It began with the Orlando weather forecaster’s ominous hurricane warning. “Prepare for the storm of the century! Never before have winds been potentially so catastrophic!”
My husband Peter and I flew into a tizzy of activity. We bagged up debris and piled sandbags. We prepared our refrigerator and cleared our porch and yard of anything and everything that could become missiles.
Did the Lord want us to stay and help others after the storm passes? Or should we leave?
When my brother’s family invited us to shelter with them in North Carolina, that settled it. We threw together our necessities, nestled our seven-pound poodle in the backseat, and headed north.
Our first stop was at our friends’ home in Savannah where we were replenished with laughter and deep conversation. Then we found out that my brother’s cats in North Carolina had a virus our dog could catch. We needed a Plan B of where to stay. But where? I suddenly remembered our friend’s lake house on Lake Wateree, South Carolina. A quick phone call revealed that it was available for the three days we needed it.
When we opened the lake house door, I was caught off guard by an unexpected rush of God’s presence. The owners dedicated this place to the Lord’s glory, and He has made Himself at home.
Plus the wall hangings, the furniture, and even the dishes stood frozen in time. So instead of being immersed in disturbing news of the upcoming storm, my thoughts traveled back to many family vacations our friends allowed us to take at this sacred place:
shadows of me as a young, harried mother trying to prevent our toddler from tumbling down the back porch steps
the smell of popcorn as I read missionary adventures to our elementary-age children
the boys, proudly holding up the catfish they caught
our youngest child squatting at the rugged shore, filling seashells with sand as her pretend “beauty mud”
Pulling myself back to the present, I skirted up the wood-paneled winding stairway to the front bedroom. How could I have forgotten the sweet moments I spent with Jesus on the second-floor balcony? In days gone by, I would often wake up just before dawn and God would share His sunrise with me.
Then the thought hit me like a bombshell. Did God also affectionately remember those early mornings together?
I remembered how we recently rented a house for a reunion with our four children and seven grandchildren. We hoped that if everyone was away from the busyness back home, we could just enjoy being together, not distracted and pulled in our separate directions.
Did my Heavenly Father feel this way about me, as His dearly loved daughter?
I was floored by the thought that the Lord treasured undistracted visits with me in the same way I value time with my family. Had He brought me to the lake house because He missed our special times?
I am a doer. Sometimes I stir up my own self-made hurricanes then struggle to survive the winds of busyness. I tend to assume God is on the lookout for more work for me to do. But sometimes His greatest desire is to take me away from rescuing the world, just to be still with Him.
So that’s what I did. For three glorious days.
At the Todds’ lake house, there are no clocks, just unmeasured time. The long dock led my husband Peter out of his flurry of to-do lists to a place where time is marked by when the last nibble on your worm was. I spent my days reading and admiring Peter’s increasingly larger catches. We ate when we felt hungry and listened to crickets at night while we gawked at the panorama of stars splattered across the black sky.
While time stood still, Milton made landfall. I in no way want to minimize the tragic impact this hurricane had on countless others. But for us, it did little damage to our home. It was far less than the storm of the century, and I suspect prayer had something to do with it.
This peaceful interlude from our loving Father passed far too quickly, and soon we gathered our belongings and little poodle at the back door. We gazed around the room once more and sensed the overwhelming, tender love of God. Peter and I joined hands and sang the doxology together. Tears of gratitude unexpectedly slipped down my cheeks.
As we approached the church at the last fork in the country road, it was as if God had left us a final reminder on the billboard, which read, “Time Spent With God is a Blessing.”
It took a category five hurricane for Him to get me there. Thank you, Hurricane Milton.
What was your experience with bad weather this year? How did God show up in the midst of a storm in your life?
Yes, it’s true! I am “whacking my way through the publisher’s jungle” again, this time with a book about discovering the exciting adventure God intends each one of us to have. The most challenging part has been figuring out how to organize stories I wrote over the years into a reader-centered book. But it has been fun to relive these crazy, yes-they-really-are-true episodes Jesus led us into.
The Lord is faithfully providing help from friends and Word Weavers as I seek to produce a high-quality book worthy of Jesus’s name. I was very pleasantly surprised that this unfinished book won an award this month at an annual writers’ conference! It motivates me to try to finish it soon and, of course, to pray for His guidance. Your prayers are greatly appreciated, as I approach editing the second half of the book.
As my “inner circle,” I thought you might like a sneak peek at the introduction.
Adventure, Anyone?
True confession.
I am an unlikely adventurer.
Maybe you are, too.
This book is for anyone who longs for a meaningful, interesting life but may not know where to begin.
