March 03
On Top
The LORD spoke to you face to face at the mountain from the midst of the fire.
Deuteronomy 5:4 (NAS)
“Boys, look between Broken Top and the North Sister. Do you see it?” Kris pointed north as she spoke. We were on top of the world, standing near the summit of Mount Bachelor, the Northwest’s most popular ski area. We stood there amid piles of lava rocks, twisted, wind-blown junipers, and patches of icy, leftover snow.
“I see it.” Now Alex was pointing too.
“That’s one huge fire!” Ryan shielded his eyes as he focused on the thick plumes of smoke and rising ash some twenty miles away.
Thirty mile-an-hour winds had turned the G.W. fire near Black Butte Resort into a 1,200-acre inferno. Now the wind was blowing ash and smoke below us and over much of our beloved Central Oregon—at least up north. The rest of the world was a beautiful emerald green and desert beige.
Well, I thought to myself, it's been a wonderful time on top of the mountain. Now it's time to go. But Kris said something that stopped me after only a couple of steps down the rocky, windswept slope.
“Guys, lets pray for those firefighters—right now. They’ve got a tough job on their hands and they need God’s protection!”
Hmm. Good idea. I nodded my head. “Yes, let’s do that.”
So, at 9,000' elevation, Kris, Ryan, Alex and I formed a small circle on top of the huge mountain, bowed our heads and prayed for the men and women battling the blaze. Then it came back to me, and I remembered the firefighters, police officers, sheriffs, and U.S. Forest Service personnel who had saved our neighborhood less than two weeks earlier. The lump in my throat grew so big, I could barely swallow.
Up there, on Labor Day weekend, I became doubly-thankful for the hard work of others—for those who rescue and protect and for those who remember to pray for these valiant heroes.
It was indeed a beautiful day as we loaded onto the ski lift and made our way off the mountain. My mountaintop experience more meaningful than I ever imagined.
Father, thank You so much for the good work of others and especially for those who go into harm's way for us.
On Top
The LORD spoke to you face to face at the mountain from the midst of the fire.
Deuteronomy 5:4 (NAS)
“Boys, look between Broken Top and the North Sister. Do you see it?” Kris pointed north as she spoke. We were on top of the world, standing near the summit of Mount Bachelor, the Northwest’s most popular ski area. We stood there amid piles of lava rocks, twisted, wind-blown junipers, and patches of icy, leftover snow.
“I see it.” Now Alex was pointing too.
“That’s one huge fire!” Ryan shielded his eyes as he focused on the thick plumes of smoke and rising ash some twenty miles away.
Thirty mile-an-hour winds had turned the G.W. fire near Black Butte Resort into a 1,200-acre inferno. Now the wind was blowing ash and smoke below us and over much of our beloved Central Oregon—at least up north. The rest of the world was a beautiful emerald green and desert beige.
Well, I thought to myself, it's been a wonderful time on top of the mountain. Now it's time to go. But Kris said something that stopped me after only a couple of steps down the rocky, windswept slope.
“Guys, lets pray for those firefighters—right now. They’ve got a tough job on their hands and they need God’s protection!”
Hmm. Good idea. I nodded my head. “Yes, let’s do that.”
So, at 9,000' elevation, Kris, Ryan, Alex and I formed a small circle on top of the huge mountain, bowed our heads and prayed for the men and women battling the blaze. Then it came back to me, and I remembered the firefighters, police officers, sheriffs, and U.S. Forest Service personnel who had saved our neighborhood less than two weeks earlier. The lump in my throat grew so big, I could barely swallow.
Up there, on Labor Day weekend, I became doubly-thankful for the hard work of others—for those who rescue and protect and for those who remember to pray for these valiant heroes.
It was indeed a beautiful day as we loaded onto the ski lift and made our way off the mountain. My mountaintop experience more meaningful than I ever imagined.
Father, thank You so much for the good work of others and especially for those who go into harm's way for us.
posted by Craig Soderquist at 4:43 PM
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