GREAT LOVE for us: Advent Week 4 the YNP edition

The cold air stung my throat with each breath, but I barely noticed. The wolves had just woken up and were playing out in the sage. I had spent countless hours reading about this wolf pack, looking at pictures of them, and watching YouTube videos about them. But seeing them with my own eyes out there in the wild—well, I just couldn’t believe it!

Lamar Valley

 And then I saw her. F926, the female leader (alpha) of the Lamar Valley wolf pack. I sucked in my breath and couldn’t even move! There she was right in plain sight and I could feel my heart thudding under my thick layers of clothing.

 

F926, taken by Kathy Rowland.
http://www.yellowstonewolf.org/yellowstone_wolf_detail.php?log_id=2080

My husband Vern was grinning ear to ear as he set up the scope and focused in on the wolf pack. The kids were standing with eyes popping out of their heads with excitement. We all knew that if we could see them this good with the naked eye, seeing them with the scope was going to rock our worlds!

Vern knew that I had a “thing” for F926, and so he had carefully focused in on her. I’m not sure what it is about her that attracts me. Perhaps the fact that she is the daughter of the famous F832 alpha female that could take down bull elk without any help. Perhaps it was that she had endured the deaths of 3 mates and 2 litters of pups in just under 18 months and continued to show a fierce drive to live.

Or maybe what really fascinated me was the notch in her right ear that clearly had a story behind it that nobody could tell. Perhaps it had happened in that fight they had with the 12 wolves from the Prospect Peak a few years back when her mate, M925 had acted as a decoy so she could escape. He didn’t survive the attack.

I lowered my eye to the optical, hands shaking with excitement.

She looked incredibly wild. The sun was just rising and it caught the rusty brown highlights in her dark brown fur as she pointed her nose into the wind for a good sniff. Even from this distance, you could see her green eyes dancing as the sun greeted her face. Then she effortlessly turned and trotted towards the elk herd nearby, the rest of the pack following loosely behind.

F926 to the left of the elk

I knew we would all be content to stay there at the Jackson Overlook for the next few hours, despite the cold temperatures. Just being near the wolves was thrilling and we wanted to have that feeling for as long as we could.

I imagine that is how we are meant to feel about being with Jesus. That we are so thrilled and content being in His presence that we don’t ever want to leave.

Did you know that Jesus feels the same way about us? He wants to be with each one of us so badly that He became human and sacrificed His life so we could be together for eternity. There is no greater love than that. (John 15:13)

Family time.

1. Play a game. Have you ever heard the phrase “I love you to the moon and back”? Make up a new phrase that tells how much you love your family.

2.  At some time in your life, you have experienced excitement at seeing someone or something. Share with the family about that. Why were you so excited about it? Is there anything that could’ve made that experience even more exciting?

3. Seeing and holding a baby is very exciting, particularly for the parents and family. But unlike other babies, Joseph and Mary and many others (the shepherds, the wisemen) knew exactly why Jesus had been born. How do you think that changed their excitement? Is it possible to have that kind of excitement for a normal human baby? Why or why not?

4. Read Revelation 1:7. Who will see Jesus when He comes back to earth? This verse says that some who see Him coming back to earth will be sad. Who do you think will be sad and why? Will you be sad when you see Jesus again? Why or why not?

5. We could only see the wolves from a distance, but when we see Jesus in eternity, He will be so close that we will be able to touch Him and talk to Him. What do you think that will be like? How is that going to be different from our experience with the Lamar Valley wolf pack?

LOVE for the hunted: Advent Week 3 the YNP edition

They were coming for her. She knew it in the very pit of her stomach. She needed a plan. There were few choices since the snow in their valley was so deep that one wrong step would find her covered to the ears in it. And then they would have her and any of those who followed her.

The thought of being hunted didn’t scare The White Lady of the Canyon Wolf pack. They had fought with the Mollies pack before who were giants in comparison to her small band of followers. The Mollies were bloodthirsty, ruthless, and constantly out to expand their territory.

White Lady
From: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/shooting-rare-white-lady-wolf-10430852

The slight winter wind lifted the blazing white fur on her back that matched the white of the newly fallen snow.  She lifted her nose in a defiant howl that would call her family to her side to fight again for their very existence. The giant Mollies rushed down from the hilltop above, their prey in sight.

“Wake up!” the angel shook Joseph awake with quick instructions to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt.

For they were being hunted.

First, by the magi. The wise men from the east. These hunters followed the star to Bethlehem so that they could worship the Christ child and give Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

But the second hunter was not interested in worshipping the Christ child. No, King Herod wanted to hunt Jesus down and kill Him. That’s why the angel called on Joseph to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt. But King Herod did not know who Jesus was, only the general area in which Jesus had been born. So he had all of the baby boys under the age of 3 killed in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. Just to be sure his prey had not escaped.  

