Seeking Solitude in Plain Sight

Posted on by Gary Fultz
Solitude

 Auras of mystery surround places of solitude. The very word fills pages of novels, entices the busy, and secretes fear into the lost. Solitude hides a secret ingredient in the discovery of inner peace. She whispers of fulfilled longings and whisks sweet fantasies into the souls of dreamers.

Solitude begs the wilderness to conspire. “Let the open places call and the forests invite the seeker”. No answer is heard as nature awaits it’s own peace.

Seekers reach for solitude. I slid the canoe into the water quietly at 4:30 am in the Boundary Water Canoe Area Wilderness. Getting away from camp for my own sense of solitude. 3 portages, a river, and part of a floating bog later I was met by the early morning sunrise on Sema Lake. Crystal clear calm water looked like I was floating on air 40 feet above the rocky lake bottom. It was that moment when I realized that being totally alone without anyone knowing where, did not give me the solitude I was seeking. Only God knew where I was and only His peace could fill me. Of all the places in the world to discover the place of solitude was on the inside. How ironic to find one must be still and get alone when they are already alone. Even more to find out one can be still and utterly alone in the middle of a a busy city (although a park bench might keep us from getting run over).

     Solitude is not found in the rocks, trees, skies, or seas. She hides in plain sight while we are distracted by all that surrounds us.Just the fact that we are searching is a seductress. Could it be that solitude is always there waiting for us to slip away from all our distractions into the quiet place of our own heart?

   Beware of seeking solitude for solitude’s sake for it is a trysting place. A place to meet with the lover of our soul. A place to know the depths of God’s desires for our heart. A place to listen for Gods voice and bare your soul without uttering a word. 
Learn how to practice the the discipline of Solitude wherever you are. Psalm 46: 10 Be still and know that I am God. Could it be that easy?

                  You don’t have to get to the mountain top to find solitude

Get alone anyway

 
For in depth information on the discipline of solitude read Jan Johnsons writings and her sources she uses on this little used but necessary ingredient for growth in our walk with God.

What does alone time look like for you? Do you have a trysting place?Please share in the comments at the bottom

Gary 

Unswerving, An Intentional Journey

Posted on by Gary Fultz

morning-devotion-unswerving-eml

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23

Teen wilderness canoe trip day 2.

Nine of us woke up before daylight, ate an instant breakfast, packed up our camp and began the longest day of any wilderness trip I have ever led. It was a day representing life. Mostly great mixed with pain tainted moments. Every teen ended up crying at some point before we set up camp in the dark. We crossed through two large bays into a fast-flowing river. By noon we had found a rocky island in the little river. A beautiful little place to stretch and eat something. We didn’t know this was a potentially deadly place. How could we?

I remember three things. Lunch was really good and the pop-up storm that hit without warning was really harsh. It was such a nice day that most of us had their raingear packed on the bottom of our huge packs. Lightening was continuous and close. I encouraged everyone to stand on a rock under small trees and not touch a tree or the roots. I was talking with two teens and then one just disappeared in the wicked storm. Evidently, he was standing in a puddle of water when lightning struck a tree about 50 yards away. We found him on the ground with no ability to speak or move in the harsh rain. Gradually his neurons and muscles started working. When he could finally move and talk, we were able to get him into a canoe when he was stable enough not to tip over the edge. We were a day’s travel to the nearest vehicle. It seemed best to find a place to camp. 9 miles later we found a campsite in the dark. “Grateful” was no longer a surface word for any of us that night. We didn’t know there would be a harder day ahead. How could we?

We all push out from shore each day to navigate life. Constantly reacting or making adjustments to the weather and seasons, we navigate life as a canoeist navigates a winding wilderness river. Deadheads, sandbars, rocks, rapids, sink holes, log jams and a host of unseen dangers blend with the beauty while the currents push us around the next corner.
I know something about swerving. I have an aversion to obstacles in life while my canoe seems to seek the unseen and unavoidable things. I also know something about studying the river ahead with a diligent eye, at least until I get distracted or get lulled into complacency. I have a lot of experience dumping the canoe, patching another hole, getting back in and shoving off into the current. I know I know…It’s my life, my canoe and like you I didn’t choose the river or the obsticles.
gary-on-jesus-rock-eml

I know of many who seem content to make camp and never go further down the river spiritually. Some of my friends stand on their last wreck and demand that God apologize and explain why he does not remove the rocks we wreck upon in life.

It is my prayer that at the end of life, we will have a ton of stories to tell forever. Getting to where I want to be forever is an intentional journey. Jesus not only has the map, He ran the river and made the map. He says, “follow me”.

Gary

Dad Parent, Dad Friend

Posted on by Gary Fultz

“Would you be my Dad?”

Father Son

I stared down at this 13 year old asking me to be his dad. He was serious. I scrambled for words that would straighten out his world a little bit and yet not let him down too far. Both parents worked and his dad seemed to either be gone driving truck or home sleeping. I guess I was Bret’s only adult friend.

