Good Morning & Happy Sunday Everyone!
Many of us lost a good friend this past week when husband, father, adventurous hiker, artist extraordinaire & lover of Jesus died while on a hike in the Enchantments (a spectacular hiking location in the North Cascade Mountains). It appears that his heart gave out on him quite suddenly and he was gone immediately. According to accounts, many people were brought together on the trail to gather in prayer and do what they could to help Tom. He was airlifted to Wenatchee and made his way home to Spokane yesterday. Our hearts go out to his beloved wife, Robin. Tom was an extraordinary man in many respects…his art work took your breath away. In my humble opinion, he was one of the best artists I’ve ever come in contact with and our family is pleased to have a number of his works. He did a spectacular colored pencil painting of one of our favorite spots in the world, Cameron Lake on the Alberta-Montana border in Waterton Lakes. It hangs in the master bedroom at The Tana House near Glacier Park. Another grand work of his was that of a Blue Heron. We purchased the original of that painting and it hangs proudly in our dining room at our home in Spokane. Pacific Flyway Gallery in the Spokane Valley features many of Tom’s works. Many acquaintances of mine have pictures that Tom did of Manito Park, Cannon Hill Park, Mount Spokane and so many other iconic places throughout the Inland Northwest. His use of colors in his paintings was phenomenal and the detail in his landscapes was marvelous. He was also a lover of the elusive Sasquatch, having sworn to have seen “Bigfoot” on one of his many hikes over the years. He was also fond of wearing Hawaiian shirts where ever he may have roamed. He had a winning smile and great way of engaging people, especially strangers who became his friends after just one lovely encounter with him. He’s going to be missed, for sure, but he now rests in the arms of his Savior Jesus and is enjoying being in the presences of loved ones who have gone before, especially his beloved daughter, Klara & Brita, who died much too young. Tom knew much heartache in his life, but he kept “pressing on,” confident in where he would end up at the end of his journey through life. Here’s to you, dear friend Tom Bowman! May you revel in the glory of the Lord and with all of your loved ones who are with you there. Thanks for being a good friend to our family and for the encouragement you were to trust in God during times of great difficulty.
In living the great mystery of life, while their is death there is also life and we celebrate the lives of my friend Paul, who celebrates his birthday today and to my friends Daniell, tremendous wife and mother and great student of The Bible and wise beyond her years and to Jen, wife & mother extraordinaire and superb seamstress/costume designer, among other talents, who both celebrate their birthdays tomorrow, August 24th. Here’s to both of you!
These past few months have really put the issue of racial justice and reconciliation on the front burner. Our country continues to wrestle with the vestiges of slavery and our inability to look at each other as all being made in the image of our Creator. To stand in humbleness with each other and to show each other mercy and grace, for we all fall short of the Glory of God in our interactions and relations with one another, no matter what our skin color and/or social-economic conditions might be. The church I attend, Christ The Redeemer (CTR) has issued a paper on racial justice and reconciliation entitled “A Prayer For Justice And Racial Reconciliation.” The paper is based on a review of what The Bible has to say about this issue. Here are a couple of passages from The Bible that were featured:
“Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.” (Proverbs 14:31)
“…learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression, bring justice to the fatherless, please the widow’s cause. (Isaiah 1:17)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:17-19)
The real problem before all of us, no matter what our condition might be, is the problem of sin…and sin knows no boundaries…the inability of us to truly love each other as Christ loved us…so much so that he would die on a cross that we might find reconciliation with Him and turn our hearts away from sin and toward true fellowship with our fellow human beings. No scheme of man, no political movement, will win the hearts of each of us to truly turn away from our pride, our arrogance, our self-dealing, our self-absorption. Rather than seek to tear down, we should seek to lift each other up in the spirit of unity…but that unity will only come when we humble ourselves before our Maker, the Creator of the Universe…our Creator. What do you think???
Oh God, our God…
May you bring justice to our land. May you bring healing to our land
May we be a people of your peace.
May we be your ministers of reconciliation.
May we pursue justice and love kindness…
Here is the word definition for the day:
“Magniloquent” (Mag-nil-o-kwent): A mid-17th century Latin word meaning “Using high-flown or bombastic language.” Maybe we need more “magniloquent” words like those spoken by Dr. Martin Luther King to inspire all of us to “do the right thing” in our relationships one to another.
Here is the thought for the day:
“All the style, all the money, all the power you can buy
Won’t do nothing if there’s something missing way down deep inside
It’s the weary, it’s the lonesome
It’s the forest that we just can’t see
Don’t forget now, there ain’t no one
Who isn’t trying to see beyond the trees
So just keep keeping the faith…Keeping the faith, everyday
Well, be keeping the faith…Keep keeping the faith, don’t give it away…”
—Mary Chapin Carpenter, “Keeping The Faith”
Here’s to a great Sunday and lots of love and good wishes always!
Press on,
Papa ‘a (Dad, Uncle Mark, Mark, etc.)