Consider this guy.
Today I talked to a 79-year-old man who broke his arm a couple days ago. He was jogging down Barr Trail on Pikes Peak (that's right) in preparation for the Pikes Peak Marathon this weekend. But darkness befell and he had to switch on a light to see the trail. His light ended up running out of battery power, which caused him to stumble and fall, causing a fractured ulna. He had to spend the night on the mountain, and twelve hours later he was discovered by two hikers. They called search & rescue, who came and pulled him off the mountain.
When I talked to him today (with his arm in a cast and sling), his chief complaint was that he hadn't broken his arm with enough healing time to run the marathon. But he still managed to hike up the mountain, down to Barr Camp, up to the summit again, and completely back down today before the afternoon storms.
I admit the title of the post is a little deceiving. Considering this guy's age, I think he's doing pretty well.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Monday, August 3, 2009
The View from the Top
Today I was working on the summit of Pikes Peak (which I do now as an EMT), and I took some time to look outside the summit house and watch some people walk around. Today there was a kid of about sixteen years old, wearing baggy clothing and a grim expression, walking around by himself. After shuffling around for a couple of minutes, he stepped out onto the concrete overlook on the eastern-facing edge of the mountain.
From that overlook there is a vantage point of at least 100 miles of land to the east of Pikes Peak; and the other sides offer similar views. Today was an especially marvelous day to dwell at such a place and look into the distance for hours. As I watched this guy out on the overlook, I saw him gaze out for a few seconds, then look down and send a text message, and walk back to the building.
Sometimes the problem isn't the things we pay attention to, but the things we ignore.
Standing atop a 14,000 foot mountain, we give our attention to a 1.5 inch LCD screen in our hands. Is this a metaphor waiting to happen or is it just me?
From that overlook there is a vantage point of at least 100 miles of land to the east of Pikes Peak; and the other sides offer similar views. Today was an especially marvelous day to dwell at such a place and look into the distance for hours. As I watched this guy out on the overlook, I saw him gaze out for a few seconds, then look down and send a text message, and walk back to the building.
Sometimes the problem isn't the things we pay attention to, but the things we ignore.
Standing atop a 14,000 foot mountain, we give our attention to a 1.5 inch LCD screen in our hands. Is this a metaphor waiting to happen or is it just me?
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
For the philosophy buffs out there
I think there is a big problem with the push for multiculturalism. The problem is this. There is always going to be someone somewhere who would react to your hugs, good deeds and gift of Coca Cola; by laughing, shooting you, and laughing some more. In other words, utopian multiculturalism will inevitably fail in the real world.
Now here's the kicker. As a Christian it is my job to love everyone I am around (not the gooey kind of love necessarily, but complete love). It doesn't matter if they are my friend or my enemy. What accompanies this, of course, is that I am responsible to share the truth with them if I am able. If I say to anyone out there that we are all God's children and everyone gets to the same place by different roads, then I would be turning my back on what is true. This conflicts with the idea of moral equivalency. The point is this. Why would people want to know Jesus unless there is something different and better about knowing him? In a society that promotes multiculturalism and moral equivalency between different belief systems, the only way for that to happen is for followers of Christ to live differently than everyone else.
Now here's the kicker. As a Christian it is my job to love everyone I am around (not the gooey kind of love necessarily, but complete love). It doesn't matter if they are my friend or my enemy. What accompanies this, of course, is that I am responsible to share the truth with them if I am able. If I say to anyone out there that we are all God's children and everyone gets to the same place by different roads, then I would be turning my back on what is true. This conflicts with the idea of moral equivalency. The point is this. Why would people want to know Jesus unless there is something different and better about knowing him? In a society that promotes multiculturalism and moral equivalency between different belief systems, the only way for that to happen is for followers of Christ to live differently than everyone else.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
10 out of 10
People die. That is a statistic you can bank on. Today two celebrities died and the national media let us all know about it as soon as possible.
50 year-old men have heart attacks. In fact, two middle-aged men who go to my church had heart attacks last year (both of them survived, thankfully). And 62-year-old women get cancer. These are plain and simple facts of life.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to minimize the lives of anyone, but it is interesting how we react when those who are never supposed to die, do. After all, these were not just people to our culture; they were practically divinity living among us.
So now the focus pans across their careers and lives; over the contributions they left behind. It begs the question also for you and me. What kinds of things will people remember about me when I die? Will I have a hair-do that influences a generation? Will I revolutionize the music world? Will I change my skin color?
Sometimes we stop and think about these questions. But more often than not, we soon forget about it and resume our fixation upon the silver screen immortals in front of us.
50 year-old men have heart attacks. In fact, two middle-aged men who go to my church had heart attacks last year (both of them survived, thankfully). And 62-year-old women get cancer. These are plain and simple facts of life.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not trying to minimize the lives of anyone, but it is interesting how we react when those who are never supposed to die, do. After all, these were not just people to our culture; they were practically divinity living among us.
So now the focus pans across their careers and lives; over the contributions they left behind. It begs the question also for you and me. What kinds of things will people remember about me when I die? Will I have a hair-do that influences a generation? Will I revolutionize the music world? Will I change my skin color?
Sometimes we stop and think about these questions. But more often than not, we soon forget about it and resume our fixation upon the silver screen immortals in front of us.
Monday, June 1, 2009
"When you want a hot meal without a big deal..."
Well, things are still busy here in my camp. I finished up my pre-nursing classes for the year, and now I'm looking at a program out west. If everything happens right, I may be back in school sooner than I thought. In the meantime I'm working, recording, doing youth group stuff, looking at jobs, and trying to tie up loose ends that have been hanging for the better part of the school year. When I stop and think, all I can think is "Shoot, have I got stuff to do."
