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Sunday, August 22, 2010

Warning: Road Closed Ahead

I have long marveled at the people that call themselves "storm chasers." The people that literally abandon everything the minute that a storm breaks that will spawn tornadoes. They hear its call, and must follow. To some they might appear reckless and insane ... but I understand their draw. I, too, am a chaser. I chase sunsets. I have for years. I watch the clouds in the afternoon build and my heart races. I speculate about what colors will be spayed out upon them and just how grand the sunset will be. I pre-plan a plan of attack and wait for the sun to bid its farewells for the day ... anticipating anxiously that moment when I can chase the color and capture it with my camera.

Today was such a day. The clouds were perfect ... the conditions were right ... I just knew that there was going to be a great sunset ... and there was. The only problem was that the sun has begun to set earlier and earlier and I was about 5 minutes late in leaving my house. Like any of the famed tonado chasers on T.V. I sped down the road to my predetermined spot to take the picture, watching the light dim, the colors intensify ... knowing that I might just miss its creciendo ... praying (literally) that God might just hold it a minute longer for me ... allowing me to capture the beauty that what was making my heart race. I hit every green light. My chances seemed good. I had my camera in my free hand, and was feeling pretty confident that I would indeed make it. That is until I drove up upon a sign complete with flashing lights that said: "Street Closed." Really? For real?

I paniced for a moment ... glanced at the sun's farewell display which was just peaking. What was I to do? I was temped to drive around the road closre sign. My "spot" was within sight. My only other option was to take the detour through the housing subdivision to my right. Where would it lead? I did not know. But, I did know that the sunset was minutes away from over, so I took it. Driving down the road ... my eyes watching the light fade ... the urgency in my herat pounding ... I came out on a street that runs through my neightborhood as well and turned west. Within minutes, the road ended smack dab into a huge dirt field ... the perfect spot to shoot sunsets. Nothing from me to the mountains to break the scence. I pulled into the edge of the field and jumped out of my car only to realize that the most spectacular moment of the sunset was indeed over. Now based upon my description of my passion you might imagine that I was creastfallen ... that I view the chase as a failure ... but it was actually a win. You see I found the perfect spot. The spot that I will return to the next time that the sunset draws me to it. It is perfect. It is mine.

Driving home I began to realize that there is a life reminder in what happened tonight. You see there are so many times in life that we run into road blocks. Times when we are on a set course and God throws up a barricade that stops us in our tracks and redirects us. We have a choice to make when this happens though ... we can turn around and backtrack ... we can go around the road block and continue on the same path ... or we can let go and follow the detour path that God has provided us and in doing so find that what He has for us is so much better in the long run than what we had started out chasing. Thank you Lord for the reminder ... may I always face the detours with the same enthisiasm as the journey that led me to it.

With that said, I could not resist sharing some other sunset and cloud pictures that I did chase down on other days in the last week ... I do so love chasing ...

Lisa

















Tuesday, August 3, 2010

A Few Poetic Words

Wow, it has been awhile. I have never taken such a long break from my blog ... and I can't help but wonder if there will still be anyone that comes to check in. :) So, if you are reading this, thank you for coming back. Sorry, I have been gone for such a long time!

It has been an amazing summer. God and I have been working on learning what one on one time means. I have run the gambit of feelings ... from loneliness to excitement ... and have learned so much. Those lessons though are for another day, as I am still in the process of putting to words what I am learning.

One thing that this time has done was awakened the poet within me ... and that is what I thought I would share today.

Today's poem is about coming home to God ... about realizing that I was a weary traveler ... feet dusty ... legs tired ... yearning for home.


Welcome Me Home

Here I am
once again
returning to you
a child of sin

Tired of wandering
longing for home
returning to the place
where all is known

Wrap your arms around me
call me your own
as I run towards you
welcome me home

Splay my heart open
just lay it all out
search every part
leave no room for doubt

Call me by name
make me your own
as I run towards you
welcome me home

Lay my life open
wash my soul clean
teach me to serve you
to know what that means

Take all my burdens
as I lay them down
to honor the one
who's head bore the crown

Wrap your arms around me
call me your own
as I run towards you
welcome me home

-Lisa 2010

From time to time each of us will wake up to find ourselves far away from home. As humans, we are prone to wander, and there are so many roads that tempt us to follow them. Maybe that is you right now. Maybe, like me, you have been caught up in the hectic pace of modern life and simply fall further and further away from God because you don't make time to spend one on one time with your Father. Days lead to weeks, and weeks to months ... and before you know it you are feeling disconnected and alone. Maybe it is something else. Maybe it is something completely different. Whatever it is, the amazing thing is that our Father is waiting right at our side for us to turn around. Notice that I said, "right by our side." You see, although the prodigal son had to walk all the way home to his father's house ... our Father is only a heartbeat away from us ... no matter how far we think we have gone. So, if this is a time like that for you ... just stop walking. Seek God. Ask Him to welcome you home ... home is closer than you think.

Lisa