“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” –Romans 12:2a
In my opinion one of the most biblically-informed, clear-thinking and relevant Christian bloggers out in cyberspace is Dr. Albert Mohler. His blog is found at AlbertMohler.com and there are other resources there too. Dr. Mohler is a seminary president and a frequent guest on talk shows such as Larry King. While I may not agree with the well-read and articulate Mohler on every issue, I do on many, though my tone may be less strident.
Some time ago Mohler posted a blog entry entitled partly titled “Should Christians Practice Yoga?” I found this intriguing because I had been asked that question just some time ago. I found myself caught because I certainly did not want to be a legalist, yet nor did I want to sanction for a believer that which I knew to be spiritual practice associated with a non-Christian worldview. Still I knew as a pastor it was, and is, my responsibility to give counsel on such questions when asked by those in our church family.
As usual, Mohler finds just the right resource to enlighten the believer so they can make wise and godly decisions and give meaningful answers. The resource Mohler cited on this topic was a book by Stefanie Syman entitled The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America. The author actively practices yoga and knows the history of yoga in America quite thoroughly Mohler informs us. In her book Syman tells of an episode when recently during the Easter holiday she had the chance to lead guests in yoga excercises on the White House lawn that she described as “sanitized, sanctioned, and family-friendly,” Commenting on this event further Syman wrote:
There certainly was no better proof that Americans had assimilated this spiritual discipline. We had turned a technique for God realization that had, at various points in time, enjoined its adherents to reduce their diet to rice, milk, and a few vegetables, fix their minds on a set of, to us, incomprehensible syllables, and self-administer daily enemas (without the benefit of equipment), to name just a few of its prerequisites, into an activity suitable for children. Though yoga has no coherent tradition in India, being preserved instead by thousands of gurus and hundreds of lineages, each of which makes a unique claim to authenticity, we had managed to turn it into a singular thing: a way to stay healthy and relaxed.
When you think about it, it is rather stunning that a practice that would have been seen as foreign or even “heathen” fifty years ago is now seen as a normal means of meditation and exercise by many Americans. In her book Syman does explain the spiritual roots of yoga and she actually argues yoga cannot be fully separated from its roots in Hinduism and Buddhism, nor from the role sexuality plays in it. Whether you agree with her or not, her argumentation should not be ignored by Christians who really want to know if it is a good activity for them to be engaged in.
Obviously, one of the fundamental differences between the meditation of yoga and Hinduism is that it calls for an emptying of the mind, whereas Christian meditation is always about filling the mind with Christian truth as made known in the Bible. The recitation, memorization and meditation upon the Christian Scriptures is the means of renewing the mind (Romans 12:1-2) and of motivating believers to offer their bodies as living sacrifices unto the Lord. As followers of Jesus we are not to leave the consciousness of this world, but to look to Christ to rule our conscious, and even unconscious, thoughts. The Christian way is never escape from reality, but the transformation of reality into that which is Christ-honoring.
Listen, I see nothing inherently wrong with the physical posturing of the body in various ways or pursuing new forms of exercise. But the question is what are these positions of the body supposed to teach? What do they represent? What are you seeking to achieve by them? Why are they considered optimal? Further, consider this thought from Mohler: “if you have to meditate intensely in order to achieve or to maintain a physical posture, it is no longer merely a physical posture.”
Friends, I am not here to condemn anyone who is doing yoga for exercise purposes. I am not seeking to be negative or a prude. I am not trying to clamp your liberty in Christ. If your conscience is clear on doing it as a form of excercise, then hear me saying just yoga away. But I wonder if more is not involved than we think when Stefanie Syman writes that the practice of yoga in America “has augured a truly post-Christian, spiritually polyglot country.” Hmm, sounds like she, at least, sees it as more than an exercise.
Striving after Him in all things!
Scott
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Inspired to Pray?
At my private Christian college in Pennsylvania I was once assigned for reading the classic book Power through Prayer by E.M. Bounds. I found the little book a great challenge to my prayer life. Now as I have called our church to prayer I thought I would share some quotes from that book. Power through Prayer is full of strong words particularly directed to preachers, but I have listed quotes below that should challenge every believer in Jesus. Yes, I know some do think Bounds is a little too focused on human effort in his writings, but personally any lack in prayer for me has always been on that end, I assure you.
I hope these quotes will inspire you to pray more fervently and frequently for the needs in your life, our church, our community and our world. Here are some words from E. M. Bounds:
Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still.
