Compliments of God

The Oakes family took a needed vacation this last week. We visited four national parks, took many great pictures and made some good memories.

Along the way I found I was taking more and more pictures of nature than I have in the past.

A couple months ago, I attended a birthday party where we created our own masterpieces using acrylics on canvas. I loved to paint when I was young, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to get my visual creative juices flowing again. I enjoyed mixing the colors and putting together different shapes and shades. But it felt a bit contrived and I was disappointed with my “creation.”

But when I was taking pictures of the wonders of Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon, Zion and the Grand Canyon, I found myself looking at textures and colors. I found myself asking what it took to create those textures and colors.

The bright oranges of all the national parks we visited are unusual but there was more. I wanted to share with you some of those other textures and why they mean so much.

These twisted trees didn’t happen overnight. They grew from small saplings and encountered years of wind, rain and drought to twist into such shapes. While it might take me a few hours to paint such a tree, it took nature years to produce this masterpiece.

But there’s more. Look at the colors and lines in these pictures of rocks. Some might say that reading the science behind them tends to dull the senses and destroy the delight that they produce just by looking at them. But science reveals something more subtle, something more genuine. Science reveals that it took centuries upon centuries to create these parks.

First the stone had to be built which in the case of the Grand Canyon, consists of many layers of sandstone, limestone and shale. The continental drift due to the shifting of the moving plates of the earth coupled with active volcanoes took care of that. Then water from the Colorado River dug deep into the rock, wearing it down slowly. After the water receded, the other weather elements like ice, and wind worked their magic by chipping away at the stone.

The results are breathtaking, which is why so many people go to explore these parks. I found myself wondering if all the visitors to the parks understood what they were viewing, what they were experiencing. “The awesomeness of nature,” was one response I heard.

But I suspect, maybe unknowingly, the connection goes much deeper. I believe there is a distinct quality that allows human beings to appreciate of be in awe of nature. I think innately we allow ourselves to connect with the Artist. We say we are “connecting with nature,”, but what we are really doing is connecting with God.

There is an undeniable eternal connection we feel when we see such natural beauty. It is distinct and takes our breath away. It is our connection to the eternal, and that is not something we are able to shy away from. It’s something we are drawn to without explanation.

I hope you enjoy these textures that God has provided for us. Visit your local nature and connect with the Artist.

When Enough Time Has Passed...

I just came back from a once in a lifetime trip to Alaska – a great adventure and a great escape. I witnessed such incredible beauty and unimaginable wilderness and I breathed it in deep. I was also reminded of what wilderness really is.

We get so stuck in our daily grind that we can barely see out our windows. Work demands our attention, our family deserves our consideration. We get caught up in the whirlwind of life and we don’t hear God calling us.

This trip allowed me to do several things, but the most important was I remembered that God meets us where we are. The magnificence of creation is a powerful and engaging reminder that there is something beyond us. I am grateful for that gift.

At the church I visited on my trip, the pastor spoke of the parable of the seeds falling on good soil.(Mt 13:1-23 or 13:1-9) He talked about the soil being rich. If you garden, you know the importance of good soil. Once tilled, the nutrients added provide a fertile home for the seeds planted.

The pastor caught my attention as he said, “When the soil is ready…when enough time has passed…”

Those words caught me by surprise. So many times as Christians we are called to evangelize to others, but rarely do we consider what words we use or the timing of those words. Yet, in most cases, we push forward, sometimes not considering how we may be affecting the hearts of those we are trying to educate.

Yet if we read Jesus’ words, he tells us when we should speak. “Hear then the parable of the sower.
The seed sown on the path is the one
who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it,
and the evil one comes and steals away
what was sown in his heart.
The seed sown on rocky ground
is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy.
But he has no root and lasts only for a time.
When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word,
he immediately falls away.
The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word,
but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word
and it bears no fruit.
But the seed sown on rich soil
is the one who hears the word and understands it…”

Our job is not always simple and yet it is critical. We need to determine if we are sowing God’s word onto a path, rocky ground, or thorns. We need to be patient and wait until the soil is ready. As with anything important, the more we push, the less response we invite.

In other words our job is two-fold. We are to sing from the rooftops of the infinite and all forgiving love of God, but we are also to pray for wisdom. We are asked to discern when the soil is ready so we may be successful with our planting. If we plant before the soil is tilled, the seeds may not take. The environment is not ready. Rich soil comes about in time.

Don’t be fooled! Sometimes the soil is ready when it is flooded with pain, or drought stricken with the loss of love. Those times of the heart may seem inappropriate to plant in, but it is most often when we are at our lowest that God has so richly prepared our soil.

