Where there’s smoke…

Stickers.

The kids love to get stickers.  Whenever we teach, the children appreciate it if they get a sticker on their paper afterwards.

A former co-worker of Ingrid’s, who knows about this, recently sent us a bunch of stickers of all different kinds.

Among the stickers, were two of Smoky the Bear.

My (former) hero

It’s probably appropriate that this friend sent these stickers—her part of California has been besieged with some nasty wildfires this year, and this is a good reminder to pray for those affected by the fires.

Seeing this sticker brought back a lot of old memories for me.  Smoky was one of my heroes as a child.  At some point, I remember joining the Smoky Bear Fan Club and my Junior Forest Ranger badge was one of my prized possessions.  I found out about the club from a cousin who lived down the street.  His father was a Fire Warden for many years and his sons and my brothers and myself were part of putting out many a forest fire in our youth.

Smoky was a real bear.  Rescued as a cub after a fire in New Mexico in 1950, he was treated and then kept at the Washington National Zoo, where I saw him just a couple of years before he died in 1976. 

Probably the earliest calling I felt in life was to be a forest ranger.  I even steered my life towards that direction, studying forestry at the University of New Hampshire.  I loved being outside and enjoying the nature.  It was definitely my preference to be among natural things than to be among other people.  Back in my teen years, I probably pictured myself as an adult living off the land deep in the forest, far from my nearest neighbor.

But in all this, I was oblivious to other things going on around me.  It’s as if the forest all around me was on fire and I could neither see the flames or smell the smoke.

But then I, like Smoky, was rescued.

Jesus rescued me from myself.

When I put my faith in Jesus, and He put His Spirit in me, my life changed in revolutionary ways.   But the obvious changes were not the significant ones.  Giving up cigarettes and a speaking vocabulary that consisted mostly of cuss-words was obvious.  But the real change was much deeper. Instead of seeing humanity as an infringement upon nature, I began to see humanity as part of this whole created realm.   And I realized that life wasn’t just about me.  There were real people with real needs, spiritual and physical, all about me and that I was somehow supposed to be a part of meeting those needs.

And that changed the course of my life.

Instead of a career path that centered around nature, I found myself on one that centered on human needs or the interaction of humans and their environment.

Mind you, I still love plants and animals and all that.  I somehow still often find it easier for me to build a relationship with a dog or cat than with a person.  And I find being alone on top of a mountain much more refreshing than being in a mass of humanity.  But now these things are just part of a bigger picture.  A bigger picture that involves caring about the human suffering in this world and caring about those who have yet to find freedom and hope and true peace in Jesus.

I love the redemptive picture in Romans 8:18-25, where the fate of humanity and the rest of creation mix together:

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.  For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope  that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.   And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.

For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?   But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Thank you, God, for rescuing me from me.

Myopic Adventures

A few weeks ago I was looking at some travel information and I saw a picture of a waterfall.  When I read the details about it, I found out it was called Huai Kaew waterfall and it is in Chiang Rai province.

So yesterday, while we came to Chiang Rai on business, we decided to detour to check out the waterfall.

The travel distance was about 20 kilometers but Google maps said the driving time was just over an hour without traffic.

Just over an hour!  Why!

Oh--that's why.

The last 6 kilometers we drove up and then down a very steep road which was only one lane wide and had lots of blind corners.  There were very few places to pull over and so we hoped we would not meet up with any four-wheeled vehicles, as it would likely mean backing up a long distance to a wide spot on the road.

So while on the one hand I wanted to drive very fast in order to: 1) minimize the amount of time I was on the road and therefore reduce opportunity for meeting up with another vehicle, and 2) try to get there and back to the two lane road before the impending storm hit.

However, it was necessary to drive slow so that: 1) I wouldn't hit any vehicles going around blind corners, and 2) I wouldn't lose control and drive off the pavement which would result in serious damage to the vehicle and its contents.

Due to all of this, I was rather intently focused on the road and so was not paying very much attention to things not related to that.  I'm sure there was some really nice scenery.  I might have taken a photo if there was a place to pull over and park the car--but there wasn't.

We ended up parking about 1 kilometer from the waterfall because the pavement ended and the road condition beyond that was not very good.  But the walk up to the waterfall was well worth it.  We passed through a tea plantation being run by the Akha people who live there.  At the falls, the piercing whine of the cicadas added to the roar coming from the water as it tumbled over the rocks.  I wish we could have stayed longer and just enjoyed the natural sights and sounds and smells, but the dark clouds above were roaring out their plans for the near future, and I wasn't too excited about them.

So we rushed back to the truck.  The rain started falling gently while we were on the downhill stretch.  Fortunately, the heavy stuff did not come until we were back on the two-lane road. All-in-all, it was a fun adventure.

Sometimes life can be kind of like our trip to Huai Kaew waterfall..

