On This Mountain...

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Last May as our cardiac team was leaving the Great Rift Valley on our way to the Nairobi airport to return home I sat on the edge of my seat snapping hundreds of pictures (literally) of everything that passed by me outside the van we were traveling in.  I didn't want to miss any of the incredible sites as we were nearing the end of our trip.  Not knowing when I would be able to return, I wanted to take as much of it home with me as possible on my camera.

This was the end of my second trip to Tenwek Hospital in Kenya where we had performed open-heart surgery on 9 children and adults in as many days.  It was a whirlwind trip which had been exhausting, exhilarating, and very emotional on so many different levels - but none of us were ready to leave just yet. 

The photo above is one of the hundreds of photos that I took over the 2 to 3 hour drive through the Great Rift Valley going 50+ mph.  My team mates were laughing at me because the van we were traveling in was moving so fast - by the time you saw something you wanted to take a picture of, we had already passed it. 

I was so intrigued by this photo when I got home for a variety of reasons...  First of all I was amazed that I was able to capture the structure on film at all, secondly that it was even in focus.  At the time, the broken-down dwelling caught my eye because it was sitting out in the middle of nowhere, on the side of the road, so fragile and seeming so insignificant in comparison to its awesome surroundings.  A feeling that most of us have felt at some point in our lives?

The framework of this "dwelling" is literally sitting on the edge of the Great Rift Valley and you can see the magnificent expanse of the Rift Valley in the background.  In my personal worship this morning (verses courtesy of my good friend Carter Crenshaw http://www.westendcc.org/ ) the Lord was speaking to me through the verses below as well as the picture I took above 8 months ago. "Now the "dwelling" of God is with men, and he will live with them"

1. (NIV) Isaiah 25:6  On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine-- the best of meats and the finest of wines. 7 On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; 8 he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.
2. (NIV) John 11:25  Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
3. (NIV) Revelation 7:17  For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
4. (NIV) Revelation 21:3  And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
5. (NIV) Mark 15:22  They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). 23 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. 24 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. 25 It was the third hour when they crucified him. 26 The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27 They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.

Note that whatever the Lord is doing, He is doing it "on this mountain"

• He is preparing an incredible feast--overwhelming abundance and satisfaction. This will be fully realized at the Wedding Supper of the Lamb in Revelation.
• The Lord will destroy the shroud, the sheet that is covering us up. This is the final gloom of
  death that hangs over everyone. The Lord will swallow up death forever. Think...
• There will be no more tears...
• The Lord will remove all our disgrace.... We are completely forgiven. Nothing to be ashamed of; no condemnation; no fear of punishment. FREEDOM!

This is all because of what the Lord does "on this mountain"...  The Mount of Crucifixion. 



 Click Photo To Enlarge

I took this photo just after sunrise from a hot air balloon ride some or our team took over the Masaai Mara in May. It was one of the most awe-inspiring-Godly experiences I've ever had (more photos, videos and posts on that later).  This photo gives you a perspective from "inside" the Great Rift Valley looking out toward the edge where the photo above was taken. You can see the edge of the Rift Valley just right of center where the sun is rising in this photo (click the photo twice to enlarge).

Have a Blessed Day!