Surfing, Stars, and Saguaro's

Well I realize that it’s been way too long since I last updated the blog, so please forgive me. Since my last entry we’ve traveled almost two thousand miles, met some wonderful people, and had some great times. Last week was spent almost entirely in San Diego, CA. We left San Francisco late Saturday night and drove the very long drive down to southern California. The morning was spent going to church at Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, which is the original Calvary Chapel, pastored by Chuck Smith. It was a true honor and delight to hear the man preach. He’s been teaching through the Bible verse by verse for over 40 years, and yet he was so full of life and passion for God that I don’t think I will soon forget it. After church we drove down to San Diego from LA, and spent the afternoon with the Lowe family. It was a great time of fellowship and catching up with them, and they didn’t seem to mind that we hadn’t showered in a couple days and were probably slightly smelly. From there we headed over to Ben’s grandfather’s house, where we settled in for the week. He was a really neat guy, and was very generous towards us in that he let us borrow two very nice long boards for the duration of our stay, which were put to good use. The surf while we were there was definitely not the best California has to offer, but it was a lot of fun and the water was not all that cold. Even in the summertime the water in Southern California can be quite chilly, but fortunately for us it was about 70 degrees. My only complaint about the beach there was that while I was surfing, somebody stole my sandals that I had left on the shore! I couldn’t believe it. I really liked those sandals too.
After four fun-filled days in San Diego, we left California, but not before we went and checked out Hollywood. If you’ve ever heard about the horrors of LA traffic, I can now tell you from personal experience that they are very true! I can understand why so many people want to live there, it has practically perfect weather year-round. But there are many things you have to deal with if you decide to become a resident. Like 2-hour commutes to work that is only 20 miles away, and disgusting smog. You don’t notice the smog that much while you’re in the city, but once you get out of it and look back, the sickening thought occurs to you, “I was breathing that?!” We were very blessed to get a metered parking spot right on Hollywood Blvd., and to our surprise and delight found that the meter had been removed. Free unlimited parking in LA! Incredible! We moseyed around the strip there for a few hours taking in all the sights. Street performers, actor look-alikes, the Chinese Theater, and superhero impersonators, not to mention thousands of tourists, make it a very interesting place to people-watch. There was also a booth of Obama worshippers, I mean disciples, er, supporters that were selling Obama pins, buttons, and even large framed posters that you could hang on your living room wall. I was fascinated at one button in particular that featured Obama on one side, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the other, with the phrase “continuing the dream…”, or something to that effect. As I stood there with my jaw dropped open at the sight of something that was in my opinion so blasphemous, the booth attendee said
“All the buttons are $7”.
“I’m not interested in buying one, I’m not going to vote for him”, I replied.
“It doesn’t matter if you vote for him or not, because he’s going to be president anyway”, he stated very matter-of-factly.
There you have it folks, probably the voice of a prophet. May God help us.
After taking in about as much of Hollyweird as I could handle, we headed east where we would eventually arrive in Austin, TX. One last stop before our trip would be over. But along the way we saw some pretty amazing things. At around midnight we pulled off I-10 and went north on a dirt road, about a half-mile north of the freeway and somewhere between Palm Springs and Phoenix. Once stopped, we got out of the car and looked heaven-ward to see one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen. Except for the dim headlights passing behind us, and the faint orange glow of Phoenix far to the east it was totally dark. And over our heads, shining in all their celestial glory, were thousands and thousands of stars. Just hours before we had seen the stars on the sidewalks of Hollywood, glorifying the idols of pop culture. I recently read a quote by an author talking about the religiosity of film, that I thought was pertinent to compare in contrast with what I experienced that night. Geoffrey Hill writes, “As ironic modern worshipers we congregate at the cinematic temple. We pay our votive offerings at the box office. We buy our ritual corn. We hush in reverent anticipation as the lights go down and the celluloid magic begins. Throughout the filmic narrative we identify with the hero. We vilify the antihero. We vicariously exult in the victories of the drama. And we are spiritually inspired by the moral of the story, all while believing we are modern techno-secular people, devoid of religion. Yet the depth and intensity of our participation reveal a religious fervor that is not much different from that of religious zealots.” While Hollywood is doing a wonderful job at influencing and shaping the worldviews and culture of our country, and millions of people bow at its alter, it will never be able to outdo the majesty of God’s Creative hand. Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows his handiwork.” We listened to worship music as we gazed at the cosmic light show for about an hour, highlighted from time to time by a meteorite. Considering the vastness of the universe and the seemingly insignificance of man, we must remember that God is outside of that universe, but chose to enter it in real time and real space 2,000 years ago. Apart from the knowledge of God and living in the fullness of His grace, I can understand why some would conclude that life has no meaning. Looking at those stars can make you feel very small. But God has revealed to man in His Word that man is significant, because he has been created in God’s own image. Looking upward and seeing what you see with that in mind gives the whole thing a much different perspective. Instead of concluding that life is meaningless, we conclude that life is meaningful, because God is there. And not only is He the God who is there, but He is incredibly intelligent and creative, as demonstrated by the cosmos. Those stars inspired me to worship my Creator, because He is good.
The next day we drove through Saguaro National Forest, which is really just a bunch of cactus's, hardly a forest. But they were really neat to see in person. We drove all day and finally reached Texas. Then we drove and drove and drove, and made it about halfway across Texas to Austin the next morning. They’re not joking when they say that everything is bigger in Texas. It is a big state! That’s all I can write for now, except that our time in Austin has been a lot of fun, and I’ll have more to write on it later. For now it’s time to rest, because tomorrow we’re driving back to Memphis. Home sweet home.