Mountains of Bloomsburg Finale: Choices Made

   Ahda and you reach the stone bridge that goes across the lava. You walk across and see Ubel step out. Ubel smiles and looks at Ahda. "Ah, I have waited a long time for you my friend." Then Ubel looks at you, "we had a deal. My servants will help you get home." Little creatures who looked like Ubel came out and led me toward trees on Ubel's side of the lava river. You kept going past trees and suddenly a branch grabs you, then another, and another. You realize you've been tricked. 
   Now you watch helplessly as Ahda is with Ubel. Ahda steps forward, "why did you want me to come here?" "I just wanted to talk with you and see if I could help you out." Ahda raised his eyebrows, "How could you help me? Gottes has given me everything already." "Everything?" Ubel remarked. Ahda sighs, "Well he has not given us your area of the mountain." "That's right, Gottes has given you dominion over all of his creation... except for my area." 
   Ahda glances over at Ubel's area. Right now you see Ubel, his minions, and his dominion for what it really is: a wasteland. You try to scream to Ahda to run but the tree covers your mouth. Ahda looks and sees lush, green trees. He sees golden fruit as well.
   "You do have a very nice area, but Gottes has given us so much." Ubel nods his head,"yes, but he has not given you everything." Ubel pulls a golden fruit out of nowhere and bites into it. Juice dribbles down his mouth and he licks his lips. "Haven't you ever wondered why I am able to do what Gottes can do? Why I am able to grant wishes just like Gottes?" Ahda nods and looks at the fruit in Ubel's hand.
   "I can do that because I have knowledge. Whoever eats fruit from my dominion has knowledge like Gottes. Would you like some fruit?" Ahda grabs the fruit, "Gottes told us not to eat your fruit but it looks good." "Why wouldn't Gottes want you to have what is good? Why wouldn't he want you to have knowledge like him?" Ubel says. 
   You watch in horror as Ahda bites the fruit. The juice dribbles down his face. Suddenly Ubel jumps on Ahda. Ubel's minions race away from you and across the bridge. You realize you've made a horrible mistake. 
   From the sky you see a flash of light then you hear the crack of wood breaking. Jordan, the Engel, has set you free. He takes you to the very top of a mountain. "What has happened?" You ask. Jordan frowns, "Ubel now has dominion over the mountains because Ahda disobeyed Gottes." "What can we do?" Jordan looks down the mountain at the destruction. "We cannot do anything." "Then it is hopeless?" "No, Gottes has a plan" Jordan said has he touches your head.
   Your mind suddenly sees a man who was unlike any other man. This man died to defeat Ubel. You did not understand why another man's death would defeat Ubel but then you see the man raised to life. The man the crushes Ubel. You see many people following this man and being saved from Ubel. You also see Engels and Ubel's minions fighting each other for all eternity. Then Ubel is finally defeated.
   Your mind comes back to Jordan. "What do we do now?" "Choose to follow Gottes and tell others about him." You look down at the village and see a massive dragon like creature destroy the entire village. "Where will we live?" "Wherever Gottes calls you to. He will be with you, if you choose to follow him."
   Would you have chosen to eat the fruit to gain knowledge? Would you have followed God back then though it would be harder now? Will you tell others about what God has done for them?