Wilderness provides an opportunity to meet head on with creation. We enter with reckless abandon and look for adventure. When we find ourselves in the wilderness our defenses no longer hold and we are able to take in what we were so determined not to hear.

It is in those moments that we often find peace as well. Our hearts open, a soul settling calm washes over us. This is where human meets Divine.

So gently and quietly plant the seed and step back. It is often in the moment that we least expect we are doing any good that the seed takes root. Our job is to plant, let the farmer water and nourish. Let God wash over the soul and do the work. Drop the seed, gently pat the soil down and step back.

In quiet surrender remember that He meets us where we are.

It's About Love

I have read that there are tragedies surrounding Harold Camping’s Rapture prediction, people that killed themselves or tried to before May 21st. That makes me very sad.

Before May 21st, I saw frustrated Christians trying (sometimes with humor) to belittle Harold Camping. That makes me sad too.

Those of you who know me, know that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to visit Evangelical Harold Camping’s website and see where he got all of his “material.” I am always curious to see what makes people believe in predictions of the end of the world and why so many people take them seriously.

I did find that Mr. Camping was bold enough to formulate a comeback to Jesus’ direct words, “of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” (Matt. 24:36). But I find his logic skills somewhat lacking since he uses Noah, Nineveh, and Sodom as examples. In MY Bible, Noah was told by God to build the ark, Jonah was told by God to preach repentance, and Abraham bartered with God to save Sodom. These were direct revelations from God. Is Camping claiming direct revelation? His website doesn’t say, however, since Jesus is the Son of God and enjoyed direct revelations from his Father (“This is my son with whom I am well pleased” at both his baptism and Transfiguration), and Jesus said neither he nor the angels knew, then why should I believe a human being? For goodness sake! Jesus even told us not to believe those that would foretell the end.

Is Mr. Camping claiming he is higher than the angels or Jesus? Whether he enjoyed this as direct revelation or he is so desperate for attention that he believes he’s beyond such encounters, it is quite a bold statement of ego. I would tend to believe the man might have a bit of an ego problem, especially since he was asked if he should apologize and couldn't even get that right.

In my Bible Study, the moderator talked about the Beatitudes in a very unique way. He said that the first Beatitude required us to learn humility and that every other Beatitude was built on this first one. In other words, the Beatitudes could not be accomplished completely without addressing humility. This brings me back to ego. I question Mr. Camping’s humility factor considering he claims to be know more than the Son of God.

On a different note, I know that Mr. Camping is a father of seven. As a parent there is a fine art of a loving discipline that is only accomplished through much discernment. We are reminded of this with both Jonah’s story in Nineveh, and Abraham’s bartering with God to save Sodom. God told Jonah to tell the people of Nineveh to repent and they did, so God spared them. Abraham kept entreating the great I AM to save Sodom if a certain number of good people to be found. Does Camping consider God his Father or does he understand the love that a father has toward his children? I believe the man is disconnected from Christianity in this way.

There is a theme and I believe that is why we will NEVER know God’s plan (precisely because it is God’s plan). God’s infinite love and mercy is unfathomable. He will continue to forgive us and give us more time as long as there are people on this earth forwarding his mission of love and salvation and those who continue to pray with fervor.

Mr. Camping’s notion that the Holy Spirit abandoned the church during the years of 1988 to 1994 is simply another slap across the face of God and in fact calls Jesus a liar. Jesus clearly said he would be with us always and that the Father would send the Holy Spirit (John 14:15). ALWAYS means ALWAYS. Jesus never minced words. He was direct.

I can’t imagine the pain the Holy Spirit must feel to think that one of God’s children would say He abandoned us.

It is my opinion that the Lord is a loving parent who is desperately trying to ask us to come back to Him and He will give us as many chances as possible. It is also my opinion that any person who uses numbers to determine the end of the world, or the Rapture or anything else is limiting a limitless Father. I realize that Camping is a former engineer and therefore thinks of his God from his own experience, but numbers are finite and I don't believe God uses the finite to determine His love for us. If He did, He would not have sent His Son.

Our job as true Christians is not to listen to human predictions nor condemn Mr. Camping. Instead we must gently remind him and his followers that TRUE relationship with Jesus is pure love and in that love we can trust that God will take care of us.

God said He would. Both Father and Son repeatedly offered the following, "Do not be afraid." Why? Because above all else, God is love.

There is no need to panic or foretell anything. It simply doesn’t matter. It's about Love.

