Mountain Retreat

Due to the generosity of a couple in our church, Brenda and two of the boys and myself have been afforded several days away in the mountains of Ruidoso, NM. Tanner and Tucker had the choice to come with us or go back to Paradise to spend a week with their friends back there. They chose to go back to Paradise. So it is just Taylor and Turner.

I got up early to enjoy some time with the Lord. The temperature outside is in the upper forties. I sat outside with a jacket reading through the Proverbs. At times I shut my eyes to listen to the birds singing and take in the sounds of the mountains. When I opened my eyes I stared at the stately trees standing erect at attention without the faintest hint of a breeze moving their branches. The green pine needles made a striking contrast to the cloudless blue skies overhead. This is a gorgeous day.

In this place I can recharge. In this place I exhale the demands of ministry and give myself to preparation for the upcoming revival. There are several things weighing on my heart. The upcoming Shake the City revival is first and foremost. I also am burdened for Humboldt and Washington. We have a team in Honduras right now. Through No Compromise Ministries we are trusting God to raise money and the man power to build a new bedroom and handicapped accessible bathroom for a young man suffering from Muscular Dystrophy. I am constantly weighed down with a burden to write and continually strive to find time to do so. In this place though, I have time to sit and reflect. I am stirred to capture my thoughts and write them down not so much for the reader but for myself. My pace is unhurried. As I write this the rest of my family sleep. We have no agenda and can enjoy the slow leisurely pace of life needed to replenish us physically, spritiually, and emotionally before the busyness of fall hits. In this place I can breathe in the renewing presence of the Lord.

What a contrast in scenery I have experienced over the past week. At this time last week I was standing on the gulf coast in Panama City, FL taking in the presence of God. I sat on a lawn chair early in the morning in silent and private worship of my God. I was humbled in the presence of the ocean and the relentless pounding of the waves. It reminded me of how small and insignificant I really am. It only got better when Taylor came and sat next to me. We were able to talk about vastness of God and our finiteness in those moments. I will cherish that memory for a long time.

This morning I sit in the mountains. I am again humbled at the sight of numerous mountain ranges. Not more than an hour and a half from here the plains are flat. I love the creativity of God to create oceans, plains, and mountains. He amazes me.

I like the ocean but I love the mountains. I don’t know what it is about the mountains that revive me. I love the serenity of it all. I enjoy the crisp mornings and cool evenings. I enjoy the solitude where I can sit still before the Lord. In this place I can be still and cease striving to know He is God. [Ps 46:10] At this mountain retreat my heart has relaxed as I have intentionally sought to slow down. I have walked up and down the road taking in the scenery. I drive in wonder at the magnitude of the mountains but even more so the magnitude of the God who placed each mountain.

Brenda laughed at me last night because my motor is still revved pretty high. She told me to sleep in. I tried but could not. I was up at 5:00 a.m. praying and reading scripture. My time with the Lord seemed fresh. That is what I craved most on this trip. I was able to linger in His presence without feeling rushed because I have to be somewhere else. This is exactly what my soul has been craving.

I nearly talked myself out of coming though. I was out of the office last week preaching a camp in FL. I will be leaving this weekend for a family camp along with eight other families from our church in AR and will be gone next week also. Several encouraged me to get away with my family. This really was the only week I could fit it in. It has already proven to be valuable.

Yesterday Turner and I went on a hike. He saw a whitetail deer not far from where we are staying. We are planning on another hike today in addition to a drive to the top of a mountain. He has his camera ready and woke up talking about it today. I am not sure what else we will do. It really doesn’t matter to me because God is here and in His presence is fullness of joy. [Ps 16:11] I am grateful for some down time to reflect on it all and to take Him in. I thank God for the mountains where my soul is recharged and refueled for ministry ahead. Thank God for mountain retreats.