Tag Archives: Christ

‘I just want to be happy,’ or what being dad to a toddler is teaching me about perspective

Posted on July 21, 2014 | Leave a comment
Easter 2013 meltdown

Easter 2013 meltdown

Since Father’s Day last month and my son Benjamin’s birthday last week, I’ve been thinking about how being a dad has given me a little better understanding of the patience God as our Father has with us, His children. One example in particular struck me.

Benjamin is a joy to be around and I’m so proud and honored to be his dad. He truly is a gift from God. He’s funny, he’s smart and he has a great imagination. However, as with any 3 year old, we are always only minutes away from a meltdown over something very minor like “I wanted to flush the potty,” “I don’t want to take a bath,” or “I want to wear the Superman shirt” even though he wore it all day yesterday and got dirt, sunscreen and food stains on it. (He would wear that Superman shirt for 100 days straight if he could).

Usually in the middle of a tantrum he says, “I just want to be happy.” It’s hard not to laugh but we try to patiently tell him that he can be happy and that what he is upset about is no big deal. We get him to stop, take a deep breath and calm down. It usually works and he is just fine a few minutes later.

As parents, it’s easy for Amy and me to get frustrated because we can easily see that 99 percent of time what he is upset about is very temporary and is no big deal in the grand scheme of things.

But that got me thinking, isn’t that how we often act toward God when we don’t get recognized for good work, when we feel like no one cares, when things don’t go how we expected, or when we are facing a challenge?

We lose perspective and think the world is ending because we are facing a challenge that maybe God is using to grow us and strengthen our faith and dependence on Him. We let fear and anxiety take control and basically throw up a prayer, saying in so many words, “I just want to be happy.”

All the time, God is like the ever-patient parent who sees the big picture and says “Everything is going to be OK. Just take a deep breath, trust in Me and follow Me.”

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” – Jesus in John 14:1 NLT

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Posted in Life, Uncategorized

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Seeing God in America’s National Parks

Posted on April 15, 2014 | 1 comment

Note: I wrote and posted this piece on my Facebook page back in fall 2009, right before the premiere of “National Parks: America’s Best Idea.” This was several months before going on my first backpacking trip and long before starting Reboot. I stumbled upon it recently and found it interesting that the main idea behind this idea is at the center of Reboot. It’s interesting to look back now and see how God had already been working in my heart about connecting to him through nature with many of the distractions of the modern world removed.

West Thumb basin at Yellowstone National Park.

West Thumb basin at Yellowstone National Park.

Starting Sunday, PBS is airing the newest Ken Burns documentary, “National Parks: America’s Best Idea.” I am really excited to see the documentary because I agree wholeheartedly with the title. I am thankful that our ancestors had the wisdom and foresight to preserve these amazing wilderness areas for “the benefit and enjoyment of the people” instead of commercialization. It got me thinking about something:

I love technology as much as the next person. I check my e-mail about 900 times a day it seems. My cell phone is always on, and I love keeping up with friends on Facebook. But our increasing reliance on technology leaves us disconnected with something that is around us but seems too often forgotten: Nature.

Many times I never felt closer to God than I have when out in nature marveling at His creation. My favorite place in the world is Yellowstone National Park where it is routine to find hiking trails blocked by herds of buffalo, come upon a bear or moose grazing for food near the road and see geysers shooting hot water thousands of feet in the air or hot springs colored deep blue and brilliant yellow from microscopic algae . That’s not to mention the miles of lodgepole pine forests, an immense lake, a canyon whose beauty is only surpassed by the Grand Canyon and several peaceful, grassy valleys carved by glaciers that give way to rugged mountainsides.

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Posted in Experiencing God in nature, Uncategorized

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As we plan for spring, a look back at an outstanding fall

Posted on January 3, 2014 | Leave a comment

Fall was a great season for Reboot and an outstanding cap to our first year as a ministry. We had the privilege of leading two overnight backpacking/Bible study trips to Cheaha and a day hike trip to the Deadening Trail at Lake Martin. With crisp autumn air and beautiful foliage, fall is the perfect season to explore and enjoy God’s creation, and our trips didn’t disappoint.

Cheaha backpacking
Taking a rest during our September Cheaha backpacking trip.

Taking a rest during our September Cheaha backpacking trip.

Gorgeous sunny weather greeted our first overnighter Sept. 28-29. The Pinhoti Trail was a little busier than normal which really wasn’t too much of a surprise because of the wonderful weather. Our usual campsite along McDill Point was taken but we found a wonderful large campsite on top of a short hill opposite from the turnoff to McDill Point.  After setting up camp and enjoying a dinner of Conecuh sausage and rice, we had a great discussion focused on Luke 12:22-24 and how God is our provider and as long as we are seeking after Him, he will provide everything we need. We capped off the night listening to the end of the Alabama/Ole Miss football game on a small backpacking radio (This is Alabama were college football is king, after all). The next day we hiked the Pinhoti to the intersection with the Chinnabee Silent Trail and took Chinabee down the mountain and ended the hike at Cheaha Falls.

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Posted in About Reboot, Experiencing God in nature, Trip reports

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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.

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.

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Posted on June 15, 2013 in Experiencing God in nature

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