Well each year I usually write a blog on my birthday, well for the last few years anyway. I have been meaning to blog as of late, but have been much too busy. There is something that has been stirring in me since I went to the Grand Canyon with Ben and Drew, so here it goes.
As we descended in the canyon it was basically done with much ease, along the way there were rangers warning us to the fact that we would have to climb back out. Even with these warnings we decided to go. I decided to go even farther to the point. 6 miles down. It was awesome, breathe taking. It was as I neared the bottom of the valley that I really saw the awesomeness of God. Oh sure it was beautiful on the mountain, but from the valley it was different. There was a closeness to God, a new respect for his awesomeness. As I climbed out of the canyon at first it was not bad, and then it got harder, but then I came upon a cool steam, and trees, an oasis in the desert. It was a place where I could be refreshed, to regain my strength. The hike was far from over though. I was still deep in the canyon. As I hiked out and got to the three mile marker I was more than tired, the boiling hot water in the facet was of little refreshment, and as I sat there I dreaded the rest of the hike. Finally I got up for my last three miles. There were many breaks from that point on, many points where I wanted to quit and give up, but knew I could not. I had to get to the top; it was the only logical direction to go. When I finally reached the top it was amazing. I had made it. I had descended into the valley, and climbed back out! I had hiked 12 miles in one day.
Ok I know what’s the point, where am I going with this, well here it is. Many of you know that the first two years here in Tucson were not easy for us. The Element has struggled to get off the ground, and we have struggled to keep the faith. It really all happened much like the descent in the canyon. We came here on top on the mountain, stepping out in faith. Then we began our journey towards the valley floor. There were warnings all along the way saying it would be hard to climb back out, God was calling out to us, but we kept going down. We then hit this point, this point where God had finally got our attention. Oh there were many points where we tried to think are way back to the top, live in denial, even quit for an hour so, but then finally God sent the storm that got our attention, and it was there in the depths that we saw God best, it was there we saw Him as Lord of All, as our Beautiful Savior. As we were climbing out we called on God again and again, because we once again had realized that we needed His strength to get us through. So here we are, a month removed from the valley, and the amazing thing is…nothing has changed, nothing except instead of looking at the circumstances around us we have begun to look at Jesus. Instead of walking by sight we are walking by faith. It is like what Habakkuk experienced when he called on God, His circumstances don’t change, but instead of putting all of his stock in what he could see, he began to follow God by faith.
When I hiked the canyon I had to go down into the valley to really see the beauty of it to appreciate what it was, to see God. As we have planted this church we had to go into the valley so that we knew that we could do nothing without God. That nothing about the Element was going to be of our own doing but of God. To really see God in all His Majesty and splendor we had to come to place of complete surrender. So here we are walking in faith with God, and I can think of no better place to be. I don’t know what’s next, I don’t know what God has for us, but I am excited to be walking by faith, and I hope and pray that you’ll join me.