One Month To Live

Every once in a while a book changes my life, propels it forward in such a way that I am stunned by it’s power. A friend recommended this book after her church went through it together, and it sat on my shelf collecting dust for over a year. I am so glad I picked it up and have dedicated the last month to completing it. One Month To Live by Kerry and Chris Shook is amazing. The concept is simple- if you had one month left to live, what would you change? This offers a daily challenge. They have a knack for speaking in a way that draws the reader in and convinces them that change is necessary and possible. Life is too short to ignore this.

This last year has been one of seeking for a deeper purpose. It struck me that we, as individuals, don’t spend near enough time being curious about WHO we are. What are we here for? What are our gifts? Imagine with me the potential of our communities spending time reflecting on these ideas, and then changing to live to the fullest based on our unique purpose? That is where I am at. I promise you its the most challenging time you will ever spend, and the most fulfilling.  Finding out who you are, not based on anyone’s expecations, just God’s. This year will be unique.  I would say that my life has been rich and full. Difficult and rewarding. Always looking to live life in a purposeful way.

But this year? I anticipate exciting new directions. The inner searching has produced a focus that I’ve never experienced. The goals are clear and set before me, and I am ready to run the race. Not my plan, but God’s.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for use to do

2 Corinthians 6:1 (Msg) Paul tells us, “Companions as we are in this work with you, we beg you, please don’t squander one bit of this marvelous life God has given us”

Psalm 90:12  Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are: help us to spend them as we should

Time For Ideas

January has allowed me the rare luxury of free time. This month is the time for ideas, and restoking the imaginative fires that send up new thoughts. These thoughts are fleeting, like smoke. Wispy tendrils of words, concepts that wrap around me. If I move too slow they are completely gone. Seldom remembered. But this month, what joy there is in writing these ideas down. Knowing that soon they will move from a fleeting concept into a fully realized writing piece. Building the discipline that every writer needs. Each recorded idea gives my fingers a literary purpose. One step further to realizing their full potential.

Garden of the Gods

Garden of the Gods is touted as one the most enjoyable places to visit in America. These pictures aren’t altered, it really is this gorgeous. The pictures barely give a hint of the depth of color that shouts out God’s glory here.

Can you find the “kissing camels” in the next shot?

And as you veer around another direction the landscape changes once again. Being at the base of the mountains we can face towards the flat plains of Kansas. Towards home…which is really the best view there is.

Inching Into The Unknown

Driving up Pike’s Peak provided limited vision. It reminded me of how we live our lives. It is scary to not see what is ahead, the fear immobilizes us. Is it safe to continue on? The answer is yes. Jesus is the guide, going ahead of us to check out the road. How many times have we pressed on through the unknown in our lives? We didn’t know what was around the bend, but looking back it is clear to see how it was worth it.

In my own life this has proved true countless times. As in each bend of the mountain road, every view was amazing! I couldn’t have imagined the new vista but it was worth pressing on to see what was ahead. I won’t live my life afraid to swing around the corner.  I have put on the brakes before, but it didn’t provide the safety I desired. The real thrill is in the journey…

Turn the corner, see what is waiting to be discovered.

Pike’s Peak

Saturday dawned blue and clear. Loading into the car we set out for the day’s adventure. As we entered Pike National Forest, the sign said we’d only be able to travel up 13 of the 19 miles to reach the top of “America’s Mountain”, Pike’s Peak.  Disappointed, we decided to pay up and go as far as we could. We had quite a surprise in store. As we drove further on, the landscape changed many times. This drive had the distinction of fooling you into being unaware just how steep the ascent was. Every curve shocked us at how high we’d come. The pictures just can’t begin to capture the depth of the view. We hit the 13 mile mark and were told the ranger would take up a few cars at a time, if the wind allowed so we waited.

Next to these monstrous snow plows.

We were a little unsure about going up. Several people had told us they were scared out of their wits on this drive. Steep. Switchbacks. Oh, and no guardrails. Then the warnings from the rangers, which were plentiful. The one that was repeated several times was to hold onto our doors. And, all the windows had to be cracked at least an inch. They, kindly we agreed, didn’t want our windows breaking or our doors ripping off. Really? And we paid to take our children up here? Sounded extreme but dramatic. It happens here they said. So, windows down, we listened carefully as the ranger agreed to lead us up 1 more mile, but probably not further. She told us how/where we’d pull over after a dramatic switchback. Okkaaayyyy….

This is one of the few places with the guardrail. Notice the road below? That is a good indication of quickly we are ascending. Colorado Springs is  about 6,000 feet above sea level. That gives you an idea of how quickly we ascended in only 13 miles. When we reached the stopping point, we were STUNNED by the wind. We thought they were being cautious. It was painfully cold but worth it. Our small party watched the ranger measure the wind speed and she determined we could go one more mile up, slowly. They have a cap at 40 miles per hour max and it was 30 mph. Now here we are at the first stop. Two things to notice in the following pictures: our hair (wind speed) and how the landscape changes. This was the last tree, they completely stop and the terrain starts looking like a remote planet.

Stop#1

Stop #2

The ranger tested the wind and asked if there were any takers to go all the way…slowly. One of our kids was disappointed when we hit Colorado Springs, thinking these were not the mountains she expected. I explained that we were just at the base. The view explained it all, suddenly the Continental Divide was fully exposed, and the view was different in every direction!  Imagine driving up into the clouds with no idea what is coming your way… (don’t forget the NO guardrails detail)
Almost there…We are literally at the top now, “The view from 14,115 feet is fabulous, stretching as far as Kansas or New Mexico on a clear day”. We had an knowledgable ranger who pointed out every single range in sight, every state, the changes in landscape. It was like a private tour .
Zero degree wind chill, 30+ mile an hour winds, a view from the top. Was it worth the trip? Definitely. It is easy to see why the song “America the Beautiful” was penned after the author visited. What a land we live in. Thankful.

