A rustle through the trees comes from the breath of God. Crows beacon over the valley and the next hill. Be Still and know that I am God. It almost seems like a trite term until you sit, listen, breathe deeply and recognize the glory of God and His creation. Unfortunately many do not know what sitting still means.

The Rhododendrons take my heart back to the early 70s when I was a young Campus Life staff. My boys, Bean’s boys to be exact, were climbing the hills of Gatlinburg and sliding down the hillside surrounded by Rhododendrons. They laughed and called themselves the Rhododendron Rough Riders. It has now been more than forty years since I sat on that hillside with those good friends. Some have already g one into the presence of the Lord.

I have lived for over sixty years and still miss the grandeur and majesty of the Lord at times. I still find myself seeking comfort from Him rather than willing to suffer with Him. I tend to forget that lost time never returns. Memories float in my heart with great joy and I want to reach out and touch them again. But they melt into the atmosphere like fog over this beautiful valley. Oh how easy it is to walk right by our Lord in our zeal to capture another memorable moment.

The Kingdom of God is within you, says the Lord. Why then do we not turn to God with all our heart? The wind engulfs us at an unexpected moment. You take note that the weather is changing. I hear the crow at a distance and remember that God spoke to the birds and had them bring food to a prophet in the wilderness. Why do I worry that I will have enough to eat, enough to take care of myself when age overtakes my physical body? God misses no detail. Including my needs. Oh my faith is so weak and my heart is so self-absorbed.

We find ourselves in a barren desert spiritually and wonder where is God? Life seems to have little enjoyment but only struggle and pain. God is at work tirelessly for our good. Our eyes can see only the darkness of a blinding light that is His presence. We stumble and walk clumsy around our daily experiences and miss the breath of God covering our every step. Instead we find ourselves irritated by the moving air around us and frustrated that comfort is not our first provision.

I look at all the barren trees around me. God has prepared them for the winter. Nutrition has been drawn into the branches and trunk and the leaves are falling. This bare look is a careful provision of our Lord for the trees. It seems odd that the naked trees are being cared for in such a special way. They will be able to weather the winter storms because nutrition has been stored and prepared for the situations that will naturally come.

I marveled at the beauty in the trees as we drove around the South. Yellow, orange, red, tan, brown and green was plastered all over the hills. Scientists say that the trees show their true colors in the fall. Photosynthesis begins to stop as the sun is less visible each day. The bright green we enjoy in the spring and summer goes away. The new color that becomes visible after the green process ends tells us the type of tree that is growing.

There have been many times when I felt like the Lord stripped my heart and removed all that makes life good just like the trees. I failed to recognize his provision for the difficulties that were coming in my life. I failed to remember that great strength comes from suffering. I only want comfort. It is so easy to miss his presence and provision.

So many of you responded to our request for prayer and we are deeply thankful. We desire to bring your heart alongside our experience here with the Lord.

Snow whispers among the winds. Red tailed hawks majestically fly over the valley below. We see the beauty of God in the mirror of life and recognize the book of holy teaching that we call nature. All of it shows the goodness of God. The silence is deafening! Yet God’s voice speaks distinctly among His creation.

Cathy and I read from the Imitation of Christ as Thomas A Kempis writes, HE WHO follows Me, walks not in darkness,” says the Lord. By these words of Christ we are advised to imitate His life and habits, if we wish to be truly enlightened and free from all blindness of heart. Let our chief effort, therefore, be to study the life of Jesus Christ.[1]

Thomas was a scribe in early 1400 and was charged with teaching novice believers how to follow Christ. His devotion book is the second most read book  in all of history. The quote from above is the opening line of his book.

We are deeply encouraged by your prayers before the Throne of God.





[1] Thomas à Kempis. (1996). The imitation of Christ (1). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems.

Cathy and I are on a personal spiritual retreat in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina. We just left Hampton Roads, Virginia and a great week with Sean and Christina Connable. We had a productive week of work focused on the Strengths Finder tests from Gallop, Inc. Both of us are encouraged by the plans laid for a Missionary Tool Box we designed. We also had some great laughs, fellowship and worship together.

Tonight we are at the log cabin of Charlie and Connie Dunn in the mountains. We would like to ask for your prayers. This is an essential time for us to review that last three years of Deeper Still Missions and reflect on the lessons that God has taught us. We will renew our goals for the future and refresh our personal walk with the Lord.

Please pray that he will meet us on the mountain. Thank you.