Mudslides and our church....

Mudslides and our church.........Thank God we have been getting what Colorado calls monsoon rains. It keeps our fire danger down and provides the moisture we always seem to need. However, living between two mountain wilderness areas has provided some interesting outcomes from the moisture.

We have had two mudslides in the same area with two different rains. These mudslides have come down from what is called Gallo Mountain covering the road by way of Slate Creek. As many of you know we have one way in and one way out of Marble. So once the mudslides occur you are either trapped in Marble or trapped out of Marble.

The last mudslide happened while a group of 16-18 Senior Citizens were here on a day trip. You guessed it, they were trapped in Marble. There are a few places to overnight in Marble but everything was full due to the Marble carving seminars that were going on. So Jon opened the church to this group along with 3-4 firemen who were trapped here as well. Hey we have padded pews, he told the people trying to find a place to lodge them. So our little Marble Community Church opened its doors and its small set of 20 padded pews for the Senior Citzens' group. Many of the town folks supplied blankets and pillows. At 10:30 pm I premade the coffee so that all they had to do in the morning was to plug it in. Being a coffee snob myself, I knew what a cup of morning Joe could do to start their day.

So our church literally became a sanctuary for the pilgrims traveling through. May God bless our little church and may it be known as a sanctuary for the tired, the homeless, the people of God and all His creation whether they know Him personally or not. This is my prayer.

the Mariposa Lily

In search of the Mariposa Lily........Yes I have gotten a little crazy about wildflowers here in the Rockies and more than a little ambitious about locating some of the more "exotic" ones. Thus the hike up the Carbonate Creek trail. It was on this trail that I would have my best chance at seeing the Mariposa Lily. So once on the trail our little hiking group, well at least three of us all of whom were ladies (I am not sure about the two males with us), looked and looked for the lily where it was suppose to grow. No Mariposa lily to be found.

But to our delight we did see Jon's goal.....the Mountain Goats. They are difficult to see in the wild because they inhabit the very tops of the mountains in the rocky terrain. I even bought Jon field glasses for Christmas in hopes that he could see these elusive white goats. As we ate our lunch in an alpine meadow surrounded by Elk Mountain and Mount Daly we were rewarded by seeing a couple of adult mountain goats and two little babies through the field glasses! Did I do good or what buying those for Christmas?

But no Mariposa lily.........So a couple of days later Starbuck (my yellow lab) and I were hiking up the Mike Lane road. Once we were above what I have named Hallelujah Point (because the view is such that I always shout out Hallelujah when I get there) along side of the road was ONE SINGLE MARIPOSA LILY! I started screaming and jumping around scaring Starbuck and yelling to no one because I was alone, It's the Mariposa Lily, it's the Mariposa Lily!

Now the interesting part is that this lily should not have been growing in that particular terrain according to my wildflower book. But there it was. I could not help but think that God gave me that special moment to behold this flower. You cannot imagine the gratitude and wonder that filled my heart upon seeing this flower!!!I know it may sound silly but for me it truly was a "God moment"!

O that I would have eyes that see! O that I would have a heart always open to God's handiwork all around. O that I would see not only His handiwork in nature but also His handiwork in the lives of the people I see everyday. This is my prayer! And I pray this prayer, in part due to the Mariposa Lily!

Holy stillness

Holy stillness.....I went for a solo hike this morning. Now I did not break the first rule of hiking, do not hike alone, because I walked up the Quarry Road. Again one must be reminded that we only have one short paved road in Marble and that was not it.

Since I was alone I used the time to be with God. As I walked and I thought of someone, I would pray for them. But as I continued I began to be quiet and to listen. The scripture "Be still and know that I am God," echoed in my soul. I continued walking up the long hill but I allowed my soul to enter a stillness. Then it was as if the Holy Spirit spoke into my soul that it is not enough to be still but your soul should enter into a Holy stillness. I took a deep breath as if to breathe in more of the Holy Spirit and I began to listen.

The birds that were singing became hymns to the Holy One. The occasional breeze through the aspens and the firs became the accompanying music. The sound of Yule Creek running below became a praise of glory! I was part of this Holy Stillness. Then I began to see......

I looked at the beautiful wildflowers many of which I have learned their names: red paintbrush, white paintbrush, larkspur, fireweed and then those that I could not recall. In the Holy Stillness I realized that God knew my name. "He clothes the lilies of the valley; how much more would He take care of me." "Who am I that God should be mindful of me?"

The mountains in the distance seemed too grand for me with their peaks soaring into the heavens. I could not know all their crevices or reach all their summits. Is that not like God? He is too great for complete human understanding! Yet He loved us enough to send His son to pay the price for our transgressions. All powerful yet so very intimate if only we enter into the Holy stillness in which He calls us.

Yes there is stillness.......but God calls us into a Holy stillness. It is in this place that we truly enter the Holy of Holies! And like Moses, we come down from the mountain a different person.