Someone stole Sand

Yes, its true. Someone stole sand down in Cancun. You can check out the post at http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_MEXICO_BEACH_CLOSURE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-07-31-07-04-58

I understand how vacationing in big business down in Mexico, and without the pristine sand beaches, then tourism would shrink. The world economy is hurting, and it has gotten down to people stealing sand. Yes, sand.

I am not one to spend my vacations on pure white beaches...my sparkling white skin does not really allow it, but I can understand the attraction. The ocean calls certain people, like a beacon people flock to the beach. What surprises me is how easily we get caught up in our business.

Imagine owning a hotel. You rely on people traveling from all over the world to come to your little paradise of a vacation spot and then all of a sudden a neighbor comes and sucks away the attraction to your business.

Many of us are getting the sand sucked out from underneath our feet. The economy is rough. No doubt. People are go so far as to steal sand to make sure their life work continues on...and many of us are wondering, when will this end?

I wonder though, how many of us are learning great lessons during this time? Money is not coming in for many folks the way it once did. What is that teaching us? Living in the United States, we are blessed. We are the richest country in the world and now that our economy is not as bright, many of our lives are not looking as glamorous. Going out to eat is not as plentiful. That new flat screen is just not possible now. Maybe we have lost our house. Or our car. Some of us have some real debt that is piling up.

Regardless of how you view the bailout, the war or any other of the hot topic issues in our life today, our world is looking a little different.

I would contend that what is really being challenged is our priorities. What is really important in our life? Is it our car? Is it our house? Is it our vacations? Is it sand? Is it God?

Our economy is asking us...what do we truly value?

Grace and Peace!
Micah

A Pilgrim

Prayer is one of those concepts that is so hard to practice and yet so easy for us to do. Simply, it is talking to God. It is a conversation. It is a chair set out and a back and forth between two people...well, one person and one God.

Over the past few weeks, I have been reading and thinking about a new book. It's called The Way of a Pilgrim. This is a story of an anonymous pilgrim in Russia who is challenged by the concept of ceaseless prayer. A gem of a story, this book has challenged and pushed me to move deeper with prayer.

Set in 19th century Russia, the reader learns of a disabled wanderer who is on a constant pursuit of a deep spiritual life through prayer. He prays the Jesus Prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner," over and over.

At the beginning of chapter two, this pilgrim writes, "So I set out on my journey to Siberia and I continued to recite the Jesus Prayer vocally. After some time I felt that the Prayer was somehow entereing the heart by itself. The words of the Prayer seemed to be formulated according to the rhythm of the heartbeat, that is (1) Lord, (2) Jesus, (3) Christ, etc. I stopped vocalizing the Prayer and began to listen attentively as the heart spoke, and I remembered the words of my late elder in describing this joy. Then I felt a slight pain in the heart and such love toward Jesus Chrsit that I wished I could throw myself at His feet, lovingly embrace them, and thank Him for this great consoloation which He gives in His mercy adnd love to His unworthy and sinful creatures through His name." (17)

It is easy for us to sit before a meal and prayer, or two bow our heads during a worship service, but to grow into a life of ceaseless prayer really takes a lifetime. In this auto-biography, I have been challenged to go deeper. I have heard the words of Paul before, to pray without ceasing, but to live this Jesus prayer, to have it echo throughout all of my being in every action and thought and even in every heartbeat...wow, that takes work.

Still, I am on this journey.

From resting, to cooking, to playing a game, God is a deeply woven into all that we do. Prayer is our story of hearing, breathing and acting into all that God has for us.

Grace and Peace!

Micah

Vacation

I am hanging out in Tennessee for awhile. It should look a little something like this. Check back in a bit for some updates :!