Central Missouri does not have much to offer when it comes to developed civilization. There's a nuclear power plant, a few towns, the capital city and some civil war memorials, but it's mostly country folk and farm life. If you dare to leave the main highway between Kansas City and St. Louis, pass through the small town of Fulton, and drive a few miles further in to the hills, you may (if you are paying attention) find the opening in the trees called Harmony Hills Campgrounds.
If you ever wanted to get away and get closer to God, going to Harmony Hill could certainly be the first step. The land was donated to the ministry decades ago by the Pain family. The Pains were (and I assume still are) godly people who owned many acres of land in that area. To get to their farm, you would need to continue on a bit farther, turn off on a gravel road and drive to the dead end.
No one has lived on the Pain farm for many years. When I was a boy visiting Harmony Hill, I remember a group of men and boys camping out in the corner of a field near the old Pain house. We stayed up late after dark and listened to the men's stories around the camp fire. The old house was rumored to be haunted, and we dared each other to go closer and check it out.
Years later, as a young man, I went back to the Pain farm. Nothing much seemed to have changed, but I took time to look around and question the mystery of the large abandoned property. The real mystery came when I walked behind the large two-story house and studied the remains of an old wooden shed. The wildlife and vegetation had claimed it. The roof had been blown off in a storm, and there was little left of the rest of the structure, but remarkably, there was still a chair at a desk. On the desk was an open book the size of a typical Bible and a pair of glasses. Because of the exposure to the whether, the pages of the book were molded together like papermashe' and unledgeable.
It seemed as though someone used that small building for quiet time and study, and one day they laid their glasses down, got up, stepped out and never returned.
How many of us are like the living dead of the Pain farm? We have the Word of life. We study it for a season and get our fill. Then, we walk away and forget to return to it's life giving pages. The walls of our little sanctuary fall apart and are blown away, but we don't even notice as we move about our busy lives far away from where we left Him.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
A Choreographed Life
Someone was sharing with me a few weeks ago about how afraid she was of not following God's plan for her life. "What if I take the wrong job, move to the wrong house, or send the kids to the wrong school? What if I do something wrong that alters God's perfect plan? How can things ever be set right again?" She seemed convinced that there was one God-ordained path for her life, and she was terrified to take a step for fear it might forever lead her down a different road and therefore, out of God's perfect will for her life. I tried to console her, encourage her to just run with her passions in Christ, but it was very hard for her to grasp it all and find peace.
Around that time, I reluctantly bought tickets to a high school friend's dance recital. My daughters wanted to see Amanda perform, and I was happy to support her, but a dance recital -honestly!?
Anyway, when the day eventually arrived, Keen had spent the night with a friend, and Heidi had gone to Worlds-of-Fun. It was just me and Kendra. It seemed like a healthy father-daughter date, but when we got there, Kendra wouldn't sit with me. So there I was, a 35 year-old-man, siting alone, watching young girls dancing -awkward.
I will say, Amanda did incredible! Her confidant smile, unexpected skill and perfect form was astounding.
The next day the experience hit me at a deeper level. That silly little dance recital was like our "walk" with God.
When the little preschoolers filed onto the stage, people giggled and cheered. There was no trouble with the director coming out and helping the little ones with the basics. And everyone was pleased to watch them sit in a row and slowly raise their arms like blooming flowers or trot around in circles like butterflies. The occasional wave to mom just added flavor.
Yet, when the high school dancers came out, there was much more expectation. The dancers not only needed to know where they were to be at every step of the performance, they were also expected to use proper form and technique with each move. The audience didn't mock or criticize when there was a stumble or a miss, but they often cheered when a tough move was made or some unexpected step was beautifully timed.
I think of God's "plan" a lot like that dance recital. God is not just the a spectator, He is the director. There are times when He needs to come out and give specific direction, and there are times when a wave to the crowd might be cute, but mostly, He just wants us to stay focused, smile and dance. Yes, there is a plan, and yes, you will stumble and miss a move here and there, but just keep your mind on the task and move as best you know how.
The picture I prefer is when the crowd is all gone, and you are just dancing for the joy of it and to make your instructor proud. He may stop you occasionally to show you a new move or to improve your style, but then, He steps aside and lets you just do what you love to do. Dance for Him.
Around that time, I reluctantly bought tickets to a high school friend's dance recital. My daughters wanted to see Amanda perform, and I was happy to support her, but a dance recital -honestly!?
Anyway, when the day eventually arrived, Keen had spent the night with a friend, and Heidi had gone to Worlds-of-Fun. It was just me and Kendra. It seemed like a healthy father-daughter date, but when we got there, Kendra wouldn't sit with me. So there I was, a 35 year-old-man, siting alone, watching young girls dancing -awkward.
I will say, Amanda did incredible! Her confidant smile, unexpected skill and perfect form was astounding.
The next day the experience hit me at a deeper level. That silly little dance recital was like our "walk" with God.
When the little preschoolers filed onto the stage, people giggled and cheered. There was no trouble with the director coming out and helping the little ones with the basics. And everyone was pleased to watch them sit in a row and slowly raise their arms like blooming flowers or trot around in circles like butterflies. The occasional wave to mom just added flavor.
Yet, when the high school dancers came out, there was much more expectation. The dancers not only needed to know where they were to be at every step of the performance, they were also expected to use proper form and technique with each move. The audience didn't mock or criticize when there was a stumble or a miss, but they often cheered when a tough move was made or some unexpected step was beautifully timed.
I think of God's "plan" a lot like that dance recital. God is not just the a spectator, He is the director. There are times when He needs to come out and give specific direction, and there are times when a wave to the crowd might be cute, but mostly, He just wants us to stay focused, smile and dance. Yes, there is a plan, and yes, you will stumble and miss a move here and there, but just keep your mind on the task and move as best you know how.
The picture I prefer is when the crowd is all gone, and you are just dancing for the joy of it and to make your instructor proud. He may stop you occasionally to show you a new move or to improve your style, but then, He steps aside and lets you just do what you love to do. Dance for Him.
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