Monthly Archives: June 2013

Moonrise at the beach

Posted on June 25, 2013 | Leave a comment

All of the talk about the recent supermoon reminded me of my own encounter with the moon about a month ago. The encounter was a reminder that the astounding is all around us, but I’m often too busy to notice. Fortunately on that night at the beach, I took the time to stop and be amazed by God’s glory.

In late May my wife Amy, young son Benjamin and I traveled to the Alabama Gulf coast to spend almost a week with her family at a beach house along Alabama Highway 180 close to Fort Morgan. It’s become a very welcome yearly tradition to enjoy the beach with Amy’s parents, her older brother and younger sister and their families.

As we get ready for the vacation each year, it always seems like a bit of a challenge to wrap up everything at home, pack and actually get to the beach house. This year we traveled down there on a Sunday. I spent the week prior to the trip trying to wrap up several projects at work. On Friday Amy and I traveled to Atlanta for an overnight trip to see her brother receive his master’s degree. Then we returned home Saturday to pack for the beach. I played drums in Frazer’s Wesley Hall that Sunday morning and promptly returned home to pack our vehicle to the gills with our luggage and beach gear. Then, we drove three-plus hours to get there.

Needless to say, I was a little spent by the time we got to the beach house in the early evening. After dinner and Benjamin and my nephews went to sleep that night, I stepped out alone onto the beach house’s front deck to just be still and enjoy a little down time after a busy week. Much to my surprise, I ended up having an intense worship experience thanks to an incredible moonrise, an iPod and a pair of headphones.

The house is right across from the gulf along a road dotted with several other beach houses. While there are plenty of people around, it’s about 15 miles from Gulf Shores so it is, thankfully, much quieter than at a big condo.

As I soaked in the breezy, cooler-than-usual late May evening, I put on All Sons and Daughters incredible live album. Listening to the music, I enjoy the chance to be outside and notice the clouds dotting the otherwise clear night sky. Looking eastward, I notice that the clouds near a taller beach house are tinted an amazing silvery orange. The sky around the nearby beach house grows a little brighter minute-by-minute, promising a stunning moonrise.

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An Unexpected Adventure: Reboot’s May 2013 Cheaha Wilderness trip (part 2)

Posted on June 16, 2013 | 4 comments

This is the second of a two-part series about encountering many surprises during our May 2013 backpacking trip, including 7 inches of rain.. Read the first part here.

Part 2: 9 p.m. Friday – Saturday

Another storm rolls in.

It’s close to 9 p.m. when we emerge from the tent to assess the situation and our gear. The storm blew the rainfly about halfway off my tent leaving behind a huge puddle of water in the center and soaked gear. We reluctantly decide to pack our waterlogged gear, return to the car and rent a room at the nearby Cheaha State Park Lodge. Though I think Josh and I would have been probably been game to take our chances on the trail, God granted Jeff the wisdom to push for staying at the lodge.

The storm left the trail a muddy mess, and a heavy fog only enhanced the eerie atmosphere as we hiked the remaining 20 minutes to the car by headlamp.

We make it to our room at the lodge and cook our Conecuh sausage and rice dinner outside using our butane backpacking stoves (I’m not sure if we are technically allowed to do this at the lodge but it was 10 p.m. and the restaurant was long closed). Though we are not out in the wilderness, we continue our discussion well into morning hours about the meaning of adventure and how God is calling us to do much greater things than the 8-5 routine. Then we turn in for the night. At this point, it has rained only slightly since we rented the room.

At about 2 a.m., I wake up to what sounds like cannon fire outside of our room. Another vicious storm is upon Cheaha. This time, the lightning and thunder are striking simultaneously. The storm is right on top of us. A couple of times the power surges as lightning strikes. At this point, we all realize we made the right call about the lodge room. The rain continues to pour the rest of the night.

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Posted in Experiencing God in nature, Trip reports

Tagged Cheaha Mountain, Cheaha State Park

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Happy Father’s Day

A few pictures from my first trip to Yellowstone National Park with my mom and dad in 2002.

Happy Father’s Day to all the great dads out there. We need you now more than ever — to teach your children, to encourage them, to spend time with them, to love them and to model for them what it means to put Christ first in your life and your family.

I’m so thankful for my dad, David Presley. He continues to be there for me all the time. Today, I’m especially grateful for the sense of adventure he instilled in me. He always encouraged me and my sister to try new things and explore new places. He worked hard to take us on many adventures — the Grand Canyon, New York City, California and Alaska just to name a few.

But one trip stands out above all else. In 2002, he took me on my first trip to what is now my favorite place: Yellowstone National Park. Even though I was a pre-Christian then, it was at Yellowstone that I first remember being in truly in awe of the power and magnificence displayed in God’s creation. There is something magical about that place. Here are a few pictures of me with my dad from that trip.

An unexpected adventure: Reboot’s May 2013 Cheaha Wilderness trip (part 1)

Posted on June 13, 2013 | 1 comment

This is the first of a two-part series about encountering many surprises during our May 2013 backpacking trip, including 7 inches of rain. Click here for part 2.

Part 1: Friday, May 18

The basic idea behind Reboot Wilderness Adventures is to help people reconnect with God while studying His word and exploring His creation in the Alabama wilderness. It’s designed to be a short overnight backpacking/camping adventure where we are just enough removed from civilization that we experience a real sense of wilderness but close enough to assistance if any emergencies arise. While I usually plan the route, take precautions and plan what themes and Bible passages I feel like God is calling me to share, I always leave room for and expect that we will encounter God’s presence on the trail during our trips.

The view from our planned campsite along the Pinhoti on a much sunnier day.

On our May 17-18 overnight backpacking trip to the Cheaha Wilderness in east Alabama, we expected to hike the 7.5 mile Cave Creek Loop and spend a night on the trail. But God gave much more of an adventure than we ever thought possible. It was an adventure full of lightning, storms, soaked gear and washed out roads and trails. About 7 inches of rain later, we loved every minute of it.

The Reboot ministry is very new. We are still spreading the word about our men’s trips around Frazer and around Montgomery. While many expressed interest, May seemed to be a busy month. Two men joined me on the first trip, my old friends Jeff Thomas and Josh Razavi. This is a key fact and something that God in his wisdom and much greater ways had obviously planned.

Jeff and I have been backpacking in Cheaha several times, but this was the first time for Josh. The three of us were roommates for a couple of years in college.

Earlier this year, Josh committed his life to Christ after straying from his faith for several years. We reconnected soon after, and I remain in awe of how strong his faith is even after the deaths of his mother and stepfather within weeks of each other earlier this spring. Jeff and I were excited to hang out with Josh and hear about how God is working in his life.

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Posted in Experiencing God in nature, Trip reports

Tagged Alabama, Cheaha Wilderness, wilderness adventures

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