just a little closer.

Last night I spent hours talking about Jesus with my brothers and sisters. Hours. We prayed together. We prayed with Jesus.

We saw eight shooting stars, at least one of them probably a comet. Amongst the shadow of the Cross. I named a constellation. It's called 'Explosion.' Because it looks like a huge star exploded and left the remnants of tiny stars in a burst. If you see it in your sky tonight, let me know. I want you to know that I am with you. I think about my brothers and sisters a lot. I just know I'd be nothing without you.

The Holy Spirit is real. He doesn't live in Columbia, SC. He isn't bounded by the walls of a church building. In fact, the church is outside. It is everywhere. The Earth is His and all things in it. The Holy Spirit is everywhere you are. It is what drives you to love. It is what brings you to tears. It is what breaks you and molds you. It is what brings you joy to keep you alive. It is the Communicator. You can be confident because the Holy Spirit takes your aching and crying and explains it to your Father. It is your Comforter. Maybe a God shaped hole isn't quite enough. Maybe it is a God shaped container with which you choose to fill with goodness and holiness or ugliness. Jesus and the Cross is the filter through which the bad things are behind and the race has begun. Your heartbeat is the Lord. Your breath is the breath of the Lord. Your feet move to the rhythm of the Spirit's guidance. He is your eyes closed He is your eyes open.


...and I fly so high.

eight.

Me
Trading Post
Philmont Scout Ranch
47 Caballo Rd.
Cimarron, NM 87714


it's nice to know there are brothers and sisters thousands of miles away.
we are related through obedience, not blood.
Lord you are good and you never fail.

taos is still ten feet deep in snow

day off = hiking.

We went to Taos to hike the Mt. Wheeler area, tallest mountain in NM. Ended up not hiking the trail because it was buried under ten feet of snow. Sweet! Turned into an hour of snowball fights and snow tag.

Taos doesn't have Starbuck's. But we went to a couple local coffee shops. Oh, and Rocky Mt. Chocolate Factory. The mocassin stores were closed by the time we got there though.

Morning off tomorrow. Sweet!

i really want starbuck's.

...and thousands more Your glory shines.

my compositional skills left me at the bottom of the mountain.
oh, and that's colorado.
photoshop isn't worthy for pictures like these.


my brother is a model. i am his personal photographer.
me. 9003 ft higher than you. this was the hardest and longest hike i've ever taken. my lungs were burning and the sun was piercing and the water was necessary not wanted. i played frisbee later that night. and ate a lot of ice cream.

for thousands of miles

first hike of the day. 1 mile. a joke compared to the next hike.

common diet. decent.
see that peak up there? that's where we ended up 2.5 hours later.

two stories

Tonight I went to a Western dance party. I danced with a real cowboy! And several other guys, some more creepy than others and some genuine gentlemen. My brother danced too, it was cute.

The other night I had the best worst night of sleep ever. You have to understand a little background though. It is windy here. Pretty much all the time and the weather changes like nobody's business. We live in tents that are barely sufficient living spaces. They are about 12 feet by 10 feet, wooden floor, three wooden posts holding up basically the entire tent. When it is windy, the tent moves back and forth a good two feet. When it rains, we get wet because there are holes. I hadn't gotten a roommate yet, and this night was windy at about 20 mph, raining, thunderstorming, and cold. I can't open my eyes because if I do I'll see how badly the tent is moving and have a panic attack. I can't move because I am scared. If my tent falls down on me I am alone. My Mac is unsafe from water or temperature damage within a locker. Every time the lightning strikes the tent is illuminated and all I can do is count the seconds until the thunder rolls violently soon after. I am lying there stiff like a stick with no refuge. I am praying my brains out that it would stop.

And it's then that I realize, "God is a god of wrath. He has been gentle with me, but he is the Creator of the Universe and has every power to destroy nations and bring us trembling to our knees."
This storm is Him being who He is and it's scary and I don't want to be here but I am okay because He loves me. He loves me.
"God is near. He is near me 800 miles away from where He was near me that time five months ago when He was near me and every day that He has always been near me."
Wow. It was some sort of epiphany or something, and it was an experience of the closeness of God. Without anyone else telling me what to do. Without advice from others and without closeness of friends.
It was God.
And it was beautifully terrifying.


Tired. Hike tomorrow. Over 300 pictures, but here are some.