Doin’ the C~R~A~V~E

05 Jun 2012 3 Comments

by Rod & Rose in Holy Libido by Rod Tags: , ,


There’s a story about a young man who came to Socrates in his quest for wisdom. The great philosopher told the young man to follow him, which the lad did submissively. Together the two men walked through town to the edge of the ocean, then continued their way into waist deep water. Socrates stopped, but he instructed the young man to continue walking. Obediently the lad continued walking, looking back occasionally for reassurance he was doing it the way the teacher wanted him to do it.

Soon the young man was submersed beneath the water’s surface. Intent on following the instruction of the master, he stayed under for as long as he possibly could. His mind was racing to understand the lesson. Finally he exploded out of the water, gasping for a breath of air. He was agitated and perplexed by what seemed to be a mockery of his quest. But the lesson was simple. “You will find wisdom,” Socrates reassured him, “when you crave it as much as you did a breath of air.”

We know how to crave. We do it all the time. But we crave the things that satisfy our second – or fallen nature. Things like being happy, for instance, or an addiction to sports, or a love relationship with Mammon. Cravings of the flesh squeeze the life out of our relationship with God and with our family and friends. Yet we feed our craving…[un]naturally.

What will cause us to crave God more than we crave entertainment and comfort? What will make us crave an intimate Vine~branch Life the way the young student craved a gulp of oxygen?

(Thanks to count-the-blessings.blogspot.com for the “satisfy the crave” image!)

The Mountains are Calling…

04 Jun 2012 Leave a comment

by Rod & Rose in Authentic Life by Rod Tags: , , , ,


Rose and I have a piece of slate hanging on the wall in our living room that is inscribed with the words “The mountains are calling, and I must answer.” My brother Bob and his wife Sherry gave it to us when they came to New Mexico from Michigan for a visit. This rings true in our hearts—and we spent the last couple of days “answering the call” to the Jemez Mountains in central New Mexico.

I remember a time several years ago when I was driving south out of Denver – headed toward Colorado Springs – as Sandi Patty was singing “How Great Thou Art” on the radio. That majestic moment is forever etched in my mind—the visual reality of the greatness of our God as he revealed himself in the Colorado Rockies.

But mountains do not have the same appeal for everyone. My Grandpa Johnson used to say the mountains are made up of the stuff God had left over when he was finished creating the earth. They are akin to the ruble on the sculptor’s floor that was chiseled away from the masterpiece hidden away within the block of marble. Grandpa said God never intended for the mountains to be inhabited—or visited—by people.

Even so, we all have things we are drawn to—things with which we feel a deep kind of connection. What we are “called to” is a part of what makes us who we are. And as far as I can tell, nobody decides what they are going to find appealing and what they are going to dislike. These things are built in as standard equipment and are unique to every human being. And our interests change over time—just because they do—not because we decided they should.

Celebrate the uniqueness of who you are today by pursuing the call God has placed in your heart. Pursue your passion in a way that honors your Creator. When Rose and I have an opportunity to come home to the mountains, we are rejuvenated. The unobstructed flow of His Spirit infuses us to continue on with our daily assignments with renewed vitality. That’s how we celebrate the passion he has placed in our hearts.

How do you celebrate the call in your life?

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