A Contrasting Chorus Of Chaos And Calm

Farmington, NM
Volume 4, Issue 1
February 9, 2009

-A Contrasting Chorus Of Chaos And Calm-
…a gamut of personalities…

From northern California to Palm Springs, between the Grand Canyon and Santa Fe, and everywhere in between - I have had a wonderful three week road trip! There is a delight and happiness that emanates when visiting friends and family in their homes. There is something peaceful yet strangely queer about kayaking and playing in the Pacific Ocean as dolphins jump nearby in late January – shouldn’t I be in the Midwest, freezing and watching the snow fall? I tried to comprehend the vastness of the Grand Canyon as the chilly air took my breath away – were my eyes deceiving me? I basked in the mystique of hiking among the red rocks of Sedona, Arizona – how did those enchanting structures come to be?

I love traveling. The past few weeks of adventure are days that I will not quickly forget. I felt like John Steinbeck as he wandered with his dog, Charlie, except I don’t have a dog. Or maybe I was like Donald Miller as I roamed the Painted Desert. If only I could be as funny as Bill Bryson!

Throughout recent months God has continued to work on my soul. There is a lot of house cleaning going on and it isn’t even spring yet. The clutter and chaos of my heart no longer seems neatly tucked away, but more so, junk is crashing down faster than I can clean it up. Though it feels like winter in my soul, I know spring is coming soon. I anticipate it with eagerness, as I yearn to smell the hyacinths and see the crocuses push through the frosted ground.

God reveals his beauty through people and places, as varied as you and me. Despite my sometimes aloof nature, God is drawing me into relationship with him and others. I am deeply appreciative of time with family and friends, as well as the expanse and intrigue of nature. There is a contrasting chorus of chaos and calm in nature, just as there is a gamut of personalities in the people I know.

Thank you Cha Cha, Tom and Marguax, Karen and Tom, Lanse, Danny and Erin, Mary Ann, Linda, Stephanie, Lindsey, Marvin and Lori & family, Wheels, Sota, Renae, Dan and Staci & family, Gene and Ruth, Cary and Renee, Bunker and Jesse. Your companionship and hospitality in the past three weeks have delighted my soul and warmed my heart.

Happy trails…

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 1 Chronicles 29:11