Oct. 14, 2008
WHERE I AM: Burlington, Vermont. I am staying with the music director of North Avenue Alliance church. Her name is Kara Krikorian. As we got to know each other over dinner tonight, I felt like I already knew her, like we were old college buddies. It was encouraging to me to feel such a connection.
WHAT I DID TODAY: Drove from Portland, Maine to Burlington, Vermont. I followed Route 302 through Maine then took Highway 112, also called the Kancamagus Highway, through New Hampshire. A drive that should have taken four hours took nearly seven because I stopped so many times to get out and walk among all the colors.
WHAT I’M DRINKING: Coffee. I think I will have to order some schnazzy drink soon so this is more exciting. A martini, shaken not stirred, perhaps? Or a grande hazelnut latte, skinny, half-calf with whip? I am at Muddy Waters Coffee House, which, supposedly, was recently rated one of the top five coffee shops in the nation by USA Today…or some great honor like that. I can see why. Wooden floors, hand-hewn wood beams, groovy music, microbrews on tap, full of hip twentysomethings working to solve the world’s problems.
WHERE I’M GOING TOMORROW: I am exploring Burlington. And drinking lots of coffee because there is a coffee shop (or two or three) on every block. Heavenly.
In his Chronicles of Narnia book, “The Last Battle,” C.S. Lewis describes heaven as going “further up and further in,” as a land so magnificent it takes your breath away – and then only gets better. As I drove through quaint Maine towns and over the White Mountains on the Kancamagus Highway today, Lewis’ words came to me. As I went further up and further in, I became more aware of God’s astounding beauty, and less aware of myself as I got lost in it.
An ancient stone church framed by trees just blushing red would catch my eye – and often my camera. Miles ahead, the reds would become deeper, the oranges more complex. Then, just miles further into the White Mountains, purple leaves would splash onto the scene and upstage yellow leaves just beginning to expire and flutter down into the rocky river below. My four hour drive became seven. It could have easily been ten.
At dinner tonight, Kara and I talked about prayer. She said she’s been learning the importance of adoration in prayer. Not thanksgiving, though that is also important. Adoration. That exaltation of God for who he is, not just what he does. It is a part of prayer that takes you so far outside yourself it is impossible to worry or judge or pity circumstances that are likely to teach you something if you let them. We all need that. My wandering in the wilds of New England, and my conversation with Kara, reminds me of John 3:30: He (God) must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.
WHERE I AM: Burlington, Vermont. I am staying with the music director of North Avenue Alliance church. Her name is Kara Krikorian. As we got to know each other over dinner tonight, I felt like I already knew her, like we were old college buddies. It was encouraging to me to feel such a connection.
WHAT I DID TODAY: Drove from Portland, Maine to Burlington, Vermont. I followed Route 302 through Maine then took Highway 112, also called the Kancamagus Highway, through New Hampshire. A drive that should have taken four hours took nearly seven because I stopped so many times to get out and walk among all the colors.
WHAT I’M DRINKING: Coffee. I think I will have to order some schnazzy drink soon so this is more exciting. A martini, shaken not stirred, perhaps? Or a grande hazelnut latte, skinny, half-calf with whip? I am at Muddy Waters Coffee House, which, supposedly, was recently rated one of the top five coffee shops in the nation by USA Today…or some great honor like that. I can see why. Wooden floors, hand-hewn wood beams, groovy music, microbrews on tap, full of hip twentysomethings working to solve the world’s problems.
WHERE I’M GOING TOMORROW: I am exploring Burlington. And drinking lots of coffee because there is a coffee shop (or two or three) on every block. Heavenly.
In his Chronicles of Narnia book, “The Last Battle,” C.S. Lewis describes heaven as going “further up and further in,” as a land so magnificent it takes your breath away – and then only gets better. As I drove through quaint Maine towns and over the White Mountains on the Kancamagus Highway today, Lewis’ words came to me. As I went further up and further in, I became more aware of God’s astounding beauty, and less aware of myself as I got lost in it.
An ancient stone church framed by trees just blushing red would catch my eye – and often my camera. Miles ahead, the reds would become deeper, the oranges more complex. Then, just miles further into the White Mountains, purple leaves would splash onto the scene and upstage yellow leaves just beginning to expire and flutter down into the rocky river below. My four hour drive became seven. It could have easily been ten.
At dinner tonight, Kara and I talked about prayer. She said she’s been learning the importance of adoration in prayer. Not thanksgiving, though that is also important. Adoration. That exaltation of God for who he is, not just what he does. It is a part of prayer that takes you so far outside yourself it is impossible to worry or judge or pity circumstances that are likely to teach you something if you let them. We all need that. My wandering in the wilds of New England, and my conversation with Kara, reminds me of John 3:30: He (God) must become greater and greater, and I must become less and less.
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