ROLLIN rollin ROLLIN rollin ROLLIN ON THE RIVA..... by Charles

I remember sitting in the living room on Sunday afternoons and reading specifically about Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn floating down the Mississippi river on their hand made raft. I never was much of a pirate fan, but I remember thinking of 'bad guys' as the guys on the river boat with Huck's dad.

Tomorrow morning I will set out on a 2.5 day trip floating on the mighty mississippi. We will camp on ground that has not been cleaned up and made for camping. We will be 'roughing' it for lack of a better phrase. To top it off our ship of choice will be a hand made canoe, I hope we don't run into Indian Joe!

On this the eve before my trip I can't help but share a few thoughts that have crossed my mind today. If you haven't noticed I tend to 'preach' on here a little bit, so go ahead and prepare yourself for a trip of your own, down a river in the mind of a crazy guy like me.

Mighty. Mighty Mississippi. A phrase that is probably founded on truth. Have you ever tried to stop running water? You have. I am quite sure that at some point you tried holding water in your hands and keeping it from leaking out between your fingers. Water moves where it wants to move and in most circumstances can not be stopped. New Orleans comes to my mind, she certainly knows about the will of water. Mighty. A word that demands respect. And as mighty as water is she too knows One Mightier. She has been told before to part and stand still as God sent His people through the sea. Can you imagine the faith that must have been involved for the Israelites as they crossed on dry ground. Just like me and you, they knew that water had a mind of her own. I can only imagine myself in that situation, but my imagination tells me I would say something like "hey Jo, you go first!" Don't forget the time that Jesus walked ON TOP OF THE WATER. Are you kidding me! We have an All Mighty Father who controls the will of the mightiest of waters, even the Mighty Mississippi. Take a moment and ponder trying to stop the Mississippi River...

Heraclitus, a greek philosopher, said "You could not step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing on to you." I know, 'deep thoughts with Charles', I just quoted a philosopher. But really thinking about this quote hits home at this point in my life. I am commonly asked 'how are you' or 'how are things going' and my typical response as of late is 'I keep trying to slow life down, but it just keeps getting faster.' Alot like a rolling river. A river is most powerful at it's widest point, but it is fastest in the narrows. I feel like my life is in a narrow spot right now, due mainly to my own 'unwilling to quit anything' attitude, but time is indeed rushing over me. I am picturing struggling to get a breath versus laying on my back and floating down river. Mighty. Time is mighty! Controlling time, can you imagine it? Really, I can't. I can not imagine life without the constraints of time. It is a heavy burden that all mankind bears, for now. Only One commands time to do as He pleases. Only One God owns time. And thankfully, for now, he lets time do it's worst, but mainly it's best to us. We joke about older bodies, greying or losing hair, slipping minds and general wear and tear on our bodies, but the truth is time really hurts. I do ache. I am finding grey hair (Haven't started losing it yet Dad and Mike). It would be easy to think that time owns me or in other words that I am a slave to time. That is a lie, time owns no one. I am only owned by my Father and He calls time His slave. So just as He allows the "mighty mississippi" to roar, He also allows time to have her place in history. Just as He keeps me safe this weekend on the water, He keeps me safe through time. He won't slow it down either, because He knows me that well. He knows that my dependence would waiver if I felt like I could stand up in the current of time. He knows that my constant plea "HELP" is good for me. As hopeless and helpless as I would be trying to control the Mississippi river this weekend, that pales in comparison to the thought of me trying control life.

So my encouragement to you this weekend as I float down the river is...Thank God we are helpless. Thank God that He is All Mighty. Thank God that He controls mighty waters and mighty time with the breath of His voice. And while you thank Him, also ask Him to keep us safe this weekend and to remove all anxiety from those that love us. Our God is Mighty.

Charles