Snow and Wind!

Complaining and experiencing the presence of God cannot exist together.  If we are complaining, we are exiting the presence of God and His help and His miracles and His blessing. 

We’re in Texas right now. A lot of people are whining. Some have it hard, this is true. And their situation needs help.  But many are suffering very little and whining a lot…wifi out or maybe needing to gather some snow for toilet times…Most are missing the blessings that could be there.

Renita and I just went out for a walk and surprise, no one at all was outside in a quite beautiful snowfall and there are hundreds of homes with every car in the driveway all around us.

I’ve noticed through the years that when there are beautiful sunrises in beautiful places like Yosemite or Zion National Park, there are very few, if any, people outside enjoying those times with the Lord. I’ve come to the conclusion that many folks seriously need to up their adventure index and live a lot more. 

We love to take Japanese students on trips to exceptionally beautiful places like the Grand Canyon and the wilds of Utah. In our adventures, which often number 80 people, 20 or so Japanese teens and 60 of us, we have some really wonderful troopers. 

We encounter all kinds of difficulties and everyone pulls together and the dads and moms and young adults and kids look at things with cheerful attitudes. The Lord helps us conquer difficulties and we have some of the happiest, most extraordinary times on earth. 

One time we were camping at Zion National Park next to a beautiful little river. Around 5pm, we were slammed by a 70 mile-per-hour wind that decked every one of our tents and nearly flipped our tent trailers. 

The blast lasted ten minutes. Afterward, after a lot of “Wow! That was crazy’s”, all the families cheerfully roused themselves and popped camp back together. We were laughing over the wildness of what we just rolled through. 

At one point I grabbed a crazy Japanese teen who was mesmerized by how much the huge cottonwood trees overhead were swaying under the force of the winds. He was right in position to be squashed. I grabbed my half-thinking adventurer and pulled him out of harms way as I heard him excitedly chattering, “Just like in the movies!” I was proud of my wild one…he just needed a little more sense.

The crazy wind hit again 45 minutes later, this time with more fury than the first time. It lasted for ten minutes and completely destroyed our camp–even bending many  tent poles,

I knew it was time to jump ship.

I checked around Springdale, the adorable little town at the entrance of Zion and found that they had 7 cabins that we could rent. I pulled the kids out and many families joined us. 

We made the move and were hunkered down in our darkened cabins. (The power was blown out) I was discouraged…not complaining, discouraged. I had hoped for a great meeting that night with our ten guitarists in the beautiful outdoors that evening. 

I got a call. It was Steve, a really great friend and wonderful helper on the trips. He was all about praising the Lord and making the most of opportunities He gives.

“Hey Don,. We’re up here by the cliffs in this amazing town park. It’s got a gazebo, great trees, lawns and benches. This is a GREAT place for the evening meeting. We’ve got the lanterns up and the guitars warming up. Bring everyone up. The weather is perfect. Clear as a bell, the stars shining bright and warm as can be!”

I was so grateful for my friend. 

We headed up and had one of the most special meetings of our 35 years of doing Big Trips. Some kids accepted the Lord and we worshipped and sang and heard some pretty special messages in one of those high experiences of a lifetime.

One message from the Lord that came home to me was an especially beautiful one. 

“Help others as I have helped you to come out of their discouragements and their defeats and their fears to experience the adventures I have for them.”

I was helped by Steve that night. And I’ve had the great privilege of extending help like that to others. Key is not complaining, but seeking to make the most of every opportunity, just like Jesus did.

What a blessing!

“Do all things without complaining or arguing so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world…" - Philippians 2:14-15