I have a hard fought and practiced skill in talking to perfect strangers and being their friend, if only for 30 seconds in the grocery store line. I intentionally practice this skill to this day. It’s easier if they are wearing fishing or hunting T-shirt.

Bret wandered by my house several times a day it was not long in saying Hi and smiling. This led him into my garage to help fix the car or hook up the boat and do a lot of talking about Bret. There was a lot bottled up inside this little man and I merely popped the top off the bottle.

I probably knew more about Bret’s interests, friends, hopes and dreams in a few encounters than his parents or siblings. He met our family in the yard over a homemade ice cream cone and I began to bring him home so he would not stay at our house too long. I was beginning to be his parent teaching him values, time management (“time to get home Bret”) and drawing lines (“do you want to become like your friend Jack? I could visit you behind bars on Thursdays!”). Bret was learning how to think and make decisions on a junior high level. I like to think I took off his training wheels in that department.

I have a dad (and mom) who knew how to be Dad as Parent and Dad as friend. The relationship was intentional, planned and well executed from the cradle through college. As time went on Dad and Mom prayed very hard for wisdom beyond what they could muster for all seven of their kids (That is probably why we survived some of our choices). Dad was pure parent until age 12 when he began to take his hands off my decision making steering wheel. I had to begin making choices and be responsible for them. There was plenty of talk time about those little choices and how I would have much bigger ones as I aged. I was responsible for choices and reaped the consequences (good or bad) in chores, handling money, school sports and even developing my own personal quiet time with God.

Over an ice cream cone, I told Bret that as the oldest, his parents were really trying hard to make a home for him and his siblings. When his dad was gone he was man of the house and they needed him to mow the grass, help his mother with the house and maybe make some of his own money mowing the neighbor’s lawns and doing odd jobs for people. I also told him that his dad needed him to be his friend. “Talk to him, find out his hopes and dreams, ask how you can help be the man of the house when he is gone”.

Bret was quiet when I took him home. I suspect Bret made some choices after that day. He did not roam the neighborhood as much. I had turned him down as dad. I suspect good came of this odd friendship as Bret’s mom was driving by one day and stopped at the end of our short drive. “I just have to say thank you for being Bret’s friend”. We moved not long after.

Wherever you are Bret, I hope you have learned how to be a Dad Parent and a Dad Friend to your kids. I also hope you have developed a relationship with the God of the universe like we talked about.

GaryD

A link to my favorite blog about our growing up years “From Whence We Came”

Manning Up Gods Way

Posted on by Gary Fultz

snake
My grand daughters is not afraid of snakes…we should take lessons

It started in the Garden of Eden. We can blame the snake but our motives, words and actions loudly shout to the rest of the world if we are truly followers of Jesus. The problem is that much of the world seems confused over what following Jesus looks like including His followers. I include myself here.

I was minding my own business, I thought, attempting to sing some new song along with the worship band in church “He is Lord” Umm…let’s talk about that.

    I physically trembled, tears came and I quit singing as random everyday life s

Subjects flittered (in a millisecond it seemed) through my mind. Three words in the middle of the song and I came undone. My “Christian” friends are typical people.

    Driving: A highway Patrol friend saying “sooner or later everyone in the church will be a customer, and they all have an excuse”. There is something wrong here! Don’t they know obedience? (Romans 13:1)

    Work: An employee friend telling me he would do an extra job but not for me or the company but for himself only. This is his common unhappy response. I watch “Christian” people subtly steal time, talent and resource from the company. Don’t they know they are working for Jesus? (Colossians 3:23)

    Marriage: A friend saying to me “I’m not happy, it’s my wife’s fault. All she does is play computer games and Facebook”. Sorry guy but take the lead, she is waiting for you to Love her in your retirement (Ephesians 5:28-33)

    Prayer: All the times I have heard “it’s too personal”. Wow, what a privilege to have an audience with God, you know the author of the universe who invites us into a most intimate relationship that we were created to have. (Philippians 4:6-7)

    Scripture Reading: “I’m too busy”, “I don’t get into reading”, “I listen to Christian music”, and “I figure the pastor will tell me what I need to know”. OK, can I interpret that as “I’m too busy and important to read instructions from the King of the universe about whom I am, who and whose I should be and how I should handle life.(Hebrews 11:6)

A myriad of thoughts flew by but one remained to become a prayer, I suspect the Holy Spirit got my attention; “God help us all. We need revival in this land”.

When He is Lord: “If my people who are called by my name shall… (Can you complete the sentence?). “If I be lifted up from the earth I will draw… (Look this one up if you do not know what Jesus said).

Action: Start by looking up all the “one another” passages. This is only a start of how we should think and act as followers of Jesus.

We are on 24/7 full display by the way (Hebrews 12:1-2) There are witnesses.

Gary D