I have never been too keen on climbing mountains as sport or personal recreation. My thinking is if God had intended us to hike up a mountain, God would not have created asphalt roads and motorized vehicles. Although I have been known to walk to the top of a mountain ridge or peak for the view, I enjoy the journey down more. I like the brooks and streams and the shade of large old trees. Yet here I was at the end of July, on a day-long tour of the ruins of Pompeii which included climbing to the top of Mount Vesuvius. My first question was how long has it been since the last eruption? (March 17, 1944)  My next question was how high do we have to climb? (1,000 meters) That did not help at all. Fortunately, the tour bus did take the winding, tiny two-lane asphalt road slowly upward to the passenger drop-off point (which needs a better name).

We were handed little paper tickets, told to look for the tour bus in about 90 minutes, and by the way, restrooms were not available. We smiled grimly. Mountain climbing is not straight up. That 1,000 meters up was a zig-zag path of crushed lava and dust. The temperature was a cloudless 96ᴼ. I pressed on. I started up the quiet volcano with my traveling adventurers Bryan and Deacon Enos. By the time we reached the first switchback rest area, I was feeling weary from the long flight, busy morning, and the altitude. I knew it would be best to go back down and find some shade. On the way down I noticed that an ambulance had quietly pulled up and parked beside the trail. Nice touch. Fortunately no one seemed to need the ambulance while we were there. Bryan and Deacon pressed on near the peak. The top of a volcano looks like a rock-strewn mountain with an edge. We reconnected and headed for the air-conditioned bus. We may have dozed off.

More than two million people, counting on an extensive evacuation plan, live in the shadow of Vesuvius today. I took advantage of my time up there to take in the view of mountains and towns in the valley down to the sea. I thought about mountaintop experiences good and bad, of beautiful times and tragedies mixed all together. It is good to know what mountain you are climbing.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Know your challenges. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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This Reflections was originally written in July 2015.

The little tongue-twisting ditty was a mainstay in high school speech class. It was an exercise in agility and concentration. It warmed the vocal cords and tuned the diction. It prepared us to face the most fear-inducing moment of anyone’s life—giving a speech in front of an audience. Recurring dreams and nightmares are made from speech class. Picture standing in front of a group of your peers, being handed the little card about Betty Bauder and having to read it out loud in front of all of those snickerers.

Betty Bauder bought some butter but she said “The butter’s bitter. If I put it in my batter, it will make my batter bitter; but a bit of better butter—that would make my batter better.” So she bought a bit of butter better than her bitter butter, and she put it in her batter and the batter was not bitter. So ‘twas better Betty Bauder bought a bit of better butter.

But like most budding orators, I wondered about Betty. Who was Betty Bauder and why was she making batter? What was she making that needed fresh batter—a cake, a pie crust, fried chicken? Who tastes the butter before putting it in the batter to know if it’s bitter? Was she able to trade her bitter butter for some better butter at the store? Is this a true story?  What are the theological implications of a better batter? 

I’ve decided the Betty Bauder Story is a parable of preparation. Betty knew it only takes a little bitterness to spoil the whole thing. It’s all about the quality of the ingredients we are pouring into our minds and hearts. If the batter represents the stuff of life, then being ever vigilant to spot the bitter butter in our attitude will foster grace in all of our relationships. “See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.” Hebrews 12:15  Is today’s batter better?

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Use better butter. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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Every great adventure begins with an invitation. Possibly an improbable or unexpected invitation. The invitation may arrive through a still, small voice or a thunderbolt of realization. The invitation is always appealing, risky and costly, although not necessarily financially expensive. The invitation may awaken a long-hidden dream or be a call to action. The invitation always expects a response. Choose wisely, not every invitation to adventure is appropriate or right for you.

Every great adventure is filled with challenges, delays, and frustration. True adventures include wrong turns, dead ends, and anxiety. Setbacks may include deceitfulness, thievery, and jealousy.  You might get sick or injured. You might get separated from others or lost in the crowd. Know who to call and how to call for assistance. Carry contact information so others may help you. Let others help you when you have a need.

