"I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes" - Part 2

"And Now For the Rest of the Story".........

The next morning the sun rose with a promise of a better day. The kids looked rested, Daryl was in the manly hunter’s mode and I hated wildlife. After breakfast we followed the creek bed, wadding and exploring each new bend. At one point we stopped to admire a small hole in the side of a cliff. I picked a rock and with strength and accuracy that amazed me I launched the rock at the hole and out flew an owl. “Monalea” Daryl said, “You woke him up.” “Big deal" I snarled, "some of his cohorts kept me up all night, why should he get to sleep?”

While hiking, we found a nice camping spot several miles away from our original campsite. It actually had a nice shade tree, several blades of grass and looked inviting; unlike the other place that screamed, ‘Death Valley, camp at your own risk.’ We hiked back, broke camp and moved to our new site. Once set up we enjoyed shade, birds and a more welcoming campsite.

That evening we stood around the campfire roasting hotdogs and laughing. As we ate and visited, a skunk boldly came into camp and began to rummage through our things. He acted like he owned the world and from our point of view he did. We stood back in horror and waited for him to call in his friends and family. He boldly marched to the table where we were sitting and began to rummage around under the table. Slowly we crept away from the table and stood outside the camp as he made himself at home. In a short while in marched his friends and family.

We each looked to the other for wisdom, guidance and bravery but no one stepped forward. With one wild look from our fearless leader we all seemed to develop ESP at once and began to grab up our camping gear throwing things in the back of the truck. The 3 tents were ripped from their spots and tossed in with wild abandonment along with our other gear. As we loaded in the vehicles, some still holding half eaten hotdogs, we praised God because we had escaped with our very lives.

Today, August 22 2007 my idea of rouging it is a late bellboy, I have traded in my tent for a hotel key and my definition of getting ‘back to nature’ is flowers delivered to me by a local florist.

Psalms 53:5 "There they were, overwhelmed with dread, where there was nothing to dread."

"I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes" Part 1

Remembering back to all the great times that we had growing up camping, Daryl and I decided to take our 4 children ages 10, 14, 16 and 17 camping. We gathered the camping gear, planned the meals and headed for Caprock Canyon State Park outside of Quitaque Texas.

As we pulled into the state park I was disappointed to see desert scenery. I don’t know where I got the idea that Quitaque Texas was anything like the Colorado Mountains; I must have dreamed it.

We found a secluded spot with mesquite trees and began to set up our campsite. The tent Daryl and I shared was an army tent; it was 3 pieces of canvas. When erected the sides and the floor didn’t quite meet, which made me a little eerie. The place looked like a good haunt for spiders, snakes and lizards.

The girls and I decided to check out the bathroom facilities; we hiked ½ mile up the road to check out the outdoor toilet. Sometime in the past week it had burned to the ground. We should have taken this as a sign from God.

After supper we sat for a little while around the campfire. It was a hot evening so snuggling up to the campfire was out of the question. We turned in early, the girls went to their tent, Morgan to his and Daryl and myself to ours. As we crawled into our tent and snuggled under the sleeping bag, “I Don’t Like Spiders and Snakes and that ain’t what it takes to love me, you fool, you fool” played round and round in my head.

Sometime during the night there was a loud noise and scuffling outside our ‘tent.’ “Daryl, did you hear that?” I said as I nudged him. “Go check and see what it is.” As he crawled out of the tent and stood up with flashlight in hand, he was surprised to see me right behind him. He shined the light throughout the camp and there were raccoons on the table, in our cooler, rummaging through things and having the time of their lives. One raccoon had Rachel’s chocolate bar clutched tight in his little paws. He would snarl, look from side to side and eat his stolen goods. Daryl, with light in hand braced himself like a knight going into battle and grabbed for the chocolate. The raccoon had one end while Daryl had the other and they fought each other as if fighting for Coronado’s gold. I finally screamed, “Just let him have it.” “But its Rachel’s,” Daryl yelled back. “We’ll buy her another one,” I said in disbelief. As he released the chocolate bar the little thief scurried off into the darkness with his reward. We ran the remainder of the raccoons off and began to secure the campsite. To our amazement the kids slept though it all.

During the night the wind began to blow and we continued to hear scuffling, scurrying and arguing outside the tent. And the tune continued to play in my head…..”I don’t like spiders and snakes and that ain’t what it takes to love me, you fool, you fool!” I think I could now add raccoons to the list.

Psalms 3:5 "I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the LORD sustains me."

Tomorrow - "The Rest of the Story"

"CAMPING"

When I was a teen Mom and Dad would load up the station wagon and all 7 of us kids and head to the Colorado Mountains for 2 weeks of roughing it. There was no piped in water, electricity or luxuries. We would bathe in the ice cold creek, cook on the campfire or camp stove and spend each glorious day playing, hiking and hanging out. There were no Game Boys, MP3 players, portable DVD players; just 6 brothers and sisters to spend the day with and from time to time our good friends and neighbors, the Smiths would come too.


