This morning I cooked hash browns and an omelet. Cindy and I normally go to 10:30 Mass so the mornings are quiet and not rushed. Breakfast was served out on the deck...we are having a lovely Fall and I wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather. OK it was a little chilly but nothing a bathrobe and hot coffee didn't take care of. While we were outside we heard a loud crack and splintering noise. A large branch had broken and was hanging by a thread...well maybe wood. I had four other branches hanging off this tree that needed to come down. So this afternoon I got out my tool of choice for low hanging (and some not so low) branches. It is my ladder ball (two golf balls connected by a short rope) tied to a cloth rope clothes line. So you get the idea...throw it up and hope to wrap it around the broken branch...then pull it down and get out of the way. It actually works quite well...as long as you get the broken branch and not a live one (or the trunk).
Now doing this reminded me of a scripture: Mt 14:22-30 - Then he made the disciples get into the boat and precede him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Mean while the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves, for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came toward them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea they were terrified."it is a ghost," they said, and they cried out in fear. At once Jesus spoke to them, "take courage, it is I; do not be afraid." Peter said to him in reply, "Lord if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." He said,"Come." Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, "Lord save me!" Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?"
Now I'm sure y'all were thinking of this very same scripture with the ladder ball tied to the clothes line and all. Let me explain. The week after next I am giving a couple talks for a CFO (Camp Farthest Out) one day retreat and in the afternoon talk I'm wanting people to relate the scriptures to what is happening in their lives here and now. I have a number of examples I'm giving but this scripture is familiar to everyone...sometimes too familiar so that we don't always hear it with new ears.
We were camping out at the "river" as we always called the Oahe Dam, with the Venners, Johnsons and others. My High School buddy Dave Dutton and cousin Brian and Dan and myself were busy doing what ever guys do. In this case we were digging out several large pieces of driftwood to make a raft. We borrowed Moms' clothes line to tie it all together...then set sail. It was a pretty impressive raft. We used long poles to push ourselves along the shore line until the current took us out to sea. Being guys we didn't think about how we were going to paddle this thing out in the deep...OK...it would be more correct to say being guys we didn't "think"....period. Anyway we were enjoying the ride and saw the adults back at shore waving to us...so we waved back...they thought we had a pretty impressive raft too. Then looking a little closer and hearing a few choice words that made it across the water...we got the distinct idea they wanted us to come back. Yup...my father was calling me out of the boat and to come to him...and like Peter, if I could walk on water I would, but I would head anywhere other than back to shore to that unhappy group. And now the clothes line seemed very important to us...if we loose that we're really going to be in trouble. Amazing how the mind works...or doesn't. I think we threw Dan over board and told him to save himself...and yes head to shore. Needless to say, the wet knotted clothes line was not coming off. So we all abandoned ship and started the slow and dreaded swim to shore.
When Peter said "Lord if it is you, command me to come to you on the water", Peter knew it was Jesus and that all things are possible through Him...even walking on water. A ghost would have said the same thing, "come"...but how far do you think Peter would have gotten? And like Peter...ever get that sinking feeling when we take our eyes off the Lord? Speaking for myself, Jesus calls me out of the boat when it is heading to places I do not belong...it's not easy to abandoned ship and trust in the Lord.
I thank my Dad for calling the four of us off the raft and back to shore. I never got in trouble for loosing the clothes line...but Mom does say with a smile, "remember that time you boys made a raft with a clothes line then drifted out to sea?"
Yea...that was great!
