I don’t know where to start,,,
I haven’t blogged anything since Easter!
A feel a little bad about that because a lot has happened.
What really triggered my silence was having surgery on my right shoulder. (The arm I strum with)
It was injured in a car crash a little over a year ago.
The 4-6 weeks following the surgery were really difficult.
Not being able to play the guitar, or do even simple tasks like shaving, was REALLY frustrating.
(God showed me I need to work on my patience) LOL
Well it’s been 4 months now and I’ve worked up to playing but the full recovery from this is a long process.
Anyway, during my down time I took the month of July to travel with my wife Rachel and our two daughters. We pulled our camper 8500 miles driving up to British Columbia and back. It was an ambitious undertaking. There were times I asked myself, “What am I doing?!” But I wouldn't trade the time we spent doing that for anything. It was amazing!
We were in a Buffalo stampede! We had Elk, Bison, Foxes, and Grizzly Bears in our camp. We saw glaciers and mountains and SNOW. We saw waterfalls, canyons, geysers, and hot springs.
Seeing God’s creation was at times literally breath taking. Sometimes we had no words but would just sit and stare with our mouths open. It brought me to tears more than once.
I mean, the God who made ALL THAT, also loves and cares about me down to the smallest detail! That’s mind blowing.
We ALSO got to see God’s faithfulness.
In 8500 miles, we had not one dent, scratch, mechanical issue, or tire problems. Not one! It was as if His hand and His angels were all around us. All the time.
I was expecting SOMETHING to go wrong. (I brought enough tools to build another truck!) But NOTHING went wrong.
I kept thinking during this trip that I should be writing songs and working on some new music. But the few times I pulled the guitar out, nothing happened. I had no new musical inspiration. I just wasn’t feeling it.
I felt guilty about this but then I really felt like God was telling me to put it down and just enjoy my family and enjoy being together in these beautiful places.
When I settled into that I began to appreciate what I have. Right now. This moment. These people that I love. I can’t live this moment ever again. This place. At this time. With these people? Who knows how long we have together?
To turn off my busy thoughts and schedules and just enjoy the moment. To enjoy God’s presence and His creation.
That was priceless.
That point was driven home to me even more when I found out that TWO different friends of mine had lost their wives to illness.
I think now I have a new appreciation for how blessed I am.
I want to try harder to:
Be kind. Shine the light. Appreciate the blessings. And love the people around me.
Jesus was once asked, "What is the most important thing to do?"
Matthew 22
37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’