia. It all started with a trip to my family’s cabin in on the Shaver’s Fork of the Cheat River. It was the first time I had been down to the camp since it was purchased. Before we left we were thinking about a 1000 different things we might be able to do down there, including fishing, but when you leave late in the afternoon, your options are limited.

We decided that we would make the camp a quick stop and then proceed to Seneca Rocks. The whole time was cool because there’s something about the departure from the typical day-to-day grind that affords a person with a degree of clarity about the important things in life. God, others, and growing to be a better human being. Our conversation centered around our cultures, our upbringing, and what God had been teaching us. We shared lessons learned, prayed, sang and even spent some time enjoying the view from the top of the rocks. It was a truly beautiful time. Again, getting away from the busy-ness of the usual was a truly refreshing departure. (I’m hoping to do something similar with my dad soon!)

Everything about our day seemed perfectly choreographed—it had been a truly wonderful time. After we came back from the summit, we decided it was time to head back home. We thought it would be fun to go to the Purple Fiddle and grab a bite to eat on the way back. As we started the journey, I felt prompted to pray that God would allow us to have discernment as we approached Thomas as to whether we should go hang out at the fiddle, and that if we did that we would be able to be a testimony to others and find favor among the folks who were there. (there’s always music there on Saturday night, and generally I think it is free). Just as I finished praying, Jeremiah noticed that we were running out of gas. We were somewhere between Harman and Thomas at that point.

I knew there was a gas station at Thomas, and when we arrived there, it was CLOSED!
We had gas to get us 19 miles. It was 15 miles to Red House and 24 miles to Oakland, MD. So we decided to try to make the drive to Maryland, and we began praying that God would stretch our gas (in the middle of the hills of WV), and that he would give us wisdom for the journey. About six miles outside of Thomas, we realized that Jeremiah could use the Nav Computer in his car to find the nearest gas station. It told us that there was a Sheetz 11 miles away in Parsons. That meant we had 3 miles to spare. But then, when we turned around and it calculated the travel distance we actually had 19 miles. Again we sought the Lord that he would make our 13 miles of fuel last the 19 miles of the journey.

We drove and prayed and held onto faith. We remarked that God must not have wanted us at the purple fiddle last night. We also watched as we began to make up mileage—Parsons is downhill from Thomas. So we watched and we prayed and we saw that God stretched our faith and our gasoline and delivered us as we arrived at the sheets with an estimated mile left in the tank.
As soon as we arrived in Parsons, I walked down to the river (and got totally soaked!) and picked up four stones. I kept one, and gave the remaining three to my friends. I explained that these were “ebeneezer” stones, or “stones of remembrance”. They could be just a little something that we could look upon later and say to God “Hither by Thy help I’m come”.
Reflecting on it as we drove back and made the journey home, we all were left to think about how intimately interested in “little things” (like running out of gas on a country road in a middle of a thunderstorm) our God is. The hairs on our head are numbered. And then, we started thinking about all of the times God has brought us through.
What about you? Do you ever take time to reflect upon God’s provision for you—how has He proven Himself faithful to you? You can leave a comment and share, or even better, simply spend time with your Creator in thanksgiving, and tell a friend about his amazing provision!

Becky on the Road

Becky on the Road, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

Well, I was on the phone with my brother earlier today, and we realized something. It has been four weeks since my mom left this earth--and it is also four weeks until he and my nephew arrive back east for a brief visit.

Four weeks have gone by. I can hardly believe it. Sometimes it seems like something from the distant past, like a dream almost. Other times it is like it is something that is happening right now as we walk through the memories of our wonderful mom, and continue to deal with the adjustments that come from the loss of a loved one.

And just yesterday, I received a phone call from my sister. You see, we're all talking a lot more now, but this call was different. She had recently had a mole removed and she found out the results of that removal yesterday. It was a melanoma.

Thankfully it was caught early. It was really small (like 1mm). She found out today, that there's a 96% chance that it was entirely removed, but there is going to be some follow up work to insure that is the case.

Four weeks, and now my sister and our family have a new challenge. We all feel very confident that my sister will be fine, but just the same, we would appreciate the prayers. Her cancer is at stage 1A so she was able to catch it early.

At this point, there is very little left to do but wait for a final confirmation test, and then my sister will begin a process of 3-4 check ups per year and closely monitoring the site. She's doing fine and really keeping her spirits up in the middle of it all, but she (and the rest of us) are still just a little anxious.

If you would, please take a second right now and lift her up in prayer, specifically that God would comfort her and give her peace in the middle of an anxious situation.

Four weeks, and my dad is hearing this news about his daughter. Four weeks, and it seems like the world expects thing to go back to the daily grind. Four weeks, and soon my brother and nephew will be joining us again. Four weeks, and now it's time to celebrate independence. Personally, I would rather revel in the fact that we have a great community of loving friends and family who help us bear one another's burdens.

As we look to the future (just like Becky is looking out ahead in this picture), we can be comforted in the fact that we know God is good, and He is truly our sustainance and help in every situation.

Squash Blossom

Squash Blossom, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

Over the last few days I've grown fascinated with my garden. In particular I've been mesmerized by the blooming of squash blossoms. I don't know a ton about the plant, or about the blossom itself except that my ancestors were also fascinated with the squash blossom. Folks used to put a squash blossom design on knife pouches, personal bags, moccassins, etc. Until I witnessed the blossom myself, I was a little perplexed by this intense interest--but there is something magical about this flower. (If you click on the image, you can see a bee in the upper right corner of the picture--I think he too is mesmerized.)

