A leaf falls.

From here, on top of the mountain

I watch as it finds an updraft.

Fighting gravity it flutters upward

Unaware that as a leaf

It is only supposed to fall.

 

Soon it is caught in a cross current.

It begins its migration

Away from the mountain.

 

I watch.

My spirit spirals toward the sky

Following a leaf

That against odds

Against the “laws” of nature

Soars

With wings

Like an eagle.

 

I recently spent an afternoon up on Glassy Mountain.  I’ve talked before about this place, and the restorative effect that it has on my soul.  I did not get a picture of the leaf, but I did see a flock of geese below me turning to land in a farm pond.

The mountains are calming, soothing, especially at this time of year when the colors are muted.  As though they are catching their breath from the fireworks display of fall before settling in for their winter slumber.

 

I always see something new when I come up here.  This time, a lesson in perspective and focus.  A framed view of Table Rock,

 

becomes something new and different with just a slight shift of the focus wheel.

I’m a loner by nature. Given the choice, I would be living up in a cabin in the mountains, miles from the nearest road. I am introspective. I’ll spend hours sitting, staring out the window, letting thoughts and ideas flow into and out of my mind. Holding onto each as God wraps (and warps) my understanding. This is the delight of my heart. To listen to what God has to say about something. Sometimes I write it down, sometimes I let it drift away. It is with reluctance that I venture beyond the threshold that is the bottom of our driveway.

 

Yet every day, God sends me out.  He tells me time and again that my period of being a hermit is coming, but it isn’t here yet.  It may not be here for a while.  For years I struggled with that.  It wasn’t what I wanted. 

 

Then He began to open my eyes.  From time to time I would be aware of the touch.  The touch that God would have on someone’s life through me.  The touch that God would have on Me, through someone else.  He gently worked with me, reminding me that He doesn’t need me, or anyone else, to do His work.  That as creator of the universe, He can handle the petty problems of this world all by Himself.  But Oh how wonderful and glorious it is when He can accomplish amazing things through Us!   That He can free someone’s heart is great.  That He can free someone’s heart through me, is Amazing!  That God can use my talents, gifts, and skills, such as they are, to further His kingdom is miraculous beyond words.  Thank you Lord, for giving me the privilege of going out into the world.

In the quiet of the dawn, I hear your voice. It whispers my name, calling me to come walk and talk with you for a while. Though a whisper, a voice heard crystal clear. I pause for a few minutes, smile, enjoy our conversation, then pick up and begin to move through the day. Maybe “dread” is too strong a word. I move forward with a melancholy in my heart. Knowing that once that first step is taken through the portal into “the world,” my senses will be assaulted with an endless barrage. Sights, sounds, smells.

 

People and cars hurry by, no “time” to pause in their busy-ness for even a smile.  I walk down the crowded sidewalk, the surroundings surreal, like the scene from the movies where you can touch everything, see everything, hear everything, but you are invisible to everyone else.  I begin to get swept along in the swirl of motion that draws me along as though I have no will of my own.

 

A dog barks down the street.  A car at the light announces his impatience to move forward as the light turns green.  A truck roars by, almost lifting me off my feet with the presence of his passing.  Voices.  Everywhere.  Constant.  Talking on cel phones, talking to the street vender, talking through the window of the car parked at the curb.  So much sound.  I cannot even hear my own footsteps.  Lord why have you directed me to come out in this again?  I wanted to stay home, to sit and talk with you some more.

 

Then, a block later, I see her.  Our eyes meet from across the road.  Eyes filled with confusion, a twinge of fear, and a look bordering on desperation.  I quickly cross the street, and in what I hope is a calm voice, ask her if she is okay.  Tears start to form as she tells me this is her first time in the city.  She is trying to find a friend, and all she has is the address.  I take the paper from her hand and smile.  This one is easy, it’s only a few blocks away.  I’ll even walk with you for the first couple to make sure you are going in the right direction.

 

With a new friend in hand, we begin to walk down the street.  Talking, sharing the stories that brought us to this point in time.  We reach our crossroads and head our separate ways.  I return home, grateful to be out of the din and back into familiar surroundings.  “Lord,” I wonder again, “I still want to know why you made me leave this morning.  I want to understand.”  He smiles, chuckles a little, shakes His head, and with laughter and love wraps His arms around me.  “You will.”

Last night the Cornerstone House of Prayer officially held its first session. 5 1/2 hours of pure prayer and worship. How do you talk about a movement of God? What words can describe a time where men and women, all ages and from all walks of life, come enter into God’s presence. When the time spent on the floor on your knees in tears, or swaying and dancing to the music in pure joy, is more than the time spent sitting in a chair. That was the “official” opening session.

 

Unofficially, we opened the night before. When the community of people involved got together one more time for time spent in fellowship and prayer.  It was supposed to be a “soundcheck,” a time to just make sure we were all on the same page with what was going on.  It turned into an almost 3 1/2 hour prayer session, that brought everyone involved to their knees.

 

When a body of believers are brought together with a shared spirit, when they unite in brotherhood with a common purpose, the movement and working of the Living God, staggers the soul.  The Cornerstone House of Prayer has opened.  The goal; establish a 24/7 prayer and worship center in Pickens County, in the upstate of South Carolina.  Followers of darkness, enemies of The Living God, beware.  The prayers of the saints have been unleashed.  We reclaim this corner of the Kingdom of God in the name of its true ruler, the Lord Jesus Christ.

