[oventkM^, 2009
d2^treat, J^28757
etstone
JMontreat Coffm’s Student ^oice
Fire in the Gorge
Caleb Hoflieins
“Incline my heart to
your testimonies, and
not to selfish gain! Turn
my eyes from looking
at worthless things;
and give me life in your
ways ”
-Psalm 119:36-37
Arms are outstretched,
flat-bellied, measuring
the crosswinds. The
oxygen comes in jets
up my nostrils as I peer
off a craggy point of
Hawksbill, overlooking
Linville Gorge. The air is
overpowering, a surplus
for the lungs—leaves me
breathless. The day is
golden, and there is fire
in the gorge, but it does
not bum. I measure the
contours of the land. The
invisible is seen. The
wind swims through the
gorge only to come to
HawksbilTs rocky tower
and it is forced
I upward in mighty
I gusts.
My friends and
I watch buzzards
circle, looking for
I food, looking for
life.
I And then I decide
I for the infinite time
^ that God placed
lis rocky jQy(er, ^
I which we sit oh,
I which effortlessly
diverts airflow off
I of its intended path,
' and instead sends it
upwards. I am reminded
of how our lives are like
that. We know what we
want, then we thought we
knew what we wanted,
then we don’t. Want and
need are blurred and our
confused paths are forced
into a massive piece of
granite, until we must
crawl upwards to ask
Dad, “is this really what
you want; am I too busy
making plans?”
It is easy to forget that
God is who He says He
is, when we think we
need what we want; it is
easy to forget that He is
good. I lose sight, and
assume that all the sticky
notes in my room are
Bible verses or phrases
for someone else who
needs encouragement;
all the while I curse my
brother with the same
mouth that I praise him
with.
And today, I hear His
Bon Iver eases out of
my stereo in gentle notes,
and tells of what once
was. The ice of that cold
winter lake is cracking at
every comer. Some call
it El Nino, but I will not
harden my heart. When
the winter comes—and
it will—are we to be
faithful to follow Jesus
or our misplaced desires?
The trees will lose their
leaves and we will tread
on a former life. The
arctic winds will bring
our bones to chatter, and
we will long for warmth
and satisfaction. We will
feel the need. The sky
may be bleak and gray,
and our thoughts may
brood over unseen things.
:-lV!
May His great love
purge of us every fear,
may our giving spew
out at the fountain
head-evidence of His
presence—evidence of
His work. We serve a
God who does not fear
the pestilence stalking,
the frost lying on the
leaves. He is our portion,
dwelling outside of time
constraints, asking us to
dwell in Him. He will
direct our steps. Teach us
to love, and teach us to
pray.
Hallelujah, God is near.
-Ho
‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Fathers house are many rooms; if it were
not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a placefor you. And if I go and prepare a placefor you, I will g
come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where lam. You know the way to the place where I am go- ||
ing. Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” %
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really
[ knew me, you would kn^ my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” ^
John 14:1-7