As a lay pastor, I do make a lot of effort to be well read up on culture and what is happening in the world. There are good things happening out there. But we live in a broken world where there is much sorrow and many concerns about our world, our governments, wars, intolerance and bizarre bursts of violence among people. When the dear people in the three church congregations come out on a Sunday, through God’s strength I strive to provide strength and encouragement as God’s Holy Word is taught. Jesus said shortly before His crucifixion in His farewell discourse to his disciples in John 16:33, “I have overcome the world”. Jesus was preparing them for hardships they would face. For believers in Christ that no matter what sorrows and pain there is in the world, we can live with confidence and hope, anchored in the triumph of Christ over sin, death, and worldly powers.

Even with those words of assurance from Jesus, there are times when life can get so overwhelming. We are still human. Such as on Tuesday April 7th, when the President of the United States threatened genocide to the nation of Iran, a population of 93 million if they did not open the Strait of Hormuz. This strait is the only open sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean. I had such a heavy feeling of doom. If the nuclear button was pushed, this could turn into World War 3. And possibly the end of the world.

So I headed into the forest. Fortunately we had some fresh snow the night before. With all the freeze/thaws we’ve been having, the trails in the forests have become incredibly treacherous. For my safety I have not gone in the forest for a few weeks. I have missed the woods enormously. The fresh snow stuck to the ice, giving it fairly good traction. You just don’t want to step off the trail where the snow is not packed, as the snow is still quite deep in the forest. You can easily go up your knees in snow.

Off in the distance I heard the powerful thumping of a pileated woodpecker. This beautiful bird is much more skittish than the smaller downy woodpecker. I never did see the pileated woodpecker. But hearing it did my heart so much good. It reminded me of the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:26 which states, “Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

I worked my way to the back of the forest to a large standing dead tree, which stood on a south facing hill. Some other times I have seen from a distance a pileated on this particular tree. But not that day. As I moved my gaze from the standing dead tree to the ground, a vivid green caught my eye. It was a patch of moss and was my 1st hint of spring as the snow melts in the forest. Mosses are a plant known as bryophytes, which don’t have a vascular system with roots like trees do. The moss was so vivid green. Full of water from melting snow and a bright sun to photosynthesize, my heart was dancing. All I wanted to do was tenderly touch it.

I made my way to the top of the hill where there was a corn field that had been harvested last fall. Being out in the open, the field was mostly bare and free of snow. the ground was full of deer tracks, where deer would come out of the snow filled forest to forage for corn kernels missed by the corn harvester. Much like the field right behind my house in Hillsdale. Except that field had been planted in soybeans.

I walked along the edge of the field for several hundred meters. There was a something unique hidden that I was looking for. While walking I kept looking for it at the bottom of a steep ridge. Did I walk too far? Just then a glint of something shiny caught my eye for a fraction of second. A piece of chrome caught the sun. I had found what I was looking for. It was a small graveyard of three old cars that were probably dragged a couple hundred meters down the steep ridge over 50 years ago. It is now extremely overgrown. Once the leaves come out, this graveyard is pretty much impossible to find. In the summer I could be only 20 feet away and not see it. The ridge was very steep. This was only my fourth time I’ve been out there. But there were a lot more downed trees than what I remembered. I am guessing it was due to last years’ ice storm. Sinking in the snow past my knees, and climbing over a lot of deadfall, I had to be extremely careful. I had a camera, but my cell phone was at home. If something were to happen, and I couldn’t get back up that ridge, I would be adding myself to that graveyard.

The glint of chrome came from one of three abandoned cars. Abandoned cars as well as abandoned structures fascinate me. I do have a concern for the environment, so it was good to see the engines were removed prior to going down the ravine. It was hard to tell regarding the fuel tanks. Even though each year they are rotting more and more away and sinking further into the earth, there was a time when these three cars rolled brand spanking new off the assembly line. Dazzling chrome, sparling glass and a flawless paint finish. Behind each car there was a designer and a dedicated factory of workers who fit every piece together with precision.

