My wife and I reveled in the power of Yosemite waterfalls gushing with snowmelt last week.
There were spectacular views of mountains, giant sequoias and flowered meadows - even a hulking black bear not far off the trail.
There was also a spiritual matter that unfolded in a new way for me at Yosemite...
We encountered El Capitan as a unique experience. For quite some time we used binoculars to watch the thrilling rock climbers hanging from the granite monolith, making careful progress to the top.
A few miles down the road we spent many hours around Yosemite Falls, trying to take in the full view - but never quite saw the entire top-to-bottom drop.
And we kept finding ourselves drawn to Half Dome, a dominant view throughout the park. We even hiked a small portion of the 8 mile round trip to it's top.
Each of these three jewels in the Yosemite crown were under the constant scrutiny and reverie of hundreds of our co-visitors. Just seeing them one by one was a trip in itself.
But then we climbed Sentinal Dome...and Yosemite was forever transformed in my understanding.
You see, Sentinal Dome is about 4,000 feet above the valley floor. And suddenly, from a vantage point looking back toward our three unqiue valley friends - you realize that they are each linked to a long running, continuous wall of trees and granite.
If you start a line from El Capitan and follow the ridges and valleys, you'll come to the precipice of Yosemite Falls, and then across Mirror Lake and over to Half Dome -- you see it all from one view. Three unique and distinct visages, all combined through some mysterious, wonderful complexity into what everyone commonly refers to as, Yosemite.
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
All combined through some mysterious, wonderful complexity into what we commonly refer to as God. Each unique and distinct.
You wouldn't have believed it standing at the base of El Capitan, neck craned back, staring 3,000 feet up its sheer cliffs. How could something so massive, so powerful be just a part of something even bigger ?
And yet...
What do you believe?
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Yosemite and the Trinity - Part II
When my wife and I stepped off the main trail to Sentinel Dome in Yosemite, we were exhilarated with our view of the Yosemite Valley. There to the left, El Capitan; just in front of us, Yosemite Falls; and to our right, Half Dome.
But we hadn't yet climbed to the tippy top of Sentinel Dome. The 8,100 ft. summit was still a brief - but very steep - scramble of 75 yards or so to the top, and past a band of slippery snow encircling the dome.
My wife had no intention of climbing further up the dome.
"I can see everything from here," she reasoned accurately about El Cap, the Falls and Half Dome.
"But the view will be better further up the dome," I urged her.
"It's scary enough here, and I might be afraid to come back down," she replied.
"But it's not that much further and you've already come this far," I pushed.
"Why can't I just enjoy where I am - you're going to spoil it for me," she finally said.
Fair enough. Just as Part I of this blog illustrated a core belief of orthodox Christianity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit - this conversation with my soulmate taught me something about our individual walks with God.
As Believers, we share the same core concept - Jesus is the Redeemer, Son of God who died for our Sins. Turning from our past ways to Believe in Him we have the Promise of eternal life in our relationship with God. That's the common view we share from the base of Sentinel Dome.
But what's a little further up the hill? Additional, different views and perspectives of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit maybe. But while I was exploring Sentinel Dome, scanning and searching for views - taking many pictures, talking to others at the Summit - my wife was happily soaking up her experience there at the base of the hill.
She affirmed some other climbers who didn't want to go further and they found solidarity in their experience.
Once I made the short trip down, we compared notes and eventually walked back down the trail.
Now, as we tell people about Sentinel Dome - we each describe the fact that you can see the three landmarks so beautifully - but its very difficult for me to explain the nuance of that final scramble to the top. I'm delighted to have enhanced my experience that way - but my wife has no regrets either. And we both revel in the shared experience.
Sometimes I look around the room at my Bible Study and wonder why no one else carries around a Bible commentary and a highlighter - or stops to write notes in the margins. But they're quite fulfilled in their walk and we clearly share the same view of the subject matter. Maybe I've just decided to travel a little further along the same trail.
What do you believe?
But we hadn't yet climbed to the tippy top of Sentinel Dome. The 8,100 ft. summit was still a brief - but very steep - scramble of 75 yards or so to the top, and past a band of slippery snow encircling the dome.
My wife had no intention of climbing further up the dome.
"I can see everything from here," she reasoned accurately about El Cap, the Falls and Half Dome.
"But the view will be better further up the dome," I urged her.
"It's scary enough here, and I might be afraid to come back down," she replied.
"But it's not that much further and you've already come this far," I pushed.
"Why can't I just enjoy where I am - you're going to spoil it for me," she finally said.
