..:: re-awaken ::..

YOU CAN BEGIN AGAIN
By Bill Baldwin

I have never heard anyone say, "I hate springtime." Well.okay, maybe those who suffer from allergies-but even they dislike the pollen, not the season. Flowers begin blooming; trees budding; grass growing; birds start singing. All of creation announces, "We're alive again!"

This year was a long, cold winter. Winter always seems long to me-too long, sometimes. But winter is necessary. In the economy of the climate, winter kills and then makes way for something new. During winter creation loses its sparkle. A once luscious, green forest becomes dismal gray. Most flowers die while others crawl back under the soil to hide from the wintry elements. Color, for a season, vanishes, and it seems, so does all of life. To add to the drab surroundings, the song of nature is stilled as birds take their song to a warmer environment. Is it any wonder that a greater percentage of people suffer from depression during winter?

Like all creation, we too experience seasons in our life. Without exception, no one can live without going through personal winters. Most of them are cold and drab. Personal winters can be dead, gray, and colorless. It is easy to lose your song during these days. Like the people referred to in the Bible, during our winters we weep a lot and set beside "the rivers of Babylon" thinking of the good ole days. Scripture says they put away their musical instruments, "hanging them upon the branches of the willow trees" (see Psalm 137:1-2).

The recession, job losses, depression, home foreclosure, rejection, death of a loved one, abuse, sickness, marriage problems, divorce, addictions, loneliness, failures-these and more are the gray circumstances of a personal winter. During winter "something dies" so to speak. I don't like winter. However, it's necessary. Winter always precedes spring and every living thing must pass through a winter to enter spring. This is a spiritual principle of life that applies to everyone and everything.

The cross is the Lord's symbol that reminds us that Jesus experienced a personal winter, too. Like all winters, dying was part of it. First, His winter was for His Father and then for us. The cross was ugly. The Lord's death on the cross was even more repulsive. The only color that splashed across the backdrop of Jesus' crucifixion was red-His blood. Other than that, like all winters, it was gray, bleak, and dreary. But it was necessary for what was to come.

One would hardly recognize Jesus during His winter. Bruised, beaten, and bloody, only the inward charm remained. His outer shell was not recognizable. Finally, winter took its toll and He died. I'm not surprised. Winter was only doing its job

The story goes that winter passed and springtime came. Like a tulip lying dormant under the soil, the earth gave way to a greater power and promise. What everyone thought to be gone forever burst forth from a wintry grave. Flowers bloomed (lilies, I suppose), skies turned blue, warm days emerged, and birds sang again. This time they sang a new song-"He has risen!" In Jesus' resurrection God declares that our personal winters are only for a season. In the Bible a man named Paul wrote to a group of people faced with winter, "I want you to know about the great and mighty power that God has for us followers. It is the same wonderful power he used when he raised Christ from death." (Ephesians 1:19-20). Now that's some more serious power we have been given!

Easter is not only an event in Christian history-Easter is a person. Jesus said, "I am the resurrection" (John 11:25). Though we celebrate Jesus' birth in December, isn't it strange that historians cannot pinpoint when He was born? However, we're certain about the time of His resurrection-springtime, right after the Jewish Passover.

Springtime and resurrection go together like (as Forrest Gump says) "Peas and carrots." When Jesus resurrected from His grave God was declaring, "Your winters are limited!" Your personal winter may be long and hard but it will come to an end. This is the message of the season. Jesus never interpreted His future glory by the dismal winter of His cross. Neither should you.

Like daffodils that suddenly appear after a long cold season, the resurrection declares that your winter season is not the end of your story. I love springtime don't you? It's bursting with the resurrection of Jesus. And the resurrection is not just a good story-it's a life principle that God infused in the season itself.

Now, as I observe the flowers blooming, trees blossoming, and birds singing, I am reminded that winters, like the cross, do not last forever. Jesus has risen! Springtime is here. Now you can begin again.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bill Baldwin is a Pastor, motivational speaker, husband, and father. He received his Masters and doctoral work from Emory University, Atlanta, Ga. Currently lives in North Carolina where he is a pastor. Bill can be reached at billbaldwin@ctc.net

..:: i will rise ::..

