CoffeePods
A series exploring Christian healing in a handy coffee-break sized podcast. Plug yourself in, pick up your mug of coffee, and let's go.
CoffeePods
Finding God's Beauty in a World That Often Feels Broken
Thank you, have a brew and make yourself comfortable as we explore what's happening in the world from the perspective of Christian healing.
Speaker 2:Well, here we are, probably in one of the most amazing scenes I've seen in a long, long, long time, maybe ever. Hi, lisa. What are you doing there, chris? I'm on the side of a mountain because why not? Why not Tell us a little bit about it? Because this is just stunning and for those who maybe haven't seen or watched any podcasts yet, they might be wondering why on earth you're there.
Speaker 1:So today I'm going to visit my friend who's the chaplain up in Wengen, and Wengen is on the other side of the valley from where I am today. So I thought I would come up to a secret place in Switzerland called Gimmelwald, and Gimmelwald is actually one of Rick Steves. For those who like travel shows on television, gimmelwald is one of Rick Steves' favorite places to go for his own vacation. So this travel writer talks about this little village which is at the end, and I'll tell Callum, who is filming today. If you look down in the valley you can actually see the two cable cars One is actually coming up to Murren and the other one is going down toward Lauterbrunnen.
Speaker 1:So you literally are in the in-between station of the cable cars. Wow, we're really high in the mountains. Behind us is a ski slope where people in the summer paraglide. So in the valley you can see a couple of people with parachutes who glide all the way to the bottom, and we just thought it would be great to come up and hike up in the high Alps just to enjoy the cooler temperatures and the fresh air.
Speaker 1:And also, you know, something you and I talked about is just the beauty of the world. I think so many times we just are surrounded by ugliness. Ugliness finds our social media feed. We doom scroll on Facebook and TikTok and it's like bad things and people getting arrested and people getting hurt and crashes and fires, and sometimes you just need to sit and bask in beauty. And so we came to one of the places. I think in the world that might be one of the most beautiful places for those who love mountains. It's one of the most. I think in the world that might be one of the most beautiful places for those who love mountains. It's one of the most beautiful places on the planet. And I thought what better place to record the podcast than this place of beauty, to talk with you about beauty and about faith.
Speaker 2:Of course, and you're so right, it can feel like the world is, is just sometimes falling apart and it's hard to see and experience the goodness of God's creation in that. And you know, sometimes I find it hard when people say how terrible the world is, and I know where their heart is coming from. And you know, just watching the news helps you understand why people would say that. Just watching the news helps you understand why people would say that. But something in me also just goes no, it's not. The world is not terrible, it is not ugly, it is so beautiful and you just being there, chris, is a I know not everyone can get that opportunity, but it's an example of the beauty of God is still available through creation.
Speaker 1:And we rode the train up here through the valley this morning with one of the train engineers who was on his way to work and just shared a simple conversation with a man who used to work on an oil rig off the coast of South America, Just an ordinary Swiss man going to do his job in the morning, and I thought what a beautiful guy with his ponytail and his mustache and his broken English. You know we struggled with German, but I thought there's beauty in the mountains and there's beauty in the people, there's beauty everywhere and I just think it's kind of like watching the. You know, if you've ever seen horses pulling carts, you know sometimes they put blinders on them and so the old mule, the old horse, he doesn't see what's on his left and on his right, he's consumed with what's in front of him.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I guess the idea for a horse pulling a cart is that doesn't, so he doesn't get spooked by the things that come up. But when you live your life like an old horse pulling a cart, if you live a life like this, suddenly you develop this incredible tunnel vision, this suddenly you develop this incredible tunnel vision and you become so laser focused on all the stuff that's out in front of you that you really lose the perspective of all the beauty that's around us all the time. And so maybe the reason I thought about doing this podcast was I thought you know, acorn's ministry is about wholeness, about healing, and I thought let's rip the blinders off, let's help people not to be spooked by what's out there in the periphery, but help them to embrace the absolute wonder and glory and majesty of sailing in the air, you know, catching the wind in the middle of the Alps and flying. I mean there's something quite spectacular and splendid about this and it's just too good not to share.
Speaker 1:It would be easy to be selfish and walk on this trail by myself and then go home with a heart full of memories, but it seems to me to be in keeping with my call to serve the Lord to actually share something of the goodness of this, because when I see this, this is the embodiment of my faith. I really can't stress that enough. You know I grew up in the mountains of North Carolina. That are nothing like this, but being a mountain boy in the Alps you know I'm I am absolutely in a happy place and I can sense the presence of God right here. I really can.
Speaker 2:I was going to ask initially how you feel, but I think you've summed that up. But maybe for people I'm just thinking, like the guests who come to healing hubs or just contact us and they're just feeling very broken, what would be something?
