The photo was taken in 2006 by my son Mark, who on a trip to Chatterbox Falls in British Columbia found a small opening in the rocks during a climb. He descended into the confined space for this unique view of a small waterfall near the larger one.
This was a trip orchestrated by God. A weeklong "retreat" of a small group of men on a brother's beautiful wooden sailboat. As Mark and I visited on the deck of the boat motoring north to Chatterbox, I was reminded of a men's retreat I had experienced with my father years before that … also to British Columbia.
Both trips required that God "clear our calendars" at the same time for rare opportunities to take time away from jobs. Both trips put father and son together with a group of Christian brothers for several days of fellowship, Bible study and prayer.
In addition to the precious memories of these trips, I have a few journal entries from this trip with Mark and the others. Snippets from that journal:
* Am I worshipping the gifts, or am I worshipping the giver?
* Often when I say to God, "I can't do that," I really mean "I don't want to do that."
* The saved sinner thanks God for His grace. The beloved son lays claim to the Father's awesome plan and asks to understand his place in that plan.
Among its many rewards, this trip gave me opportunity to watch with a mix of humility and pride as my son interacted with the other men on the boat. Pride as he revealed his heart, humility as I recognized (yet again) that he is uniquely created, gifted and loved by the Father apart from my influence.
I know that while Mark and I each recall different aspects of the trip, we share a sense of joy and gratitude for a once-in-a-lifetime experience of the "eternal value" variety.
"But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin." John 1:7
"For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them." Matthew 18:20
"As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend." Proverbs 27:17
No comments:
Post a Comment