On the Bookshelf: Hiking Through by Paul Stutzman

An admission. The very first thing I did when I received Hiking Through: One man’s journey to peace and freedom on the Appalachian Trail was flip to approximately the center of the book to see if Stutzman mentioned any local trail landmarks or towns.

Of course, he did. There in black and white was the tale of eating the traditional half-gallon of ice cream at Pine Grove Furnace State Park, just to the south. And a mention of the beautiful village of Boiling Springs, where I went to school. Several pages were devoted to Duncannon, a town just north that’s about to be designated an Appalachian Trail community.

But, I soon discovered Stutzman’s journey was about much, much more than the landmarks a hiker passes on the great trail from Georgia to Maine. Along the path of the trail, Stutzman found comfort and peace and he experienced God through the people he met, the beauty of the trail, and the “coincidences” that marked his 2000 mile journey.

Hiking Through is a book about a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, but that adventure is not just about putting in mile after mile through difficult terrain and dangerous weather. It’s also about opening your mind and heart to God’s guidance, understanding that every choice influences the path ahead.

And that’s an adventure any of us can take.

Available May 2012 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Thanks to Revell for providing me with a copy of this book for review!

A Song for Sunday: You’re Not Alone by Meredith Andrews

This one is especially for those of us who miss our mothers on Mother’s Day. You are most definitely not alone …

Lifted up {An Emmaus look at Numbers 21:9}

The Christological Symbol (Brazen Serpent Sculpture), created by Italian artist, Giovanni Fantoni, stands atop Mount Nebo. It is symbolic of the bronze serpent created by Moses in the wilderness (Numbers 21:4-9) and the cross upon which Jesus was crucified (John 3:14). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Sin was rampant in the desert as Moses led a nation of whiners and complainers to the Promised Land. Time after time they saw God do amazing work in their lives. He conquered the will of the Pharoah through a series of ever-increasing plagues. They crossed through the Red Sea as its raging waters formed protective walls around them. Food from heaven fell around them. They saw the cloud of his presence settle over the tabernacle just as they heard his voice booming from the mountain.

Yet, they built the golden calf. They choose fear instead of faith when the spies reported on the wonders they had seen in the land of milk and honey. They rebelled against God’s chosen leader.

In Numbers 21, they began to cry their familiar refrain of discontent, accusing God of bringing them into the desert to die. The punishment they deserved followed swiftly as poisonous snakes were sent among them. The mercy and atonement they needed came just as swiftly.

And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. – Numbers 21:7-9

Sin was rampant in the territories controlled by Rome as Jesus walked the earth. Time after time, the people saw this curious Rabbi from Galilee perform miracles. He healed the blind, made the lame walk and the deaf hear. He fed more than 5,000 people at one sitting and calmed a storm with a single word.

Yet, they cried out for crucifixion. They challenged his teaching. They tried to trap him in their questions. They turned away when the teaching became too difficult or too personal.

Even early in his ministry as he discussed the matters of heaven with a man of earth, Jesus looked to the future and to the atonement and mercy that would flow from his own broken heart as he poured out his life on the cross.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. – John 3:14-15

Sin runs rampant in the world today.

Are we still looking to the One who was lifted up?

This post is the latest in a series of posts inspired by the interaction of Christ and the disciples on the Emmaus road. For an overview of the series, click here.

On the bookshelf: Love Does by Bob Goff

True confession? Two aspects of my personality have always been at war with each other. One, which gets expressed now and then on the blog, is the free-spirited, neo-hippie girl who would love to ditch the 8-4 and write all day. The other – the one that wins the battle most days – is the one that goes to work (aka a job with steady, if minimal pay) and pays the bills.

To use a sentence formulation similar to those that start each chapter from Love Does: Discover a Secretly Incredible Life in an Ordinary World:

I used to think that being responsible meant there was no room for whimsy in my life, now I know that it’s irresponsible not to follow God into the whimsy.

Whimsical invitations come to us everyday. While reading Love Does, I was pretty sure those invitations came to Bob Goff more than they ever come to me. But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe God is providing me with opportunities every day to love extravagantly. Maybe I just need to develop the sense to identify them and seize upon them. Maybe I actually need to do something rather than be trapped by the “ought to” and “should” syndrome.

Each chapter uses stories from Goff’s colorful life to illustrate how his thinking changed by following turning love into action. Goff’s one of those delightfully filterless people who thinks nothing of telling his children to go ahead and write to various heads of state – and take the children to meet those heads of state. Or do this with the books he received from the publisher, hot off the press:

Though it’s easy to rush through and read these inspirational stories in one sitting, it’s probably better to take them one, sweet bite at a time and savor them. Don’t miss the “I used to … but now … ” sentences that start each chapter. Use them as a way to frame your perspective on the day.