Much time spent with God is the secret to all successful praying…He yields to the persistency of a faith that knows Him.
The more true saints, the more praying; the more praying, the more true saints.
Christ knows nothing of prayerless Christians.
To be little with God, is to be little for God.
Prayer is the creator as well as the channel of devotion.
Seeking greater devotion to prayer,
Scott
Thursday, October 7, 2010
A CALL TO PRAYER
“For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds;
and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” – Matthew 7:8
The Scriptures seem clear that God has determined to use the prayers of His people to evoke His power. Surely he does not need our prayers to display His power; nevertheless it is a means He uses. I speculate that one reason He does so is so that our yearnings to see His power would drive us to fellowship with Him in prayer. While we may be focused on having needs met when entering such prayer, God is constantly focused on a relationship with us. He wants our needs and those of His church to compel us to meet with Him in a state of dependency. He wants us to surrender control and acknowledge His. And this is precisely what prayer does.
On Sunday September 26 I urged our local church to enter into an extended “Season of Prayer” for the remainder of 2010. There are many factors that God put upon my heart that caused me to beckon our church body to prayer. Among them is the spiritual, moral and economic state of our nation. Our nation desperately needs a Great Awakening and I am seriously praying for it. This economy should be causing the lost and the redeemed to cry out to God. We should pray it will! A second motivating factor toward prayer at this time is the very critical health of several church members who could gain great encouragement knowing our church body was praying for them constantly—every hour of every day. There are other factors that I listed out in the Prayer Prompt Card you can pick up when you join the church prayer chain. Yet at the top of that list you will see my desire to see revival in this church.
I am convinced we will never be the church we want to be unless we become more fervent in prayer. I believe we should plead with God to give us a spiritual breakthrough in this church and community. We should ask him to awaken the lethargic and lukewarm. We must ask him to put soul cravings within the populace of Lake Wales. These inner workings by God are spiritual and thus, our best means of joining with God in seeing this work done is through prayer. So will you join me in praying for our church, as well as these other needs? Will you give yourself to prayer for our church, community, and nation one hour per week? You need not stay kneeled or positioned physically in prayer that whole hour, but we would ask you remain in a spirit of prayer your full time. If you are willing, I invite you to sign up this Sunday for the prayer chain during this season of prayer.
Bear in mind, author E. M. Bounds has written, “Praying is spiritual work, and human
nature does not like taxing, spiritual work.” And Bounds also warns in his book Power Through Prayer that “A prayerless age will only have scant models of divine power”. May God grant us the humility and desire to be greater in prayer. May He persuade us of the priority of and power available through prayer in the Name of Christ.
Praying for His power to fall!
Pastor Scott
and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” – Matthew 7:8
The Scriptures seem clear that God has determined to use the prayers of His people to evoke His power. Surely he does not need our prayers to display His power; nevertheless it is a means He uses. I speculate that one reason He does so is so that our yearnings to see His power would drive us to fellowship with Him in prayer. While we may be focused on having needs met when entering such prayer, God is constantly focused on a relationship with us. He wants our needs and those of His church to compel us to meet with Him in a state of dependency. He wants us to surrender control and acknowledge His. And this is precisely what prayer does.
On Sunday September 26 I urged our local church to enter into an extended “Season of Prayer” for the remainder of 2010. There are many factors that God put upon my heart that caused me to beckon our church body to prayer. Among them is the spiritual, moral and economic state of our nation. Our nation desperately needs a Great Awakening and I am seriously praying for it. This economy should be causing the lost and the redeemed to cry out to God. We should pray it will! A second motivating factor toward prayer at this time is the very critical health of several church members who could gain great encouragement knowing our church body was praying for them constantly—every hour of every day. There are other factors that I listed out in the Prayer Prompt Card you can pick up when you join the church prayer chain. Yet at the top of that list you will see my desire to see revival in this church.
I am convinced we will never be the church we want to be unless we become more fervent in prayer. I believe we should plead with God to give us a spiritual breakthrough in this church and community. We should ask him to awaken the lethargic and lukewarm. We must ask him to put soul cravings within the populace of Lake Wales. These inner workings by God are spiritual and thus, our best means of joining with God in seeing this work done is through prayer. So will you join me in praying for our church, as well as these other needs? Will you give yourself to prayer for our church, community, and nation one hour per week? You need not stay kneeled or positioned physically in prayer that whole hour, but we would ask you remain in a spirit of prayer your full time. If you are willing, I invite you to sign up this Sunday for the prayer chain during this season of prayer.
