Steppingstone Journey

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Finding That Quiet Place

Stochasticity:  the quality of lacking any predictable order or plan - new word for me, too!  A twenty dollar word that most of us know as intrusion, racket, or confusion.  It is doggone hard to find a place like the photo on the left, right?  This was taken in Colorado and not a thing was moving at that moment.  It was as quiet and peaceful as a disciple.   Follow downward to be lifted upward.



This photo is of Boyce Thompson Canyon, 60 miles SE of Phoenix.  We like to go there because its backdrop is both majestic and tranquil.  Actually, very few people visit this area.  It is off the beaten path, yet worth the drive to stroll through its canyons, creeks, and valleys of eucalyptus and palm trees.  It is a departure from a rattling world.      






 When we think of a soft and restful place, our memories travel to the Rhein River, where foot paths and strollers with their quiet conversations keep company.
It is a calm river today and stopping by for a visit hushes up agitation from the world.                                                



This photo does not portray opulence. It is a photo of a balcony overlooking a small courtyard in Ambato, Ecuador.   It was consoling here and the rain bouncing off the tile roofs crowded out all crusades and causes and campaigns.
"Stop.  Come sit down and have something warm to drink."  Rest for a while.  This is a place to reason and think it through.








Thinner air and cooler temperatures were worth the long walk to reach this spot inside a national park in Costa Rica.  There were benches at the top, and when we took a seat, it was as quiet as the fog.
The smell of fresh wetness and stillness invaded our surroundings and the solace did not cost anything except to sit down and settle down.  We had found another quiet place that was as comfortable as a warm bowl of soup.

Adriatic Sea, Croatia
Every one of us, at one time or another in our lives, look for that quiet place.  There are times when we may need to distance technology, fold our hands and become static. This is not because something beggarly or ignoble has happened to us.  More often than not, it may be to celebrate something so providentially descent that has unfolded in our lives that all we can do is quit and sit.  We hear our own breath and for a good reason.  This is when we can reflect on the problem solved or the problem to be solved.  

Quiet places are free.  They do not need to be near flowing water or a crashing sea or a manicured garden.  They can be in our favorite chair at home or in a nearby park or even in the bathroom (many a Mom has found solace there)!

So, we frequently inquire, what if I am unable to find a quiet place?  I do need to turn off and tune out the world.
Create one.

She did.


Keep Looking Up!  And, thank you for
following our blog!

J:m and L:inda

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Jesus Christ Lizard

Basiliscus is a genus of large corytophanid lizards, commonly known as basilisks, which are endemic to southern Mexico, Central America, and northern South America Commonly known as the Jesus Christ Lizard, or simply the Jesus Lizard due to their ability to run across water for significant distances before sinking. (wikipedia)

 In the rainforest of Costa Rica, our guide cut the motor to the boat and drifted closer to the tree branch where the dark, long-tailed lizard struck a picture perfect pose for us.  Later, our guide cruised quietly through the muddy waters of a tighter tributary looking for a second Jesus Christ lizard, the green one.  His keen eyes spotted one dramatically perched on a limb extending out into the river, totally comfortable in this pass-out, jungle heat and humidity. We drifted.  We waited. We swatted mosquitoes.  We wanted to see why this lizard had been labeled the Jesus Christ lizard.  While we waited for the exhibition, our guide explained that this lizard could walk on water, and for decades the indigenous peoples related this characteristic to what Jesus had done as recorded in Matthew 14.   To the tribes in these jungles, they had heard the story of Jesus first, then named the lizard who, by the way, Jesus had created in the beginning, could do the same as Jesus.    The lizard never showed us his skill, but we learned that he stands up on his hind legs and his web feet carry him at break neck speed across the top of the water for at least the short distance necessary to out run his enemy.

The lizard is not the amazing consideration here. This situation is much like the earrings.  Recall the story about  missionaries who finally made contact with a tribe deep in the jungles of Africa and discovered the tribal people were wearing wooden earrings in the shape of airplanes.  They had never seen an outsider, but yet something bigger and greater above them had influenced them.  They saw, borrowed and applied.

What is amazing about the lizard is when he acquired his name.   He was so named only after this peoples' group had heard about Jesus Christ.  They couldn't possibly have christened him before  then.  Simply put, those who heard, borrowed and applied.   Now, any time they see the lizard, they say the name of the One who walks on water. Missionaries brought the story into their lives and Someone bigger and greater influenced their environment.  Even greater, there are small churches located in little towns up and down the tributaries.  Like you, repeatedly, we have seen the power of influence after hearing His story.  Our churches still stand throughout  the world today proclaiming the story of the One who walks on water.

Keep looking up!    And, thank you for following our blog.

J:m and L:nda