Moonlighting in Glacier Park

Photo by Adam Grim

Late last night I checked off another one of the goals that I have wanted to accomplish for quite some time. I biked Going to the Sun Road after dark, at near midnight under the luminous glow of a full “big-sky” Montana moon.

Awesome!

[ left to right: Ryan, Justin, Garren, Bryan -Not pictured - (he went for a quick hike :) ]

I was joined by my three friends and fellow adventure seekers, Garren, Justin, and Bryan. I borrowed the above picture from Garren, because the batteries in my camera went dead shortly after our ride commenced. (You can see Garren’s blogging of the experience here).

We started from “The Loop” and rode approximately 8 miles up to the summit at Logan Pass gaining about 3,500 feet in elevation. Yeah… a bit intense. Especially considering that we had to share the roughly 12 foot wide road with two lanes of traffic and construction equipment (Glacier Park closed the road today for road maintenance and construction).



Several of the motorists and motor cyclists who passed us along the way cheered and gave us the “thumbs up” to say “good job… keep going… you got more stamina and guts than we do.” That helped us press on in several of the spots were the climb was steep and the legs were jello.

We started the ride at about 6:00pm and arrived at the summit shortly after 9:00pm but we stopped several times along the way to watch the sunset over the Glacier horizon and beautiful Heavens Peak.

A little over three quarters of the way up to the summit we passed a few of our friends who had picnicked on the east side of the park and were now driving back home. They were kind enough to bless us with some nourishment (a fatty submarine sandwich which was one of the tastiest sandwiches I think I have ever eaten in my life. ;-)

We got to the top just after the moon ascended the 10,000-plus Glacier peaks, and chilled at Logan Pass for a little while, resting, enjoying the moon-lit scenery and adding to our layers of cloths in preparation for the brisk ride back down the mountain.

The moon-glow on the face of the cliffs and mountain sides was breathtaking, a whole different experience than driving the road in the daylight. Truly an experience I will not soon forget.

As we started back down the mountain after night-fall under the quiet glow of the starlight and moon, you could see the twinkling lights of a few straggling motorists as they curved and winded their way down the Sun Road several miles ahead.

The muted flashing lights of the construction zones added to the midnight ambiance as they lit up the mountainside in colorful red, amber and green hues.


The trip back down the mountain was over much quicker than the laborious ride up, but it certainly made the previous strain and pain well worth the effort.

What a blessing to live at the feet of such an awe-inspiring natural paradise like Glacier park and have the ability to visit and enjoy its natural beauty in every season, every month and every hour of the day.

..:: fish on ::..

Today I had the awesome privilege of joining my friend Bryan on his boat to go fishing for lake trout on Lake McDonald in Glacier Park. What a great experience!

First of all, the weather was fantastic, the lake was glass and the backdrop... breathtaking!



We were fishing with lures and down riggers and a bag full of trade secrets that Bryan knows - of which I am sworn to secrecy for all eternity, so don't even ask ;-)

Any way we weren't even out there an hour before the fish started biting... it was epic.

Rischelle and I both caught some monsters. Bryan was just playing the part of charter guide today, so he let us do all the catching.

I caught this beauty which was about a 12 pounder. Isn't she pretty?



Rischelle also caught one that was approx. 12 pounds. We didn't have anything to actually weigh them, so we just had to give it our best guess, but you can see from the pictures how nice these babies were.



Of course we released most of what we caught after snapping a few "proof" photos. We did keep this "little guy" however as dinner for the night... yes... he was tasty.

We were out on the water like 8 hours or so, and it seemed like about 3 hours. Crazy how fast time flies by when you are out fishing on one of Montana's most beautiful lakes. Yet how incredibly slowly it creeps along when you are stuck behind your desk working all day. Why is that, and why do we get five of the slow, dull boring days, and only one of the fun ones each week. Doesn't seem fair.

