It is so easy to get wrapped up in life and all it’s loudness…so easy that in one moment you slip into it and don’t even realize it. The volume gets turned up, you adjust to it and it plays on and on…and then you forget how to turn down the volume!
Our first evening of vacation was spent in the Sacramento Mountains at the United Methodist Camp. The director gives free restorative visits for Methodist clergy!
We left a record breaking Texas summer with highs near 110 and a drought to boot! Texas is literally burning up, as are its residents!
As we drove into the mountain, the clouds appeared, dark and low. The sound of thunder was thrilling, causing us to giggle together. The very moment we drove into the camp and stepped out of our car, it began to rain. It felt just as if God was welcoming us, restoring our dry souls! And I believe He was.
It has been my experience with God that He has just the right way to bring about restoration. All in perfection, as it was with every breath we took of the rain freshened air, each wild-flower seen, the lovely scent of the pines, the buzzing of the hummingbirds.
We were met by the director who showed us the way to our cabin. It was perfect! 
We were so very tired from the long drive, having left Texas at 2 a.m., but we didn’t dare miss a moment of the peace this place had already brought us.
We immediately found a trail to hike and of all things it was named the Emmaus Trail.
For those unfamiliar with The Walk to Emmaus, it is a spiritual weekend Christians participate in to become closer to God. Luke 24 is the scripture it is based on when the 2 were walking on the road to Emmaus and were met by Jesus who opened their eyes to all that is true and perfect in Him. Rick and I have both participated in walks, as pilgrims (students) and workers. With each walk we have joined, our hearts are “strangely warmed”, in every unimaginable way. So to find this Emmaus Trail was indeed a spiritual moment for us both.
It was on this trail that we were reminded of how loud our lives had gotten. The higher we climbed, the more apparent it became as God’s artistic expressions danced all around us.
Life demands loudness. It is a necessary part as we go about the business demanded of us. But it is also just as necessary to listen to the quietness that God offers us, to drink in the goodness of His graces that we are surrounded by.
As we descended from the trail and back into the camp, we joined others for supper. It was there that we noticed it…that look upon each face…it was the Emmaus glow…The Holy Spirit was so strong that you could not help but to be overwhelmed by the sweetness, the closeness, the utter assurance that all was good.
It was that feeling that the loudness of life had captured and I needed, more than anything else, to experience it again. It was a great gift! This song, by Sherri Youngward, captures perfectly, the feeling I had at that moment. Thank you sweet Jesus for giving us your Spirit!
Restore My Soul by Sherri Youngward
07 – Restore My Soul(1) (click on link to hear her sing…you’ll be glad you did)
Lyrics…
Lead me beside
The water so still
Let me catch my breath
Let me drink my fill
Let me lie in fields of green
Where only gentle breezes blow
I’ll reach out my empty hands
For the cup that over flows
Restore my soul, Restore my soul,
Restore my soul, Restore my soul
I’ve stood too long here in these shadows
These valley walls are all I see
I need the skilled eyes of my Shepherd
Now my vision’s failing me
Restore my soul, Restore my soul,
Restore my soul, Restore my soul
Then I will run and not be weary
I will walk and not faint
I will soar with wings of eagles
In God alone is my strength
Restore my soul, Restore my soul,
Restore my soul, Restore my soul
Surely goodness and mercy
Will find their way
to me
And I will live with them forever
I will have no more need
The Lord is my Shepherd
He is my God
I will live with Him forever
I shall not want
May God’s blessings fill your life with quiet moments!
More vacation stories to come…thanks for reading…
Tracie
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