But they had escaped. After the angel had left, Joseph got up and stood over Mary and the tiny baby Jesus. Joseph was just a simple carpenter from a small village. But his giant heart and his never-ending courage would give him the resolve to do whatever it took to protect his family. And so, as the angel instructed, Joseph would take Jesus and Mary to Egypt where they would be safe.

Wolves do not know a “safe” place. Even in Yellowstone, the wolf packs hunt each other to gain more territory, just as the Mollies had done time and time again with The White Lady’s pack.

But the wolves are not just hunted by other packs.

They are hunted by humans.

We had been so excited that we might see The White Lady of the Canyon Wolf pack on our trip to Yellowstone. For many years, visitors from all over the world had gone to the park just to catch just a glimpse of her. Anyone who posted pictures or stories about her on the internet would experience an immediate following of countless fans. She was unusual because her coat was completely white and she led her pack with such strength against incredible odds.

But we would not get to see her. You see, one month before we arrived in Yellowstone, hikers in the park would find her barely alive from a lethal gunshot wound.

Man had seen The White Lady of the Canyon Wolf pack as prey to be hunted rather than protected.

Family Time 

1.     Play a game. For this one, the house must be dark and everyone needs a flashlight. Pick one person to hide and give them a few moments to go hide. The rest of you split up and try to find the person hiding. Use your flashlights to look for them. All of you can stay together, or split up to find the “it”. If you decide to split up, make sure you alert the others to come where you found the person who was “it”. Talk about how this game feels so much different from the first week’s game we played where you all squished into the same space when you found the “it”.

2.     There are a lot of different ways that we can feel “hunted”. One example is when someone keeps an eye on you hoping you will make a mistake so they can get you in trouble. Jesus experienced this a lot during His time on earth. What are some other ways that we can feel like we are being hunted?

3.     Has there ever been a time when you protected someone? How did that make you feel? How do you think Joseph felt taking his family to Egypt? Do you think the fact that his job was to protect Jesus the Son of God made it easier or harder? Why?

4.     Read Matthew 12:14. Why do you think the Pharisees wanted Jesus dead? How do the Pharisees remind you of the Mollies Wolf pack from our story?

5.     Sometimes we can see the qualities of Jesus in other people—particularly those who are Christians. However, we can also see qualities of Jesus in nature. How does the she-wolf called “The White Lady” remind us of Jesus?

HOPE in what is real: Advent Week 2 the YNP edition

1 Corinthians 13:13

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. 

But the greatest of these is love.

I’ve had a fascination with mud since I was a little girl. You see, in North Dakota where I grew up, the rich farming soil soaks up the rain. And when it rains a lot, you are going to put on those rubber boots because you were going to be slugging through MUD. One of my mom’s favorite stories is when I was around 6 and I made an outdoor kitchen out of sticks and old pieces of board so that I could assemble and bake my mud pies. I was a busy girl, let me tell you! I’ll have you know that 40 plus years later, I am still completely mesmerized by mud. BOILING mud, that is. Because Yellowstone National Park is packed with areas where the mud boils right there on the ground. And I couldn’t take my eyes off of it!

BOILING MUD AT YNP

Not only have I seen boiling mud, but I have been ON THE TOP OF a volcano. You see, Yellowstone National Park is inside the crater of a volcano so big that if it blew, most of the United States would be covered in volcanic ash.

OLD FAITHFUL

The volcano that the park sits on is called a super volcano because of how large the blast radius would be if it blew. Some volcanos are “dead”, but the super volcano beneath Yellowstone is very much active. We know that it is active because of things like boiling mud on the ground there and geysers like Old Faithful that blow hot water and steam out from beneath the ground where the super volcano sits. There is also steam coming out of the ground throughout the park. Vern took this weird picture of a buffalo herd standing in the steam that was pouring out of a hillside.

BUFFALO STANDING IN THE STEAM

I remember standing next to one of the more active geysers watching all of this boiling hot water and steam gushing out of the rock. I could hardly believe that so much volcanic activity was just beneath my feet. My eyes told me it was real, but it still just didn’t seem real.

CASTLE GEYSER

I’ll bet the shepherds felt the same way that night Jesus was born. First, there’s this angel that appears announcing Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:9-12). I would be rubbing my eyes and wondering if what I was seeing and hearing was real or if I was dreaming. And THEN, I’ll bet they REALLY thought they were seeing things when MILLIONS of angels filled the night sky singing their famous song (Luke 2:13-14).

