July 21, 2010

7-21-10 Wednesday, 5:30 am Grayrock Dr., Springfield MO; 76, humid, dark.

It is so good to be home with Audrey. One of the values of camping is the appreciation gained for regular life. I appreciate the washing machine which is currently cleaning my jeans and tee shirts. The air conditioning is marvelous, the electric coffee maker and the entire kitchen make life so much simpler. The toilet, the garage, the bed, the pet cats, all take on new value compared to the experiences of camping in the woods alone.

I awoke at 3:50 this morning, and made myself lie in bed until 4:50. A line of a song was stuck in my head, and I do not know why, as I have not listened to music in a while. It was from “The Piano Man”, and the line was “the waitress is practicing politics while the businessman slowly gets stoned...”

I learned last night from Meredith Harper that Ben Birdsong collapsed on the tennis courts yesterday and died. He is the station manager at The Wind, and Chalmer’s boss. Ben had taken me to lunch, with Chalmer a year ago, and we have had several conversations over the last couple of years. I really liked him, there was depth and grace flowing from him. Ben was about my age. This sudden death has caused me to contemplate eternity, the brevity of life, and the unpredictability of change. Sitting in the woods I observed a couple of standing dead trees. I do not know why they died. The previously unfortunate saplings that where growing underneath their canopy suddenly have a bright future.

I am also reminded to make sure my “affairs are in order”. I said to Audrey last night that there if I die suddenly, there is no unfinished business, I am ready to go at any time. She replied that she knew this, and of all people, she knew I would have no regrets at death. I did ask her to make sure my journal gets placed in an archive somewhere, and I need to gather up all the parts in a more manageable whole. It also occurred to me that if I would have died while camping, my family would have had a hard time figuring out how to send someone to check on me. I need to leave more clear instructions the next time I head to that piece of property called “Baxter Pines”.

Romans 7

Verse 4 “…. In order that [we may bear fruit] (one word in the greek – karpothorasomen). We have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that we may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God.

This summarizes my goal for my fall sermon series – cultivating a fruitful life, which will be based on bishop Schnase’s new book, and also on insights from Steve Rankin’s unpublished manuscript (with his permission of course). Thank you Lord for this succinct summary, in the midst of Paul’s detailed and complete argument. Guide me as I live into this truth, seeking to bear fruit in may life, as I seek to define it, describe it, demonstrate it, and delight in your purposes for your people who are growing in your likeness.