However, no one really wants to read about how busy I am, so I will leave you with this. The other day I noticed that Hot Pockets are kind of undignified in the world of food. They are made strictly for the microwave (you can bake them if you really want to, but who does that?). No glamor, no thoughtful preparation; just a few laps around the humming box until cheese oozes out the end. I got to thinking about this poor existence, and what came to my mind are people whose lives seem to fall under the same category. Some folks are dealt a duller hand than others in whatever way, and they can get a Hot Pocket complex if they aren't careful.
But the bottom line is, God has made all human beings with the same worth. All have been made with wonder and dignity; in the very image of God. Circumstances do not equal worth, although that is a lie that we can come to believe at times. May that not be the case, or at least no longer.
However, no one really wants to read about how busy I am, so I will leave you with this. The other day I noticed that Hot Pockets are kind of undignified in the world of food. They are made strictly for the microwave (you can bake them if you really want to, but who does that?). No glamor, no thoughtful preparation; just a few laps around the humming box until cheese oozes out the end. I got to thinking about this poor existence, and what came to my mind are people whose lives seem to fall under the same category. Some folks are dealt a duller hand than others in whatever way, and they can get a Hot Pocket complex if they aren't careful.
But the bottom line is, God has made all human beings with the same worth. All have been made with wonder and dignity; in the very image of God. Circumstances do not equal worth, although that is a lie that we can come to believe at times. May that not be the case, or at least no longer.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Of Floods and Folly
Today I kind of feel like ranting about a couple of things that have been bugging me this week. This doesn't happen very often, but today just happens to be the day.
First of all, I can't stand the global warming theory. Whoever believes it needs to come to Minnesota. Right now it's 19 degrees outside. Five days from now (April 1) our forecast high temperature is 31. This year we can use that day to celebrate the foolishness of the global warming crowd together. The crazy thing is the way the media has spun the Fargo/Moorhead flooding, as if it is all being caused by the warming earth. That's funny, because I was up there a couple of days ago and didn't see a single person in a swimsuit or flip flops. In fact, it's been snowing there almost all week. Also, a big reason for the high river levels in North Dakota is that there are ice jams in the rivers. Global warming indeed. They might have convinced me, but for all that pesky ice and snow.
Before my next topic, I will take a moment and point the finger at myself first. I'm altogether imperfect. I screw up all the time. My only saving grace is from God, who is working on me constantly. That said, I truly wish that excellence was something that I saw more people pursuing these days. It grates me when something gets done halfway and then left alone because it's "good enough." This attitude is what ends up destroying the drive to do anything well. I realize that not everyone is capable of doing everything like a prodigy, or at least not at first. But that in no way excuses us from desiring to do what we do excellently. If you are capable of doing better at something, then you should.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men... Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. -the apostle Paul (Colossians 3:23, 2 Timothy 2:15)
Never settle for "good enough."
First of all, I can't stand the global warming theory. Whoever believes it needs to come to Minnesota. Right now it's 19 degrees outside. Five days from now (April 1) our forecast high temperature is 31. This year we can use that day to celebrate the foolishness of the global warming crowd together. The crazy thing is the way the media has spun the Fargo/Moorhead flooding, as if it is all being caused by the warming earth. That's funny, because I was up there a couple of days ago and didn't see a single person in a swimsuit or flip flops. In fact, it's been snowing there almost all week. Also, a big reason for the high river levels in North Dakota is that there are ice jams in the rivers. Global warming indeed. They might have convinced me, but for all that pesky ice and snow.
Before my next topic, I will take a moment and point the finger at myself first. I'm altogether imperfect. I screw up all the time. My only saving grace is from God, who is working on me constantly. That said, I truly wish that excellence was something that I saw more people pursuing these days. It grates me when something gets done halfway and then left alone because it's "good enough." This attitude is what ends up destroying the drive to do anything well. I realize that not everyone is capable of doing everything like a prodigy, or at least not at first. But that in no way excuses us from desiring to do what we do excellently. If you are capable of doing better at something, then you should.
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not men... Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. -the apostle Paul (Colossians 3:23, 2 Timothy 2:15)
Never settle for "good enough."
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Till We Have Faces
I just finished reading C.S. Lewis' epic retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche. Though it usually takes me awhile to make it through his books, I finished this one in three nights' time (albeit late nights, but three nonetheless). The story, written in a first person perspective, is set in a barbaric world occupied by humans and mythical gods. It largely revolves around the mystery surrounding the main character's life, which finally unfolds in the last chapter or so. I won't give anything away, but the last paragraph makes a profound statement which I would like to include here:
I ended my first book with the words no answer. I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice? (p. 308, Till We Have Faces)
One of the main points of the book is that we must approach one another and God with unveiled faces. To be honest; to mean what we say. To voice our concerns and cries instead of keeping them inside, because holding them in will make us bitter and rob us of answers. Let us remove our veils of offense and pride, and honestly approach the One who himself is the answer; meet him face-to-face.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. -Hebrews 4:16
I ended my first book with the words no answer. I know now, Lord, why you utter no answer. You are yourself the answer. Before your face questions die away. What other answer would suffice? (p. 308, Till We Have Faces)
One of the main points of the book is that we must approach one another and God with unveiled faces. To be honest; to mean what we say. To voice our concerns and cries instead of keeping them inside, because holding them in will make us bitter and rob us of answers. Let us remove our veils of offense and pride, and honestly approach the One who himself is the answer; meet him face-to-face.
Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. -Hebrews 4:16
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