Light -more than meets the eye
Read MoreLight -more than meets the eye.
"Both" -aka One and the same
in Vegetables
Faith
"The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few..." Luke 10:2
Sow What? Nicaragua -Part 2
One hour of sleep. The streets leading to the river (our highway for the next 8 hours) strewn with trash and littered with the inebriated -Both recyclable (recyclinglives.org). An unsightly short brisk walk led to the view above, the Rio Coco.
The journey that would ensue is a way of life for many and one that would change my life forever.
The Dawn
I shared my life's victories and defeats with this gentleman.
Pastor Earl Bowie
He's been a role model in the faith, like a spiritual uncle. He's lived an extraordinary life. He survived the Contra War only to start a church, school, orphanage, and feeding center. In essence, Earl Bowie is using his time, talents, and treasure to meet the spiritual, mental, and physical needs of his community. I could go on about his impact, but I will save that for another post.
-Back to the river.
A dense fog and chill fell upon us early on our journey. Reaffirming that we traveled by faith. Not by sight.
What we saw and experienced goes far beyond allegory.
A city on a hill
We stopped near the above shores to pick up a river guide for the journey ahead. Little did I know at the time how important this would be...
I was told that the guide was necessary to help us navigate up the river and through the rapids.
Rapids?
The rumble in the background is coming from the rocks hitting the bottom of the boat. The river was lower than usual this year.
We were trusting this guy to guide us through the rapids by waving his hands and pointing. That's it. Oh yeah, it was against the current and at full speed!
Nicaraguan GPS!!!
We did this for nearly 5 hours. We seemed to head full speed towards boulders, shallow streams and narrow passages. We sailed "by faith not by sight!" We were in the waving, pointing hand of this unassuming, small framed man who was holding on by a simple rope at the bow of our boat.
Or, were we in larger hands?
The dangers of this expedition became more and more apparent minute to minute, shore to shore. We saw and learned that many of the locals float down these treacherous waters on planks tied together, entire families aboard, partially submerged -on trips to get food and vital supplies.
This makes my memories of the "difficulty" of going for groceries in the city seem trivial. And, they were just that. Trivial. I had nothing to complain about then or now. Especially in light of what these individuals faced routinely and what we would soon face.
The Rapids
The same rafts above would take this same path in order to buy food and supplies for the family. Just like going to the store. But unlike our family trips to the local market, death was a not so uncommon reality.
The perils of the river.
As we approached the rapids, we learned of a Pastor who lost 2 of his daughters earlier this year while traveling on these very same rapids. Even the youngest of those who live on the river pay a high cost. Life on the Rio Coco could prove perilous for anyone. Minutes after hearing this tragic story, we were told that some of us would have to exit the boat in order to continue. The item pictured above greeted us as we stepped off the boat.
It was yet another reminder of the tragedies that flow along these banks. Or, pehaps it was something more...
He Has Risen -Matthew 28:6
in Evergreens
Ponder this. If man with his limited knowledge can resuscitate the dead, why couldn't God in His infinite knowledge resurrect the dead? Medically speaking, we use blood transfusions and stem cell/organ/marrow transplants, to save lives and treat disease. Sometimes, donors gave these gifts of life at the cost of their own. Was not a similar sacrifice made on Calvary? A donation of blood from a universal donor was made for a transfusion that could cure a 100% fatal disease, a genetic disease inherited through the "S chromosome."
This is what Easter means to me.
Just as the sun rises to start each day, our faith begins with the risen Son.
Sow What? -A Universal Law
in Evergreens
Ancient Tower - a seed
Be not deceived, God is not mocked for whatever a man sows that will he also reap -Galatians 6:7. This has been said many ways throughout human history and maybe beyond. It has been called:
- The Golden Rule
- The Law of Reciprocity
The Law of Gravity (What goes up...)
- Cause and Effect
- Input = Output
- Newton's Third Law (For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction)
- The Ripple Effect
- Karma
The list goes on. Nonetheless, this is a timeless concept that applies to individual persons as well as it does inanimate objects. While there are exceptions to these rules, should we behave as if the exceptions are in fact the rule? More to come...
Modern Tower - an idea