Bear in mind, author E. M. Bounds has written, “Praying is spiritual work, and human
nature does not like taxing, spiritual work.” And Bounds also warns in his book Power Through Prayer that “A prayerless age will only have scant models of divine power”. May God grant us the humility and desire to be greater in prayer. May He persuade us of the priority of and power available through prayer in the Name of Christ.
Praying for His power to fall!
Pastor Scott
Friday, October 1, 2010
Dumb Christians and Smart Atheists?
In the last week news outlets began reporting on the findings of a recent survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. The U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey asked 32 questions on tenets, practices, history and leading figures in major world religions. The overall average score was 16 correct. Here is the breakdown of how major religious groups compared as reported by USA today initially on September 29, 2010:
Demographic Group & Number Correct
Atheist/Agnostic 20.9
Jewish 20.5
Mormon 20.3
White Evangelical Protestant 17.6
White Catholic 16.0
White Mainline Protestant 15.8
Black Protestant 13.4
Hispanic Catholic 11.6
By Anne Godlasky, USA TODAY
*Atheists and Agnostics were scored separately but had the same number correct. Source: Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life phone survey of 3,412 U.S. adults in May and June. Margins of error: +/-2.5 percentage points overall, larger for subgroups.
You can actually go to the USA Today website and see how you do on five sample questions from the survey. While the USA Today and other national news outlets found it astounding that atheists knew more about religion I, frankly, did not.
Sociologists studying these matters have long reported that atheists and agnostics are highly educated and very knowledgeable of religious matters (The Denominational Society, Andrew Greely, 1972.). As Greg Lewis, Pew senior researcher, reported in the USA Today article 8 in 10 atheists and agnostics grew up in a religious tradition. So while those who say there is no God may be called foolish by the Christian Scripture (Psalm 14:1), this does not mean they are an uneducated or uninformed fool. On the contrary, perhaps as 1 Corinthians 8:1 indicates it is their great knowledge that has “puffed them up’ to where they could reject a belief in God, or at least assert he is unknowable (agnostic). This should remind followers of Jesus that when they speak to an atheist or agnostic one should not assume they are ignorant or unaware of biblical teachings. Rather, we should seek to uncover what they learned or experienced in life that made them turn away from a belief in God.
A second observation I would make is that the research really revealed more about the knowledge of religion, in general, rather than about biblical beliefs or a knowledge of God. Therefore, I believe the Orlando Sentinel’s headline on the article about the research was very misleading. Their headline read: Believe It: Atheists Know God. Yet when one reads the questions asked by Pew Research you find they really are not measuring if people know God. They are asking questions about world religions, church history, and questions about governmental rulings pertaining to the expression of religion. These were hardly questions about “knowing God”. Even questions pertaining to the knowledge of the Bible were very few. Consequently, the survey is truly more about religion and less about God. Sadly, some news outlets cannot seem unable to make this distinction.
However, it is still alarming that so many religiously-involved Americans know so little about the Bible and general religious matters. It was sad to hear just 55% of all respondents knew the Golden Rule isn’t one of the Ten Commandments or that 45% could not name all four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). It is lamentable that only 11% knew the fiery preach and theologian who participated in the First Great Awakening, an 18th Century revival, was Jonathan Edwards, not Charles Finney or Billy Graham. These responses seem to reveal the “dumbing down” of American evangelicalism and of the professing Christian populace as a whole. The poor showing by evangelicals reminds me of the warnings given by Mark Noll in his 1994 book The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind.
In that book Noll stated, “American evangelicals are not exemplary for their thinking” (3) and in his work he outlines why. In part, he cites our desire to be “pragmatic, populist, charismatic, and technological, more than intellectual” (55). Further, “we have tended to define piety as an inward state opposed to careful thought….” Reminding us that this is no small matter Noll quotes Charles Malik who wrote earlier (The Two Tasks, 1980), “The problem is not only to win souls, but to save minds. If you win the whole world and lose the mind of the world, you will soon discover you have not won the world. Indeed, it may turn out that you have actually lost the world (26).” Noll moves from that point to challenge American evangelicalism to move from an anti-intellectual posture toward activities that promote Christian thinking at every level.
I can only hope that this Pew Research Survey will also awaken Christians in the pulpits and pews of the need to learn more about their faith, their Scriptures, their religious history, and about the beliefs of others in our pluralistic society. May we, the church of Jesus, love the Lord with our minds as well as our heart, soul, and strength (Luke 10:27). Indeed, may we have a zeal that is based on knowledge (Romans 10:2).
