From The Highest of Heights

Hello all, I'm back again after a fun (but not in the least relaxing) vacation to the deep North of PA today, in the mountains. It's stunningly beautiful, and one thing flatlanders like me have is a sense of perspective on how beautiful the mountains are, even ones so humble as the Appalachian foothills. I may not live in a place like that, but at least I can see it for what it is. I feel sorry for those who live there day to day and forget what a wonderful place thy live in.

It was great to be there, with some of my brothers in Christ (Brady, Graham, Joey) and we had a good time enjoying nature and some of Graham's family.

One thing that really struck me was how God works in people's lives. Graham's grandmother on his mother's side (Grandma Minor, if I recall correctly) came to that mountain town with her husband when God told them to leave NYC, without a destination...they wandered around New York and went into northern PA, and God told them to stop there. They started with a gas station and a bible study in their basement, and now they are the only church in town other than the Catholic one, and have endured years of hardship. The people in the area are suspicious of outsiders, and don't like them moving in. The group of Chirsitans praying in the basement of Grandmother Minor's house were the victims of all sorts of wonderful rumours, from militants bent on taking over the town (the rumor was they had a gun range in the basement...they must have been using silenced rifles :D), cultists from Jim Jones' group of followers, and finally agents from The Man. Eventually, that bible study in the basement became a church, and the local Catholic church would preach that anyone stepping foot in their church would go to hell. The one black family in town goes to their church (the others have long since been run off). The one diner pastor Minor goes to has gone as far to spit in his food...all of these sorts of things have been occurring for decades. But they endured, and their following has grown immensely.

Another thing I have seen is that God's promises of blessing really do come true; the one half of Graham's family that followed the Lord has prospered and multiplied, and the other half that despised him dwindled and has all but died out. "Those who displease me, my wrath will be upon them for 30 generations, but those who honor me will have my blessing for a thousand generations."

I'll see if I can post some pictures some time soon.