I want to see things that are so awesome it’s hard to believe that they’re real. Don’t you? That’s part of the reason why places like Yellowstone National Park fascinate me. But God has performed wonders that are way more awesome (Deuteronomy 10:21) than the park or even the millions of angels that sang Glory to God that first Christmas! And the things that God does or makes bring us HOPE. It is that kind of hope that the shepherds had when they rushed to find Jesus. A hope that seems almost too good to be real—but HE IS REAL.

I pray that today you will come to expect God to do such awesome things in your life that you find yourself rubbing your eyes and wondering if it’s real!

Family Time:

1. Play a game. Make a human log pile or a human pyramid using every member of your family. Be careful not to dive on top of those already in the pile—someone might get hurt and you want this to be a fun memory, not a trip to the ER. For a real challenge, try taking a selfie while in the human log pile. Talk about how the awesome memories you make as a family last a life time.
2. What are some things that you have seen that are really awesome? Did any of those things seem like they weren’t real because they were so awesome? Do you think seeing a million angels all at one time would seem like it wasn’t real? What do you think you would do if you saw something like that?
3. Deuteronomy 10:21 tells us that God has performed awesome wonders. One of those wonders is YOU. Did you know that? God thinks you are so awesome that He sings when He is with you (Zephaniah 3:17). Have other people in your family tell you some ways that God has made you awesome.
4. When the shepherds saw the angels that night, they were filled with hope and excitement. Why do you think they felt hopeful after seeing the angels? (Hint: read Luke 2:15-18)
5. As Christians, we believe in Jesus even though we have never seen Him. What makes Jesus real to you? What about Jesus makes you feel hopeful?

FAITH on a steep and curvy road: Advent Week 1 the YNP edition

1 Corinthians 13:13

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. 
But the greatest of these is love.

This summer, we took our 37-foot fifth wheel camper to Yellowstone National Park, approximately 1,444 miles from our hometown in Texas. We had studied the route for this vacation pretty intensely, but once we hit Wyoming, the mountain road was going to be steep with lots of curves.

I was not prepared, however, for the sleet and snow that would cover those roads. Wasn’t it scary enough that the road was steep and had lots of curves in it? Oh, I was a hot mess.

But there was my husband, Vern. Renewed in the adventure of it. Breathing it all in with excitement. I smiled in wonder at him. So opposite of me. Vern sees such moments as adventures laced with opportunities to grow and learn and LIVE. He faces them head on with confidence. It’s how he does this thing called “life”.

Most of the time, I tend to treat unfamiliar situations that life throws at us as hazards that should be avoided. But once in a while, I open my eyes and see our life as Vern does--the beautiful adventure that it is-- and it takes my breath away. Vern sees that our life’s journey has helped us gain strength as husband and wife. As family. As believers in Jesus Christ. And he sees that even my faith has grown on this steep and curvy road of life.

He sees beauty in the adventure of it. Because he lives by faith. He doesn’t know any other way to live.

The Bible doesn’t tell us anything about how Joseph and Mary faced their life journey. Jesus’ birth would change everything for them—WAS changing everything for them already before He was born. Would they face these adventures with great faith, or would they yelp at every scary unfamiliar turn?

I want to be someone who faces these strange and unfamiliar situations with faith, not fear. With eyes wide open, shoulders back, and chin up. I think that’s why Paul the Apostle lists faith as one of the greatest attributes of a believer. Faith changes our perspective on the steep and curvy road of life. It changes how we see things. Changes how we react to things. Changes us. It can even change those who are around us.

So this Christmas season, I pray that you will see your steep and curvy road for the adventure that it is. A place where faith is born. Where faith grows and changes you and those who are around you. Faith will turn even the most fearful creatures into faith-filled warriors. If it can do that to me, it can certainly do that for you.

Family Time:

1. Play a game. Pick one person to hide and give them a few moments to go hide. The rest of you split up and try to find the person hiding. When you find them, hide in that spot with them. Eventually, your whole family should be in that hiding spot together. If you want more of a challenge, turn off all the lights in the house and play this game in the dark. The little ones can have flashlights with them or seek the others using a buddy system. After you are all in the hiding place together, talk about how good it feels to be together as a family.
2. Joseph and Mary had to walk 80 miles to get from their home to Bethlehem. And Mary was about to have a baby! How far have you ever walked in a day? Do you think it was easier for Joseph and Mary because they were together?
3. How do you think Joseph and Mary felt as they traveled from Nazareth to Bethlehem? Do you think God gives us family to bring us courage to do hard things? Why does family help us do hard things?
4. Do you think the faith Mary and Joseph had in God helped them on this journey? Why or why not?
5. Have you ever been in a situation that was scary like the steep and curvy mountain road we were on to get to Yellowstone National Park? Did your faith in God help you during that time? How? What are some things you can do to help grow your faith?