Oh S__T!

We own a 13 year old dog named Maxwell who has to be one of the greatest dogs of all time. He is obedient, smart, sensitive, and fun. As he is getting up there in age, I dread the day we have to put him down. I have had a lot of good dogs and he has to be the best. Max does not do a lot wrong.



One day Deb saw something on the kitchen floor and went to pick it up thinking it probably was a piece of food. The reaction and horror set in then when she realized that it was poop. Her reaction in a loud voice was OH SHIT! I had to use the exact word in this family friendly blog because no other word could say it in this case. She quickly through the poop where it belonged and washed her hands as fast as she could. Me - I had to avoid the process of snickering. Our dog rarely poops in the house so this was unexpected, an anomaly. 

My dad once owned a dog Xena which was completely incontinent. That dog routinely pooped on the carpet. When we visited them, you really had to watch where you were stepping. My dad would rise early in the morning searching for poop to pick up. It was so routine that on occasion we would catch him picking up the new found poop with his bare hands.

Sin should horrify us just like the reaction Deb had. Horror should be quick and confession should immediately follow. But too often we let in become a routine part of our lives like the situation my dad was in. Crap has so pervaded our lives that it has become routine. If it is routine, then it becomes part of us so easily. While God has promised to forgive us of sin (1 John 1:9), sin routinely confessed becomes besetting sin. That is, the impact of confession is like the routine of crap pick up. It does not restore us to the place and standing we are in Christ.

So what? What is the impact? A life that is unfulfilled, a fellowship that is broken with God and others, a lack of joy, a slavery to sin. You cannot make sin routine and expect that God will use your life to the fullest. Let sin horrify you and break your heart. Let God wash over your sin completely. Let God transform you to what you truly are in Jesus Christ.

The Towpath Diaries: Rest

Some people use the Towpath for nice, slow leisurely walks or as a social time. Some people use the Towpath to take pictures of the scenery or the wildlife. Many people use the Towpath as a path for exercise. The Towpath supports all of those. But there are also places where you can stop and enjoy the beauty of this place. I like to stop and observe the people fishing in the Cleveland Metroparks.

Yesterday, I was up in this area as it was just a beautiful day. I stopped around this same area and just meditated on its tranquil beauty. Usually I have my tunes on but it was best at the time to take the headphones off and just listen. Much of this area in the Cleveland area of the Metroparks is industrial, but yet it still is spectacular.  There is a place where a railroad bridge spans high above and I like to just listen to the sounds of the train as it goes by.

But without a doubt, my favorite place of rest is the town of Peninsula, population 565. Peninsula sits in the middle of the national park. It has two stop lights, a bunch of little shops, two restaurants, and Century Cycles. At one point, it was a bustling canal boat stop—home to several mills, stone quarries and boat yards, five hotels and 14 bars until 1887. You can still see the remnants of multiple factories in Peninsula. Over 20 places are listed in Peninsula from the National Landmark of Historic Places. I always find the name rather odd as it isn't a true peninsula. One of my favorite memories is when we had an office in Peninsula.

Deb and I occasionally would take a bike ride and we would stop at the Winking Lizard and have lunch. Usually we would have something that would just sit heavy in our stomach like a burger which did not help the rest of our ride. But boy it tasted good going down.

Rest is a word embedded in the Bible. God rested on the seventh day (Gen. 2:2). Was He worn out and needed the break? No, He was establishing a pattern for the work cycle. We can't just work, work, work without taking time to stop, pause, and reflect. That is what God was doing; reflecting on the creation that He had just made.

Rest is also a word used to describe the endless ceasing of works to try to establish ourselves as good in front of a holy and righteous God and other people. Unlike the temporary rest of stopping from labor, this is a permanent rest. I think of someone who is endlessly striving to exercise to keep their body in tip-top shape. But no matter how much you exercise, you can't stop the cycle of bodily degeneration. It is a striving that is useless (I am not against exercise, believe me). Jesus said you can enter into His rest (Matthew 11:28-29) which means the permanent rest that comes from believing in the grace of God through Jesus. The concept of rest is a theme repeated and expanded in Hebrews 4.

The process of rest is still purposeful. Deb's folks had a sign at their summer cottage which said "Come and rest awhile". It is an invitation. You have to come and take what is already yours for the taking. We feel good when we offer to do the dishes after a meal and the host or hostess just says "I've got it, just rest". But we have to accept the invitation to rest. Are we prepared to do this?

The Towpath Diaries: The Valley

The Towpath Trail winds along the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The valley is a gently rolling ride with few hills. We live in Brecksville so it is always nice to get to the trail - it is a fairly steep ride down.  The problem is pretty much no matter where you live, you have to go back up from the valley (unless you live in Peninsula - more on that next week) to go back home. When we lived in Aurora, there weren't too many steep hills where we lived. When we moved to Brecksville, it became a much tougher adjustment to conquer hills. Even today, I had a heck of a time getting back up the hills to get home. Nice going out, tougher coming back. Muscles ache, trouble catching breath. 

I remember cycling with the more devoted cyclists from Christ Community Chapel. They had a day where they would cycle in and out of the valley seven times to train. Not for me - I prefer flat. Nevertheless to get to the nice ride down Riverview Rd. or the Towpath, it requires a climb back.

Valleys are like that - we wonder how we got there. And yet there we are anyway. Valleys are especially tough because the way back out almost seems insurmountable. Sometimes sin puts me in the valley. Sometimes it seems like a vicious attack from the evil one who loves to attack us at our weakest most vulnerable moment. Inevitably, a valley precedes a moment of summit. God is training us to rely on Him to carry us out of the valley. One of my favorite Psalm is the 23rd Psalm. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me. Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.". 

One of the things someone taught me to get out of the valley is to set small goals. Get to the next plateau, go 20-50 yards, but keep moving. Today, I was climbing out of the valley and the last few hills did me in because the obstacle looked too menacing. I did not apply that principle. Recently, I felt completely in the valley and I was having pity party after pity party. Then I blamed God - how could you do this to me? I have found that this principle of focusing on the next thing is really more  a matter of living life day by day. Don't get overwhelmed. Jesus said, "Do not be anxious".  Paul said "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." 

I have found that God does not resent requests for "fleece" moments. This follows the pattern of Gideon in the book of Judges. God shows Gideon His presence through little answers to prayer. For me, it might be showing me the power of trials, it might be showing me that what I expected is not what God expected, or that relationships matter more than circumstances.

Inevitably, valleys are a means to strengthen us and toughen us up. More importantly, it is a means to fully trust God who always wants what is best for us. Do we trust him?