Anyway thanks Bryan for an awesome day, and some awesome fish!

The Devistations of Hurricane Gustav

Thought you all might enjoy this inspiring story...

Hurricane Gustav that hit New Orleans left some serious devastation in its path as it tore through the Gulf Coast and slammed into Louisiana early last week.

While the nation was grateful that the levees held this time around and that the devastating flooding that occurred last year did not repeat again this year, there were still many families hurt by the tragedy.

Out of that tragedy however came this remarkable story of perseverance...

The Oneal family returned home Monday to find that Gustav had turned their house upside down, and repositioned it a few hundred feet from it's original foundation, but otherwise had left it pretty much intact.

They were even still able to enter house through the upstairs doorway that led from the loft to an upstairs balcony. Most of the furniture was still inside and all of the fixtures were still in place and unharmed.

The Oneal family plans to continue living in the home for as long as they can or until authorities force them to leave.

No... that is not true... I'm lying.

Actually this is a full sized house that was built upside down over in Germany... why? Just because it hadn't been done before I guess. Pretty crazy though.

Everything inside this home is upside down too... fixtures... furniture... appliances... lights... everything.

Take a look at these additional pictures pretty ridiculous.

Anyway, thought I'd have a little fun with it.



Here is the link to the original story.

..::GREAT Northern::..

Yesterday I had the opportunity to fulfill a goal that I have had for several years now. I was able to summit “Great Northern” – one of the more impressive peaks (in my opinion) of the Flathead Valley/Glacier Park region.

The magnificent monolith resides near the eastern shoreline of Hungry Horse Reservoir in the buffer zone that separates the massive reservoir and the rest of the Flathead Valley from the rugged and seemingly endless peaks of Glacier National Park.

The trail that leads to the summit is pretty strenuous at times and offers a wide array of varied terrain, but it is also EPIC beyond compare!

Here are a few photos of some friends we met along the way...

The first half of the trail slices its way through fairly dense forest and it feels like you are walking straight up the mountain. There are hardly any switchbacks and the path is steep. But around midpoint along the journey you break out above the tree line and immediately you get your second wind. At this point the peak of Great Northern comes into view and her stunning profile fills you with the motivation to press on.

The majority of the second half of the journey is a tight rope walk along the mountain ridgeline. This hike gives new definition to the word “views”. My jaw was dangling for most of the trip and the only words I was able to mutter was … WOW! God… this is Awesome! Incredible! Magnificent! … there weren’t really enough words in my vocabulary to accurately describe my emotions, so I just muttered those over and over again.

The views to the north and north east looking into Glacier Park are mind-blowing. The images will stay with me forever. Although I am hoping to make another trip to the summit again very soon as a little “refresher” course (it’s like a drug… once you have experienced it you want more and more).

The final stretch of the journey is certainly not for the faint of heart. You are basically tiptoeing across a two foot wide ridge that separates a massive shale slide on one side and a 3,000 foot drop off a cliff on the other side. Add to that 30 – 40 mile-per-hour winds that are trying their best to toss you off the mountain and it makes things pretty interesting. One false step and the results could be disastrous… but what a rush! It is quite addicting.

There is a snow field on the northeast side of the mountain that is enormous. It made me wish that I had my snowboard with me, of course if I had, I would probably be dead right now.

From the summit you can see across the border of two states, two countries and too many unforgettable views stretching over hundreds of miles in every direction.

The icing on the cake was that I was able to make the journey with four of my closest friends, all amazing guys and all brothers in faith. What a privilege!

Oh yeah, and one more thing before I close. My buddy Seth and his lovely wife Jill were kind enough to have me over for a delicious BBQ chicken dinner following the hike which was VERY MUCH enjoyed and appreciated! THANKS guys!

..:therapy:..

Oh yeah... This is my therapy... Blue sky above... Open road ahead... 650 CCs below... Problems all behind!

I finally got my bike back up and running, and I decided to go for a "therapy cruise" today after work... it is good to be back in freedom's saddle.

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