Even this spring when I traveled to Michigan and spent some time among our tribal cousins, the ojibwe, I saw squash blossoms everywhere. In the hotel where I stayed, squash blossoms were carved into the design of the woodwork, and a feature in the flooring, the paintings, and even the carpeting.

The blossoms close as the day progresses, and they open to their fullest late at night and in the early morning hours. I captured this photo at around 8AM this morning.

My ancestors not only and planted and ate squash, but also enjoyed eating squash blossoms--I've eaten two of the blossoms that had fallen to the ground from the rain. There's something cool about beginning to eat from my garden, and the squash blossom has been a first fruits of sorts.

Seeing these beautiful flowers has made me miss my mom tremendously. I would love to talk to her and ask her questions about these beautiful flowers. I would love to share this image with her, but I can't. I can enjoy these flowers though, and I can take time to appreciate their beauty and their splendor.

I've spent a good bit of time sitting with these flowers over the last few days, and trying to think about what made them so significant to my ancestors--I imagine it's probably the same things that capture my imagination with them.

I bet my ancestors were reminder of beauty by these flowers. The frailty of the bloom probably reminded them to walk gently on the earth, and to be gentle with the creation God had entrusted to our care. Not only did they see beauty in these flowers, but perhaps they were reminded to look for beauty, and to look for God's hand of provision in all of the world. Maybe the fact that the blossom's closed every day as the day progressed told them that sometimes you have to get up early or make some extra effort, and spend a lot of time around an entity to see its beauty unfold. Maybe as they ate the blossoms they were reminded that ultimately it is God who provides our sustenance. maybe they were reminded of community because the flowers emerge in clusters and not alone. Maybe the vine of the plant pointed them to the beautiful weaving together that happens when we live in community with one another.

Whatever the case, as long as the blossoms linger, I plan to make their presence a part of my daily meditation. The Bible tells us, "For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made" (Romans 1:20). Maybe in the end, these little blossoms told my ancestors, and are telling me and maybe even telling you, about Jesus--if only we have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Walking in the Wilderness

Traveling, originally uploaded by chanchanchepon.

Last weekend, we made some really grand plans of traveling to our fishing camp near Elkins, WV. When the weekend came however, we found ourselves without the energy that we needed to make the trip. We had the desire, but in the end, after discussing the travel we decided to stick around home.

Willie and his family came to visit, and we all took a hike through a wildlife refuge near parkersburg, WV. I traveled down from Morgantown Friday afternoon, and we began doing what people typically do when they get together for a limited time.

We tried to plan and do too much. Somehow, we believe that we can do more in one day (or a couple of days) than what is reasonable or even possible. Do you ever find yourself in this situation?

I think part of the problem is that we don't have a good understanding of time. Technology allows us to do a number of things at once, or a number of things better, but in the end it still takes time (and energy!) to pack, prepare, and actually DO whatever we have planned to do in a given amount of time.

It's funny because we all thought we would have the energy for a trip to the mountains, but even with our little hike near town, most of us required a mid-afternoon nap.

Even today, I find my day full of meetings, and all that I had aspired to do I have a haunting suspicion will not be completed.

Interestingly, I've been reading exodus, and thinking about the forty year period it took for Israel to make it to the promised land. I bet they knew that the land was really close. I bet they knew that they should be able to make it into the land in far less than forty years. And, I'm sure they grew frustrated at times as they felt they were accomplishing far less than they should.

And that's maybe the lesson, I'm learning in the middle of looking at the intersection of scripture with my life. Sometimes it isn't about accomplishing things. Sometimes it is just about the journey and enjoying that journey with the people who are around you. If we get too caught up in getting to the end, we may find ourselves frustrated, and we also may find that we have missed a lot of what is happening along the journey.

If you are frustrated by the fact you can't get EVERYTHING done in the time you have allotted, take heart, you aren't alone. More than this take some time, reflect on your situation, and ask God what He wants you to see as He is journeying every step of the way with you, just like He did with Israel.

A Song for Billy's Mom

Last weekend, I met up with my best friend (brother) on the planet, Willie and his family in Wheeling, WV before going to see Brett Cain.

We went to the Ohio River and ate Di Carlo's Pizza. We walked along the river, and we prayed together. It was a beautiful time as we mourned and rejoiced together and enjoyed the sunset on the Ohio.
At one point Willie left and grabbed his guitar and out of his van. Then he shared this beautiful song that he wrote for my mom to honor her.

I wept incredibly as I listened to the lyrics because not only were they filled with love and honor, but many of them walked me through memories of the last few days we had with Mom.

While Willie is a little disappointed in the quality of the video/recording, I believe it is an incredible gift.
As He brought out the guitar and the lyrics, I thought to myself, "My mom is the kind of person that people write songs about!" And she is!

I love and miss my mom, but I'm overwhelmed with Joy that through it all she pointed us all to her King Jesus. Now she's with Him!

The chorus of this song is my favorite, because it is one that we can all make very personal and sing to Jesus. "I'm yours!"
If you haven't made this decision already, I pray you will read this blog, listen to this song, and tell Jesus that you are His! It's the best decision you will ever make--of that truth, I'm incredbly sure.

If you already know Jesus, maybe this song can be a reminder to you and an encouragement, and a point of rededication--to be His.

I really hope you enjoy this beautiful song, and I am soooo thankful to my brother Willie for writing and sharing it with the world!