The Royal Gorge-ous

Getting to visit Colorado’s “Natural Wonder” was an amazing experience. The Royal Gorge showcases the Arkansas river, and reminds me of a mini Grand Canyon. The weather was the perfect complement to the reddish-brown ridges, a brilliant blue backdrop.

This picture is from over 1,000 feet up. We couldn’t get a shot that even came close to capturing the actual depth. Now, I have a thing about heights and confined spaces. On my “not” to do list in life was to ride an aerial tram. However, since it was included in the park price ($$$) and I want to set an example of courage to my kids, it was our first stop. To say I was scared out of my mind was an understatement. The Royal Gorge Aerial Tram is the world’s longest single span tram. 2,200 feet of joyful riding dangling 1,178 feet about the beautiful Arkansas river. Peaceful rocking of the tram in the wind. Wait, that peaceful part was a joke! My family thought it was awesome, and on the upside… any other aerial tram I ride will be smaller than my first!

Once we reached the other side? Incredible! An excellent perk of coming off-season is having the place practically to yourself. No sounds but the wind and water far below. After the tram, we enjoyed the wildlife. It was surprising how close the deer let us get, unphased by us trying to “quietly” cross the icy snow patches to get a picture. There is also a wildlife park which housed American Bison. I love bison and was delighted at this surprise…there was even a white one!

The Royal Gorge bridge is 1,053 feet high and is the world’s highest suspension bridge. After the tram, the heights weren’t a big deal! You could feel the wind shifting it slightly as we gingerly stepped onto the wooden planks.

To be able to look around us in any direction and just see natural beauty was a treat to our senses.

Finally, the best part…the Incline Railyway…the world’s steepest incline railway. Notice a “world’s” theme here? No joke, this is 100% grade at a 45 degree angle. 1,550 feet down into the gorge. The temperature dropped drastically at the bottom, but the ride was worth it. If you ever get a chance to do this with your kids, jump at it. So cool.

People often think of Colorado as forested mountains, and that is a big portion of the rest of the state. Here in the lower Eastern part it is sparse and there lies a particular desolate beauty. The lack of becomes the focus of. Seeming simplicity, but every corner an intricate detail waiting to be noticed. The slogan here is “Goodbye Earth. Hello Sky.”  Appropriate, don’t you agree?

One Little Word

Today I bring you an excellent guest post from my friend Julie Campbell, regarding how she plans to implement “One Little Word” this year. Enjoy…

 

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.” – Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Like most of you, I’ve made my share of New Year’s resolutions over the years — some out of guilt, some out of necessity, some out of sheer stupidity.  They all had one thing in common… they were broken within a month or two, if not a day or two.

Keeping this dilemma in mind, I started a new tradition last year by choosing one word that I wanted to live out in the New Year. One word to remind me of how I needed to change. One word to prick my conscience. One word to inspire me. This year, our entire family from the youngest (age 11) to the oldest (uh-hum, that would be me) decided to choose a word and a scripture verse to accompany it.

As we sat around our kitchen table on New Year’s Eve, we each presented our word and verse to the family and put it into a box that will remain visible during the year. Each week, we’re going to try to look up another scripture to illustrate our word and maybe even memorize it. My wise husband gave one rule to the family about “the words”: We cannot use another person’s word as ammunition against him or her. For example, if someone’s word is “patient” and they’re having an impatient moment, another family member cannot chide the poor impatient soul with “I thought your word for this year was patience!” We all agreed this was a good rule.

My word for this year? Captivated. To be attracted or enthralled by a person or thing’s beauty or excellence. At first glance, it may seem like a strange word. But let me explain… Our pastor has been preaching through the book of Colossians for a few months now, and I’ve been particularly impacted by chapter 3. The first few verses kept speaking to me about being captivated by Christ:

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand.  Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

Meditating on these verses and chapter 3 as a whole got me thinking about how different my life would be if I were truly captivated by Christ and all that He is. If I am captivated by Christ, I will be captivated by heavenly things, not by things here on earth. My priorities will completely change. My needs will become last on the list. I will consider others better than myself. I will love as I ought to love, have a compassionate heart, be kind, show humility and meekness, and be patient (Col. 3:12).

Being captivated by Christ truly changes everything.

One little word. So much meaning.

Lord, I want to be captivated by You and all that You are. You are the most beautiful, excellent, enthralling, captivating person who ever lived — and died — for me. Help me to be held and changed by your beauty in 2012.

What Do You See?

 

” PLEASE PULL OVER!” I excitedly asked the driver, my confused friend, when I saw these structures. Some people see broken down, decrepit buildings. Condemned. A future contribution to the rubbish heaps nearby, while big equipment sat quietly for the afternoon. Oh, but look closer. My heart delights to see the other view. I am no Pollyanna, but I have developed a certain perspective in life. Look closer, there is always more to see.

Poet Wislawa Szymborska is quoted as saying “The window had other views.”

People worked here, spent irreplaceable hours of their lives inside these walls. Who were they? What went on in their lives as they stared out these windows?  What unfolded in their world, perhaps unnoticed by peers, as they climbed these stairs. Were they leaving something behind? Entering into a new beginning?

Once sturdy and efficient, now hollow and empty. Physically empty perhaps but listen to the story whistle through the corridors. Imagine the view from these windows, or the view looking inside. There is always more than we initially notice. Reminds me of people. We can hurry past seeing only the broken, the condemned. If we look closer, their eyes reveal so much more.

I found it fascinating to look through a window to see the sky, while the entire horizon peeks over back at me. The view seems pretty good from here…