Eager to know Him more & make Him known!
Pastor Scott
Demographic Group & Number Correct
Atheist/Agnostic 20.9
Jewish 20.5
Mormon 20.3
White Evangelical Protestant 17.6
White Catholic 16.0
White Mainline Protestant 15.8
Black Protestant 13.4
Hispanic Catholic 11.6
By Anne Godlasky, USA TODAY
*Atheists and Agnostics were scored separately but had the same number correct. Source: Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life phone survey of 3,412 U.S. adults in May and June. Margins of error: +/-2.5 percentage points overall, larger for subgroups.
You can actually go to the USA Today website and see how you do on five sample questions from the survey. While the USA Today and other national news outlets found it astounding that atheists knew more about religion I, frankly, did not.
Sociologists studying these matters have long reported that atheists and agnostics are highly educated and very knowledgeable of religious matters (The Denominational Society, Andrew Greely, 1972.). As Greg Lewis, Pew senior researcher, reported in the USA Today article 8 in 10 atheists and agnostics grew up in a religious tradition. So while those who say there is no God may be called foolish by the Christian Scripture (Psalm 14:1), this does not mean they are an uneducated or uninformed fool. On the contrary, perhaps as 1 Corinthians 8:1 indicates it is their great knowledge that has “puffed them up’ to where they could reject a belief in God, or at least assert he is unknowable (agnostic). This should remind followers of Jesus that when they speak to an atheist or agnostic one should not assume they are ignorant or unaware of biblical teachings. Rather, we should seek to uncover what they learned or experienced in life that made them turn away from a belief in God.
A second observation I would make is that the research really revealed more about the knowledge of religion, in general, rather than about biblical beliefs or a knowledge of God. Therefore, I believe the Orlando Sentinel’s headline on the article about the research was very misleading. Their headline read: Believe It: Atheists Know God. Yet when one reads the questions asked by Pew Research you find they really are not measuring if people know God. They are asking questions about world religions, church history, and questions about governmental rulings pertaining to the expression of religion. These were hardly questions about “knowing God”. Even questions pertaining to the knowledge of the Bible were very few. Consequently, the survey is truly more about religion and less about God. Sadly, some news outlets cannot seem unable to make this distinction.
However, it is still alarming that so many religiously-involved Americans know so little about the Bible and general religious matters. It was sad to hear just 55% of all respondents knew the Golden Rule isn’t one of the Ten Commandments or that 45% could not name all four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John). It is lamentable that only 11% knew the fiery preach and theologian who participated in the First Great Awakening, an 18th Century revival, was Jonathan Edwards, not Charles Finney or Billy Graham. These responses seem to reveal the “dumbing down” of American evangelicalism and of the professing Christian populace as a whole. The poor showing by evangelicals reminds me of the warnings given by Mark Noll in his 1994 book The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind.
In that book Noll stated, “American evangelicals are not exemplary for their thinking” (3) and in his work he outlines why. In part, he cites our desire to be “pragmatic, populist, charismatic, and technological, more than intellectual” (55). Further, “we have tended to define piety as an inward state opposed to careful thought….” Reminding us that this is no small matter Noll quotes Charles Malik who wrote earlier (The Two Tasks, 1980), “The problem is not only to win souls, but to save minds. If you win the whole world and lose the mind of the world, you will soon discover you have not won the world. Indeed, it may turn out that you have actually lost the world (26).” Noll moves from that point to challenge American evangelicalism to move from an anti-intellectual posture toward activities that promote Christian thinking at every level.
I can only hope that this Pew Research Survey will also awaken Christians in the pulpits and pews of the need to learn more about their faith, their Scriptures, their religious history, and about the beliefs of others in our pluralistic society. May we, the church of Jesus, love the Lord with our minds as well as our heart, soul, and strength (Luke 10:27). Indeed, may we have a zeal that is based on knowledge (Romans 10:2).
Eager to know Him more & make Him known!
Pastor Scott
Friday, September 3, 2010
SHOUTING SUNSETS
They who dwell in the ends of the earth stand in awe of Your signs; You make the dawn and the sunset shout for joy.” – Psalm 65:8 (NASB)
I don’t fully know why but I have always loved sunsets. I also know I am not alone in appreciating the beauty of sunsets. Perhaps Psalm 65:8 clues us in as to why so many people find sunsets stunningly beautiful. God has made them to shout with joy as a sign to Him as Creator.