And let a little whimsy come your way.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson’s Booksneeze program for providing me with a free copy of this book for review.

On the altar {An Emmaus look at Genesis 22:18}

Abraham embraces his son Isaac after receiving him back from God (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It’s been a long time since Abram left Haran in response to God’s promise in Genesis 12. He’s traveled through Canaan, witnessed the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, twice lied about his relationship to his wife, tried to rush ahead of God’s plan to build his family, entertained angels and even had his name changed by God himself.

Oh, and he had a son. Well. two, technically, but one was the son of the promise, born to him when he was 100 years old and his wife, Sarah, was 90.

We don’t know how long Abraham was able to enjoy watching this promise fulfilled grow and live and play around the family’s tents before the word of God came again.

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” – Genesis 22:1-2

The sentences echoed ones he had heard before. Many years ago, he heard God tell him to leave his country, his family, his father’s house and go to an unknown land. Now, he heard God tell him to take his son, his only son, whom he loves and go to an unknown mountain.

The next verse makes a powerful statement:

So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. – Genesis 22:3

He didn’t spend anguished night after anguished night trying to determine whether he should obey the voice. He didn’t put it off, hoping God would change his mind. He just went.

Along the way, Isaac, whom many believe was not the child pictured in Sunday school story books, wisely began to wonder aloud concerning the whereabouts of the lamb.

Abraham said that God would provide. Maybe it was a way of reassuring himself that somehow God would fulfill his promise that Abraham’s offspring would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens.

He found the mountain. God will provide

He built the altar. God will provide

He laid the wood atop the altar. God will provide

He tied up his son. God will provide

He lifted his son onto the altar. God will provide

He pulled out a knife. God will provide

He lifted the knife into the air. God provided!

A ram in a bush. A faith tested and found true. A conditional promise made an unconditional guarantee. Where the promise of Genesis 12:1-3  is predicated on Abraham’s following the call to go, the declaration of the Lord in Genesis 22:16-18 is based on a proven obedience.

“By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” (Emphasis added)

And there we have the next signpost on our Emmaus road. The first part of the oath focuses on the many. The second on the One – a promised one from among the sons of Abraham who would defeat his enemies and who would bless all the nations.

No greater defeat was ever handed to the enemies of God than the triumphant resurrection of Christ.

And through that, all who call on his name are indeed blessed.

From all, one {An Emmaus look at Genesis 12:1-3}

Abram and Lot Depart Out of Haran (illustration from the 1728 Figures de la Bible) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If the act of eating the fruit from the tree began man’s slow diversion from the company of God, the passing of years and the emergence of generation after generation of Adam’s similarly deceived descendants only added to the estrangement. The waters of the flood failed to wash away our self-centered nature and our ancestral attempts to raise a monument to our own ingenuity only served to raise God’s wrath as the people were scattered and languages confused.

With our propensity to turn away, God’s next step seems strange … and beautiful.

God turned to a polytheist living in Ur of the Chaldeans. He gave this man a simple command with an astonishing promise.

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country  and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” – Genesis 12:1-3

The end of the previous chapter in Genesis makes it perfectly clear that this man who was called to be the father of a great nation had a wife who was barren. Yet, with the sound of the promise lingering in the air and the resolve to obey gathering strength in his spirit, the childless Abram looked into the eyes of nieces and nephews and prepared to leave most of them behind.

Of course as we read through the book of Genesis, we find the promise unfolding. Abram (now known as Abraham) and Sarai (now rechristened Sarah) have a son Isaac, who has two sons, who have 12 sons each.

You get the picture. A great nation is being formed from the one man who simply said “yes” when God said “go.”

But it’s only part of the picture. For hundreds and hundreds of years, the latter part of the promise remained an unfulfilled anticipation … until the birth of a child in a tiny Judean town.

Matthew and Luke both tell us in their gospels that this child – Jesus – was a descendant of Abraham.

Had the story ended there, though, the promise would yet remain unrealized.

The promise had to go through the agony of the cross to the triumph of the resurrection. The final fulfillment continues through the ages every time a heart turns to Christ. Day after day, all the world is being blessed through Abraham.

From all the men in the world, one was chosen.

From the one chosen, all are blessed.

Praise be to the God of Abraham …

A Song for Sunday: Mighty to Save by Hillsong United (live at Passion 2012)

The LORD your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.

- Zephaniah 3:17

The courage to say good-bye

Pennsylvania Turnpike (Photo credit: Rhys Asplundh)

This is another Five-Minute Friday post. The Gypsy Mama gives us a prompt and bloggers write for five minutes without editing or revising. This week’s prompt is “new.” Click over here to see what others have written.

I don’t have the courage to say goodbye. I can’t gather the  sheer unaduterated audacity to get in my car one morning and to just keep going instead of making that turn into work, bidding farewell to the time clock and the routine.

