What I learned on House Mountain

After church on Sunday, Thomas and I decided to enjoy the beautiful day by going to House Mountain. The next day was Labor Day so we felt we had a little extra time. I knew my kids had gone there with the youth group. It turned out to be a very interesting day with some important object lessons for me.

We began our hike - there was a steep way and an easier way that made a loop. Our plan was to take the easier trail up the mountain and then the steeper, sunnier one down. It turned out that the easy trail was actually a hard trail because of all the obstacles. Our first one was a big tree that had fallen on others, so instead of stepping over one tree you had to climb up on top of several trees, being careful for them not to move. It was about 4 feet off the ground so missing one would have caused a broken leg or ankle. But that turned out to be the easiest obstacle.

The trail continued but it was not well marked. We got to this one place where the trail forked - this happened a lot on this hike. It looked like the fork to the right just went straight up and then disappeared. The fork going straight seemed to be the trail because you could see where it went. So we went on that trail. It just got harder and harder. We had to climb up short hills, but it was very steep and the trail was very sandy, so your foot would easily slip. We got to another down tree, waist high, too high to step over but to low to go under. We could see the horizon so it looked like we were on the way up. It finally just got more and more slippery but you could still see that there was a path. We didn't want to turn back, but finally we were so scared and had almost fallen down the trail several times. We also noticed that we had not seen any people for a while. We decided that we must have gotten off the trail somehow. We couldn't figure where, we had been following the blue trail blazes on trees. We also knew that we would have to go back over all the dangerous places we had climbed. After we passed the most dangerous places we ran into another couple. I usually don't stop to talk to people on a trail, but this time I warned them about our experiences. It was good to have someone else there. They decided to turn back with us. After a really rather short distance we saw a split in the trail, that we recognized as the one that looked like it went straight up. From this direction we could see the trail and then we saw the blaze on the tree where someone had added a little arrow, but the arrow was confusing. This is where we missed the trail.

Now here is the lesson. We were actually lost, on the wrong trail, or what in reality wasn't a trail. It had seemed so right. And the other couple had made the same mistake. Our life journey can sometimes be like this. We are so sure we are right and doing the right thing but can be so lost, so on the wrong trail. We should have turned back way sooner. The signs were there now that we look back - no people, many obstacles, no trail markings, but we kept going on in our own power. We didn't even know we were lost. This is what happens when we try to go through life on our own power. We figured that we went about an hour following the wrong trail, 30 minutes each way. It took us that long to realize something was wrong. But I think God sends us people along the way to get us back when we are lost. People that will help us question about the rightness of the trail. Just like the couple on the trail today.

The whole time we were lost and didn't know it, I wasn't scared that we were lost. I was scared that we were going to fall down the mountain. We did have a cell phone and good coverage. Being lost didn't scare me, it didn't even enter my mind. We knew we just had to retrace our steps, but it was the danger of the steps that was caused me to be afraid.

Another interesting thing, is that right when we met Mike and Peggy, the other couple who were also lost, Meredith called on our cell phone. I knew she had been on the trail several times when she was in high school, and I had just thought about calling her. She said it was a steep trail but did not ever remember it being as dangerous as the trail we were on. I think this let me know for sure that we were on the wrong trail.

So the four of now got back to the split in the trail where we took the wrong turn. Now we could see the trail and there was a little arrow added to the blue blaze. We just missed that before because the trail up looked so wrong and the wrong trail looked so right. So we continued on the right trail instead of going back down to our car. It was a shame to get that far and not get to the top. We also felt much more secure with another couple - 4 instead of 2. Yet another lesson. God made us to help each other. Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12.

We continued on to the top. It was a hard climb and there were still some slick spots, but they were easier to navigate now that we knew we were on the right trail. There were also more people that we passed along the way to let us know we were on the right trail. The view from the top was wonderful.

We decided to also go back the easy trail, since it was hard enough, even though it was much longer then the steep trail. We made it back, safe, but dirty and dusty from the trail. The first thing I did at the bottom was to stop and get the dirt off my shoes and the rocks out. We told our traveling companions good by and went into Knoxville for supper at Panera bread and of course a coke Icee on the way home. We were exhausted. Thomas went straight to the chair. I went straight to the shower to wash off my dirty shoes and feet. As I rinsed the grime off I thought of the Uncommon Woman book we are reading in my Sunday school class and the image she used of the dirt that must have been in the pan as Jesus washed the feet of the disciples. For you see I had on my Keen sandals and that is why my feet were so dirty. The disciples feet must have been that way too for they wore sandals. I thought again how dirty that water must have been and how wonderful it was to have clean feet and shoes. Jesus does the same for us. He washes our feet and makes us clean. What an act of love and how good it feels to be clean.

So now I am sitting in my sunroom, listening to the wonderful hymn arrangements from the Our Daily Bread CDs and just enjoying so much being safe and quiet and still. God has given me so many beautiful gifts today - this beautiful day with clear, blue skies and temperatures in the upper 70's and lower 80's, the beautiful view from the top of the mountain, traveling companions, and my wonderful Thomas.