Notice how the psalmist speaks of those who live at the ends of the earth, here in context referring to those who live in the east and west. David is saying no matter which end they live on God has put signs there to cause them to stand in awe of Him. In the east they can see the dawning of the sun and in the west the setting. God uses both regularly to create colorful masterpieces upon the tapestry of the skies. Notice David gives the sunrise and sunset human features as he writes that they “shout for joy.” Well, they sure do to me! Also they cause me to shout to joy with them to the glorious Creator God and Redeemer of my soul!
I am attaching some pictures from the trip. These pictures and more are also on my facebook page. Let me briefly seek to explain the setting of each picture below. The first was taken on just our second day when we saw the sky turn a pale orange as the sun set beyond the Golden Gate Bridge and the hills to the northwest of us. One sunset we really savored was the one at the Grand Canyon as the next three pictures show that setting. The blazing orange ball of fire set beyond the canyon as we sat at the Desert View area. It caused the clouds to become pink and orange. It caused the Lookout Tower and our faces to glow. It was gorgeous. It was some days later in Bozeman, Montana when we were again in a setting where we could enjoy a sunset. The sun lit the upper half of the sky with a solid orange color. I also was able to line the setting sun up with a plant before me. It made the unknown field weed look almost radioactive with its glow. The fifth and final sunset only Daniel and I saw as we raced down from our campsite to catch the sun setting on the west side of Lake Tahoe. Adding the dimension of the water made that sunset unique and enjoyable to us.
Yes, we stood in awe of these sunsets as unmistakable signs that a creative and intelligent God put this earth here for his glory and our joy. It grieves me when so many miss or ignore these signs God has given. Yet I am grateful that we who know Him personally can so easily direct the unknowing and preoccupied to Him and His Son simply by pointing to a sunrise or sunset. May we do so in order that others may hear the sunsets shout for joy to Him!
Joining in the joyful shouts of sunsets!
Scott
I don’t fully know why but I have always loved sunsets. I also know I am not alone in appreciating the beauty of sunsets. Perhaps Psalm 65:8 clues us in as to why so many people find sunsets stunningly beautiful. God has made them to shout with joy as a sign to Him as Creator.
Notice how the psalmist speaks of those who live at the ends of the earth, here in context referring to those who live in the east and west. David is saying no matter which end they live on God has put signs there to cause them to stand in awe of Him. In the east they can see the dawning of the sun and in the west the setting. God uses both regularly to create colorful masterpieces upon the tapestry of the skies. Notice David gives the sunrise and sunset human features as he writes that they “shout for joy.” Well, they sure do to me! Also they cause me to shout to joy with them to the glorious Creator God and Redeemer of my soul!
I am attaching some pictures from the trip. These pictures and more are also on my facebook page. Let me briefly seek to explain the setting of each picture below. The first was taken on just our second day when we saw the sky turn a pale orange as the sun set beyond the Golden Gate Bridge and the hills to the northwest of us. One sunset we really savored was the one at the Grand Canyon as the next three pictures show that setting. The blazing orange ball of fire set beyond the canyon as we sat at the Desert View area. It caused the clouds to become pink and orange. It caused the Lookout Tower and our faces to glow. It was gorgeous. It was some days later in Bozeman, Montana when we were again in a setting where we could enjoy a sunset. The sun lit the upper half of the sky with a solid orange color. I also was able to line the setting sun up with a plant before me. It made the unknown field weed look almost radioactive with its glow. The fifth and final sunset only Daniel and I saw as we raced down from our campsite to catch the sun setting on the west side of Lake Tahoe. Adding the dimension of the water made that sunset unique and enjoyable to us.
Yes, we stood in awe of these sunsets as unmistakable signs that a creative and intelligent God put this earth here for his glory and our joy. It grieves me when so many miss or ignore these signs God has given. Yet I am grateful that we who know Him personally can so easily direct the unknowing and preoccupied to Him and His Son simply by pointing to a sunrise or sunset. May we do so in order that others may hear the sunsets shout for joy to Him!
Joining in the joyful shouts of sunsets!
Scott
Friday, August 27, 2010
God and the Mountains, Part 2
Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. – Psalm 90:2
Previously, I presented four observations about mountains that simultaneously taught me about God. These thoughts came to me from the Lord as I meditated upon what I saw while looking at the numerous mountains out in the Western United States during our recent vacation. In this article I want to share several other thoughts the Lord brought to me.