What is adventure? For each person, it looks different. It’s doing anything outside your comfort zone, trying something new, taking a step of faith.
Maybe it’s taking that new job you’re not sure will be better than the one you’re leaving. Or accepting a party invitation when you’re not confident meeting new people. Or whatever uncomfortable steps you must take to overcome that which keeps you inside of a smaller universe than you would like.
And why do we need adventure? It’s the spice of life, the difference between humdrum and magnificent, like plain tofu that’s transformed when a gourmet chef stirs in his secret ingredients. It expands our world, inside and out. It’s joining your life to something bigger than yourself, and finding you are better because of it. Adventure keeps you feeling young because you are always learning something new.
My best adventure began when I prayed, “Jesus, if I can know you and if you have a better plan for my life, I’m interested.” I took a risk when I asked the God of the universe to take over my life without knowing what He would do in response. Would He expect me to wear thrift store specialsand read hymnbooks for excitement? What kind of people would he want me to hang out with? My first book, Tire Tracks, describes my hesitant first steps of faith and what happened in the years after that.
Trusting Jesus turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made. It brought a life overflowing with adventures of every kind with amazing people. I continue to learn what Jesus meant when He said in John 10:10,” I came that they might have life and have it abundantly.”
Jesus knows all about adventure. The Great Adventurer took a big step out of his perfect comfort zone in heaven when He came to earth so He could lead us to places we never imagined we would go. He has used my steps of faith to transform me into a still hesitant but sometimes wild adventurer.
As you will discover through some of the stories ahead, if I can be an adventurer, anyone can become one.
If I stayed where it was comfortable, I would have missed out on so much! When I let go of the hollow promises of safety and security and let God take me where only He can hold me, I become fully alive. In those times, I stand in awe of His avalanche of fascinating experiences and deeply meaningful contributions to others. The road ahead is not always smooth and predictable, but it will never be boring!
I hope you laugh, cry, and see yourself in my stories. I hope they motivate you to pursue your unique adventure.
You don’t have to travel the world like I did, but reading about my sometimes crazy, sometimes humorous escapades may encourage you to step into whatever is calling for you in your own backyard.
How would you define adventure? What would you most like to know about finding your great adventure?
Grizzly bear? There’s a grizzly bear in the area? Maybe I could just look at photos of Avalanche Lake and skip this four-mile hike in Glacier National Park.
Armed with pepper gel spray, we decided to go forward.
“Noise! Noise! Noise!” we shouted as we walked, to warn wild animals to head the other way. We soon discovered we were not as intimidating as we thought.
The smooth wooden walkway transitioned to gravel, giving way to gnarled roots and dirt. The easy part was behind us. Rounding the first corner, we were surprised by the breathtaking white water cascading down through a narrow crevice. After we paused for photos and awes, we continued down the pathway that ushered us into another world.
A rushing stream on our left sparkled in the sunlight, jumping over a million colored stones and big boulders. Trees and vegetation on the steep hill to the right leaned like an umbrella over our heads. Tall pine trees stretched their fingers toward the sun and rustled in the breeze. Silvery dollar-sized leaves came alive with the wind, waving us toward the finish line.
We continued walking hand in hand, shouting “Noise, noise, noise,” when we weren’t talking. When the path narrowed, we walked single file with Peter mostly in the lead.
Suddenly at a bend in the path, a large animal with impressive moss-covered antlers appeared, ambling straight toward us.
“Noise noise noise! ARRRHH!” we shouted.
But there was no fear or hesitation as he continued down our path toward what would be a head-on collision if one of us didn’t move.
We moved.
Fast.
There was nowhere to go except backward since the steep mountain was on the right and the fast-flowing stream was on the left. We picked up heavy sticks and shouted more, but he wasn’t fazed by either. After what seemed like forever, he suddenly pranced up the steep slope, as if bored with this game and satisfied he won.
As one hour turned into two hours, I wondered why we weren’t there yet. We sang songs, made jokes, prayed for friends and family…always making noise to keep away the formidable grizzly.
We inched deeper into the woods, with only each other and an occasional passerby.
“How much farther?” I asked one returning hiker.
“Forty more minutes!” he replied.
My heart sank. Forty minutes! That was not what I wanted to hear. We were supposed to be there by now.
Most of the hike, my impatience to get to our destination and my fear of wild animals kept me from appreciating the beauty around us. The hurry of life had followed me into the wilderness.
Groups of young people whizzed past us. Couples carrying children on their backs also managed to surpass us. But we all reached the same destination. Finally.
