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Leading Captivity Captive

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December 11, 2015

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Jason Custer

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  • “I don't like either the word [hike] or the thing. People ought to saunter in the mountains - not 'hike!' Do you know the origin of that word saunter? It's a beautiful word. Away back in the middle ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked where they were going they would reply, 'A la sainte terre', 'To the Holy Land.' And so they became known as sainte-terre-ers or saunterers. Now these mountains are our Holy Land, and we ought to saunter through them reverently, not 'hike' through them.” . - John Muir . —— . I love what Muir says about the mountains. This is probably my favourite mountain (Buachaille Etive Mòr) in my favourite place (Glencoe) in my favourite country (Scotland) - it is a holy place. I’ve made many pilgrimages to this mountain, and plan to make many more. I love the idea of sauntering in the mountains, really taking the time to enjoy the beauty and majesty and glory of them. The Scots call it “hill walking” instead of “hiking” - we don’t hike with God, we walk with God. The best part is that while I’m sauntering through the mountains, I can lift my eyes up to see beyond the circumstances around me and am able to fix my eyes on something so much bigger and more glorious than myself. I often think of my spirituality as a journey up a mountain, going “further up and further in” - sometimes having to backtrack and find a different trail, sometimes going off trail, sometimes meeting fellow walkers and saunterers. Jesus often went up atop a mountain to pray, could we not learn from him and perhaps even meet him there as well? . Photo credit: @davidlobban . #buachailleetivemor #glencoe #icouldlivehere #johnmuir #hillwalking
  • "What does tamed mean?” “It’s something that’s been too often neglected. It means, ‘to create ties’. . . . “People have forgotten this truth,” the fox said. “But you mustn’t forget it. You become responsible forever for what you’ve tamed… . I remembered the fox. You risk tears if you let yourself be tamed. . - The Little Prince . —— . Risking tears by creating ties with people can be tough. It’s hard to let go or see those ties severed by something out of your control. Sometimes it seems easier not to remember - to forget the ties. Remembering risks tears. . These stacks of stones remind me of Ebenezer’s - stones of remembrance. For some reason, this week I’ve been remembering and missing my dad. The ties there were deep - you could say I was born tamed. The risk was chosen for me, but the tears are just as real. I would have risked again if I was given the choice. I don’t want to forget - I want to be responsible forever to remember, even if that means risking tears. . #fairyglen #uig #isleofskye #icouldlivehere #stonesofremembrance
  • “I think that the Church is the only thing that is going to make the terrible world we are coming to endurable; the only thing that makes the Church endurable is that it is somehow the body of Christ and that on this we are fed. It seems to be a fact that you have to suffer as much from the Church as for it, but if you believe in the divinity of Christ, you have to cherish the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it.” . - Flannery O’Connor, “The Habit of Being” . —— . I loved the churches in Iceland. They stick out against the barren and lonely backdrop of the landscapes. Grace and nature juxtaposed so simply. Yet the church is often where the way of nature, not the way of grace, is found. We have to suffer from and for the church, as O’Connor aptly points out. I’ve found that too often to be painfully true. But she’s right - where else can we go? Christ has words of life, and the church is his body, broken as it is - something to cherish and endure. . #iwouldpastorhere #graceandnature #iceland #churchesinthewild #emojisinthewild #snaefellsnespeninsula
  • “The nuns taught us there are two ways through life: The way of nature, And the way of grace. You have to choose which one you'll follow. Grace doesn't try to please itself. Accepts being slighted, forgotten, disliked... Accepts insults and injuries. Nature only wants to please itself. Get others to please it too. It likes to lord it over them. To have its own way. It finds reasons to be unhappy, when all the world is shining around it. And love is smiling through all things.” . - The Tree of Life . —— . It’s easy to find reasons to be unhappy. I can look back at my time in Scotland, looks at beautiful pictures and places and then compare it to Midland. But I want to follow the way of grace - to be attentive to how the world is shining where I am, and how love is smiling through even in the flat desert landscape. . #fairyglen #isleofskye #uig #personforscale #icouldlivehere
  • "Worship is the strategy by which we interrupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend to the presence of God." . - Eugene Peterson . — . Nature is a great place of worship for me, because it helps me see how little I am in comparison to creation. It helps me get my eyes off of myself as I’m caught in the wonder of a landscape or view. It helps me be attentive to God, and how he shines through his creation. . Iceland and its vast array of different landscapes felt like God playing with creation - enjoying the process of carving out gorges and raising up mountains, dropping a glacier here and sprinkling black sand there. It felt like a place designed for worship - for getting lost in the grandeur of God and forgetting myself. . New post up on the blog (link in bio) about trees and what they’ve taught me. . #iceland #fjaðrárgljúfur #icantpronounceanyofthesenames #icouldlivehere
  • “Many times Ben would go into the woods, knowing that God would meet him by giving him peace, and he would protest, “I don’t want your stinkin’ peace. I want resolution to these problems!” Then God would give him peace, and he would again leave the woods filled with assurance. He learned to converse and to seek intimacy with this God. He learned that God could absorb his meltdowns, his confusion, and his questions.” . - The Land Between, Jeff Manion . — . The woods have often been a similar place for me - where I’ve gone to fight against God’s peace and ask for solutions instead, and yet still leave with peace anyways. I miss the woods in Scotland. They speak to me of God’s presence and peace. . #woods #aviemore #cairngorms #peaceofGod #scotland #icouldlivehere

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