Out on the Tarmac - September 26, 2018

An Arkie's Faith column from the September 26, 2018, issue of The Mena Star.

The airport intercom crackled to life as the travelers at Gate 73 strained to hear the announcement. “If you are flying on Frontier flight 634 to Tulsa, the plane has been delayed, but will be arriving soon. We will unload the passengers and start boarding as quickly as possible.” It was already a half hour past the boarding time for the flight. People were nervous about missing their connecting flights.

About twenty minutes later the plane finally pulled up to the gate. From our seats near the window, we watched the passengers disembark the plane and walk down the movable ramp, filing past the window and into the airport. When the last passenger had made his way down the ramp, we thought that it wouldn’t be long before we started boarding. We watched as all the luggage was loaded into the cargo hold of the plane and the door was closed and locked. But still, there was no announcement about boarding.

We observed a small airport maintenance vehicle pulling up to the nose of the plane.  A man stepped off the open-air vehicle and removed a step ladder from the rear. He positioned the ladder under a maintenance hatch on the underbelly of the plane. He climbed up the ladder and disappeared into the belly of the plane with only his legs visible. For over half an hour I watched his legs and wondered what he was doing up inside the plane. A couple of times he emerged, only to disappear once again in the belly of the plane.

Finally, a voice on the intercom announced that Frontier flight 634 to Tulsa would start boarding in just a few minutes. When at last we were settled into our seats, and the plane was ready to taxi to the runway, the pilot made an announcement. “When the plane arrived in Denver, there was a brake warning light on the control panel. The light was for the redundant backup braking system. The technician couldn't find a mechanical problem with the system, but it wasn’t communicating properly with the system computer. After replacing the brake system computer, everything checked out properly, and the warning light was no longer on.” He went on to assure us that the plane had never been in danger.

I am not a nervous flyer, but I have to admit that I had been very curious about the repairs that had been made to the airplane. It can be a bit unnerving to watch the plane that will carry you through the air at 30,000 feet being repaired. The pilot’s announcement explaining the repairs helped put my mind at ease. Whenever we fly, we have to put our trust in the pilot to get us safely through to our destination.

Robert Lee Scott Jr. was a flying ace of World War II, credited with shooting down thirteen Japanese aircraft. He is best known for his memoir, God is My Co-Pilot, about his accomplishments in World War II with the Flying Tigers and the United States Army Air Forces in China and Burma. In 1945, the book was made into a movie of the same name starring Dennis Morgan. After the book and the movie, God is My Co-Pilot became a Christian catch-phrase.

I remember seeing bumper stickers that read, “God is my co-pilot.” I understood what they were trying to say, but I wondered if that was right. If God is our co-pilot, we’re in the wrong plane! God isn’t our assistant; He is our captain. We don’t belong in the cockpit; we belong back in the cabin. I’m not a pilot, and I don’t know how to fly a plane. I need to put my trust in God, my pilot, to get me safely through to my destination.

Inspirational author and speaker BJ Gallagher writes, “my dad was an Air Force pilot. He taught me the difference between a pilot and a co-pilot. The pilot calls the shots; the co-pilot is the number two guy (or gal). The pilot is in charge; the co-pilot assists him – supporting, helping, and providing an extra pair of eyes, ears, and hands. The co-pilot’s job is important, but he never forgets who’s in charge.”

When we say that “God is my co-pilot,” we are saying, “I drive and God is my helper. I call the shots, and God does my bidding.” Proverbs 14:12 (NKJV) tells us, “there is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.”

Gentle Reader, when life isn’t going the way we would like it to, it’s easy to try and take the wheel from God, and try and force Him to do things our way. But doing so shows our lack of faith and trust in God. Psalm 46:10 (NASB) says, “Cease striving and know that I am God.” Trying to be in control and trusting God at the same time doesn’t work. When we let God pilot our lives and trust that He knows best, we can rest and stop striving, which means that we will ultimately experience peace. Jesus came to earth “to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:79 (NKJV) Let Him be your pilot.

On the Caddo - September 19, 2018

An Arkie's Faith column from the September 19, 2018, issue of The Mena Star.

