GrandTetons and quiet time

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Our trip is winding down and we are taking some quiet time in one of my favorite places -- Grant Teton National Park. We are staying at THE HOSTEL at the base of Teton Mountain in Teton Village outside of Jackson Hole.

Yesterday morning we awoke to clouds but dry conditions in Rexburg, ID, but that was shortlived. We weren't more than five miles out of Rexburg heading north toward West Yellowstone when the sky opened up and it began to rain. As we rose in elevation, the clouds became thicker and the rain more steady. By the time we reached West Yellowstone 80 miles later, we were pretty cold. We arrived at 10:00 sharp and walked into a little Baptist church just as the service was starting. I was concerned that we might be under-dressed until I saw the guy giving the announcements. He had a long gray beard down to mid-chest and wore a pair of hiking boots, jeans and a navy blue t-shirt. It wasn't long until I realized he was the pastor. Now this is my kind of church! The guy probably hasn't worn a tie since his last funeral. The service was warm and inviting and as our bodies thawed from the cold ride here, our souls began to thaw in the act of genuine worship. The sermon was biblical, practical and actually covered one of the texts we used as our daily scripture on our journey. I Samuel 16 is when David was anointed by Samuel to become the new king of Israel. The sermon was about our misconceptions about other people as well as our wrong ideas about how God might use us. God is unpredictable and may surprise us in how he might use anyone of us.

After worship we headed down the street for a lunch then headed into the park where we stopped at Old Faithful in time to see it erupt. After some time perusing park literature, we were back on the road heading south toward the south entrance and toward Grand Teton. It rained on and off (the story of the past five days) and the road was difficult and torn up with several delays. Other than the few problems, I will have to day that the ride was gorgeous and enjoyable.

Once inside the Grand Teton National Park, we rode past the familiar sites of Jackson Lake, Jenny Lake and finally toward less familiar territory around Moose. During part of that trip, we actually saw fresh traces of snow alongside the road. We turned onto a little road called Moose Wilson Rd. that wound around and even had a section that was potholed gravel for about a mile. It finally came out at the ski resort, Teton Village, where our reservations had been made a month earlier. We stayed at an older ski lodge called THE HOSTEL with very rustic surroundings but very charming. We had supper at The Mangy Moose and headed back to our room where we relaxed and wrote.

The scripture for today is Acts 1:10-12. The farewell between Jesus and his disciples began back at the closing chapter of John when Jesus approached his disciples who had gone back to fishing after his crucifixion and resurrection. They hadn't caught anything all night so he told them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat. They did and they drew in more fish than the nets could hold. They recognized Jesus and his miracle and they came to shore where they had breakfast together. It was there that Jesus asked Peter, "Peter, do you love me?" Three times Jesus asked and three times Peter responded, "Yes Lord." Each time, Jesus replied with, "Then feed my sheep." Jesus then predicted Peter's martyrdom.

In the opening chapter of Acts, a rendition of the Great Commission is given followed by Jesus ascending into heaven. Now, here is the part I like. They are standing there looking up when an angel appears and asks them, "Why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has ascended and he will return in much the same way he departed" (my paraphrase). I've always liked this text. If the disciples had remained at the point of his ascension, their own ministry would have been one of wondering and waiting. They might have built a shrine on that site. They might have become an "End Times" group who could only talk about the events leading up to his return. They might have taken the words of the angel so literally that they would simply remain at that site and await his return.

But they didn't. They instead went into Jerusalem and began to pray. At the time they were there, the Jewish Feast of Pentecost was going on. While they prayed in an upper room, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they were transformed and changed into on-fire apostles ready to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. Furthermore, they were fulfilling the prophecy Jesus had made in John 14:12 when he said, "Greater things will you do even than what I've done, once I ascend to the father (again, my paraphrase).

The point is very simple. Their journey to Jerusalem and their act of praying was a journey of empowerment and destiny. It is a journey that many of us take. Where is God leading you?

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