Posts Best Not Published

I need to put Positive over Negative

I’ve struggle some over the last several months to write consistently in this space. I feel like this is due in part to some topics that can carry a negative connotation or focus, or perhaps some of them really are negative. I prefer not to add to the abundance of antagonistic material found in the world. But there are things I rail against in my head and this stuff is crowding out the substance I prefer to write about; personal introspection, inspirational stories, and stories of praiseworthy people.

I’m going to take the risk of opening Pandora’s Box here and list the working titles of some of them. I hope not to offend anyone. Truth be told though, there is little risk of giving offense as so few are reading Calvary’s Thread these days. Only nine for the post earlier this week. (Alas poor me) I’ll risk the breach of etiquette in the hope that by typing out the titles I’ll exorcise the negative crap so I can get on with more uplifting material.

The short list of working titles:

> When the Schtick Fades

> Rend the Curtain – Again

> First: One-to-One

> Telephoto Lenses Don’t Make Big Pictures

> Church Metrics

> Isn't God's Word Inspiration Enough?

This is not an overpoweringly long list. However, the subject maters keep coming up and are a distraction. Others waft through my brain and I dismiss them out of hand.

I’d much rather write a letter for my To Whom It May Concern collection telling someone (and anyone who sees the letter) what great things the person has done, what wonderful deeds they’ll do in the future, how much I love them and how much they mean to me. Or perhaps I’ll write about how something I’ve heard or seen or done has brought me to my knees or met my heart. And so that’s what I’ll do and likely that’s what you’ll read next.

In His grip,

jerry

Always Room for a Misstep

Route of the Day

Matthew 7, 13 & 14: ¹³“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. ¹⁴But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

A thought came to mind while walking with Ollie Verdoodle on the Catalina Verdugo Trail and the Ridge Motorway. I followed that one up with others I could imagine as we trekked along.

There is always room for a misstep of one kind or another – there is some sort of guarantee in that statement, just don’t try to cash it in. What is not guaranteed is an open and soft landing spot when we fall.

The Ridge Motorway is wide and there isn’t much chance of falling down the hillside on it. Unless you’re driving a motor vehicle. So there isn’t much chance of a bad spill when we trip over our own two feet, slide down-slope on the gravel, or stumble over a rock or some downed brush. Or is there? Our hands lead our trip to soften the landing and later that afternoon we are sporting a cast or two from our elbow to our wrist. We twist out of our stumble to land on our rump and miss and later that night we are being escorted down the hall for our first walk on our new hip.

Jesus is telling us in Matthew 7 that it’s easy to walk the road to destruction. But while we are tripping along Easy Street we can end up hurt before we arrive. Maybe that would be a lifesaver and lead us to later find the small gate and narrow road.

The Catalina Verdugo Trail is narrow and full of switchbacks and old slides from previous rains. Rocks strew the trail, canine companions race by as do trail bikers, and bushes grow from up-slope over the trail to block the way. It’s easy to trip on one obstruction or another, a simple task to have your boot slide out from under you. And our landing? No guarantee we’ll be anywhere near the trail when we stop. And, the same simple endings to a fall on the motorway are still available to us on the narrow trail.

What is the advantage of one over the other, narrow over wide? The end-goal.

Don’t bother with the wide gate and broad road. If you want God’s presence you’ll end up doubling back to the narrow gate anyway.

What’s the counter plan to a walk full of stumbles and falls? Prayerful vigilance. It’s the only way.

So, have an adventure and walk the narrow way with its switchbacks and steep runs – the vistas are amazing. But, be vigilant, take Jesus with you, and pray.

In His grip,

jerry