Our area was forecast to receive two to four inches of rain. My son-in-law is an avid river rafter and was excited to see the possibility of a good rainfall. He made plans to visit over the weekend so that he could go rafting. Thursday came and went without any significant rainfall. Friday had very little rain. Friday afternoon he drove up from Louisiana with a rubber raft and an inflatable kayak. He was hoping for enough rainfall on Saturday to be able to go rafting on Sunday.

On Saturday, the rains didn’t come. We enjoyed the rain-free day and spent the afternoon walking on the paths around the lakes on the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain campus. My son-in-law regretted bringing the raft and all the equipment needed. He was disappointed that after all of that work we would not be able to go rafting.

Saturday evening as he sat at the computer checking the area river levels, he saw that the Caddo River was rising. The Caddo Gap and Glenwood areas had received an inch of rain, and it was enough to raise the river so that we could float it. The rafting trip was back on.

Sunday morning as we prepared to head out to Norman where we would put into the Caddo River, we made one last check of the river level. The river levels had dropped almost as dramatically as they had risen. It looked like there would be just enough water flowing for us to make the trip.

After pumping the raft full of air and preparing it to float, we shuttled a vehicle to the takeout point at Caddo Gap. When we returned, we were finally able to get on the water. It was a beautiful day; cloudy and overcast so that we were not in the direct sunlight, and not too hot. As we floated down the river, I drank in the amazing scenery. You can see the beauty of nature while floating a river that you can’t see any other way. I drank in the serene tranquility and peacefulness of my surroundings. The river has a relaxing, hypnotic quality. It is as if the normal everyday life doesn’t exist while you are floating a river.

We were alone on the river. We saw no other rafts, kayaks or canoes, but we were surrounded by wildlife. Twice we saw bald eagles soaring just above the treetops. There were egrets, herons, and ducks too numerous to count. As we came around a bend in the river, we were surprised to see a flock of wild turkeys flying low from one bank of the river to the other. On a side note, a flock of wild turkeys is referred to as a rafter. The rafters floating down the river saw a rafter of turkeys.

After eating our lunch on a lovely little sand bar next to a beautiful green pasture, we were back on the water. Because of the low water conditions, my granddaughters were often able to get out of the raft and swim along in the slow flowing river. They were excited to see three deer splash their way across the river just ahead of us.

Although the low water made for a calm and easy float without much whitewater, it wasn’t without problems. Numerous times we became stuck on the rocks. Often, we could dislodge ourselves by pushing on the rocks with our paddles and spinning off the rocks. If that didn’t work, my son-in-law and oldest granddaughter would get out of the raft and by pushing and pulling be able to get the raft free. Several times we had to all get out of the raft to be able to free the raft after getting stuck on the rocks in very shallow areas.

Although we had a great time, everyone was excited when we finally saw the takeout in Caddo Gap. We were tired and hungry, and it was starting to rain. By the time we deflated the raft and loaded everything into the van we were wet and cold. But a good hot meal at Little Italy in Glenwood revived everyone’s spirits.

As I drove back home, I thought about the promises that God has made to protect us during difficult times. He says, “when you face stormy seas I will be there with you with endurance and calm; you will not be engulfed in raging rivers. If it seems like you’re walking through fire with flames licking at your limbs, keep going; you won’t be burned.” Isaiah 43:2 (VOICE) But what about the times when the river is not raging but is so low that we have to get out and drag the raft?

We can know that God will be with us whether the storms are raging, or the drudgery of life seems to overwhelm us, “because He has said, ‘I will never leave you; I will always be by your side.’” Hebrews 13:5 (VOICE) God is with you when you have to drag yourself out of bed to face another day just as much as He is with you during the troubled times in your life. Florence Nightingale wrote, “the greatest heroes are those who do their duty in the daily grind of domestic affairs while the world whirls as a maddening dreidel.”

Many of us can relate to the lyrics of Jackson Browne’s song, The Pretender. “Gonna pack my lunch in the morning and go to work each day. And when the evening rolls around, I'll go on home and lay my body down. And when the morning light comes streaming in, I'll get up and do it again.” Does God care about such mundane things as our daily work schedule? He has given us a wonderful promise in Joshua 1:9 (NIV), “do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Gentle Reader, life can become routine, and we can get tired of the monotony of it. But in Hebrews 10:36 (NLT) we are told that “patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.” Don’t get discouraged when you have to drag your raft over the rocky shoals of life. Remember that God is with you even in the routine things in life.

