The Key

After 20 years of practicing as a cardiovascular surgeon in Washington state, Susan looked back on her career as one that was both accomplished and exhausting.  She had spent the heart of her life taking care of her patients, her husband and her two kids.  On her 50th birthday, her dad gave her an unusual gift: a key in a wooden box lined with felt.  Under the key was a note that said, "This key has been in our family for generations.  We hope you will take good care with it." Susan finished opening her other gifts and then put the box with the key on the shelf in their great room.  She then immediately started cleaning up the house from the day's festivities.  The next day, she was back at work healing her patients.  Twelve years later, Susan's father was diagnosed with colon cancer and died 3 months after diagnosis.  As  she was looking for mementos to share at her father's funeral, she came across the box with the key.  She opened the box to look at the key for the first time since receiving it.   Engraved on the key were the words, "Wonderland/Kautz".   She wished that she had taken time with her dad to understand more about the key, and none of her other family members knew where it had come from.  She went to her computer and Googled the two words.   She learned that Kautz Creek is one of the access points to Wonderland Trail near Mt. Rainier National Park. Despite living in the area for all that time, she had never been inside the park.  She now had a reason to go.  The following Sunday, she left for Wonderland Trail with her key in hand.  After walking for just under 2 hours, she saw a cabin in the distance.  No signs identified the cabin, and it was the first structure she had seen that looked like it could be connected to the key.  She approached slowly.  There were no signs of activity and the cabin appeared to have been closed up for years.  All of the windows were boarded shut.  She attempted to put the key into the deadbolt on the front door, but it didn't fit.  She noticed a small crack between the door and the door jamb.  She gave the door a solid push and it flung open.  The cabin furnishings were sparse and a layer of dust covered everything.  There was no electricity in the house.   With the front door open, there was enough light to move through the cabin without tripping.  There was a solid door at the rear of the cabin with a small hand-painted sign above it that read: "Explore quietly. Rest well."  Susan pulled on the door, but it was locked.  She took the key from her pocket, inserted it into the deadbolt and the key turned freely.  Upon opening the door, the majesty of Mt. Rainier and the surrounding national park were revealed. She experienced an overwhelming feeling of peace and joy that she had never felt before.

The post above is fiction and inspired by Chapter 5 of Dallas Willard's "The Great Omission".

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven".  Matthew 16:19.

Always Loving

I posted about my only personal experience with Dolly in my real estate blog this week.  She called me out at her concert that I attended 40 years ago at a company event.   I like her music ok, but I love her personality and what she stands for.   She has the rare ability as a celebrity to not take herself too seriously.  But at the same time, I get the feeling that she is very smart.  Furthermore, those who know her best say that she is one of the most caring, genuine and generous people on the planet.  Fifty years ago, she wrote one of her biggest hits, "I Will Always Love You".  Many people assume it is about the breakup of a romantic relationship,  but she actually wrote it to her partner, Porter Wagner, when she decided to leave his show and go out on her own.  She wrote the song for him instead of drawing up a separation contract.  20 years later, Whitney Houston performed the song in the movie, "The Body Guard", introducing it to a whole new generation of people.  I heard Dolly say in an interview that the first time she heard Whitney's version of the song on the radio while driving, she had to pull over because she was overcome with emotion.  It wasn't a jealous emotion.  She was amazed at what Whitney was able to do with her little song that she had written for Porter.  I am pretty sure that the resurgence of her song paid off for her financially, but I also believe that she was genuinely happy for Whitney and all the new people that got to hear it and love it.  She set an example for people in the music industry that will be hard to live up to.