Arriving at Avalanche Lake was wonderful. Crystal-clear aqua waters gently lapped over multicolored stones. Three or four waterfalls trickled down ragged snow-covered mountains behind it. It reminded me of Rivendell in Lord of the Rings.
But I must admit I thought to myself, We trudged two and a half hours for this? After enduring the wind for 15 minutes to rest and snap a few pictures, it was time to start the two and a half hours back again.
Great.
But the return went much faster and was more enjoyable. Without my attention being riveted on “getting there” and what time it was, it was more of a step-by-step experience enjoying the wonder of God’s creation. As we spotted the parking lot ahead, we shared a sense of accomplishment in something we would not have attempted alone.
What is the highlight, as I look back at memories of that day? It is not our time at the lake, pretty as it was. It is the journey we took to get there: the excitement of stepping out of my comfort zone, the stillness, the good and bad surprises that awaited us as we moved forward. The wide spectrum of experiences shared with someone I love offered far more meaning than our brief interlude at the lake.
Afterwards, I thought about the grizzly truths about life revealed in that day’s activities.
Focusing on where we want to be robs us of delighting in where we are. And most things seem to take longer than we expect. But there’s joy in the journey! Counting the years— or the minutes— until we “arrive” will not only make it seem even longer, but we will also miss the blessings God has planted along our path. Every. Minute. Has. A. Purpose.
God invites to slow down, as evidenced in His creation. There’s a reason there are no clocks in the forest. He offers wonderful surprises, like waterfalls and sparkling streams. Stop and enjoy them! Expect to find things to marvel over, sent to you from our loving Heavenly Father.
Don’t let fear of the what-ifs keep you from moving forward or seeing His sweet surprises. Most dangers we worry about never happen. Like meeting grizzly bears. We should be realistic about risks and prepare if we can. But the “grizzly bears of life” we usually lose sleep over seldom show up.
However, some dangers do happen that never even occurred to us to worry about. Like our unfriendly elk. They happen without warning, and we are not prepared. They may send us back a few steps in our journey, but the Lord will walk alongside us and guide us despite our being ill-equipped.
We need to approach life at our own pace. Don’t try to keep up with everyone else, or you will end up exhausted. And don’t expect others to keep up with you, or you will win the race but have no one alongside you to share your success with. Walking hand in hand makes the time more meaningful because you have shared an experience with someone you love.
Many of the highlights of life are found just outside our comfort zones. Where does the Lord want to stretch you today?
“Every path of the LORD is [one of] mercy and truth for those who cling to his promise and written instructions.”
I was humbled last week that my poem won Honorable Mention in the Tapestry national writing competition! “Cocoon Breaker” captures an illuminating discovery about myself several years ago, as I bumped along the twists and turns of a small city in Thailand. This journey is etched forever in my mind, as much for the outward scenery as for the inward realization.
The “open-ended passenger truck” mentioned in the poem is called a songthaew, but my Word Weavers group recommended that I not use that word since no one knows what it is. So I included a picture of one below, just so you know!
I may include this poem in my next book I am working on. What do you think?
Is there an adventure you’ve taken? Or one that this poem makes you want to take? Or a sudden realization something triggered in you?
Cocoon Breaker
Whizzing to the airport
alone
In the back of an open-ended passenger truck,
Nonchalantly
holding my luggage with one foot
To keep it from flying out the back,
Bracing myself with the other foot
To keep me from flying out the back.
No doors or glass obscure my view
or protect me;
The panorama through wide-open windows
intoxicates my senses.
Gilded spirit houses, winged idols, tributes to the king
blur past me
As I one-handedly eat Kentucky Fried Chicken,
Keeping the other hand free
To grab the overhead bar for sudden stops.
The strong fumes don’t alarm me.
I only wonder if I’m sitting above the exhaust pipe.
I am suddenly surprised!
I have become someone I don’t recognize.
When did this life become normal
For an overly cautious, small-town girl?
When the Lord of the universe expanded my heart
He expanded my world —
Inviting me out of my safe cocoon,
To charge into that which He created me for.
Risk and love of adventure had been trapped inside,
I was honored to be asked to read a story from my book, Tire Tracks, at the Kingdom Creatives event this past week. It’s an annual event organized by Word Weavers which has performances as well as the presentation of the Tapestry Awards.
This is the first time I have publicly read one of my stories, and I was surprised how much fun it was!
“The Surprising Birthday Gift” is one of my favorites. It is such a tender story of the loving heart of God toward His children, and a mind-boggling example of how He orchestrates all the details of your life. Only three and a half minutes long!