Forest Fire - September 12, 2018

An Arkie's Faith column from the September 12, 2018, issue of The Mena Star.

The line of cars stretched out as far as the eye could see. For many miles, we had slowly trudged along the highway trying to get back to Denver. It was a holiday weekend, and it seemed like everyone was making their way back to the city. The traffic had become heavy as soon as we turned onto Highway 285. We became a part of a procession of vehicles snaking their way down the road and over the brow of a hill, with cars bumper to bumper.

It was the first time that I had been to the South Park area of Colorado. South Park is a grassland basin surrounded by mountains in central Colorado. The high valley ranges in elevation from 9,000 to 10,000 feet and features a colorful river valley with views of several 14,000-foot mountain peaks.

After twenty miles of stop and go traffic we came to an area where we could see large areas of burnt forest on our left. In June of this year, a fire started in the Weston Pass area. By the time it was contained, it had burnt over 15,000 acres. Firefighters from 27 states battled the blaze for a month before they were able to contain the fire.

Friends of my brother-in-law have a membership in the Campground of the Rockies located on Highway 285. The main fire edge came to within a mile of the campground. On July 1st, the local authorities issued an evacuation notice to everyone staying at the campground. The fire forced Highway 285 to close between Fairplay and Antero Junction.

The Weston Pass fire was just one of many forest fires this summer. According to the Denver Post, “halfway through the summer, at least 1,585 wildfires have torched more than 431,600 acres of Colorado forest and grasslands and destroyed or damaged about 450 homes, making 2018 one of the most destructive fire seasons in history — and it isn’t over yet.”

2018 has been a significant forest fire event. The 2018 North American fire season is already 25 percent worse than during the same time in 2017. By the end of August, wildfires had burned 4.5 million acres. At least 110 current wildfires were burning almost 2 million acres. 28,250 firefighters were battling the fires. The haze from the wildfires drifted to New York and parts of New England.

But even as these destructive fires rage through the forest, something is quietly going on to prepare their very renewal. My friend, Canadian author Talena Winters, recently wrote; “After a wildfire, the forest always regrows. Some seeds, like lodgepole pine, are only released by fire, and that's how the forest renews itself. It is in the crucible of the flames that new things, new ideas, new hope can be born. Sometimes, when we've just survived a world-ending event (or maybe something smaller, like a fight with our spouse), we need to look at the event with fresh eyes. Instead of seeing it as a disaster, how can we make it into an opportunity to change the situation for the better?”

Sometimes in our life, it seems like forest fires surround us. Every one of us is going through trials and hardships of some kind. There are Christians who are facing trials and tribulations that I can’t begin to imagine. It is hard to put myself in the shoes of someone like Joni Eareckson Tada. She was just a teenager when she went with her sister to a beach on the Chesapeake Bay and suffered a diving accident that left her quadriplegic.

But Joni didn’t let her situation destroy her. Fifty years later she wrote, “In a way, I wish I could take to heaven my old, tattered Everest and Jennings wheelchair. I would point to the empty seat and say, “Lord, for decades I was paralyzed in this chair. But it showed me how paralyzed You must have felt to be nailed to Your Cross. My limitations taught me something about the limitations You endured when You laid aside your robes of state and put on the indignity of human flesh.”

There are days where my trials seem very heavy. I may not be a paraplegic, but my problems seem ready to burn me up. I shake my fist at God and ask Him why he allows the forest fires to rage in my life; why He allows people to hurt me. He answers me with these words from 1 Peter 1:6,7 (NLT). “So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”

When other people injure you, don’t be discouraged or depressed. Don’t allow what people say to control your emotions. God is painfully aware of your suffering. When you cry, He is aware. Psalms 56:8 (NLT) tells us, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have recorded each one in your book.” And in Psalms 34:15, 17-19 (NASB) we read, “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. The righteous cry and the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”

Gentle Reader, there may be forest fires now, but God has promised that there will be a time when He “will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:4 (NKJV) I can’t wait for that day!

Giveaway - September 5, 2018

An Arkie's Faith column from the September 5, 2018, issue of The Mena Star.