A fifth observation I made about mountains is that they appear one way from a distance, but can look entirely different up close. For example, some mountains in Nevada and California lacked trees or rocky outcroppings. They simply look smooth from a distance; like you could easily drive all over them on an ATV or you could simply roll down them for hundreds of yards. However, once closer you see there is dry brush and briers and rock upon them. From this closer viewpoint it becomes clear they would not be very enjoyable to traverse and impossible to roll down. Or, consider also from a distance how a mountain looks and then how suddenly we are humbled by its size the closer we get. From a distance it looks like you could climb it easily. Then as you get closer you realize what a climb it would be. Various times I would try to zoom in on the video camera to give proper perspective on the mountain. As I zoomed out from a hiker until they become a dot on the screen it then became apparent how large that mountain they were climbing really was. So also the closer we get to the Lord the more we realize how great and awesome he is and how small we are. This perspective makes us ask as David did in Psalm 8:4 “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him.”
Now a revelation closely related to the fifth one is that mountains often contain hidden treasures. Obviously, both of these lessons pertain to our limited perception of mountains. From a distance we can only see a mountain. Little do we know that as you hike the trails of that mountain you can find gorgeous mountain lakes, cool streams, scenic waterfalls, meadows of wildflowers, living creatures both large and small and much more. This is what we learned as we hiked to such spots in the Yosemite, Zion National Park, and up behind Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe. New and glorious surprises waited ahead. While others may have discovered these beautiful details of the mountain they remained a mystery to us until we made the effort to get to know that mountain better. Both of these observations reminded me that knowing God is a never-ending discovery process. Because God is infinite and mysterious and because I am finite and prone to misjudgment I must be careful about the definitive conclusions I make about God. I cannot craft Him in my image or seek to know Him from afar. I must anchor my understanding of Him to his own infallible Word. I get closer to seeing Him aright as I draw near Him in the Scriptures. And the glorious wonder is that as I pursue knowing Him more I find that there are delightful aspects of His nature and character that I have yet to fully appreciate. There always seems to be more of Him to know. His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).
A seventh observation about mountains is that they seem to somehow beckon people to hike them, explore them, or strive for their summit. During our trip we heard of how climbers scale the face of El Capitan in Yosemite. While hiking ourselves we saw climbers farther up ascending to the top of a waterfall or to a snow-capped peak. During National Park movies we heard incredible stories of how people tried to summit peaks like those in the Tetons for years before they finally succeeded. I have to admit that as I stood there looking up at those mountain peaks there was some visceral yearning within me to climb. I too wanted to summit those peaks. So also I think that the Lord beckons us to know Him better. He invites us to draw into deeper experiences with Him so we might find greater joy in Him. Paul expresses this quest for greater knowledge of Christ quite powerfully when he writes in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection of the dead.”
I hope that you and I will seek to know the Lord more, whether or not we find ourselves beckoned to climb a mountain. I hope like me you will thank God for the mountains he birthed and you will find them directing your thoughts toward the Creator. They are the perfect habitat for many unique creatures. They provide nourishment to lowlands below with their streams and melting snow. They fill us little humans with wonder and excitement as we view them or traverse them. And may they teach us endless lessons about their Maker and our Lord.
"Some people, in order to discover God, read books. But there is a great book: the very appearance of created things. Look above you! Look below you! Read it. God, whom you want to discover, never wrote that book with ink. Instead, He set before your eyes the things that He had made. Can you ask for a louder voice than that?" - Augustine of Hippo
Hearing His voice in the Mountains!
Scott Markley
Previously, I presented four observations about mountains that simultaneously taught me about God. These thoughts came to me from the Lord as I meditated upon what I saw while looking at the numerous mountains out in the Western United States during our recent vacation. In this article I want to share several other thoughts the Lord brought to me.
A fifth observation I made about mountains is that they appear one way from a distance, but can look entirely different up close. For example, some mountains in Nevada and California lacked trees or rocky outcroppings. They simply look smooth from a distance; like you could easily drive all over them on an ATV or you could simply roll down them for hundreds of yards. However, once closer you see there is dry brush and briers and rock upon them. From this closer viewpoint it becomes clear they would not be very enjoyable to traverse and impossible to roll down. Or, consider also from a distance how a mountain looks and then how suddenly we are humbled by its size the closer we get. From a distance it looks like you could climb it easily. Then as you get closer you realize what a climb it would be. Various times I would try to zoom in on the video camera to give proper perspective on the mountain. As I zoomed out from a hiker until they become a dot on the screen it then became apparent how large that mountain they were climbing really was. So also the closer we get to the Lord the more we realize how great and awesome he is and how small we are. This perspective makes us ask as David did in Psalm 8:4 “What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him.”