Fair enough. Just as Part I of this blog illustrated a core belief of orthodox Christianity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit - this conversation with my soulmate taught me something about our individual walks with God.
As Believers, we share the same core concept - Jesus is the Redeemer, Son of God who died for our Sins. Turning from our past ways to Believe in Him we have the Promise of eternal life in our relationship with God. That's the common view we share from the base of Sentinel Dome.
But what's a little further up the hill? Additional, different views and perspectives of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit maybe. But while I was exploring Sentinel Dome, scanning and searching for views - taking many pictures, talking to others at the Summit - my wife was happily soaking up her experience there at the base of the hill.
She affirmed some other climbers who didn't want to go further and they found solidarity in their experience.
Once I made the short trip down, we compared notes and eventually walked back down the trail.
Now, as we tell people about Sentinel Dome - we each describe the fact that you can see the three landmarks so beautifully - but its very difficult for me to explain the nuance of that final scramble to the top. I'm delighted to have enhanced my experience that way - but my wife has no regrets either. And we both revel in the shared experience.
Sometimes I look around the room at my Bible Study and wonder why no one else carries around a Bible commentary and a highlighter - or stops to write notes in the margins. But they're quite fulfilled in their walk and we clearly share the same view of the subject matter. Maybe I've just decided to travel a little further along the same trail.
What do you believe?
Got the Book - Start the Surgery
World Magazine just ran an article reminding us that Bible sales are at an all time high, but readership - or Bible literacy - isn't necessarily stellar. I was surprised to read how many varieties and versions there are! Picture the "Athletes" version I gave my GodDaughter, complete with Basketball-like leather cover.
The next day, I happened upon a TV preacher (I can't recommend her, since I have no background or insights about her ministry, this was just a random channel change), who was also talking about Bible reading.
Building on her original premise and adding my own spin...
"how would you feel about your surgeon walking in with his textbook on open heart surgery and you ask him, 'have you read that thing?' And he answers, 'well, I've been through it cover-to-cover once, but now I focus on my favorite chapters.' And you ask, 'why do you carry it around with you like that?' and he says, 'It gives me a certain comfort and I keep hoping to spend more time with it.' Whoa! Is that who you're going to go to with matters of life and death and surgery...or eternity...? ! "
The real life question is...are you carrying around a Bible - or thinking about the one sitting on a shelf (or pew) somewhere? The Apostle Peter said we should be prepared to own up to what we know or don't know when we're asked - a full disclosure of sorts.
1 Peter 3:15
"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."
What do you believe ?
The next day, I happened upon a TV preacher (I can't recommend her, since I have no background or insights about her ministry, this was just a random channel change), who was also talking about Bible reading.
Building on her original premise and adding my own spin...
"how would you feel about your surgeon walking in with his textbook on open heart surgery and you ask him, 'have you read that thing?' And he answers, 'well, I've been through it cover-to-cover once, but now I focus on my favorite chapters.' And you ask, 'why do you carry it around with you like that?' and he says, 'It gives me a certain comfort and I keep hoping to spend more time with it.' Whoa! Is that who you're going to go to with matters of life and death and surgery...or eternity...? ! "
The real life question is...are you carrying around a Bible - or thinking about the one sitting on a shelf (or pew) somewhere? The Apostle Peter said we should be prepared to own up to what we know or don't know when we're asked - a full disclosure of sorts.
1 Peter 3:15
"Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have."
What do you believe ?
First, Who's fault was it ?
I listen to many Christian radio preachers via podcast. Pete Briscoe suggested on his Telling the Truth podcast last month that one day you may happen upon a terrible traffic accident. What if, he posited, there were hundreds of agonized, suffering people strewn everywhere on the scene - desparately needing help and comfort? Would you start by wandering through the crowd and asking each of them, "were you responsible for this tragedy?" before helping them?
Of course not!
And yet that is how many of us - to this day - have viewed the AIDS crisis. Wondering, or suggesting, that helping people who are literally dying before our eyes may somehow "endorse" some of the contributing factors we oppose.
Faced with Pete's brilliant metaphor of a traffic accident - every one of us would jump in and help the suffering accident victims now - then ask questions and put up a better stoplight later.
I finally get it.
What do you believe ?
Of course not!
And yet that is how many of us - to this day - have viewed the AIDS crisis. Wondering, or suggesting, that helping people who are literally dying before our eyes may somehow "endorse" some of the contributing factors we oppose.
Faced with Pete's brilliant metaphor of a traffic accident - every one of us would jump in and help the suffering accident victims now - then ask questions and put up a better stoplight later.
I finally get it.
What do you believe ?
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