Let's start with a book that has its setting an hour north of where I sit right now. The book is "Sandstone Spine" written by Harvard schooled and experienced mountainier David Roberts. The setting is a geological landform called Comb Ridge, which runs 120 miles from Kayenta (my old stomping grounds) to the foot of the Abajo Mountains in Utah. The Comb is actually a monocline, which in this case is a very abrupt uplift of sandstone on the Colorado Plateau. Roberts chronicles his journey, along with two buddies, from one end of the Comb to the other. In September of 2004 they took about two weeks to backpack the entire length, supposedly the first time in human history this was done. Immediately upon reading this I talked to my friend, Denny Preisser of Kayenta, a fellow backpacker and adventurer. We were both like, "Why didn't we think of that first!" Why let this guy from Boston come out here to our own backyard and steal our potential thunder? Well, there is more to it then just a backpacking trip. Roberts happens to be one of the top authorities in the world on the Anasazi; the poeple who were here long before the Navajo and mysteriously disapeared. Before they disapeared, or migrated toward the Rio Grande to become the modern Pueblo people, they left behind magnificent ruins in the form of cliff dwellings and pottery. One of the highest concentrations of their ruins is along Comb Ridge. Roberts is at his best in the book when he is describing the cliff dwellings that he and his partners explored, as well as when he is informing the reader about the culture that flourished up until about the 1300's. The book becomes tedious when he tries to explain how difficult the backpacking trek was and the ebb and flow of tensions between he and his friends. When you have two roads parralleling the Comb most of the way and you have friends from Bluff, Utah meeting you at different points along the way with water, pizza, and beer, how tough can it be? If you have not been to Navajoland or if you are ignorant about the culture and history of the Anasazi, then you'd probably enjoy it. Just skip the parts about searching for water and the arguments of where to setup camp.
A much more involved and controversial book comes from one of my favorite theologians, Dr. Gregory Boyd. It is entitled "The Myth of a Christian Nation". In my opinion this should be required reading for every American. Have you ever been confused as to why most people think of this country as being Christian, yet our country repays evil with evil and hordes resources? Not exactly consistent with the teachings of Jesus, is it? Boyd takes this head on by making it clear Christians should be more concerned with the "power under" of the kingdom of God then the "power over" of the kingdom of the world. His model is Jesus who came not as a sword wielding politcal king ready to demolish the Roman Empire but a humble servant who loved all sacrificially. Boyd writes that when the church tries to harness political power it is only destroying itself and harming the true mission of the church, that being trying to immitate Jesus. The result of the church playing the political games is a civil religion that looks more like the domineering Roman church after Constantine, or the Medieval church of the Crusades and Inquisition, or the "Manifest Destiny" church of European explorers and settlers to the "New World" instead of the pre-Constantine church which was persecuted and still loved. According to Boyd, the whole idea in the church today that we need to "take America back for God" should make us shudder. America has never been a Chrisian nation if we believe Christian means being like Christ, so what would we be taking her back to? The enslavement of Africans? The genocide of Natives? The segregation of minorities? Those are just some of America's past when she was a "Christian nation". Our focus for social activism should be outside of the political realm just like Jesus. Otherwise, if the church immerses herself in politics then we will be seen as self-righteous judgers rather than loving servants like Jesus. On top of that the people of the world will equate America with Jesus, which would be a huge contradiction since he taught to love our enemies. The kingdom of the world is good at the "tit-for-tat" game that never ends. "You bombed us, so we're going to bomb you." The true kingdom of God is good at being radical lovers and servants. Many people will ask, "What about the theocratic Israel of the Old Testament, isn't America supposed to be like that?" Well I hope not since that was a temporary plan until God came as Jesus. Since then He has been working through Jesus' corporate body called the church. Let's go forward, not back to the bloody history of Israel. When Boyd preached this at his home church 1000 members left. Many want to wrap the cross up in the flag, but they are distinct. We have to choose either the kingdom of the world or the kingdom of God.
Movies:
If you are interested in conserving wild places in America and National Parks I highly recomend "Monumental". It is the story of environmental activist David Brower and his efforts to save many of our cherished landscapes. For example if not for him we would not have Redwood National Park and The Grand Canyon would be flooded. There is also cool footage of him being the first person to climb Shiprock, which is just over the Chuska Mountains from where I live.
I'll admit it, I voted against Al Gore in 2000. I wish I could go back in time. His movie "An Incovenient Truth" does an excellent job at educating people about how all of us are changing the earth by causing global warming. The basic science of global warming is discussed briefly in case you are unaware of how it works. The movie is basically him lecturing. I know lecutres can be boring, but if done well they can be inspirational. By being done well I mean using props and visuals. Heck, Jesus lectured with props and visuals..."Look at the lilies of the field..." Gore gets the point across with excellent graphs, charts, data tables, and video footage. If the scientific data is in fact true, then there is no getting around it; we are warming the earth at a dramatic rate. I haven't researched his data myself, but I tend to accept it since 928 out of 928 scientific journals are in agreement. Why are people of faith so scared of science discoveries and data? Claim it. Claim it as truth. Paul claimed the words of the prophet of Crete as truth in one of his epistles, so why can't we do likewise with science today? God somehow made the atmosphere and ice where we extract the data, so let's take it for what it is. Science discoveries are always the friends of people of faith. Many science postulates are not our friends, but the discoveries are. We need to be good stewards and take the science Gore is teaching and be proactive.
Tracy has been in Denver for continuing education classes for almost a week. Without her around I easily lapse into the ultra-melancholy mood. I start researching and thinking about things like open theism, theistic evolution, Christian/Ilsam debates. I get a glazed look and ponder all kinds of questions and uncertainties. Wow, and I used to scoff at getting married. I wanted be a wandering loner. I probably would have blended into the sandstone by now. Just another rock in the desert. Thankfully God put a choleric lady in love with him in my life. Now I'm more of a pinyon or juniper. I can't wait until she gets back tomorrow because I'm beginning to feel a little rock-like. Four years ago I would have never dreamed of saying that.
Don't worry, you are not hallucinating. That is Tina, Alison and Alison's little girl, Sydney (20 months old). This past week I (Tracy) got to visit Denver, Colorado, for educational courses. I knew my long lost friends from Heidelberg High School were living around the area so I quickly made plans so we could meet up after 9 years!! We were all such close friends while we lived overseas in Germany. Growing up all over the US and overseas I can honestly say that God blessed me with such incredible friends for the 3 years I lived in Heidelberg. I know that some of you have grown up in the same house your whole life and still see your friends weekly that you knew from Kindergarden. As Military Brats we were taught to make close friends and cut the ties within 2 years or 3 years if you were lucky; then learn to make new ones all over again. I had vowed never to do that with my 5 close girlfriends. Our Sophomore year of high school ended sadly as 6 of us close friends went in 5 different directions. Courtney and Paige were twin sisters so that still had each other when they moved to Arizona. Alison headed to college in Kansas, I moved to Texas, Tina left for Colorado and Erin stayed in Heidelberg. It was a difficult transition in my life during the last two years of High School in Texas. To say it was traumatic does not do it justice. Yet as I moved into college I was blessed again with two lifetime friends, Jenny and Heather. 