The Dash In Between

I recently attended a funeral for man of 55 years old. He was taking a shower one morning and just dropped right there. Heart stopped. It was his time. The eulogist talked about the man’s life and how each of us will end up with a dash between the years we visited the earth.

It occurred to me that it doesn’t matter how long we live, that dash is the same size, same length, and same font of boldness. Whether we live on the earth for 5 years or 105 years, the dash is the same.

What the dash doesn’t describe is the life that is lived in between. We all have the same ability to make a difference, but it is in the daily choices we make that determine the life in between.

Mother Teresa lived to be 87, while Adolf Hitler lived to be 56. Each had an impact on the world. One worked for peace while the other worked to destroy. One lived for God, the other for power. Both had an impact on many nations and many lives. Can you tell that from the dash? What do you think God sees in that dash?

I had a brother that lived three days. There is still a dash that delineates the time he spent here before he moved on to heaven. He made an impact on hearts as well, a quiet silent impact, but one just the same.

There are times that many of us believe that our lives are so insignificant that we do not make a difference on this earth. We believe the ugly lie that says unless we become a Mother Teresa or an Adolf Hitler, we have no impact on history or anyone else. That is the ultimate lie that the Deceiver wants you to believe. That makes his job easier. He can chip away at our self worth so much easier if we think we are insignificant.

He wants us to believe that no amount of selflessness will make a difference and that our existence is irrelevant.

But if we choose Truth, then we choose victory. It may be the silent victory of a suburban mother who chooses to nurture her children and grow them into loving, caring, believers of God who will save their souls. It may be the public victory of writing a best seller that touches the lives of unknown souls that leads them to God. For many of us, it will be somewhere in between. But I challenge you to consider that the quiet, subtle role of Elizabeth raising John the Baptist was just as important as the role of Mahatma Gandhi.

God creates each of us with purpose. God creates each of us with free will. God creates each of us with love. We are not insignificant to Him. Every soul matters.

And it is everything in between that tiny dash that makes us who we are. All the love we give freely or all the hate we spin daily affects those around us. But it is our choice.

In the end, all the world will see is the dash between the short years we are here on the earth. But in the end, God does not see that speck of dash; He sees a soul so precious to Him that He gave his only Son. So how will you spend your dash?

Give Me a Drink

If you’ve followed me for very long, you know my fascination with water. The story of the Samaritan woman at the well with Jesus (John 4:5-42) came up a couple weeks ago and I, of course, remained focused on the words, “living water.”

I spent time reading different commentaries on this Gospel moment. I found a source that included something Pope Benedict the XVI said in 2008:

…recalling the great teaching of Saint Augustine, with regard to Christ's request to the woman, “give me something to drink”, [St. Augustine] said: “Yes, God thirsts for our faith and our love. As a good and merciful father, he wants our total, possible good, and this good is he himself.”

It seems odd that God would want our love, doesn’t it? He doesn’t need it, but He desires that each and every one of us—individually—be with Him forever. How often do we stop to think about that incredible gift and that our fate is completely in our hands?

I went on to read the symbolism of the Samaritan woman:

“The Samaritan woman, on the other hand, represents the existential dissatisfaction of one who does not find what he seeks. She had "five husbands" and now she lives with another man; her going to and from the well to draw water expresses a repetitive and resigned life. However, everything changes for her that day, thanks to the conversation with the Lord Jesus……” (Benedict XVI, Angelus 24 February 2008).

Sometimes we get frustrated making the same mistakes over and over. How often do we feel like the Samaritan woman?

The gospel writer John states that the woman goes at noon, during the hottest part of the day. Most times during this era, water was drawn in the cool of the morning but this Samaritan does not. I have heard it explained that because she felt different or ostracized (due to her living conditions) she avoided going with the rest of the women to draw water. How often do we go out of our way to avoid doing something uncomfortable thinking it will save us from feeling excluded?

But here, the symbolism is clear. Though we may try to elude that uneasy situation, God meets us there. It is up to us to recognize and accept His presence and engage Him in conversation.

I found a site where the author presents the importance of living water in a unique way:

“On our path of conversion, what a great grace it is to find the Lord Jesus waiting patiently for us beside our senseless wells. When, like the Samaritan woman, we are tired of the things of this world, of almost empty wells, then the Divine Master is especially close to us. He asks us to give him something to drink, he asks us to trust Him to satiate our heart and if we trust in Him we discover the joy of finding the true well, the source of crystal clear water.”

The Creator of all asks us to trust Him to satiate our heart. Does it really take that much effort to trust Him? Maybe we need to ask ourselves why and what is keeping us from taking that plunge.