I’d keep heading west, meeting up with another highway, finding myself climbing the mountains of western Pennsylvania. Hours later, I’d call home.

“I’m in Pittsburgh,” I’d say. “I thought I’d have a Primanti’s sandwich before I head home.”

The family would be surprised.

“What about work?,” they would ask.

“It doesn’t matter,” I’d say. “I’ve said goodbye.”

“What will you do?” they’d ask.

“I don’t know,” I’d say.

But, I’d be strengthened and exhilarated and ready to take on all challenges.

Yet I haven’t the courage to say goodbye.

Into the garden {An Emmaus look at Genesis 3:15}

No one knows for sure how long Adam and Eve were in the garden before things went so very wrong. Given the clues we have in Scripture, it might not have been long.

In Genesis 5:3, we discover that Adam and Eve had a son named Seth when Adam was 130 years old. By then, the tragic story of brotherly betrayal had already played out in the lives of the older sons, Cain and Abel.  Playing around with some simple math, rounded numbers and a rather significant amount of speculation, we can guess that it’s possible that Adam was 100 years old when he was expelled from the garden.

That doesn’t sound so bad until you realize that Adam lived to be 930 years old (Genesis 5:5). He lived about a tenth of his life before everything fell to pieces.

No matter how long their stay, there is no doubt about their departure.

A serpent’s crafty question, a woman’s faulty assessment and a man’s willing compliance set the stage for the fall of humanity.

But, God already had a plan – a plan he articulated even as he spoke judgment over man, woman and snake.

I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspringand her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
- Genesis 3:15 (ESV)

So, who is who? Clearly, we can identify the woman as Eve.

But, as my Momma might have said, “That ain’t just any ol’ snake.

While Genesis does not name the snake as Satan, that identification is traditionally held and Scripture itself supports the inference.

And, the offspring of the woman? Well, there we have the first reference to Jesus – just three chapters into the first book of the Scriptures.

As God pronounces his sentence on Satan, he acknowledges that the serpent will enjoy a temporary, illusionary victory. There would, however, be a son born from among the descendents of the woman who would crush Satan.

For a moment in time millennia later, it looked like Satan may have won. In the moment when the brightness of the Judean day turned dark and the Light of the world extinguished himself on a Roman cross, it certainly looked like Satan and his offspring had won the day.

It looked like he had truly bruised the heel of the woman’s Offspring.

Three days later, the Light stepped out of the tomb, rising to eternal life, reversing the effects of the fall and bringing forgiveness and salvation to all.

I like to think that He stepped the head of a serpent on the way out …

Emmaus: An Invitation to a Journey

hills in the Judean desert (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The sun burns high above a dusty Judean road. Two men embark on a seven-mile journey from Jerusalem to the town of Emmaus. They can make it to town by supper if they keep their pace.

If …

Like everything else they’ve tried to do over the past few days, it will be difficult. Their hearts, minds and souls are spinning with images, thoughts, ideas and emotions stemming from recent events. The one they had hoped would lead the Jewish nation from the tyranny of Rome had been brutally killed on a cross.

They had spent the entire Sabbath hiding in fear. If the ruling council could so easily condemn Jesus, could the condemnation of his followers be far behind?

Then came the morning news – a stunning report from some women of their company. The women told an amazing story – an amazing, crazy, unbelievable story. When they arrived at the tomb to take care of the body of Jesus, the women found the stone had been rolled away and an angel who made an even more startling announcement. Jesus had risen from the dead!

They shook their heads in confusion. Animated motions punctuated a lively discussion about what happened, what could have happened and what might happen next.

Suddenly, a stranger walked alongside them. He seemed to have no knowledge of what has transpired in Jerusalem. The disciples quickly filled him in on all the details, but are shocked at what he says in reply.

“O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” - Luke 24:25-26

Their hearts burned within them as the stranger talked. Beginning with Moses and the prophets, he told them everything about Jesus recorded in the Scriptures.

Only later when they saw the familiar motion of the breaking of bread did they recognize their travel companion. It was the Lord himself!

I’ve often wondered what it would be like to have walked with the disciples and listen to the voice of the Savior opening the Old Testament Scriptures to reveal how they foreshadowed his coming. What does it mean that he started with Moses? Does it mean he started with Moses’ story in Exodus or at the beginning of the books of Moses, Pentateuch?

And the prophets. Which prophets? What prophecies?

Or was it deeper than that? Maybe the Lord didn’t use individual passages at all, but, as a Master Teacher, was able to explain the entirety of the Old Testament as it related to his mission.

No one knows exactly, but thanks to great resources and cross-references, we can walk our own road to Emmaus. We can explore the ways Moses and the prophets pointed to the coming of Christ.

So, between now and Pentecost, join me on the journey with me as I explore these Old Testament references.

And, may our hearts burn with us as we travel …