Now a revelation closely related to the fifth one is that mountains often contain hidden treasures. Obviously, both of these lessons pertain to our limited perception of mountains. From a distance we can only see a mountain. Little do we know that as you hike the trails of that mountain you can find gorgeous mountain lakes, cool streams, scenic waterfalls, meadows of wildflowers, living creatures both large and small and much more. This is what we learned as we hiked to such spots in the Yosemite, Zion National Park, and up behind Emerald Bay at Lake Tahoe. New and glorious surprises waited ahead. While others may have discovered these beautiful details of the mountain they remained a mystery to us until we made the effort to get to know that mountain better. Both of these observations reminded me that knowing God is a never-ending discovery process. Because God is infinite and mysterious and because I am finite and prone to misjudgment I must be careful about the definitive conclusions I make about God. I cannot craft Him in my image or seek to know Him from afar. I must anchor my understanding of Him to his own infallible Word. I get closer to seeing Him aright as I draw near Him in the Scriptures. And the glorious wonder is that as I pursue knowing Him more I find that there are delightful aspects of His nature and character that I have yet to fully appreciate. There always seems to be more of Him to know. His ways are higher than my ways and His thoughts are higher than my thoughts (Isaiah 55:9).
A seventh observation about mountains is that they seem to somehow beckon people to hike them, explore them, or strive for their summit. During our trip we heard of how climbers scale the face of El Capitan in Yosemite. While hiking ourselves we saw climbers farther up ascending to the top of a waterfall or to a snow-capped peak. During National Park movies we heard incredible stories of how people tried to summit peaks like those in the Tetons for years before they finally succeeded. I have to admit that as I stood there looking up at those mountain peaks there was some visceral yearning within me to climb. I too wanted to summit those peaks. So also I think that the Lord beckons us to know Him better. He invites us to draw into deeper experiences with Him so we might find greater joy in Him. Paul expresses this quest for greater knowledge of Christ quite powerfully when he writes in Philippians 3:10, “I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection of the dead.”
I hope that you and I will seek to know the Lord more, whether or not we find ourselves beckoned to climb a mountain. I hope like me you will thank God for the mountains he birthed and you will find them directing your thoughts toward the Creator. They are the perfect habitat for many unique creatures. They provide nourishment to lowlands below with their streams and melting snow. They fill us little humans with wonder and excitement as we view them or traverse them. And may they teach us endless lessons about their Maker and our Lord.
"Some people, in order to discover God, read books. But there is a great book: the very appearance of created things. Look above you! Look below you! Read it. God, whom you want to discover, never wrote that book with ink. Instead, He set before your eyes the things that He had made. Can you ask for a louder voice than that?" - Augustine of Hippo
Hearing His voice in the Mountains!
Scott Markley
Friday, August 13, 2010
Learning of God in the Moutains, Part 1
Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. – Psalm 36:5-6
As most of you know I just returned from a family vacation out in the western United States. We went to places we had never been before—places we’d only heard of or seen pictures of. It was a delightful family time in many ways and truly a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip. Before going I prayed and asked God to teach me more about Him through our travels. Today I was meditating simply on what I learned of God through the many mountains we saw on our excursion.
One of the first things we noticed upon arriving in California was the mountains. We traveled in seven different states on this trip and every single one of them had mountains. Some were majestic and snow-capped, while some looked barren and dry. Nevertheless, they were there—mountains––holding lessons about the Creator for those willing to observe and learn.
Let me share some of the truths about God that mountains made me contemplate. There are so many I will do so in two parts. In this article, let me simply share four insights.
First, mountains, obviously, communicate the idea of strength, stability, security, and permanence. That was the why Jesus made the astounding statement about having a faith that could move mountains (Matt. 17:20) and why Paul also referred to such an unimaginable feat (1 Cor. 13:2). Mountains seem fixed and immovable. In this, they also remind me of our God who is mighty and strong.
Second, mountains can stun you with their rugged beauty and majestic peaks. One can get mesmerized by their alluring beauty and gaze at them all afternoon from varying angles. This beauty is why they are photographed and painted and sketched generation after generation. Likewise David speaks of gazing upon “the beauty of the Lord” in Psalm 27:4.