Sometimes we would coax Mom and Dad to join in our fun and with rope in hand; we would play cowboys and Indians. Another time we decorated a fur tree with bits of odds and ends found on the forest floor and then celebrated Christmas in July giving each other special gifts that we also found.




We would sing around the camp fire, roast marshmallows, dine on stew and play silly games. The two weeks would pass in what felt like a matter of minutes and then we would pack up and head home.

Those were wonderful times that can never be recaptured. From time to time the family gets together and reminisces about our summer camping trips and each adds a different perspective that was missed when we were children.



Psalms 95:4 “In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him.”

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.......

I have shingles…...……

and I haven’t even been on a roof!

"Friends"

When we lived in Acuff Texas, a farming community ten miles east of Lubbock from 92-99, we made lots of friends and were blessed with some great memories.

Mike and Kara live 9 miles down the road from us. Mike was a farmer and his wife Kara helped. There were always great times to be had when you were with Mike and Kara. We laughed together, cried together and grew a strong friendship together.

Mike and Kara always grew a large garden full of wonderful vegetables. We would fry up okra, zucchini, yellow squash, and green tomatoes. Summers were always filled with fun and adventure.

One fall day they were forecasting an early freeze. Kara called and invited us to come and pick vegetables before the cold blew in. The kids and I drove over excited about the possibilities of another adventure. When we arrived Mike and Kara where getting ready to go to the garden.

We looked out the window and watched the wind whip around the trees as the dirt began to fill the air. It was beginning to feel cool so we bundled up to pick veggies. Someone had the grand idea of decorating our faces with Vaseline, so that when the

dirt blew it would adorn our faces in different designs. Some painted their faces to look like war paint. Others coated their faces heavily in no particular design. While the rest painted their faces more artistically. When the last bit of Vaseline was applied we headed out the door to face the elements. The wind by this time had a bite to it.

With each blast of dirt our faces became even more caked and the designs on our faces became more distinct. As we gathered the green tomatoes dirt became lodged in our teeth, clothes and crevices of our skin. Occasionally we would stop, stand up straight, point at each other and laugh. As we made our way down each row in the now cold blistering dirt filled wind, the work wasn’t like work at all, but more like a game.

When the last vegetable were picked, we gathered up our much treasured produce and headed to the house, continuing to point and laugh at one another. Once inside we began to peel off the layers of dirt filled clothes and look at the designs left on our faces. We took turns washing the dirt off as best we could and headed to the kitchen where we began to prepare a supper of vegetables. I believe this was the best supper I had ever eaten, or maybe it was just the right seasoning of fun that made the food taste so good.

Proverbs 17:17a “A friend loves at all times.”

Proverbs 18:24b “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

THE EGG

When we were going through Sunset School of Preaching 92-94 we were on a very limited income. We had to watch every dime and there was rarely extra for fun things.

From time to time Rebekah’s would beg for an egg, not for breakfast but to sit on. I would have to calculate when the next payday was and if we would have enough eggs to last until then before I would relent and let her take the egg.

She would cradle it in her hands with much love and care and head outside. Next she would carefully lay the egg down and begin to gather sticks, dried grass and leaves to build a nest with.

She would then take her precious egg and place it gently in the nest and position herself on the egg so as not to break it but to keep it warm as she waited for it to hatch. If you snuck a peek you would see her sitting on the egg patiently with hands tucked up under her arms positioned like a mother hen. She would sit in this position all day waiting for the egg to hatch.

Usually in late afternoon she would relent and come in for the evening. At that time I didn’t know how disappointed she was because it wouldn’t hatch. It was years later when she confided in me of her disappointment.

She now understands that no matter what, an egg from the refrigerator just isn’t going to hatch. But it took a lot of patience, diligence and longsuffering on her part to wait for the egg to hatch as a child. I now see that she still has these same qualities in her day to day life.


Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

"I Can't Do It"

When Rachel was first learning to tie her shoes she would spend a considerable amount of time working on the laces. I would offer my help, which in turn she would reply, “I can do it myself.”

After sometime Rachel would yank off her shoe and with force throw it across the room and cry, “I can’t do it, I just can’t do it.” I would try to console her and help her but she would get mad at my offer, pick up the shoe, place it on her foot and start all over again. After several minutes she would again yank her shoe off and launch it across the room with great force and cry, “I can’t do it, I just can’t do it.”

It took me several days to learn to sit back and wait for her to come to me and ask for help. She would come to me with a contrite heart and big crocodile tears coursing down her little face. I would gather her in my arms and hold her and then I would help her put on her shoes and very gently show her how to tie them. She would give me a big hug, slide off my lap and run to play.

It seemed like forever before she finally learned to tie her shoes and we didn’t have to go through the “I can’t do it, I just can’t do it” routine. Actually it was probably only a few weeks.

We are so like this in our daily lives. We struggle, resist and oppose the problems that we face while our Father looks on with great love and patience waiting for us to come to Him with a contrite heart and ask for help. He was there from the very beginning listening to us say, “I can do it myself” and then hearing us cry, “I can’t do it, I just can’t do it.” Notice He never pushes His way in, but waits for us and then He gathers us in His arms, holds us close and gently shows us the way.

I Peter 5:7 “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”