As I carefully retraced my steps out of that ravine and made my way back home I marveled how the beauty and complexities of nature helped me in my time of need. The complexities and design of nature do not happen by chance. Louis Pasteur, the famous scientist said of our world, “The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the creator”. His logic convinced him that our complex, orderly creation requires a Creator. God the Creator and Designer of all that we see in nature is revealed in the Bible. Even that my eyes caught that glint of chrome in the sun. It was a couple hundred meters away. Dr. Heinz Lycklama, shares this, “Furnished with automatic aiming, automatic focusing, and automatic aperture adjustment, the human eye can function from almost complete darkness to bright sunlight, see an object the diameter of a fine hair, and make about 1000,000 separate motions in an average day…and then while we sleep, it carries on its own maintenance work.” Our bodies are so complex.

Sometimes we feel like those old cars. No longer of any value, so they are dragged to the bottom of a ravine where they are forgotten and out of sight. Psalm 139 is an amazing chapter. I encourage you to read the entire chapter, but vs. 7-10 reads, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”

Last Sunday at the Three Churches we looked at one of Jesus’s disciples named Thomas. The passage was John 20:19-31. Thomas spent three years with Jesus (God in human flesh). In Thomas we have the picture of a committed follower of Christ. He loves Jesus. He walks with Jesus. He’s willing to suffer and even die for Jesus. But he has some questions. He has some doubts. Now, questions and doubts aren’t necessarily bad things. It was the Greek philosopher Socrates who said, “The unexamined life is not worth living”. It means that a life void of introspection, self reflection and critical thinking is essentially meaningless and lacks value. For the Christian, if our faith is a blind faith, where we never examine what we believe and why we believe it, our faith generally has a tendency to be weak.

Thomas was not with the other disciples when Jesus appeared to them. The other disciples were so pumped and excited as they declared, “We have seen the Lord”. Thomas completely rejects their words by saying, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” You have to remember, this has been a traumatic few days for Thomas. Thomas had followed Christ for 3 years of his life. He loved Jesus so much that he was willing to go to Jerusalem and die with Him. But then…Jesus was betrayed by Judas, who was one of the twelve disciples. Jesus was ridiculed and rejected by the crowds. He was whipped and beaten by the Roman soldiers. Then Jesus was put to death by crucifixion, one of the cruelest ways to execute someone known to man. And neither Thomas nor his friends could do a thing to stop it. The risen Jesus met Thomas where he was at to overcome his doubts. Jesus shows him mercy. He gives Thomas what he needs right then. And it’s such an overwhelming experience for Thomas that he falls to his knees and cries out, “My Lord and my God”. Jesus, you’re my Master… and you’re my God.

Carey Nieuwhof is former local Presbyterian minister and now has a ministry to pastors and Christian leadership through his podcast, blog and seminars. Speaking to pastors in the article, “7 Ways to Respond to the Epidemic of Deconstruction” he shares this…”One of the reasons being a pastor is harder these days (there are many) is that information is everywhere…Keep up on culture enough to be aware of what’s happening and how to approach it. But that’s not where the real power is. Instead, go deep into your faith. Dig deep into theology – both the classics and modern voices. Study the Scriptures more deeply through the lens of history and culture. And, yes, read and listen to thinkers outside of your theological, denominational, and political “tribe.” Approach differences of opinion and grievances with a desire to understand, not to wage combat. And, perhaps most importantly, plumb the depths of your own relationship with Christ. Admit to your own struggles with doubt, uncertainty, and hard questions. And, if you’re brave enough, share some of those from the pulpit. Do this consistently over years and you will begin to exude something the world desperately wants and need—hope, faith, and something deeper than the shallows everything else seems to provide.”

All camera non meme photos taken by my 17 year old Fuji Finepix point and shoot camera. God bless…Carl.