Thank you, Father, for the lessons of today, keep them in my memory as pictures of your grace and care.

September 1 Memory Verse

This was not the verse that I had on my list. Dr. Osborne used it in chapel this morning and I really liked it. I think it will be a good one for the start of the semester.

1 Thessalonians 1:3
We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Memory Verse for 8/15

As I face a new school year, I have chosen this verse to remind me how blessed I am and also why I have been blessed. God has given me a job to do and he has promised to give me all that I need.

2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to bless you abundantly so that in all things, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Catching Up Again on Memory Verses

I seem to be having trouble keeping up with posting my memory verses. I have still kept adding them, but I haven't always posted them. Now that I can blog from my iPad and I don't have to get out my computer, maybe I can do a better job of keeping up.

July 1
I chose this one because it is my Mother's favorite verse.
Numbers 6: 24-26
The LORD bless you
and keep you; the LORD make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you; the LORD turn his face toward you
and give you peace." '


July 15
I don't remember know exactly how I found this verse. I just knew it fit where I am right now as soon as i read it. I like the idea of running free in the path of God's commands, I want to do this as I face a new school year. I want to be free of stress and worry of being good enough and this will only happen when I run in the path of his commands.

Psalm 119:32
I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.

August 1
I decided I would focus on this very familiar verse to make sure that I have them un my head, I was reminded again of them in the podcast I have been listening to from Charles Swindoll.

Ephesians 2: 8-10
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

A special place

I have been meaning to write this post since I got back from Fall Creek Falls. I just love that place. When I look back over my blog I see how many times I have talked about it or posted pictures of it. I don't really know why this place is so special to me, it just is.

I think of this place all the time. I can close my eyes and see it like I was there. I feel what it is like to ride my bike from the campground and then head down toward the hill to the lake. This is the place I think of first. I see every part of the road and feel when it gets flat right before I go down the big hill. I can see so many parts, all the trails, the campground, the way to the inn, Piney Falls, the big falls, the cascades, cane creek, the George hole. I can see it in different seasons - fall, spring, and summer. I have never been there in the deep of winter. I love to be there one day when there is snow. I see people that I have spent time with there - the children, mom and dad, the Davenports, Clark and Shirley the most, even the regulars from different places, like Curtis and Gertude.

The interesting thing about this place is that it only brings me happiness. I don't think that I have ever had a bad day there, even the rain and storms are not that bad.

Thank you God for this beautiful place and for showing it to me.

After a wedding

We are back from Nashville where we attended the wedding of Matt and Meredith's friends, Aaron and Deborah. Matt was a groomsmen in the wedding and Aaron will be a groomsman in Matt's wedding. It was interesting to see how Buck did the service. It made me wonder what Meredith's and Matt's service will be like.

Buck did a good job of explaining how marriage is a metaphor of the Christian life. He used the passage from Ephesians 5. It made me think about that passage again. I used to kind of bristle at that passage. I think that was when I focused on ly on the submitting. The more I think about it, what I was bristling against I think was the way the passage has been used by some men to repress women and treat them as objects. When I think about our marriage I think I have submitted to Thomas. It has not been hard to do that because how much Thomas loves me. I know that he would never ask me to do anything or even do anything that he thought would hurt me, for he loves me so much. I know he loves me and is so unselfish. I guess there have been times when I have been selfish and thought of my self first, but I think that most of the time I have submitted to him not because he makes me or I have to but because I know he loves me and wants what is best for me. Maybe, after all this time, I am really beginning how beautiful this passage really is. It also makes me so very grateful for Thomas who has done what this passage tells husbands to do for so mant

New iPad

This is my first post from my new ipad. It is an anniversary present from my wonderful husband. We waited for a month for tax free day. We were at the Apple store by 7:45 and waited in line for 2 hours. I was about the tenth person inline, but by the time the store opened the line was back to the food court.

I had the most interesting experience while waiting in line. I had brought my computer and some work because I knew that I would be there for awhile, but I never even got it out. I started a conversation with the man in front of me. He was an older gentleman. I don't remember now what started the conversation, but somehow we got to talking about education. I talked about what I have been reading about teaching the digital generation. We talked about a lot of other things. He had traveled a lot and it was so fascinatiing. Turns out he was on the state board of education.

I have now had the iPad for 3 days and I think the only time I have turned it off is when I have gone to bed. I love reading books on it. I have the iwork apps and I have typed my journal, created keynote presentations, and looked at my edtech goals and objectives spreadsheet.

I got the wireless keyboard and I just love it. I think I will only use my laptop to update and backup my iPad. I also got a camera connection kit but was disappointed in that when I found out that I could not connect my Flip video camera. The error message said it took too much power. I am not sure why I would need this to connect my still camera, although this worked fine. I guess if I were traveling it would be good to have a place to backup your photos. I may take this accessory back.

I guess I could go on and on about how much I will use this thing, but I will quite. For as wonderful as a new toy is, the people in my life are much more wonderful. . . more about that in the next post.