Turkey Run: Band of Brothers

Do you have questions?

Much of my life is a response to questions.  This past weekend, a few brothers and I tried to answer some questions, and get to learn each other's story along the way. Where are you?  Where are you going, and what stands in the way?

One of the questions that go the biggest response was around "How do you keep score?  And should you?"  One famous study from Yale in 1953 said that the 3% of Yale graduates
who had written goals had more wealth years later than the other 97% of
the class combined. As we looked at this from a spiritual perspective, the response was a delightful picture by Micheal Dean and a discussion around how critical that the real measure of success is only about being pointed toward, and moving toward God, and his desire for us.

          

Danger, battle, fellowship. It's all part of our journey, and we share it together as we learn each other stories.  We talked about our shame, about the lies we are prone to believe, about the hope we have been given, and not being the "weak link in the chain".  We read from Daniel 2 about the statue of gold, silver and clay, and about how the "treasure" of human design will be and should be completely destroyed by a rock that becomes a mountain, an everlasting Kingdom.  We saw a huge pile of nicely split firewood at the bottom of a creek, clearly a huge effort totally washed away by the water.  What a reminder.
 

I heard my own story, listening to others; deceived by pride I cannot diagnose, by loneliness, fear of man, reliance on the intellect, substance abuse.  We heard how we have allowed the heart to grow cold for lack of response to God, not turning to him and seeing suffering as a training program, and a failure to invest in real treasure so to lead the heart.   During the short time together, we learned to trust each other, as each one served in a special way; providing a plan, bringing the food, clearing the trash, or bringing a song.  The guitar music played into the night as we told our stories, each man careful to listen as if it was his own, because in a sense, it was.

As we were hiking John reminded me of his job as a roofer, "be careful where you place your foot, it could be your last step".  We saw the trees bend toward the light in most un-natural ways, and a tree that refused to  die, even though it had been uprooted.  Once in the water, we worked as teams to navigate the river.  Though the tiny kayak was faster, and easier to navigate, somehow the company of being in a canoe was more memorable, and rewarding.

Listen to the Songs
http://www.divshare.com/playlist/561627-b56

See the Pictures
http://picasaweb.google.com/bluebird1996/TurkeyRunBandOfBrosSummer2009?feat=directlink

Read the Questions
http://www.divshare.com/direct/7657180-043.pdf


"You awake to find yourself in the midst of a great and terrible war. It is, in fact, our most desperate
hour. Your King and dearest Friend calls you forth. Awake, come fully alive, your good heart set free and blazing for him and for those yet to be rescued. You have a glory that is needed. You are given a quest, a mission that will take you deep into the heart of the kingdom of darkness, to break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron so that your people might be set free from their bleak prisons. He asks that you heal them. Of course, you will face many dangers; you will be hunted.

Would you try and do this alone?

Something stronger than fate has chosen you. Evil will hunt you. And so a fellowship must protect you. Honestly, though he is a very brave and true hobbit, Frodo hasn’t a chance without Sam, Merry, Pippin, Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli. He has no real idea what dangers and trials lie ahead."
                                            Waking the Dead, John Elderidge