Hastings and Mississippi Restoration

Last week we took in some free events down at Hastings Rivertown Days. We saw Dock Dogs competition with dogs jumping for distance after some toy or decoy. It was kind of cool. I'm not a dog lover. So I couldn't imagine watching the same thing for two full days. But obviously some people love it and travel great distances to participate.

We also saw some powerboat races on the Mississippi. That was kind of neat. The biggest race with the most boats ended up being cancelled. They had run out of time with their allotted river closing permit. I should probably blog that separately. But basically, they lost the opportunity because of too much hesitation. Occasionally we may miss out on opportunities as well due to hesitation. Sometimes we get a second chance later. Sometimes we don't.

The National Park Service also provided some river cruises. As we took the short cruise to Prescott, Wisconsin, the park rangers talked briefly of how the Mississippi River from Saint Paul down to Hastings was pretty much dead 50 years ago. Sewage, chemicals, farm field runoff, and other factors had taken their toll. Hardly any fish survived. The report is that a census or count or however they do it found just three fish over many miles of the river. That is pretty bad.

Now the river is returning to life. There are several fish species surviving and thriving. The water is cleaner and safer. The river is slowly returning to some of its former glory.

As I recently read a report on the American church, and particularly mainline denominations, the parallels became clear. The decline of the Mississippi River happened over many years. In the case of the river, much of it came out of self-centeredness, short-term thinking, and a prideful refusal to admit wrong and change.

I will be more merciful with the church. But much of the reason for declining and dying congregations and denominations is due to a refusal to change. Sometimes it also includes some self-centeredness as they structure a church around their own needs and styles rather than selflessly designing a church that will serve and reach today's world.

The revival of the Mississippi came through changed perspectives, values, and behavior. The revival of churches can happen the same way. We need to put aside pride and be open to change. And we must actually make changes that will bring life to our communities. Our communities can start to be well-watered and healthy once the power and love of God begins to flow once again.

And there are some parallels for our personal lives as well. As long as we are alive, there are reasons for hope. And that is especially true if we are willing to change.

Looking at that section of the Mississippi can bring us hope that even decades of decline can be reversed if we are open to change. Repentance, changing our ways, can be the doorway to new life and new possibilities.

If this speaks to you, or your congregation, ask God for revelation of what is going on, the knowledge to know what should change, and the power to make it happen. New life awaits.

Chocolat

I should have been sleeping. But the temptation of Chocolat on TV was too strong. So I had to watch some of it.

Way back in 2000, I enjoyed the film Chocolat in the theatres. The film has plenty of poor examples with poor morals and even hints of witchcraft. But there are some highlights.

The rebel in me enjoys the questioning of tradition. But even more so, parts of the movie are about bringing life to a people who are in prison to man's traditions and various means that lock up, or perhaps more accurately, lock out our chances for hope.

The movie deals with the Catholic church. But some of the lessons apply to all of Christianity. At times the focus has been negative with more focus on the "don'ts" instead of the "dos". And, at times, politics and the need for control come into play. The early church used a fish as its symbol. The cross is definitely important. But sometimes death gets more focus in church than life.

The "River Rats" among us go by different names. But as this movie portrays, many of the Christians can learn from the pagans about loving those who appear to be less lovable. Unconditional agape love is not always easy. One sign of hope is the recent popularity of "To write love on her arms" at http://www.twloha.com/the_story.php. It started out with a young woman who cut on her arm that she considers herself a "F*** Up". If only she knew love! And there are millions lacking hope, lacking identity, lacking purpose.

If only they knew life and love and hope! There are plenty of short-term pleasures and promises. But the long-lasting hope and purpose is found in a life fully committed to Jesus.

The world awaits to see us demonstrating the life they have longed for. Lord help us.

Bald Isn't Beautiful

Due to some circumstances, I have not been able to replace worn tires on my car. And now all four are bald with at least one preparing to blow soon. So far they have held out. And I have held off letting anyone else drive the car until I can get that fixed some day, some month.

Winter driving with bald tires has been quite stressful at times. Both stopping and starting have been a challenge many days. But I have stayed between the ditches with no collisions or heart attacks. God has been gracious.

Yesterday we got a heavy wet snow that left a layer of ice on most roads. I stayed at work until 6:30 p.m. hoping there would be less traffic for the hour-plus drive home. There was still some daylight.

In an effort to get to a freeway and plowed roads soon, I took my usual route. Yankee Doodle Road (a real name) is mostly up hill leaving the Minnesota River valley where I work. I slipped a little at the first stop light. But that was okay.

The next one was quite interesting. I stopped going up hill just fine. I was first in line. After the light turned green, I made little progress. Other cars ended up going around me. I even backed up a little after spinning towards the curb. Seeing little forward progress, I attempted to turn right on a mostly level side street. I did not even get that far before the light turned red again. I yielded to another vehicle and finally made some progress on the side street. I turned into an uphill driveway to turn around so I could back on to the street downhill. From the side street, I was able to get some momentum to eventually get up the hill. But that progress was mostly via bogged down anti-spin control and an occasional spin.

At the top of the hill, it was still icy. I made it safely through the intersections and down onto the freeway. The road home was slippery in many areas. I was content to make steady progress at 30-40 miles per hour. I was glad the rest of the route required no stopping, and especially not the usual stopping uphill in downtown Saint Paul.

So why do I share all this? Life is like that some days, some seasons. There are times we do all we can with all the resources we have. And still, progress appears to be minimal, if at all.

That can certainly be frustrating and disappointing. It can be confusing as well. Not all of life has a neat tidy ending. After repeated setbacks, there is a temptation to give up hope and quit trying.

But we must go on. God has kept us alive because he still has plans for us. So persevere we must. Most of the time those periods with little (apparent) progress eventually come to an end. And we can sometimes learn things from the experience in hindsight.

Some things in life we just need to move through hoping for better things ahead. I have had, and am in, some great challenges. You may be too. So I have to tell me, you, us, to not give up hope. Make those adjustments in direction and perhaps methods. Perhaps try another route to the destination. And maybe, just maybe, you will come out of the experience stronger and with new insight you could not have learned any other way.

Even with baby steps, keep moving forward.