Writing With A Purpose

Robert Zimmerman was born on May 4th, 1941.  His grandparents were Jewish emigrants, and his parents brought him into the world in Duluth, MN.   As a teenager, Robert loved rock and roll and was especially influenced by Little Richard and Elvis Presley.  He had a band in high school and played in a coffee shop at The University of Minnesota.  During that time, his focus shifted from rock and roll to folk music.  He acknowledged that while rock and roll has driving rhythms and great catchphrases, folk music is "filled with more despair, more sadness, more triumph, more faith in the supernatural, [and] much deeper feelings."  Robert started writing his own folk songs, dropped out of the university and moved to New York to begin performing there.  His music began catching on, and the 1960's were filled with new songs in the folk, folk rock and pop rock genres.  In the 70's, Robert's girlfriend introduced him to her church, The Vineyards, in Southern California.  The church's staff, other members of his band, and a songwriter friend all encouraged Robert to consider Jesus. In 1978, Robert accepted Him as his Lord and Savior.  Robert's attention turned towards Christian folk/rock music, and in 1979, his song "Gotta Serve Somebody" won the Grammy for Best Male Rock Vocal Performance.   I was never a huge Bob Dylan fan, but I wish I had been.  I think I was about a decade late to the party.  But I am so thankful that his friends pointed him to Jesus so he could use his influence to do the same for others.

Law Abiding Citizens

I am reading through Leviticus right now, and let me just say, it ain't easy.  God is laying out laws for the Israelites including what and how to sacrifice animals, what they can eat, the clothes they can wear, what to do about open sores on their bodies, and who they can have sex with.  I am using The Bible Recap for commentary and the host did a good job explaining what we are to make of all of these laws.  She started by saying that the Old Testament contains three types of laws: civil, moral and ceremonial.   Since there was no separation of religion and state back then, the civil laws are comparable to our current civil laws; they have changed over time and differ from society to society.   Moral laws teach us how we should behave and never change.   Ceremonial laws mostly dealt with making the Israelites clean after sinning.    The animals sacrificed for the highest atonement needed to be perfect, but none were.   All of this sacrificing foreshadows the sacrifice of the one perfect living being who permanently atoned the sins of anyone who believes in Him.  Understanding the distinction between these laws will allow me to finish Leviticus strong, keeping an eye on the beauty of what is to come.

Porcelain or Platinum

 

For any of you that follow my Spot On The Lake blog, you know that my son, Michael, has worked with me for the last 13 years.   He is the same age now as I was when I changed careers to practice real estate in 2003.  But before all that, there was Emily.  I met Emily when she and Michael dated in high school.  Like a lot of us, dating in high school and college was on-again, off-again, but they worked through all that and got married right after graduating from UGA.  My wife, Caroline, and I have said that we can't imagine Michael finding a better match.  This year they are celebrating their 20th anniversary, and we have 4 amazing grandkids from them to show for it. They are celebrating this week on a cruise in the Mediterranean.   I am so proud of their commitment to each other and to their kids.  They bring us endless joy. Happy Anniversary, Michael and Emily.

A Chain of Inspiration

C. S. Lewis is my favorite author of all time - Christian or secular.  His books "Mere Christianity" and "The Screwtape Letters" did more to help my understanding of Jesus (and Satan) than any other books, besides the Bible.   As I read him, I often wonder, "Who or what helped him learn how to think and write that way?"  I'm sure his schooling played a major part in shaping him.  He also studied privately with W. T. Kirkpatrick who was the father of the headmaster from one of his schools.  I have written in the past about his friendship with J. R. Tolkien, whom Lewis credits with leading him from atheism to Christianity.  In Lewis's "Surprised By Joy," he mentions that G. K. Chesterton's "The Everlasting Man" was pivotal to his understanding of Jesus.  Lewis stated, " I did not know what I was letting myself in for. A young man who wishes to remain a sound Atheist cannot be too careful of his reading."   I have not read anything by Chesterton to date, but I ordered "The Everlasting Man" today.   Let me know if you have read it or if you would like to read along with me.  After this one, I expect to want to find out who inspired him.

I Think I Can

 

In two months, at the age of 65, I will attempt to ride 26 miles on my bike for the first time ever.   I mentioned in an earlier post that I will participate in an Olympic distance triathlon with my daughter Lizzy, who will swim, and my son-in-law Trey, who will run.  I'm not sure if I can bike 26 miles, but I think I can.   We certainly don't have any illusion that we will win the race, or even place high, but we are going to be there.  So whether we finish or not, we have already won.  Not making the decision to participate means we would never know if we could.  This past week, I went with my wife to her annual company meeting.  I had the please of hearing Ryan Leak speak for the first time.  He is a sought after inspirational speaker and a best-selling author.  I found his story of trying and failing forward.   I hope you will take a few minutes to be inspired.  Click here for his story, and let me know what important decision you have been putting off that you could act on this week.