Three days... And cold wind!

The last three times I have headed out to run I have been greeted by inclimate weather: cold wind, snow with cold wind, and fog... with cold wind!

Right now the wind is blowing so hard that our dog is playing "fetch" on the porch by himself with plastic toys that are flying from one end to the other.

We'll say, "hello" to Dorothy for you if we end up in Oz!
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Wild one-eared llama!

The road I was running on this morning is next to an area of open ranchland with thousands of acres.

There is a llama with one ear out there roaming free. At some point this animal belonged to someone... But now it roams wild in a wide open space.

When we give ourselves to God we receive the benefit of belonging to Him. Even so, we have the ability to choose how close we want to stay. In every decision we have the freedom of wide open spaces enticing us.

If we spend our time out in the open we open ourselves to more risk, like a llama getting an ear frozen off. Some ask, "Why does God let bad things happen?" ...because He respects us and our decisions, even if they bring us harm.

Many of us are willing to belong to God, but are not willing to stay close to home. Staying close involves discipline and allowing God to lead. It is easier to roam free in the world, choosing where to go and what to do.

When bad things happen people ask,
1. "Where's God?"
2. "Why is this happening?"
3. "Why me?"

1. God is right where He always was... Waiting for you to return.
2. Human decisions have consequences.
3. God respects human decisions.

God wants to have relationship with people. He treats us the way He wants to be treated, with love and respect.

The real question is:
Even if you belong to God, are you close to Him and what He has prepared for you... or are you out roaming free?
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Get on the road.

Whether you walk or run, God just wants you to get on the road with Him. God is willing to go with you at the speed you choose. How far you get in this life is has as much to do with your decisions as His. God has wonderful places to take you and fantastic things for you to see along the way. Choose to journey with God. It is the best road and it leads to life.
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Book ideas, after a thesis.

After I write my thesis I would like to write two other books.

"I am a Christian hypocrite..."
A confessional look at how we all fall short of the mark and yet how God's grace makes up for it using examples from my own failures and those of Bible heros. It would serve as a relational and experiential apologetic for the reality of God and His desire for relationship with us.

"Knowing Dog."
A compilation of analogies and personal experiences with my golden retreiver that represent my inner thoughts and everything I needed to know about my relationship with God...

"To be determined..."
Then I would like to write a simple and readable book that accurately describes the seriousness of social dynamics of the world we live in and how Christians are, are not and could be salt and light within the global context. What influence will the church have in this generation?

Then...
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Up in the air.

The strong wind tried to blow me off the porch so I moved to the side of the house. Low banks of clouds with the pinkish rays of the sunrise made the snow cap of Pike's Peak look as if it were floating in the air.

There is a solid foundation, but my perception within this morning's conditions made things appear different than what I know to be true.

God is the foundation of reality. He is the solid rock.

Our society embraces certain perspectives and presuppositions that dismiss the reality of God, as if He is a figment of the Church's collective imagination. This influence is very real and causes us to think and act as if the mountain of God is floating up in heaven somewhere. It erodes our faith for tangible expressions of God's interaction in our lives because we act as if 'He's up there and we're down here.'

If you determine to keep walking in the direction of the mountain you will find that it is firmly connected to the everyday 'ground' we walk on. If you have 'clean hands and a pure heart' you can even climb up it.

God is real, whether we can see it or not.
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The window to the soul...

They say, "the eyes are the window to the soul."

If we look through God's love into the center of others' eyes, we will see the black expanse of an entire universe that God created.

With out God's love we mostly see a reflection of the darkness hidden within our own hearts.

God's love changes everything.
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My second "run"

Falling snowflakes, a light cold breeze, the hazy and muted grey tones of an overcast morning...

In all of my color coordinated glory, I ran all the way around the circle, from start to finish, and then went around again...

The fire engine red of my goretex jacket matched perfectly with the red of my frozen nose, rivaling even Rudolph's, and the almost lumiesent red of my burning calves as I struggled up the final hill. It was like the slow-motion replay of a flaming red comet...

For the sake of accuracy, I didn't run up the hills on the second time around because all of that physical exertion was a severe distraction to my moments of insight...

As I was struggling up the final hill, a single snowflake fell on my black, knit glove. The detail of the crystals was exquisite. Snow is so common and yet each snowflake is unique. I felt the impression that God was saying, in the same way, I am unique and I need to fulfill the plans and purposes that I was created for.

I don't make sense to many people, sometimes not even to myself.

The desires of my heart were planted by God and I have a desire to change the world.