Third, it is fascinating to me how mountains beautify all that is around them. Part of what makes Lake Tahoe so spectacular is the mountain range surrounding much of the gorgeous lake. Yes, the lake and forest of pines have beauty in themselves, but their beauty is enhanced. Or consider many of the valleys that look so lush and lovely. Imagine them without mountains around them. They would just be plains or flat terrain. Part of their beauty comes from the fact that they are nestled in between hillsides or mountain peaks. So when the Scriptures speak of the beauty of Zion I think the beauty referred to comes through a belief that this holy city is a unique habitation of the Lord (Ps. 48:1-2). It was His Divine presence there, in the mind of the ancients, which made Jerusalem so glorious. So also as we today associate with God, as we “put our hope in God” are we made more beautiful (1 Peter 3:5).
Fourth, mountains provide us an unparalleled vantage point that puts other things into perspective. As we ascended to the peaks over Sun Valley, Idaho the towns below diminished in our sight. The wealthy estates seemed small and puny from the mountain top. From the top of Morro Rock in Sequoia National Park we could see snowy peaks and peer into the San Joaquin Valley. There is no doubt God’s perspective on the affairs of this world and my own life is different than the perspective I usually live with. The wonder of knowing the Creator God is that as I see life through God’s eyes pride and fears diminish and that which seems all-important is reduced in significance.
Well, there is a taste of what God can teach us through mountains. But there are even more lessons to extract from the God-ward orientation mountains can give us. I will share more of them in my next article. For now, may we live in light of these truths—valuing that which is truly lasting from God’s perspective, enhancing our own beauty through fellowship with the glorious Lord, and fixing our hope in our great God.
As most of you know I just returned from a family vacation out in the western United States. We went to places we had never been before—places we’d only heard of or seen pictures of. It was a delightful family time in many ways and truly a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip. Before going I prayed and asked God to teach me more about Him through our travels. Today I was meditating simply on what I learned of God through the many mountains we saw on our excursion.
One of the first things we noticed upon arriving in California was the mountains. We traveled in seven different states on this trip and every single one of them had mountains. Some were majestic and snow-capped, while some looked barren and dry. Nevertheless, they were there—mountains––holding lessons about the Creator for those willing to observe and learn.
Let me share some of the truths about God that mountains made me contemplate. There are so many I will do so in two parts. In this article, let me simply share four insights.
First, mountains, obviously, communicate the idea of strength, stability, security, and permanence. That was the why Jesus made the astounding statement about having a faith that could move mountains (Matt. 17:20) and why Paul also referred to such an unimaginable feat (1 Cor. 13:2). Mountains seem fixed and immovable. In this, they also remind me of our God who is mighty and strong.
Second, mountains can stun you with their rugged beauty and majestic peaks. One can get mesmerized by their alluring beauty and gaze at them all afternoon from varying angles. This beauty is why they are photographed and painted and sketched generation after generation. Likewise David speaks of gazing upon “the beauty of the Lord” in Psalm 27:4.
Third, it is fascinating to me how mountains beautify all that is around them. Part of what makes Lake Tahoe so spectacular is the mountain range surrounding much of the gorgeous lake. Yes, the lake and forest of pines have beauty in themselves, but their beauty is enhanced. Or consider many of the valleys that look so lush and lovely. Imagine them without mountains around them. They would just be plains or flat terrain. Part of their beauty comes from the fact that they are nestled in between hillsides or mountain peaks. So when the Scriptures speak of the beauty of Zion I think the beauty referred to comes through a belief that this holy city is a unique habitation of the Lord (Ps. 48:1-2). It was His Divine presence there, in the mind of the ancients, which made Jerusalem so glorious. So also as we today associate with God, as we “put our hope in God” are we made more beautiful (1 Peter 3:5).
Fourth, mountains provide us an unparalleled vantage point that puts other things into perspective. As we ascended to the peaks over Sun Valley, Idaho the towns below diminished in our sight. The wealthy estates seemed small and puny from the mountain top. From the top of Morro Rock in Sequoia National Park we could see snowy peaks and peer into the San Joaquin Valley. There is no doubt God’s perspective on the affairs of this world and my own life is different than the perspective I usually live with. The wonder of knowing the Creator God is that as I see life through God’s eyes pride and fears diminish and that which seems all-important is reduced in significance.
Well, there is a taste of what God can teach us through mountains. But there are even more lessons to extract from the God-ward orientation mountains can give us. I will share more of them in my next article. For now, may we live in light of these truths—valuing that which is truly lasting from God’s perspective, enhancing our own beauty through fellowship with the glorious Lord, and fixing our hope in our great God.
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