Every great adventure is a team effort. Great adventurers share the journey with someone else. Even if you must journey by yourself, others are vitally involved. Others dream with you, plan with you, equip you, and pray for you. Great adventures have interesting characters, encouragers, and overcomers who show up along the journey. Listen to them. Ask directions. Make new friends along the way. Pack light and save room for mementoes. Wear good shoes and take care of your feet. Eat right and wash your hands. Drink lots of good water and breathe deeply every day. Always carry a hat.

Every great adventure ends. Most great adventures end at home. A truly grand adventure gives you a better perspective of yourself and the world. Share your adventure story with others, in moderation. Invite others to share their adventures with you. Together become encouragers to family, friends and neighbors who are embarking on their great adventures of life.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Open your invitation. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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What a day this has been. At one point I thought tomorrow must be Saturday. Today is still Tuesday. I had planned to do other things. I have so many things on my To Do List, I just need to take the time to do what business leaders call a brain dump. A brain dump is the act of emptying your mind of all the stuff you have in your head. The process encourages you to take a legal pad and write down every little thing that you need to accomplish, covering all personal and professional chores. Every nagging deadline plus all the other things you have committed to do for others. Everything until you can think of nothing else—that is until you take a walk around the block. Then do it some more. I find it a helpful way of seeing what is important. 

I once visited a man who was working in his home workshop in the backyard. I noticed his wall calendar was from 1963. Every few years the calendar matched the exact days of the current year. He said that the old calendar was good enough. He was retired. My life does not seem to work that way. I carry a journal with a handy multi-year calendar where I map out future sermons and reminders. I have a calendar in the car to record my daily mileage and note special trips. I work with the church’s master calendar of scheduled events and building usage. I have three electronic calendars for everyday commitments and appointments. Those calendars do not talk easily with each other. So I’m trying to develop a Master Calendar of Everything, but my low-tech self is still trying to schedule a day to start it.  I am still learning to embrace the interruptions of my perfectly planned days. 

I take my clue from Mark chapter 5 which chronicles one day in Jesus’ ministry. His schedule for the day was to take a boat ride across the lake, visit some of the villages, then head back. It turned out to be one crazy day of interruptions “as He was going.” I am also mindful of the story Jesus told of the religious leaders who were too busy, too clean, or too important to stop and help an injured man on the side of the road. They ignored their interruptions and failed to even acknowledge the presenting need. Jesus valued people above schedules, and relationships above calendars. 

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Value the interruptions. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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The Tulsa area continues to deal with the aftermath of what I am calling The Father’s Day Eve Windstorm. Just after midnight that Saturday night, gale force, then hurricane force winds and rain came sweeping across the state. Tulsa recorded Category 2 Hurricane-like straight winds of 90 to 100 m.p.h. The damage has been heartbreakingly sad for the lovers of the hundreds of fallen and broken trees. The trees fell on roofs and fences. Winds tore away chimneys, awnings, metal covers and outbuildings.  Power poles snapped or fell over, pulling other poles and lines nearly to the ground. It took a full seven days for the power to be fully restored. This level of destruction has not been seen here since the great Ice Storm of 2007. Looking over the damage to the trees, I noticed many of the large broken trunks were hollow or rotted inside. Others, that were completely blown over, exposed the earth underneath and their shallow root system. There is a sermon illustration from this event about people needing deep roots and solid faith that I may have to preach one day. 

This all brings to mind the story of a famous elderly violin maker from the last century who took his apprentice on a long journey to get some wood to make more violins. They began by walking through a forest of rich and stately trees. The apprentice spotted the perfect tree, but the violin maker said, Not yet. Soon they started up the mountainside which was covered with tall pines and oaks. Surely one of these thought the young man. Not yet. As they climbed higher and higher up the mountain the trees began to be fewer and shorter. There’s a good one over there, said the old man.  The apprentice did not think it looked good at all. He asked, “Why this one? Why not a bigger, taller one like back in the forest?” The violin maker replied. These trees up here have weathered the storms. They’ve faced bitter winds and snow and even drought. They will not break under the pressure of bending their wood. These trees, made stronger through adversity, will make the most beautiful music.

I have heard that some insurance adjustors are cautioning home and business owners to wait until September before replacing their roof. They are predicting more severe weather is coming this summer. It may just be they are trying to spread out the insurance recovery costs. I do know more adversity will come our way, so let’s make the most beautiful music we can together.

Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. Weather the storms. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.

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