Thin Places
I love to travel. I hate sitting in a cramped airplane, but I love to travel. I love to see new places. I love to explore. I love to see all the amazing places that God has created.
My wife and I recently went to a continuing medical education course in Colorado. About once a year I go to one of these conferences. I have only gone to the same place, to my memory, twice. I went to 2 CME conferences in Atlanta because it is nearby and it just fit our family schedule best. I have gone to CME conferences in San Francisco twice. Why twice to San Francisico? Well, there are tons of things to do, it is near the Pacific Ocean, it is near Napa Valley, it is near Alcatraz, it has great food (no, not Rice-A-Roni), and it has several major professional sports franchises. San Fran is a cool city and the weather is fantastic.
But, back to my point. We recently attended this conference in Colorado (Vail, to be precise) for two reasons. First, I needed to acquire my CME hours. Second, and probably the greater reason, I had never been to Colorado. Oh, I could sing to you about Colorado (if I could sing), via the lyrics of John Denver, but I had never been. I was, at least partially, in search of a thin place.
Why do I like to go to places I have never been? Why Colorado? Why San Francisico? Why Outer Banks a few years ago? Why did we take a road trip from Georgia to Arizona (yes, the Dawgs were playing in Tempe, but, really, the Dawgs play 6 road games each year)? Why have I traveled to Boston, New York, New Orleans, Amelia Island, Phoenix, Acoma Pueblo, Santa Fe, Memphis, Shamrock (Texas), the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, Louisville, Cincinnati, Hermosillo (Mexico), Margarita Island (Venezuela), the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Cyprus, Italy, Kenya, and Ethiopia? I have,in my list, undoubtedly missed some places, but why do I continually seek out new places?
I believe at least part of the answer is that I am seeking out thin places. Not all of the above locations qualify as thin places, but my desire for finding thin places probably precipitated some, if not all, of those trips.
There were other reasons for going some of those places. We went to Kenya as a medical mission and went to Ethiopia to adopt. I went to Mexico as a college student on an evangelical mission. I went to Louisville and Cincinnati to see Widespread Panic, the Kentucky Derby, the Louisville Slugger Museum, and to see a baseball game.
I believe that most of us desire to be in thin places.
What is a thin place? I'm glad you asked. A thin place is a place where the distance between heaven and earth seems to disappear and where "we're able to catch glimpses of the divine". There is a Celtic saying that heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but, in thin places, the distance is even smaller.
Whenever I have arrived at a thin place, my soul immediately has immediately known it. When I stood on Haleakala and snorkeled in Hanauma Bay, my soul knew these were thin places, though I did not yet know the term. When I walked the pink beaches of Bermuda with my new bride, my soul knew I was in a thin place. When I viewed the rocky coast of Massachusetts and imagined what the pilgrims must have experienced, I knew I was in a thin place. When I looked over the colorful, alien wasteland of the Petrified Forest, I knew I was in a thin place. When I surveyed the enormous expanse of the Grand Canyon, and thought that "grand" was too little an adjective, I knew I was in a thin place. When I stood in the Muir Woods and looked up, up, up, at the majestic redwoods, I knew I was in a thin place. When I stood in the Uffizi, and gazed upon masterpiece after masterpiece, I knew I was in a thin place. When I stood in the Maasai Mara and viewed thousand upon thousand of gazelles and zebras and witnessed a lion attempting to down a wildebeest, I knew I was in a thin place. When I looked down upon the Great Rift Valley from Kijabe, Kenya, I knew I was in a thin place. When I looked upon the same rift from Mount Entoto in Ethiopia, I also knew I was in a thin place.
So, the recent Colorado trip. It was indeed a quest for ongoing medical knowledge, but it was more. As my wife and I hiked the steep and rocky trail to Hanging Lake, we were driven by a desire to find a thin place, to find a place that would, once again, renew our awe in God's creation and would draw us nearer to Him. After my wife had returned to Georgia and I remained in Colorado for the rest of the conference, why did I venture 10 miles off paved roads to Piney Lake, despite the very real possibility of significant thunderstorms and maybe even flooding? I sought another thin place that would draw me closer to my Creator. Why did I hike up and around Vail Mountain despite the ongoing thunderstorm threat? To see more of my amazing God's creation and come yet closer to Him. The hike with my bride of 18 years and the lone hike up and around Vail Mountain were indeed highlights of the Colorado trip. I have an amazing God who has created incredibly beautiful things. My God is an awesome God. May I (and you) continue to find thin places. Look for them. Follow that pull toward thin places.
