Getting Away From It All

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Mark 6:31 King James Version

³¹ And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.

 

It’s been a week and month of busyness. A friend came over to have me help her with taxes. There’s been the usual Spanish and writing classes. I’ve battled a stubborn cough and cold, and at one point was coughing so badly I went down and got myself tested for Covid. The test turned out negative: after all I have been vaccinated and boosted and have some natural immunity from having the annoying disease last July. We’ve installed a new gas range and dishwasher. The sprinkler system sprung a leak that turned out to be more complicated than usual, so I had to dig it up and repair it and then repair the repair.

Julia and David came over one day, and we went out to Joshua Tree and took a test drive in our Ford F-150 4x4 down Berdoo Canyon in Joshua Tree National Park. It is a canyon running down from the 4,000-foot heights of Hidden Valley to the below sea level in the Coachella Valley. Drivers with four-wheel drive vehicles like to go up and down the bed of the canyon because it is really challenging. One driver described it as squirrely, possibly meaning “only a squirrel can possibly make it through there unscathed.” Travel was slow. We often got out of the pickup and walked out in front of it to lay out plans to make it through all the rocks without destroying the undercarriage or getting hopelessly hung up on some rocks.

Joshua Tree National Park has been one of those places where we can get away from it all. Often the climbs and hikes get me to the point where I forget all of the worries and despair of everyday life and think only of how to stay alive. In late winter and early spring, the plants often turn green and sport beautiful blossoms, defying the drought and extremes of temperature so common in the desert. At night the heavens are aglow with the myriads of stars that are always there but never visible in the wash of city lights. I cannot but remind myself of the grace of Jesus Christ in this inhospitably complex world we find ourselves in.

Do I succeed in actually getting away from it all? Did Christ and His disciples succeed in getting away from it all after they got in the boat and went to the desert place? Read the subsequent verses in Mark 6. The blessings are there in spite of it all.

Grant us, Lord, the desperately needed rest and grace we seek.

 

[1] https://expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/joshua-tree-berdoo-canyon-old-dale-brooklyn-mine-trip-report.150738/

[2] https://www.google.com/search?q=berdoo+canyon&rlz=1C1JZAP_enUS880US880&sxsrf=APq-WBuXUlW6VFDi2jh2a4Fi3xAQjMHyKQ:1649171223926&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjt_ebHmf32AhXVKEQIHe3hBXAQ_AUoAnoECAIQBA&biw=916&bih=639&dpr=1.25#imgrc=AHBM-kAzwzvOgM

Those Who Are in Authority over Us

 

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1 Timothy 2:1-2

Good News Translation

2 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, requests, and thanksgivings be offered to God for all people; ² for kings and all others who are in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceful life with all reverence toward God and with proper conduct.

 

Right here in very tranquil western Riverside there have been over 50 shootings near us during the last several weeks. Of course, this is not totally true. Actually, the shootings have been on the freeway that runs near us. They have been with BB guns that have knocked out windows in passing white cars. And who knows how many shots were fired, that totally missed any vehicles or hit a vehicle but didn’t knock out a window? I assume that less than one percent of the shootings actually hit their targets! Therefore, there must be thousands of shots. And they have been on a twenty mile stretch of the highway. Last week they arrested someone whom they suspect of making one of the shots, and I haven’t heard about any more since then.

None of these have been in our quiet neighborhood. But one can only imagine that if nothing were done about it, this lawless vandalism would become common place. Furthermore, it would escalate until nothing would be safe. We would no longer be able to live a quiet and peaceful life.

Joe, a neighbor of mine, told me he wants to renounce his U. S. citizenship and be declared a North American citizen. This way, he thinks, he would not have to pay taxes but could live peacefully enjoying the benefits of being surrounded by citizens who are law abiding and are paying for his services and freedom. His would, of course, be one of the loudest critical voices decrying the deterioration of society when it happened. What we have seen coupled with legitimate protests recently would become the norm.

Dear God, please continue to support and guide those who preserve our peace.

 

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[1] https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2017/01/shattered-rental-cars-go-sort-wild/