I walked up under the big pine tree. Decades old, the white pine was 3 feet thick with lower branchs as big around as my waist. I turned and looked out over the mountains. There was blue sky and sunshine, but a low trace of clouds left from the rain last night was still floating across the peaks, miles in front of me. I opened my arms and felt swept away, lofted gently by the hand of God. Content, and knowing that He was content, to just spend a few minutes here together. No words were exchanged, just a smile and a feeling of belonging. After a brief few minutes, I turned and faced the cars racing by, not more than 100′ away. For now, I must enter back into that world. A world increasingly at odds with the call that is being placed in my heart. Fill me with your presence Lord, because it is the only way that I will survive the world of man.

Sometimes I feel as though I am standing on a small island. The Lord is asking me to walk to shore. To have faith, to step out and he will provide the stepping stones to reach dry land. But as I take a survey of my situation, I am surrounded on all sides by water, with the beckoning bank about the same distance all the way around. Which direction do I step out in? Which quadrant of the compass will provide the hidden (but promised) path to freedom? Long have I been paralyzed with indecision, fear of stepping on the wrong path blocking me from even taking the first step.

Maybe there is no wrong path. Maybe God just wants me to step, and the stone will appear. If God turns all things to good, then maybe my fear and not moving are the greater mistakes than taking the wrong step. Lord, Help me have faith to step.

We just got finished working 4 glorious days (ok, maybe the continual downpour on Saturday might not rank as “Glorious”) at the Flat Rock Music Festival. This festival has become pretty special to us. Taking place at a privately owned girl’s camp in the mountains of Flat Rock N.C., it is a perfect way to kick off fall. Three full days of musical acts, most of which defy catagorization, and most are hard to even describe. This is a music festival for the Music lover. We have two cameras full of pictures, so hopefully there will be more to come. But this is such a special festival, with such wonderful artists, staff, and atmosphere, just couldn’t let it go by without at least a quick mention!

The past few months have been a period of waiting. That period is drawing to a close, but here are some thoughts that have meandered through my mind during this time.

 

Psalm 40:1

“I waited patiently for the Lord

He turned to me and heard my cry.”

 

How good are we at waiting?  We get stopped at a traffic light and we drum our fingers on the steering wheel.  We stand in line at the grocery store and contemplate changing lanes because the next cashier looks faster.  We cannot “wait” for this year’s vacation to get here.

 

“I waited patiently for the Lord.”  David does not even say how long he waited.  Was it days?  Years?  Does it matter?  We do not handle “wait” very well, because it means that something, whatever we are waiting for, is out of our control.

 

A major issue that people have with the concept of “God” is control.  We are brought up in our society to believe that you are not a success unless you are in control.  Of the job, the family, the hair style.  To acknowledge and believe in God, is to relinquish some of that control.  To voluntarily “wait,” is to give it up completely.

 

Yet those who wait for the Lord,

“Shall renew their strength;

They shall mount up with wings like eagles;

They shall run and not be weary;

They shall walk, and not faint.”

(Is. 40:31)

 

His promise to us, is, More.  More than we could ever accomplish or find on our own.  More than we could ever imagine on our own.  Not in wealth or possession, but in our joy.  In our heart.  He came, that we may have life, and have it abundantly.  If we but wait.  The Lord will turn to us, and hear our cry.  Once we have waited through our need for control.  Once we have turned our hearts over, completely, to Him.

Even just a quick weekend away can be enough to let the body relax and the mind enjoy the little things in life again.

We took a quick trip to the beach this past weekend, a little early anniversary get-away.

 Saturday lunch was on the deck of a seafood restaurant, overlooking the intercoastal waterway.  Great view, from My perspective anyway! 

 

 

One of these days, I may actually learn to smile when I am taking these….

 

 

The beckoning call of the surf and the sand…

 

 

The local watering hole….

 

 

Oops, I let Laurie hold the camera for a minute, Now you see me….

 

 

Now you Don’t

 

 

I love to see the child come out….

 

 

And the sometimes spectacular results…

 

 

Sometimes, we just have to follow the path that our feet find.  Is it leading away, or leading home?  Does it matter, as long as we are following it?

I love to watch the rain.  It calms the soul to lose yourself in the rhythm, into the steady patter as it falls on the roof.  To watch a ripple spread its arms until meeting another, and they embrace as old friends, glad that their circles have met and once again overlap.

 

But part of being able to watch the rain and fully enjoy it, is having a place to watch the rain.  Sometimes I sit at my desk staring out the window.  A long cherished memory is an off day spent at Asbury Hills, sitting on a large rock in the middle of Matthew’s Creek as the rain washed away hurt, frustration, pain.

 

As we move through life we find that rain takes many forms.  Deadlines at work loom closer, yet are no nearer being met.  The electric bill is due Wednesday, but the paycheck doesn’t arrive until Thursday.  A casual conversation with a friend or loved one turns, and words are said that neither believe and both wish they could take back.

 

It rains every day in our lives.  Sometimes it is a misty drizzle, barely worth a pass from the windshield wipers.  We walk in the rain and can enjoy it.

 

Sometimes it falls in angry drops the size of marbles that try to pound a hole through the asphalt road.  It is in these times that we need a shelter, a place to watch the rain.

 

Often it Is a place.  Ocracoke Island.

 

 

Looking Glass Falls

 

 

A quiet place where the swirl and storm of life can flow around us until we regain our strength and our footing.

 

 

But more often, it is my friends.  My family.  All the people I love and cherish so deeply.

 

 

 

 

My life is the fuller for having you in it.

 

 

 

 

I am a better person when I am with you.

 

 

 

 

And I just pray

 

 

That in some small way

 

 

I can be for you

 

 

A place to watch the rain.

 

 

Thank you all.