"' ' ' '" ". '. . ' . .' ." "' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '" ". ' . ' . ' ." "'..............'" ".. .. .." ".:..:..:..:." "' ' ' ' ' ' .R:" "A:" "I:" "N." ". '. . ' . .' ." ".R:" "A:" "I:" "N." ". ':. : .:' ." ".R:" "A:" "I:" "N." "..:..:..:.." ".R:" "A:" "I:" "N." "..:..:..:.." ".:." ".. .. .." ".:." "..:..:..:.." ".. .. .." "Powered by .:" "ExitFOR :." "Couple of years ago, I was with my family and We were spending some time, ah, in this cabin in the woods on the edge of this remote lake" "And I mean we were deep in the middle of nowhere." "And one morning ah, my son Trace and I we woke up and set out to take a walk around the lake." "It was one of those mornings, like not a cloud in the sky, and there's...the birds are singing and my son Trace he's about a little over a year old at the time." "And so he's making all these little "turps" and squawks that one year old boys make backpacks and I had him in one of those hiking where he rode back here, so as I walk along" "I can hear him making all his noises." "And so we head out through the woods to walk around the lake." "And its just one of those... do you have those moments, like if you could just freeze them, just so beautiful." "And we get to the other side of the lake and we're exactly at the half way point, where the furthest possible point from the cabin and were rounding the bend to head back and, and I look up and I notice clouds" "and then it starts to rain." "It always rains, doesnt it?" "Its interesting because the scriptures say all sorts of things about rain and storms." "When Jesus is teaching about what it means to live like the fullness of life in his kingdom." "When Jesus speaks of it, he speaks of two different people." "He speaks about person who builds her house on sand, someone who chooses to reject his teachings and someone, one who builds their life, their house on rock, who choses to build their life on Jesus teachings" "and in a metafore he uses is that of a storm that comes and the person who rejects his teachings and his truth, esentially the house built on sand just gets destroyed, but the house that's built on rock stands." "So this idea, Jesus has, when the rains come, it's not like they might, they do." "It rains in our lives, a lot." "At first, there's a drop here and drop there and so I put Trace's hood over his head." "But what I didn't know was that he pulled it off." "And so gradually, the drops, they get bigger and bigger and they fall faster and faster and in no time it is pouring." "I mean the kind of, the kind of rain that just soaks and plasters your hair against your head and the kind... just drenches your clothing and at first Trace, the thunder and lightning he's ok, but as it picks up" "and it gets louder and louder and the wind becomes more intense and the trees start to shake," "Trace becomes more and more agitated," "I can feel him, like Im my back and first he starts to whimper and then he, he lets out a kind of a little shout here and there, but in no time, Trace is shrieking at the top of his lungs." "I mean, the wind is blowing, there's thunder and lightning and we're just getting plastered with this heavy rain and the trees are no longer providing any shelter and Trace just from like deep in his being starts to yell and cry" "so loudly and with such passion and terror in his voice." "Its interesting cause if you'll take that word cry and you search the scriptures, you'll find this word comes up over and over again." "Like even in book of Psalms, just the book of psalms, if you're like start reading through, it speaks over and over and over again of crying." "Of crying out to God, and God says these amazing things like he says:" ""When you cry out to me, I listen"" "even says: "I cannot ignore the cry of somebedy who's aflicted."" "It's like If I'm hurting, lost, soaking wet, scared, confused," "God says:" ""You cry out and I hear."" "God even says, that when you cry, hes close to the broken hearted." "Hes close to those who cry out, that admit, they're scared, lost, soaking wet and confused." "See there is this false, twisted idea out there among religious people, but somehow you've got to have it all together to have a relationship with God, like somehow, Gods only looking for people, who have no problems" "and who have it all nailed down and can put on like the happy face all the time, yet the scriptures speak directly against this kind of thinking." "I mean Jesus is just straight ahead, when he says:" ""Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy laiden."" "I mean the essence of salvation is crying out to God and admitting, I dont have it all together, its admiting:" "I am lost, I am hurting and this sinful nature that I carry arround with me, has really screwed things up for me and God if you dont show me the way home, if you don't fix things, if you dont step in," "I am dying here." "And this truth, this kind of thinking is all throughout the scriptures, its over and over again." "God says to us:" ""you come to me!"" "Come to me, all you who junked!"" "Cover my problems, cover me all I screwed up, and all has stoped, all take me care of it." "He says:" ""I am not looking for the healthy," "I came for the sick."" "Its interesting if you think about the storm from Trace's perspective." "For Trace the storm is his reality, he sees nothing else, the lightning and the thunder and the trees sway and the raindrops and the water just dripping off him, its all he knows, he sees no reality beyond the storm." "What Trace does not realize, is that as his dad, I would do anything to get him home." "Rain come down, come and heal these sores" "I stand clean, come and heal my soul," "So at this point, Trace is shreaking at the top of his lungs in stereo right behind my head and I stop and I kneel down and I take him out of the pack and I pull him close to my chest" "and I wrapped my arms around him and I hold him so tightly up against my heart and for the last mile of our walk, the entire time," "I bend over and I whisper into his ear over and over again:" ""I buddy." "We're gonna make it." "Dad knows the way home." "Were gonna make it." "I love you buddy."" "And over and over and over again." "Through the storm I carry him home, clutched tightly against my chest." "Whispering:" ""I love you buddy, were gonna make it."" "Now imagine, if like years later," "Trace is in therapy or something and he drags up this repressed memory of The Walk." "And he comes to me and hes like:" ""Dad, why youd let me go through that for," "I've got all this junk inside, what did you..." "I thought you love me, how could you expose me" ""something" in that hopeless storm," "I mean, why didnt you protect me?"" "I would be crushed, because for me, that walk was one of my deepest, most intimate memories of my life with my son." "I wouldnt trade that experience for anything." "Maybe youre bitter and you are all this anger inside, cause theres some things you've been through, some storms in your life and you are wondering if You really love me, if God really was there," "he wouldn't let me go through that." "And maybe God is saying:" ""No, don't you understand?" "I got to hold you tight, but I got to remind you over and over again:" "I love you buddy."" "Now as it says in the scriptures, in book of Deuteronomy, chapter one," "Gods reminding to people of how good hes been to them and he say:" ""Remember, I carried you like a father carries a son."" "And now, may you, when you're soaking wet, lost, hurting and confused." "May you cry out and may the creator of the universe, take you out of your path and may he hold you tight up against his chest, may he wrap his eternal loving arms arround you, may you hear him whisper:" ""I love you buddy, Were gonna make it." "Dad knows the way home." "Were gonna make it." "I love you.""