Top of the World...

I had a wonderful Fall Break here in Knoxville. It was busy, but a productive busy, which has left me far less stressed and anxious than I was last week. It opened with an impromptu camping trip with three sophomore guys on a mountain in North Carolina called Max Patch. This has got to be one of the most beautiful places on earth. It's in the absolute middle of nowhere. It's just this bald, grassy mountain top, surrounded by 360-degree views of mountains. Absolutely spectacular (I posted some pictures at the end of this post...check them out!)

After getting a lot done around the house and in the yard over the weekend, I felt like I needed some alone time on Sunday afternoon. So after church, I hopped in the car, drove out to the National Park, and found a nice wooded place by the river to sit, think, read, and pray. It was a great soul-refreshing afternoon...but it did get me thinking about some things.

I definitely believe we all need time alone with God. That's for sure. I also believe that nature's beauty is a precious gift of God. However, as I sat surrounded by God's beautiful Creation, this place I felt I had to retreat to be alone with God, I was struck by the fact that Creation is just as beautiful in the middle of urban Knoxville. Why? Because in the Smokies, I was surrounded by trees. In urban Knoxville, I am surrounded by people. And which do we read in Scripture that God loves more? ;-)

We believe that the whole earth will be made new when Jesus comes back. The mountains will be made perfect, and so will the cities.

It all just reminded me about the importance of community, and the dignity of our fellow image-bearers of God (all humanity). God gave us each other, and we were designed to live in community and have relationships. When we aren't living in community, we aren't truly human. An afternoon in the mountains was wonderful and refreshing, but it was not the truest human experience. It's not what I was designed for. I was designed for community.

I'm sure there will be many more quiet trips to the mountains in the future, but I pray that I will have a similar attitude toward other people God has placed in my life...that I will see them as places of refreshment, places where I can experience God more fully than I can when I'm by myself. Relationships are messy, for sure...but it's in the mess that we find and experience grace.

Well, after all that...how about some pictures of mountains? At least some of them have people in them... [insecure hypocrisy disclaimer]