Speaker 1:that you would say, like maybe some advice or encouragement for those who are in those broken places and are struggling to get the blinders off, like you've described. I had an elderly lady who was dying and I was in the hospital with her and she was praying for healing, but she was praying for eternity. She was getting ready to die.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And she said you know, when I came, I said to her, said to her what can I offer you, what can I do for you? Can I just sit and hold your hand? And she goes would you describe heaven to me? And I thought to myself how audacious. What can I say? I know what the Bible says about heaven. I know what I feel about heaven. And so I said, well, I'll give it a try.
Speaker 1:And I held her hand and she closed her eyes and I began describing the most beautiful things on earth that I could think of. And I knew a little bit about her story, and so I remembered that her late husband had died about 10 years before and he was an avid fisherman. So I began describing this beautiful blue lake and there was a tree by the lake and I said I could see this man with a fishing pole down by the edge of the lake. And as I described everything and the smells and the air and the freshness, I looked and there were tears rolling down her eyes and I had sort of touched a nerve. And she opened her eyes and looked at me. She goes Father Chris, you've completely captured heaven. You've described heaven so perfectly. And I looked at her and I said if I can make it up like that, think how much better God has created it. If I can come up with that and it touches you, imagine how much more wonderful it will be when we experience it in all its fullness.
Speaker 1:So when someone comes to a healing hub, I say tell them what you think, pour your heart out and tell them how much you trust and believe in God's goodness, knowing that the fullness of that is so much greater. You know, st Anselm of Canterbury, one of the early archbishops of Canterbury, said when asked you know to describe God? And St Anselm said God is that which no greater can be conceived. So if I can conceive it in my head and believe it in my heart and come up with theology to surround it, then I have limited the fullness of God.
Speaker 1:God is that which no greater can be conceived. And if you can bottle that up and put it in a healing hub and offer it to anybody that comes by, that's good drinking water. And I hope that people who see this don't say what's he doing, sharing all these holiday pictures and holiday videos, but that they see that what I'm trying to do is to take the majesty of these mountains and bring it to the darkest, dimmest, driest valleys, so that people can experience the goodness of God wherever they are in the world. And wherever they see this podcast that they'll be blessed by hearing our faith being renewed by being in the presence of such good stuff.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and I'm going to actually ask you in a minute to pray for those who are in, maybe, that um place where they're they're not really experiencing the the glory of God, uh, in their own lives. I think it'd be really special to do it from that beautiful place. But I just wanted to share a scripture that also just kind of speaks into what you were saying. It's from one chronicles and it says greatness, power, splendor, glory and majesty are yours, lord, because everything in heaven and on earth is yours. Amazing, would you, would you pray for us, chris?
Speaker 1:yes, lord, we thank you for such a beautiful place where we can just reflect on your love, reflect on your grace, your power and the possibility of healing. And we thank you today especially. We lift up those who are recovering from illness and sickness. We pray for healing for those who we know just had surgery this morning and who have asked Acorn for prayers today. And we lift them up to you, those who've had brain surgery, surgery on their shoulder and on their hips, and we thank you, lord, that you are the great physician who doesn't forget us or forsake us. You call us into your splendor and your majesty. And we pray for light and life for all creation. That's groaning.
Speaker 1:We pray for places where there's conflict, especially today, for children who are hungry in the world, for people who are afraid of being bombed, for conflict, for powerful men to find ways to make peace. We pray for healing in a broken world. And we pray, lord, for vision, that this world in which we live, where people struggle and suffer, lord, that they might open their eyes and see the absolute splendor and majesty of this planet, because if they do that, lord, they'll see your reflection and they can't possibly dwell in anger and they can't dwell in this dysfunctional way of running this earth where people struggle and suffer. May all ships be lifted by a rising tide, and we thank you for our faith in Jesus Christ, who calls us to greater depth. We thank you, lord, for pouring your Holy Spirit out upon us on Pentecost and continuing to fill our sails that we might fly through this life until the day in which we meet you in heaven, and we pray all this in Jesus' name, amen. Amen.
Speaker 2:Thank you for sharing this amazing place and experience, chris, and also Callum behind the camera. Thank you so much, and we'll catch those of you who listen at our next episode and before we go off yeah, I brought chocolate oh well, you have to, don't I?
Speaker 1:was. I was always told that you bring the chocolate and when you get to the top of the mountain, you eat the chocolate so that you can get back down.
Speaker 2:Oh, what a treat.
Speaker 1:So we have chocolate, so we've got something sweet to go with something sweet, and so I think our coffee pod today is particularly sweet. And, lisa, I'm so grateful for you and for our fellowship and for doing this together on a regular basis. It is a blessing for me. I want to say that for everybody, yeah, it's awesome. It is a blessing for me. I want to say that, yeah, it's awesome. Say hi to my little favorite dog.
Speaker 2:Thanks for listening to Coffee Pots today. Don't forget to like follow and subscribe.
Speaker 1:This podcast is made possible thanks in part to the generosity of people like you.