Just a couple of weeks ago, my brother-in-law was being examined for a suspected--and verified--kidney stone.  While performing the scan, the physician noticed some signs for what appear to be a fairly advanced cancer.  But without any other symptoms, it was not even known what the source was.

All of the sudden George and Dawn's lives have become like driving a narrow, mountain road, with much of their attention very focused on figuring out what is happening with George's body.

Please pray:

1) for skill in navigating the course ahead
2) for places along the way to pull of the road and enjoy the view
3) that they won't encounter "vehicles" causing them to have to back up and start over
4) for some pretty waterfalls along the way
5) that they will finish the course before the heavy rains hit.

You can follow their journey here.

O my soul, bless GOD.
     From head to toe, I'll bless his holy name!

O my soul, bless GOD,
     don't forget a single blessing!

He forgives your sins—every one.
     He heals your diseases—every one.

He redeems you from hell—saves your life!
     He crowns you with love and mercy—a paradise crown.

He wraps you in goodness—beauty eternal.
     He renews your youth—
     you're always young in his presence.

GOD makes everything come out right;
     he puts victims back on their feet.

He showed Moses how he went about his work,
     opened up his plans to all Israel.

GOD is sheer mercy and grace;
     not easily angered, he's rich in love.

He doesn't endlessly nag and scold,
     nor hold grudges forever.

He doesn't treat us as our sins deserve,
     nor pay us back in full for our wrongs.

As high as heaven is over the earth,
     so strong is his love to those who fear him.

And as far as sunrise is from sunset,
     he has separated us from our sins.

As parents feel for their children,
     GOD feels for those who fear him.

He knows us inside and out,
     keeps in mind that we're made of mud.

Men and women don't live very long;
     like wildflowers they spring up and blossom,

But a storm snuffs them out just as quickly,
     leaving nothing to show they were here.

GOD's love, though, is ever and always,
     eternally present to all who fear him,
     Making everything right for them and their children
     as they follow his Covenant ways and remember to do whatever he said.

GOD has set his throne in heaven;
     he rules over us all. He's the King!

So bless GOD, you angels, ready and able to fly at his bidding,
     quick to hear and do what he says.

Bless GOD, all you armies of angels,
     alert to respond to whatever he wills.

Bless GOD, all creatures, wherever you are—
     everything and everyone made by GOD.

And you, O my soul, bless GOD!

Psalm 103:1-22 (MSG)

Huai Kaew Waterfall, just west of Chiang Rai

Don’t Judge a Book…

Just down the street from where we live is a large shed.  Until a short while ago, we had not seen any activity going there.  There was a large conveyor across the back of the shed, so we assumed it was for some kind of agricultural packing operation.

Then, we noticed that there was a refrigerated semi-trailer running beside the shed.  What kind of packing would they do that needs refrigeration?  Most produce here is shipped in open trucks.

So on the way back from an evening walk we stopped by and found out that they pack pummelos.  That night they were packing a load for China.  They also ship to other nearby countries like Malaysia and Indonesia.

(If you’re in the import business and would like to import some pummelos from Thailand, I can get you the contact info.)

Who would have thought that our little town would have such an operation.  A little shed in Wiang Kaen, the least populous district in Chiang Rai, is impacting the diets of people throughout Asia. How cool is that?

There is an English saying, “Don’t judge a book by its cover,” that seems to fit this situation.

The Bible, too, is full of examples of misjudged expectations.   King David is one of the prime examples.  Here he was, the smallest guy from a large, insignificant, family chosen to be king and also the one to take down a giant.

"Do not consider his appearance or his height,” LORD said to Samuel, “for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)

Many of the surprising examples from scripture are women.  Rahab, a harlot, is instrumental in the fall of Jericho and becomes an ancestor of Jesus and David.  Just down the genealogical line, Ruth, an unknown woman from Moab, enters the same line.  And Jael, remember her?  Didn’t think so.  She took out Sisera, the commander of an army that was tormenting Israel.

In the New Testament, there is Mary, from an insignificant town in an unimportant place called Nazareth.  But now millions of people know about Nazareth because Jesus is from there—because Mary was from there.  Then there is that other Mary—the woman of the streets who anointed Jesus feet.  We don’t know the names of many of the important people of that time—but we know her name.

These people weren’t trying to make names for themselves—but we know their names anyway.  No one would have picked these people as “most likely to succeed,” yet their names have been recorded in history.  We know the names of these people, not because they were prominent people in their day or because they sought glory and fame, but because they chose to love and serve God rather than men.

Some people have a goal in life that they want to be famous.

A better goal is that we be found faithful.

Pummelos in plastic baskets waiting to be packed

Unloading pummelos from a pickup truck

Putting labels on pummelos prior to putting in boxes

A 2 kilogram pummelo