Dinkey Creek

Today I am going to Dinkey Creek for three days. I am taking my two favorite people with me. I have many happy memories of this place. In a sense it's the only part of my childhood that survives, though I am fearful of losing it as well.

Another Lewis

Although this poem has been interpreted many ways, I think he's really speaking about family life. Perhaps it's time to start handing out additional rations.

This was charming, no doubt: but they shortly found out
That the Captian they trusted so well,
Had only one notion for crossing the ocean,
And that was to tingle his bell.

He was thoughtful and grave-but the orders he gave
Were enough to bewilder a crew
When he cries "Steer to starboard, but keep her head larboard!"
What on earth was the helmsman to do?

Then the bowsprit got mixed with the rudder sometimes;
A thing, as the Bellman remarked,
That frequently happens in tropical climes,
When a vessel is, so to speak, "snarked."

But the principal failing occurred in the sailing,
And the Bellman, perplexed and distressed,
Said he HAD hoped, at least, when the wind blew due East,
That the ship would NOT travel due West!

But the danger was past-they had landed at last,
With their portmanteaus, and bags:
Yet at first the crew were not pleased with the view,
Which consisted of chasms and crags.

The Bellman perceived that their spirits were low,
And repeated in musical tone
Some jokes he had kept for a season of woe-
But the crew would do nothing but groan.

He served out some grog with a liberal hand,
And bade them sit down on the beach:
And they could not but own that their Captain looked grand,
As he stood and delivered his speech.

"Friends, Romans, and coutrymen, lend me your ears!"
(They were all of them fond of quotations:
So they drank to his health, and they gave him three cheers,
While he served out additional rations).

"We have sailed many months, we have sailed many weeks,
(Four weeks to the month you may mark),
But never as yet ('tis your Captain who speaks)
Have we caught the least glimpse of a Snark!

Lift my head

But thou, O LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. -Psalm 3:3

Not sure what God is trying to tell me, but this verse has constantly been running through my head since Monday night. Stay tuned, as soon as I know I'll pass it on.

Feet to the fire

"Is any pleasure on earth as great as a circle of Christian friends by a fire?" C.S. Lewis

When I encountered this quote yesterday my brain went immediately to this place of comfort and safety. One of my favorite spots in this world is sitting in a flimsy lawn chair on a cold mountain night; surrounded by friends, my tired feet propped up by the campfire ring. The campfire blazing away, warming my face, the orange light flickering on the dark forest behind me, thick pine smoke filling my nostrils and stinging my eyes. The ephemeral campfire experience, what can be better than that?


The last month or two I have been bombarded by C.S. Lewis. Every time I turn around, more C.S. Lewis wisdom heading my way. It started with Ben Patterson, then David Abdo, followed closely by Jamie Evans, last Sunday, it was the youth pastor Greg. When we saw Revenge of the Sith, they played the Chronicles of Narnia trailer beforehand. Even my prayer partner John stumbled on one the last time we met. When I am bombarded with a common theme, I need to sit up and listen because God is speaking to me.

So anyway, C.S. Lewis is no shallow slouch. And though I like my visceral interpretation of his quote, I'm wondering what Mr Lewis intended when he wrote it. Maybe C S Lewis never went to camp, maybe he's talking about an altogether different kind of fire.

Yet He knows the way I have taken;
when He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold. -Job 23:10

Do the right thing

What am I to do. Over the last few years I have been trying to jar myself out of complacency in my job. I spend a great deal of time thinking about it and talking to God about it. Sometimes I'm completely engulfed by a wave of anxiety crashing over me, twisting me around and sucking me under.

Here are the pertinent facts:

1. Some things I can do well.
2. Some things I like to do.
3. Some things I do earn money.
4. Some things I do glorify God and advance his kingdom.

I have what many would consider a dream job. I get paid well, the two people that I work closest with are good guys, I have a great deal of flexibility, great benefits, good retirement, access to lots of cool technology, very little travel, I can ride my bike to work, liberal vacation, you get the picture. But what I actually do, the thing that I spend most of my waking hours doing, doesn't flippin matter in the big scheme of things. I do it well, I earn a paycheck, sometimes I even enjoy what I am doing, but in the big picture, the number 4 stuff, nada.

Last Monday night was quite fulfilling for me. I spent an evening teaching 12 young boys about backpacking. Why one stove is better than the next, how to use a map and compass, how a GPS works, you get the picture. I received lots of positive feedback both from the kids and the parents. Most of all I enjoyed myself immensely. Due to an unfortunate series of events this week, I have not yet had the opportunity to tell anybody about it yet. Just after the stoves had cooled off and I was packing up my gear to go I was overcome with euphoria. I enjoyed that experience tremendously. The kids loved it, the parents loved it, I loved it. I let myself daydream for a few minutes imagining that I could do that sort of thing 'full time' instead of the office grind. That would be sweeeet.

My wife has a great job. She makes exactly enough money to meet her needs. Whatever her paycheck doesn't buy, God provides, without exception, no worries, done deal, end of story. In fact, God provides her paycheck too, but my point is that she doesn't worry about it. Her faith is innate to her character, God sustains her, it's who she is, nothing more, nothing less. She is incredible, I admire that trait in her. I'm not after her job, but I wouldn't mind a bit of her character rubbing off on me. Maybe it isn't my job that's the problem, it's me.