Somewhere up there

Yesterday’s post was #747.  I thought it was appropriate that I fly high today.

I caught this beautiful glimpse of sky a couple of days ago.

Isn’t that a hopeful picture?  Doesn’t it suggest that something is behind the scenes?  Psalm 19:1-6 begins, “The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship . . . their message has gone throughout the earth.”

Although I tend to be drawn to “heights” — great mountain scenery, Montana’s “Big Sky,” scriptures and songs that have God “high above,” etc. — I suspect that this kind of talk is over-indulged in.  It’s probably not a bad idea to suggest to a child that God is “up there,” but as one matures, we should grow to know that God is not only “up there” but everywhere, right?

Still, if He didn’t want me thinking about Him when I see a beautiful sky, He shouldn’t have originated the rainbow … or lightning … or clouds … or the sun….  :-)

Eyes To the Sky (vs. 1 and chorus)

Eyes to the sky, my spirit flies.  I breathe the air.
Sun’s warming gleam, cool mountain stream–You’re everywhere!
Fragrance of pine.  Green hills enshrine
The One Who made it all.

Montana, land of the Sky!
Montana, who can deny
That it’s the hand of the Creator,
That He’s the Originator
Of all that we see?

(c) 2005 Encounter Music.  W & M by Brian Casey

Mountaintops (2)

The surprisingly elusive messages of Amy Grant and Gary Chapman’s old song “Mountain Top” come into my consciousness every few months.  Here are some of the words:

I love to sing and I love to pray
I worship the Lord most every day
I go to the temple and I just want to stay
To hide from the hustle of the world and its ways

I love to live on a mountain top
And be fellowshippin’ with the Lord
Love to stand on a mountain top
Because I love to feel my spirit soar
But I must come down from that mountain top
To the people in the valley below
They’ll never know that they can go
To the mountain of the Lord

Do these words encourage or discourage “mountaintop” experiences?  Does the song say “yay, mountaintops! go for them!” or “put the ‘mountaintops’ in perspective”?  I’m not sure I can tell, based on the last two lines.  The song’s musical style is kinda calypso-ish and fun, but its message confuses me.

Recently, I heard a sister affirm those around us who seem to live on these spiritual mountaintops.  She was gracious and genuine in the affirmation, but I couldn’t help but think, “I really don’t resonate with those mountain-people’s words very often.”  People who walk about saying, “Oh, the Lord’s been teaching me so much this week!” and “God is good—all the time!” seem as though they live in an alternate universe–one that realizes the absolute goodness of God, yes, but one that doesn’t seem in touch with humanity.

A poem quoted by Avon Malone in Bible class years ago at Harding University sticks with me:

To dwell above with the saints in love
Aye, that will be glory!
But to dwell below with the saints I know–
That is a different story. . . .

Q:  Does the Christian walk strike you as a series of peaks, or more of a ridge, or a series of hikes up and down, into and out of valleys?

Tomorrow:  mountains in scripture

Mountaintops (1)

My lifepath has included a few achievements that I’m proud of.  Sometimes, I remember to put them in perspective—knowing, of course, that all my deeds are really pretty worthless, except insofar as they have advanced the Kingdom!  A couple of these achievements are academic, and a few are directly related to the things of the Lord.

Two physical accomplishments are sources of some pride, which privately strikes my soul as somewhat ironic, since I haven’t grasped the door handle of the gym on our campus in more than 8 months.  I’m not in great shape right now, but during the summers of 2006 and 2007, I hiked to the top of two 14,000-foot peaks in Colorado.  For the uninitiated:  this really is an accomplishment, and took a bit of planning and a lot of stick-to-it-iveness on the days I made the climbs.  But Mt. Elbert, the highest peak in the 48 contiguous states, is one of the easiest to climb; and Mt. Bierstadt is another on the short list of peaks one can climb in the summer without special gear.  They both took a lot of physical effort, but I was only one of 100-200 people who made it to the top on those particular days.

It may naturally elude those who haven’t visited the Rockies that one doesn’t climb the entire extent of a mountain–whether it’s 9,000 feet high or 14,000.  One may start around 7K or 9K.  In the case of the 14ers I did, it was somewhere between 9K and 10K, I think, where I parked the car, and I hiked for the next 4+ hours up to 14K+.  For me, the need to carry drinking water was balanced by the need not to carry anything extra, but the choices I made ended up OK, and I made it up without injury or complete exhaustion.  For most, including me, stopping every now & then to “catch your breath” and let your heart rate slow a little is a good idea.  Looking up at how far/high you still have to climb is not necessarily a good idea.

Upon reaching the top, I experienced an exhilaration like no other.  A smiling ease and pleasure that thinks “I did it” while availing yourself of every scenic vista, because you know you won’t be doing this again anytime soon.  There’s a sense of accomplishment, and a joy at being on the mountaintop—and in the case of Mt. Elbert, on top of the 48 states!

Tomorrow:  spiritual “mountaintops”