Thursday, February 21, 2008

Chasing Denali

Written for a Covenant Point Bible Camp staff devotional, Oct. 2004. I was reminded of it today.

“The Mountain is Not Out.” So say Alaskans of Mt. McKinley (Denali is the native name) when the snow-covered titan lies hidden in the clouds of its own personal weather system, to which it has every right considering its status as the tallest thing on the continent. Such was the case when I was in Denali National Park this September during a visit to my dear friend Katherine. We drove 150 miles to the park through a heavily overcast morning. The tundra slopes lining the highway were rich in fall colors, and I was enjoying the immediate terrain too much to mind the low visibility ahead. Once we were in the park, the clouds started to lift, and by the time we had summited Mt. Healy, a nice little 3,400-footer, we could see mountain ranges all around us, but still no Denali. I became considerably exasperated with the elusive giant for refusing to reveal itself even as the sky cleared everywhere else.

Word has it that Denali is visible only one in four days, and even locals get really excited when the Mountain deigns to permit onlookers. The Mountain will not be taken for granted. This is for me a great deal like faith. Most of my experience of God comes from stories, reflections, and echoes. Only on rare occasions do I meet God in any way more solid than a subliminal nudge. I think that’s a large part of why we create idols. We want something that is tangible, predictable, and safe. God is not subject to our whims, and seldom appears how and when we expect.

This excursion to Denali was only for the day. We were spending the night at a cabin in Talkeetna, a little backwoods town that serves as an outpost for wilderness recreation. We peered between trees and into the sunset the entire drive home, straining for a glimpse. Even from designated viewpoints along the highway there was no sign of the Mountain. One starts to question, if not its existence, at least its magnitude. (What presumptuous creatures we humans are.)

At dusk as we arrived in Talkeetna, the veil dissolved, and there it was in the fading light, towering even from 100 miles away. Wow. The following morning was perfectly clear and we stared awestruck at the Mountain for awhile on our way out of town. It was plainly visible all the way back to Anchorage. Wow again. Breathtaking.

God hears us, calls us, seeks us. And we are to seek him, not merely in order to confirm his existence or to check it off the list of things to do, but because the rumor of his glory compels us through the journey that is life.

God’s unseen presence does not become more or less real with the changes in our lives. We can put distance between ourselves and God, have our senses cluttered with mundane details that obscure His majesty, or get our perspective distorted by mindset and circumstance. Yet He is there. He reveals Himself according to his perfect timing. We can no more discover God at will than roll back the clouds.

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. . . . Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? . . . Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this.” – Job 38:4,12-13,18

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for.” – Hebrews 11:1-2

Author of the Universe,
Help us to trust and find comfort in your greatness. Heal our fear and confusion, and teach us peace. Give us the strength to be still and know that you are God when our questions have no answers we can understand. Help us open our hearts to wonder and joy. Amen.

Monday, February 18, 2008

Kingdom Prayer

Written by Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero, martyred in 1980 for taking the side of the poor in a U.S.-funded war that killed thousands of peasant civilians in his country.

It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view.
The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts,
it is beyond our vision.

We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of
the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.
Nothing we do is complete,
which is another way of saying
that the kingdom always lies beyond us.

No statement says all that could be said.
No prayer fully expresses our faith.
No confession brings perfection...
No set of goals and objectives includes everything.

This is what we are about:
We plant seeds that one day will grow.
We water seeds already planted,
knowing that they hold future promise.
We lay foundations that will need further development.
We provide yeast that produces effects
beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything
and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.
This enables us to do something and to do it very well.
It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning,
a step along the way,
an opportunity for God's grace to enter and do the rest.

We may never see the end results, but that is the difference
between the master builder and the worker.
We are workers, not master builders,
ministers, not messiahs.
We are prophets of a future not our own.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Made of Petroleum

Question: Which of the following consist of oil and natural gas derivatives?

gasoline
diesel
jet fuel
rocket fuel
heating/cooking fuel (oil and gas)
plastic
styrofoam
paint
solvents
soaps and detergents
dye
synthetic fabrics (acrylic, nylon, polyester . . .)
adhesives (including resins used to make paper)
insulation
ink
toiletries and cosmetics
artificial sweeteners, flavorings, and food coloring
preservatives
synthetic vitamins
tires
asphalt
electronic components
paraffin
pharmaceuticals
herbicides
pesticides
ammonium nitrate (fertilizer, explosives)

Answer: All of the above.

Addictive substances work by mimicking or overriding certain biochemical processes, suppressing and sometimes permanently disrupting normal physiological function until the addict requires for sustenance the very thing causing the degenerative disease. This is exactly what has happened with our society and petroleum. We have forgotten how to live without it, and what we don’t know might kill us. The withdrawal on this one is going to make kicking heroin look easy.

Peak oil will soon be as much of a household term as global warming. The petroleum supply is effectively half gone; projections for the halfway point range from 2005-2030, with general consensus falling closer to 2010. Roughly half of what has been extracted thus far we’ve consumed in the past 20 years. To put that in perspective, petroleum entered the industrial scene in noteworthy quantities around 1900. Demand is increasing exponentially, the supply has just about hit a plateau, and since naturally the oil industry has gone after the good stuff first, what is left will only get harder (more expensive, less energy-efficient, and more ecologically disruptive) to extract and refine. Higher gas mileage and biofuels ain’t gonna cut it, honey. If we distilled and burned the whole world’s food supply it wouldn’t cover even current U.S. demand for the first two things on this list.

That, and the manufacture, use, and disintegration of petroleum products continually release toxins and greenhouse gasses (some of them more potent heat insulators than CO2 by several hundred times per molecule) into the ecosphere. Many of those toxins end up in our bodies by ingestion, inhalation, or absorption, causing a myriad of physical and psychological malfunctions.

Your mission:

Start working on rehab strategies, posthaste. Collect the tools and learn the skills it takes to sustain human life without fossil fuels, giving up petroleum-based products and relying on renewable, non-toxic sources of water, food, clothing, shelter, and fuel. That (and nothing less) is the meaning of sustainable development.

For ideas on how to get started, look up ‘permaculture’. It’s the discipline of designing human habitat according to ecological principles to cut down on unsustainable energy use and waste.

Peace and courage to you, however you may find it. We are in for an interesting ride, to say the least. Carry on!

P.S. Yes, I recognize the irony of posting this on a computer, but I figure from a cost-benefit standpoint I might as well take advantage of the free media outlet while it lasts.

Friday, February 01, 2008

Song: God of Grace and God of Glory

by Harry Emerson Fosdick, from the Covenant Hymnal, #608
God of grace and God of glory,
on your people pour your pow'r;
crown your ancient church's story,
bring her bud to glorious flower.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the facing of this hour, for
the facing of this hour.

Lo! the hosts of evil round us
scorn your Christ, assail his ways!
From the fears tha long have bound us,
free our hearts to thanks and praise.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
for the living of these days,
for the living of these days.

Cure your children's warring madness;
bend our pride to your control;
shame our wanton, selfish gladness,
rich in things and poor in soul.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
lest we miss your kingdom's goal,
lest we miss your kingdom's goal.

Save us from weak resignation
to the evils we deplore;
let the search for your salvation
be our glory evermore.
Grant us wisdom, grant us courage,
serving you whom we adore,
serving you whom we adore.