The following is an excerpt from a poem entitled "I Thirst" by Mother Teresa of Calcutta:

"Whenever you do open the door of your heart, whenever you come close enough, you will hear Me say to you again and again, not in mere human words but in spirit: “No matter what you have done, I love you for your own sake. Come to Me with your misery and your sins, with your troubles and needs, and with all your longing to be loved. I stand at the door of your heart and knock ... Open to-Me, for I THIRST FOR YOU…”

Does it get any better than that?

Soul Vacation

I recently fell in love with a song that I’d heard before. This time I listened to with completely different ears and heart.

Drops of Jupiter by Train talks about someone who has been on a soul vacation and found herself. The imagery is what got me this time, not the philosophy.

“Did the wind sweep you off your feet?”

Ahhh. Doesn’t that sound fun? That little tummy flip and giggle that goes along with being swept off your feet by a rollercoaster or a plane ride, so cool. So what if this wind swept you off into the universe? Would you do it?

“Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day…”

Hmmm. Doesn’t that sound fun? Imagine for a moment if you were able to ride a wave that chases the sunrise around the world. No worries about time, just enjoying the never ending colors that accompany the ever changing cloud formations.

“Did you fall for a shooting star…”

Can you imagine the sun’s rays bouncing off the millions of tiny frozen crystals from Haley’s comet and you getting to touch them as they float by? Talk about the colors of the rainbow!

“Did you sail across the sun?”

Oh baby! Imagine the most beautiful ship with billowing white sails trailing past the sun and you totally immune to the heat and radiation. Just a visitor on your way to see the Milky Way. No need for provisions, sleep, or any other human necessity. Nothing to keep you from investigating the universe and beyond!

And I won’t stop there. I want to,

“trace my way through the constellation…”

and investigate all though glorious mysteries the universe is waiting to unveil to me.

Though I love this song, there's one part that gets me every time. The lyrics, "that heaven is overrated," just don't jive with me. Yeah, I know they're talking about something completely different, but still...

I've just given you my bucket list…my Heaven’s bucket list. So don’t tell me Heaven is overrated, I don’t believe it.

I won’t be encumbered by this 3D body, no packing coats, long underwear or bringing my handy dandy bottle of water. Just take myself. That’s my kind of soul vacation.

Come with me, nothing better than vacation with friends.

My Two Dollar Set of Pearls

Have you ever grasped something so dear to you that you did not want to give it up? Maybe it wasn't material, maybe it was someone or some feeling, some hope, some joy. I recently heard about a little girl who was in this predicament.

Jenny recently purchased her greatest treasure, a set of pearls for only two dollars. She saved and saved until the treasure could be hers. Once in her hands, she never let go of them. She wore them around her neck constantly—except for when she bathed. Her mother told her they would make her skin turn green if they got wet, so she gave them up only then.

Jenny’s father had a tradition of reading to Jenny before bedtime and telling her he loved her. On one occasion Jenny’s father asked, “Do you love me?”

Jenny’s sincere reply, “Of course I do, Daddy.”

“Can I have your pearls?”

Jenny’s face showed her distress as she offered another solution. “Oh no, Daddy. These are my most favorite thing. But you can have my second favorite thing, my stuffed animal.”

Her dad lovingly declined and assured her of his love.

A few weeks later, Jenny’s dad asked the same question, to which Jenny’s reply was, “Oh, Daddy, these are my most favorite possession. But you can have my favorite doll I got for Christmas.”

Again her father declined and assured her of his love.

A few days later, Jenny approached her dad. Sad, but sure, she handed her dad her favorite possession, her pearls. With a big smile, Jenny’s dad pulled out a blue velvet box and handed it to her. Inside was something that Jenny couldn’t believe. It was a set of genuine pearls to replace her fake two dollar string. Then her father explained, “I’ve been waiting to give these to you. I’ve been waiting for you.”

This story touched me in a way I didn’t know I needed. My most favorite possession isn’t a set of pearls. But it is something I couldn’t explain until I heard this story. My most valued possession is inside me. It includes my hopes, my dreams, and my emotional needs as a woman, mother and wife. And deep down inside I’ve had to come to the realization that it also includes my pride.

In my reckless unwillingness to give these things to God, to my Daddy, I have neglected to consider what exactly I might acquire if I do in fact offer Him what I value most. That realization has been more eye-opening than anything else I’ve ever encountered. And I pray that you will not be as stingy as I have been.


Here is Jenny’s story, perhaps told much better than I ever could.