As I was scrolling through my Facebook feed, I saw a post about the opening of a local zipline. It read, “to celebrate we're giving away a free ticket. To enter: Like our page, like this post, comment, and share this post. The winner will be announced Sunday morning.” I thought to myself, “why not?” As a local business owner, I believe in supporting local businesses.

I didn’t think about it again until the next Sunday morning when a message popped up on my phone. “Congratulations, Richard!! You are the winner of our free zipline canopy tour ticket. Give us a call or message us when you're ready, and we'll reserve a spot for you.” I found it hard to believe that I had won.

When I called, I spoke to the owner, Shelly. As we were visiting, she gave me some of the background of the zip line. She has been interested in a zipline for ten years, but it was more of a dream than anything else. When her son was nine years old, he was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome which is generally considered to be on the “high functioning” end of the autism spectrum. I was particularly interested in her story because I have a nephew who was diagnosed with autism at an early age.

Speaking about her son, Shelly said that “getting him to go outside to play was a chore. It was as if he was glued to the inside of the house. So I turned the outdoors into a science project and super adventure.”  As she became more involved with projects to keep her son interested in being outdoors, Shelly added agritourism and sustainable workshops to her farm. Her family homesteaded the farm in 1897, and 120 years later it remains in the family. Shelly now calls the farm The Blue Zipline and Farm because blue is the color of autism awareness. Whenever Shelly talked of her farm and the zipline project, the conversation seemed always to turn back to her son. She said, “My son has been inspirational.”

It has taken three years to design, build, test and get state approval for the zipline. Shelly involved her son in planning the course, choosing the corridors through the trees, and testing the height and angles of the zipline. A ten-year dream is now a reality because of the dogged determination that Shelly has brought to the project and her unwavering persistence in making a better life for her son.

I am excited to have a zipline in the area, and I’m excited to have won a free zipline canopy tour. It is always nice to win something and to get it for free. My free zipline tour came without conditions; It was exactly what it said, a free tour. Shelly even graciously allowed me to transfer the free zipline tour to my 9-year old cousin who has been wanting to zipline but never has. The only condition for me to receive my free gift was for me to call and arrange a time.

Many “free” things come with lots of strings attached. I get telemarketer calls telling me that I have won a free 3-day cruise to the Bahamas. One day I took the time to delve a little deeper into the particulars of the “free” cruise. The first thing I learned was that I had to pay $19.00 per person to sign up. Then there are more fees. 12.95 per day per person for gratuities. 15.00 per day per person for fuel surcharge. It's another $69.00 per person for the cruise fees, then $150.00 per person for some government fee, then another $120.00 for port fees. There is also a 29.00 per person exit fee when you are leaving the Bahamas. Not exactly “free.” The free cruise scam is something of a legend among travelers.

There are so many things like the Bahamas free cruise scams that most of us are suspicious of “free” offers. I think that may be why so many people are leary of God’s offer of grace. Romans 3:24 (NIRV) tells us, “the free gift of God’s grace makes us right with him. Christ Jesus paid the price to set us free.”

The Bible is clear that God’s grace is a free gift. Why don’t more people accept the free gift? If you were to ask one hundred random people, “how do you get to heaven?” you would hear a lot of different answers. You would hear things like, “try to be good and do your best” or “work hard at being a good moral person” or “do more good things in life than you do bad things.” All of these ideas are based on our abilities and actions. They are not based on the idea of a free gift. People that don’t feel the need of the gift see no need to accept the free gift of God’s grace. Many religious people fall into this way of thinking. They feel that they can do it themselves and that they don’t need some free gift.

The Bible is very plain in Romans 5:16 (NLT) “And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins.” Our efforts lead only to condemnation. Isaiah 64:6 (NIV) tells us that,  “all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” It is important for us to understand that we can't be righteous apart from the free gift of God’s grace.

Gentle Reader, we all need the gift of grace. We all need to have the penalty paid for our sins. Romans 3:23 (KJV) says, “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” And Romans 6:23 (KJV) adds, “for the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Don’t be too proud to accept the gift. It is not a scam. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”  Ephesians 2:8 (NRSV) You have been selected to receive to free gift of God’s grace. Don’t miss out because you think it is too good to be true.