How did I ever get to this point?

I’m starting to notice, with increasing frequency, that God’s Word is FULL of references to justice and righteousness. We’re they always there? I mean did someone come and plant those in the night? It seems like I can’t go a day without reading about the injustice of the world and the justice that God promises. Maybe I’m awakening from my own selfishness.

Most of us are trapped in a “theology of Self-Absorption.” In other words, the lens which we use to view the world passes through us first and rarely if ever moves to someone else. Because of this faulty perspective, God’s viewpoint is difficult for us to grasp because He is so others minded. We believe, I think, that He cares for us. We just often assume that He cares for ONLY us…

Seriously, when is the last time you totally inconvenienced yourself because you saw through the crystal clear lens of the King? I admit, I find this a complete change of process in my life but again, I can’t read scripture without realizing Gods view is THE view and His heart beats for those trapped in injustice. How amazing would it be if we, who can simply step out of the chains of Self-Absorption, would step over into the areas of injustice and loose the chains of a helpless fellow human? Welcome to bringing God’s will on earth…

We can. Unless of course we can’t see past ourselves…

hey, get absorbed…n

Typical mornings in casa de LaGrange are nothing short of amusing.  Most of the time I wake up, silently creep through our small house and am oh so careful not to make a sound for fear of waking up The Three. (children that is)  I know where every creak is and which ankle of mine pops the loudest at 5am.  My wife is the same way.  I don’t think we even breathe as we go down the hallway.  Quiet=peace=serenity=happy mommy and dad:)

It’s totally different when one of our kids wakes up.  They automatically assume that since they’re awake YOU should be awake with them.  A sleep-in for anyone is strictly prohibited by The Three and failure to comply with these rules leads to being jumped on, tortured with yelling/shrieking from other parts of the house and audible “oh ohs” from the kitchen.  Yeah, I’m awake now…and running.

I hear a funny sound in the church too.
It’s the initial sounds of stirring in the House.  The spell of deep sleep that has plagued the American church for over half a century is slowly being broken by the fact that someone in the House is waking up and they don’t care who hears them.  It’s the sound of a generation so desperate to see God move in the temporal and draw us into the eternal that we don’t give a rip how loud we are.  Sure, there are muffled “shhh’s” from behind closed doors in parts of the House but hey, if we stay loud the whole daggone House might wake up and do something.

That’s worth losing sleep over…get absorbed..n

So there I was, surrounded by the dark hues of 4:30 am and I’m scaling Eagle Cliff Mountain in Colorado.

Yeah, you read it right…4:30 AM.

I am a bit disturbed:) and now you are to at the prospects of what might happen to a lone traveler in a place known for charging elks, mountain lions and, oh yes, bears.

My cohort in crime and I had made the climb the previous day in the safety of the afternoon sun and the view was nothing short of spectacular.  For untold miles, one could see in every direction.  Truly breathtaking.

However, being a sunrise enthusiast I had to see what the sky would look like before the earth tilted it’s face toward that big hot ball.  I also love worshiping my King long before Creation greets Him. Hence my 4:30 am backpacking adventure.

It’s not a real long nor real difficult climb but with the weight of my backpack and the fact I couldn’t see much (except the badger that almost made me tie-dye my pants) I was tempted to settle for a lower elevation view of the sunrise.  Heck I was already approaching 9000 ft and the view was adequate.

I think Christians often settle for adequate, giving up right before the summit.  “This is just too hard” or “I can’t” shouldn’t even exist in the vernacular of a child of the King.  He IS the God of the possible.

I stood on top of the mountain with the stars and the moon dancing in the quiet hues of dawn, I tried to absorb what little oxygen was in the air.  I found a small cleft, outside of the wind (spiritual principles abound:) and read Psalm 104…wow.  It makes a ton more sense now that I’ve seen it.

Get absorbed…n

Gen 1:1 – Ps 104:35

Praise the LORD, I tell myself;O LORD my God, how great you are!You are robed with honor and with majesty; 2 you are dressed in a robe of light.You stretch out the starry curtain of the heavens; 3 you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds.You make the clouds your chariots;you ride upon the wings of the wind. 4 The winds are your messengers;flames of fire are your servants.
5 You placed the world on its foundation so it would never be moved. 6 You clothed the earth with floods of water,water that covered even the mountains. 7 At the sound of your rebuke, the water fled;at the sound of your thunder, it fled away. 8 Mountains rose and valleys sank to the levels you decreed. 9 Then you set a firm boundary for the seas,so they would never again cover the earth.
10 You make the springs pour water into ravines,so streams gush down from the mountains. 11 They provide water for all the animals,and the wild donkeys quench their thirst. 12 The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees. 13 You send rain on the mountains from your heavenly home,and you fill the earth with the fruit of your labor. 14 You cause grass to grow for the cattle.You cause plants to grow for people to use.You allow them to produce food from the earth —  15 wine to make them glad,olive oil as lotion for their skin,and bread to give them strength. 16 The trees of the LORD are well cared for — the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. 17 There the birds make their nests,and the storks make their homes in the firs. 18 High in the mountains are pastures for the wild goats,and the rocks form a refuge for rock badgers.   19 You made the moon to mark the seasons and the sun that knows when to set. 20 You send the darkness, and it becomes night,when all the forest animals prowl about. 21 Then the young lions roar for their food,but they are dependent on God. 22 At dawn they slink back into their dens to rest. 23 Then people go off to their work;they labor until the evening shadows fall again.
24 O LORD, what a variety of things you have made!In wisdom you have made them all.The earth is full of your creatures. 25 Here is the ocean, vast and wide,teeming with life of every kind,both great and small. 26 See the ships sailing along,and Leviathan, which you made to play in the sea. 27 Every one of these depends on you to give them their food as they need it. 28 When you supply it, they gather it.You open your hand to feed them, and they are satisfied. 29 But if you turn away from them, they panic.When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. 30 When you send your Spirit, new life is born to replenish all the living of the earth.
31 May the glory of the LORD last forever!The LORD rejoices in all he has made! 32 The earth trembles at his glance;the mountains burst into flame at his touch. 33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live.I will praise my God to my last breath! 34 May he be pleased by all these thoughts about him,for I rejoice in the LORD. 35 Let all sinners vanish from the face of the earth;let the wicked disappear forever.As for me — I will praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD!
NLT