So nice to be riding with my sweetheart at 5:17 a.m. today (Laura rides to work and I get to burn about 550-650 cal before the clock hits 6:30 a.m. - my Cardio is doing great now!) and then I'm gifted with about three hours of quiet-time in Oswald Chambers and the book of Proverbs (So fell in love with Chapter 3 of Prov . . . today is chapt 5 - the 5th of Oct . . . get it?).
Yesterday Laura and I slipped away before being brought back into the Pit of Despair (not the Movie, rather the Seahawk's playing the "perfect quarterback" and a most impressive team) . . . We Christened my new Mt. Bike (the picture is the ONE & ONLY Laura snapped on her first try with my Blackberry) by trying to find "single track" on Larch Mt without the use of a map (we used my Verizon GPS - not good) . . . after one hour we ended up on a private road . . . the East side of the Mt . . . after 20 min on our bikes we found the single track (Gordon and I will revisit it today). Laura IS the most amazing girl/woman/mother/best-friend/girlfriend/lover and "Adventurous Queen" in all this world! Want to know why (of course you do)?
I didn't have time to change out her Mt. Bike tires (Her bike was the best of our Mt. bikes before I got my new one - hers is only 15 yrs old). Laura's bike still had road slicks on them. She also was using Clip-in Pedals for the first time (on a Mt. Bike) and trying to do some serious single track, mud-roots-rocks &logs: All of this with Mt. Bike slicks! Who in their right mind would do this? ONLY someone in love with her "man" and wanting to be with him on his virgin ride! She also road down a steep gravel and rock trail to get back to our car (her bike has no shocks) . . . the hard -pressure-filled slicks transfered everything to her lovely hands (I did promise her I would get her shocks for her bike . . . this is where you feel compelled to send me money!) . . . :)
We endured the SeaGawlks (with new friends) and then went to bed early . . .
I just finished reading four days of Oswald Chambers (O.C.) - these are some of my favorite of devotions . . . here's one of my TOP 100 of O.C.
"After every time of exaltation we are brought down with a sudden rush into things as they are where it is neither beautiful nor poetic nor thrilling. The height of the mountain top is measured by the drab drudgery of the valley; but it is in the valley that we have to live for the glory of God. We see His glory on the mount, but we never live for His glory there." Mark 9:22 From Oct. 2 - My Utmost for His Highest
I was struck well: Look for God in the beautiful, majestic, the mystical and on "out-of-this-world single-track trails!" These Mt. Top experiences (gifts) most often brief (very powerful, concentrated stuff), and usually spontaneous in nature. But they DO recharge, refuel, us for the dark, normal, boring, and everyday world we live in. It's in the valleys, we get to Live out the Love HE First Lived into us (Totally, because He wanted to - see Ephesians 1:4-5; 2:1-1-) - I John 4:19!
Allow and celebrate any Mountain tops God gives to you today - Remember not to live there - come back down and expect God to use you to touch someone else and perhaps give them the inspiring hope needed to never give up on Love! Have a great day!
