Close to the Tracks

"These people draw near to Me with their mouth,
And honor Me with their lips,
But their heart is far from Me.
And in vain they worship Me,
Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men." (Matthew 15:8-9 NKJV)

I have always been fascinated by big machines. I think most young boys are attracted to them, or at least in my memory it seemed like most of us were. Today, children have so much to divert their attention that it’s harder to say what will cause them to dream big dreams or imagine wide landscapes.

When I was very young, we lived in the country and most of my time was spent alone or with my mom. Then, when I was two and half, my brother came along but he wasn’t any fun for another two years so I had lots of time to learn to play alone. One of the highlights of my young life was when the road-scraper (that’s what we called it ‘cause that’s what it did) came down the gravel road we lived on. I would run almost all the way out to the end of our dirt driveway to watch it come by. It was huge! Or at least it seemed that way to me. I thought driving a road-scraper must be about the most fun job in the world. Lately, I’ve readjusted my thinking and there are a couple of positions that might be a little more challenging but back then – that was a big machine to a little boy and it seemed like a big responsibility.

That’s also the way trains made me feel! If we would catch a train at a railroad crossing, especially if we happened to be the first car, it always felt like the train was extremely powerful and it seemed like it was going so fast that it would just suck our car right onto the tracks! Did you ever experience that? We would count the cars and wait for the caboose and most of the time the men who rode the caboose would wave at us. We always thought it was really nice of them to wave at us because we knew they had really important jobs and we were just regular people. I thought it would be awfully exciting to ride up in the engine or the caboose and get to go to all the wonderful places the train was headed to! Trains were amazing.

But there's another thing I noticed about trains. Besides seeming awfully powerful, they were loud! As a young boy, the train was one of the loudest noises I had ever heard. The sound they made seem to move the earth!

Well, I’ve recently had a refresher course in trains! Some of you may know that we just moved back to Thomasville. We moved into a beautiful little house that's brand new. We are the first people to live in it and it is wonderful! I think we are really going to like it but there is one thing that really got our attention. There’s a railroad track about fifty yards from our back door. At least every two hours a train goes by. Sometimes they pass after only a fifteen minute interval. While there have been a lot of improvements to trains in the last fifty years, one thing is still very true and I have been reminded how true it is! Trains are still loud!

I'm sure that isn't news to most of us but, living close to the tracks like we are, we have come to realize something profound! When you live close to the tracks, you can hear the train!

Maybe that's what Jesus was wanting us to understand. When we live close to God, we can hear Him when He speaks to us! I know that's something I need. Maybe I just need to make sure I'm living close to the tracks!

Musings from the Wilderness

"The LORD knows the way through the wilderness,
all I have to do is follow."

Remember that song? It was one of the choruses we used to sing when I was a kid. We don't sing it that much any more but it's still a good one because it reminds us that when we don't know the way, God does and our only responsibility is to follow.

My wife reminded me of that today.

We were having devotions and were talking about a tough decision that we are facing. I told her I wished I knew what to do and she gave me that wise, wifey look and quipped, "The LORD knows the way through the wilderness!"

My immediate response was to express how comforted I was by the fact that the LORD knows the way through the wilderness. It took a real load off my mind to realize that if the LORD ever has problems negotiating His way through the wilderness, my mind can rest easy, He knows the way! But I was still a little worried that I didn't know the way through the wilderness!

Sometimes, it seems like our problem isn't so much that we're unsure God knows the way as it is that we're a little concerned He may not be in a sharing mood! Sometimes, it feels like He is just letting us wander around out there in the land of indecision (better known as the wilderness)!

And then, at times, it seems like I can hear a conspiratory whisper, "Why don't you do what you think is best, Mark?"

Now, I know that voice! I quickly remind myself that my crystal ball is cracked and cloudy and even if I should one day find it to be working, God has already explained to me that tomorrow isn't my territory. He has exclusive rights on all my tomorrows and He alone knows what they hold. So, I know God isn't asking my opinion! He doesn't need me exercising my initiative, even based on the sum total of my vast experience! There's enough trouble in the world already!

Still, what should I do? I can't just camp out here, LORD! So, I find myself looking at my options or at least, looking at all the ones I can think of! Should I do this? What about that? If I do that, maybe this will happen... Or, if I do this, maybe that will happen...

In the middle of my hot, sandy, rocky wilderness, as I cast about for direction, as I cry out again and again, my voice echoes back to me...

"What should I do, LORD?"

In a brief quietness, between all the shouting, He whispers.

"Wait."

Darn. I hate it when He does that! I guess I ought to go ahead and set up camp. By the way, remind me to keep a look out for either a cloud or a pillar of fire...

A New Friend

After a morning meeting, I decided to visit the new bagel shop in town for a cup of coffee. They had those coffee dispensers and it was self serve so I helped myself to a cup of their regular brew and went and sat down. It was kind of slow when I went in so I started talking to one of the owners (or at least, one of the family that owns it). He was a guy about 67 and he said this was something he did to help the family (I think his nephew was the owner) but you could tell he also enjoyed it. He was originally from Long Island and had just settled here in Sanford (NC).
We talked for a few minutes and then he had to wait on another customer. I noticed a guy come in with a Dell t-shirt on and I was interested in whether he was working for them or not. He unloaded his briefcase and a newspaper at a table and went to the counter to order. I could tell he was familiar with how to order bagels so I thought he must have been from up north or south Florida. He ordered an "everything" bagel with lox and cream cheese with tomato and red onions. Had to be a New York connection!
Well, to make a long story short, we struck up a conversation. I was partly right. He was originally from Brooklyn but now lived in Jacksonville, FL and he worked for Dell. But the amazing thing is that as we talked, even with the diversity of our background, we had so much in common. We talked for the better part of two hours about so many topics and I found him to be well read and with a highly developed ability to think. That isn't something easy to find!
If we lived closer,we would probably spend time just talking about current affairs and how what is happening in the world around us will affect us in the weeks and months ahead. I hope we will be able to strike up a friendship via e-mail.
Anyway, the thing is, when we are open to others, its impossible to tell when we might be surprised by the people we encounter. Over the years, so many friends have come and gone. Some literally aren't here anymore but many others have moved to other areas, become involved with other things or maybe we have just not made the effort to maintain our friendships. This morning's encounter with a stranger has reminded me of the importance of making and keeping friends. Time is short and true friends are hard to find and harder to keep!