I love to travel. I hate sitting in a cramped airplane, but I love to travel. I love to see new places. I love to explore. I love to see all the amazing places that God has created.
My wife and I recently went to a continuing medical education course in Colorado. About once a year I go to one of these conferences. I have only gone to the same place, to my memory, twice. I went to 2 CME conferences in Atlanta because it is nearby and it just fit our family schedule best. I have gone to CME conferences in San Francisco twice. Why twice to San Francisico? Well, there are tons of things to do, it is near the Pacific Ocean, it is near Napa Valley, it is near Alcatraz, it has great food (no, not Rice-A-Roni), and it has several major professional sports franchises. San Fran is a cool city and the weather is fantastic.
But, back to my point. We recently attended this conference in Colorado (Vail, to be precise) for two reasons. First, I needed to acquire my CME hours. Second, and probably the greater reason, I had never been to Colorado. Oh, I could sing to you about Colorado (if I could sing), via the lyrics of John Denver, but I had never been. I was, at least partially, in search of a thin place.
Why do I like to go to places I have never been? Why Colorado? Why San Francisico? Why Outer Banks a few years ago? Why did we take a road trip from Georgia to Arizona (yes, the Dawgs were playing in Tempe, but, really, the Dawgs play 6 road games each year)? Why have I traveled to Boston, New York, New Orleans, Amelia Island, Phoenix, Acoma Pueblo, Santa Fe, Memphis, Shamrock (Texas), the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest, Louisville, Cincinnati, Hermosillo (Mexico), Margarita Island (Venezuela), the Bahamas, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Cyprus, Italy, Kenya, and Ethiopia? I have,in my list, undoubtedly missed some places, but why do I continually seek out new places?
I believe at least part of the answer is that I am seeking out thin places. Not all of the above locations qualify as thin places, but my desire for finding thin places probably precipitated some, if not all, of those trips.
There were other reasons for going some of those places. We went to Kenya as a medical mission and went to Ethiopia to adopt. I went to Mexico as a college student on an evangelical mission. I went to Louisville and Cincinnati to see Widespread Panic, the Kentucky Derby, the Louisville Slugger Museum, and to see a baseball game.
I believe that most of us desire to be in thin places.
What is a thin place? I'm glad you asked. A thin place is a place where the distance between heaven and earth seems to disappear and where "we're able to catch glimpses of the divine". There is a Celtic saying that heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but, in thin places, the distance is even smaller.
Whenever I have arrived at a thin place, my soul immediately has immediately known it. When I stood on Haleakala and snorkeled in Hanauma Bay, my soul knew these were thin places, though I did not yet know the term. When I walked the pink beaches of Bermuda with my new bride, my soul knew I was in a thin place. When I viewed the rocky coast of Massachusetts and imagined what the pilgrims must have experienced, I knew I was in a thin place. When I looked over the colorful, alien wasteland of the Petrified Forest, I knew I was in a thin place. When I surveyed the enormous expanse of the Grand Canyon, and thought that "grand" was too little an adjective, I knew I was in a thin place. When I stood in the Muir Woods and looked up, up, up, at the majestic redwoods, I knew I was in a thin place. When I stood in the Uffizi, and gazed upon masterpiece after masterpiece, I knew I was in a thin place. When I stood in the Maasai Mara and viewed thousand upon thousand of gazelles and zebras and witnessed a lion attempting to down a wildebeest, I knew I was in a thin place. When I looked down upon the Great Rift Valley from Kijabe, Kenya, I knew I was in a thin place. When I looked upon the same rift from Mount Entoto in Ethiopia, I also knew I was in a thin place.
So, the recent Colorado trip. It was indeed a quest for ongoing medical knowledge, but it was more. As my wife and I hiked the steep and rocky trail to Hanging Lake, we were driven by a desire to find a thin place, to find a place that would, once again, renew our awe in God's creation and would draw us nearer to Him. After my wife had returned to Georgia and I remained in Colorado for the rest of the conference, why did I venture 10 miles off paved roads to Piney Lake, despite the very real possibility of significant thunderstorms and maybe even flooding? I sought another thin place that would draw me closer to my Creator. Why did I hike up and around Vail Mountain despite the ongoing thunderstorm threat? To see more of my amazing God's creation and come yet closer to Him. The hike with my bride of 18 years and the lone hike up and around Vail Mountain were indeed highlights of the Colorado trip. I have an amazing God who has created incredibly beautiful things. My God is an awesome God. May I (and you) continue to find thin places. Look for them. Follow that pull toward thin places.