   Proverbs 14:12, Genesis 3, Galatians 2:20

Mountains of Bloomsburg Part 4: Helping Ubel

   Ahda, Kaine, Abek, and you continue walking through the mountains. The terrain has gotten rougher and you are running out of supplies. You begin to wonder if this trip is truly worth it. 
   As you walk you think about the conversation you had with the tree and then with Ahda. He told you that Gottes created everything and provides much for us. But Ubel, who was once an Engel, turned on Gottes. Now Ubel tries to defeat Gottes through the people that Gottes created. That's the reason why no one goes into the mountains, because Ubel's dominion is there.
   Ahda suddenly stops, "we should probably get some rest for the night." You, and the rest of the crew, lay down. You try to sleep but can't. You realize that you can no longer put any of these men in danger, but you must get home. You quietly grab your pack and continue on. 
   You turn a corner after walking a while and see a rushing, river of lava. There is a stone bridge that goes across the lava river. Against your better judgement you walk across the bridge till you reach the other side; but you don't step off the bridge because you see someone move on the other side.
   "Come out!" You yell. A golden creature comes around the mountain. It had the feet of a cow but stood up like a man. Its torso and head looked like a man as well, "hello." The creature said. "Who are you?" "My name is Ubel." Realization comes to your face. This is the creature that turned on Gottes. It is also the creature that could help you get home.
   Ubel smiles, "I am not what you were expecting?" You shake your head. The bull legs are a little odd but he was beautiful. "Why have you come here?" "I need to get home." Ubel nods, "I see, and Gottes did not answer your request." Again you shake your head. "Well I would love to help you. See, I'm not like Gottes who does not answer requests I like to help others."
   Your heart starts pounding. You realize that you could be going home now, but you also have a knot in your stomach. You know something is not right but you want what you want. "Will you send me home now?" "Friend, I would love to do that but I cannot." "Why not?" You say as your hope begins to fade. "My power is very limited here and I do not like to use it if I do not have to. But, if you could do something for me in return then perhaps I could help you." 
   You know that you could turn back now. You could go back to Ahda and then back to the village. But instead you say, "what do you want?" "Bring Ahda to me. I wish to talk with him about how things are going in the village. Perhaps I can help him as well." Now you are confused, "you want me to get Ahda so you can help the village?" "Yes, I want to be able to help Ahda gain understanding. I am contained to this area of the mountains. I have so few people to talk to and help. But if Ahda comes, and sees how helpful I can be, then I may have a friend to talk to and share knowledge with."
   You think about the deal. That's not so bad; Ubel is trying to be helpful. You wonder why people say that Ubel is so bad. He seems to want to give people what they want. Then you remember the tree's words about how Ubel is evil. You look back at Ubel and suddenly see a bull with matted, black hair standing up. His eyes are red and his nostrils are flaring. You rub your eyes and open them again. Ubel had changed back to the gold bull man.
   "You just want to share knowledge with Ahda?" Ubel nods. "Fine, I will bring him to you," you say. Then you turn around and head back to camp. You hope you made the right choice.
   If you could get whatever you desired by helping Ubel would you choose to follow him? Are you ever tricked by something that seems good but is actually bad? How can you remember to follow God no matter what?  

   Proverbs 14:12, Proverbs 16:9, Isaiah 30:21

Mountains of Bloomsburg Part 3: On the Fence

   You continue walking through the forest. As you walk, you have a tight grip on your sword. You have no idea what you may meet in this place.
   You come to a clearing and you see a tree. You put your sword away and walk over to the tree. Then you remember how Ahda said that "things that seem normal in the mountains probably are not normal, or safe." You do not want to risk getting hurt by going into the clearing. You see a stick that must have fallen from the tree, pick it up, and run back to Kaine.
   Ahda breathe a sigh of relief as he sees you come back. He asks you, "do you have the stick needed to heal Kaine?" You hold up the stick. Ahda looks at it and frowns, "you must get a branch that was just pulled off the tree. This one doesn't have sap. Please go back to where you found this and ask the tree for a small stick. Kaine is getting worse."
   You quickly run off but your thoughts go back to your conversation with Ahda. He said to ask the tree for a stick... why would you need to ask the tree? You try not to think about it.
   Finally you make it back to the clearing. You draw your sword and slowly walk up to the tree. "Excuse me," you say in a soft voice, "are you home?" No one answers and you breathe a sigh of relief. 
   Suddenly, a face appears near the trunk of the tree, "who disturbs my slumber?" You try to back up quickly but a branch lashes out and grabs you. The tree picks you up and looks at you, "I have not seen something like you in a long time. What is your name?" You whisper your name to the tree. The tree nods, "and whose side are you on?"
   Now you are confused, whose side are you on? What does that mean? The tree is still staring at you so you figure you should answer. "What do you mean, whose side am I on?" The tree just stares at your for a little, "I mean that everyone has a choice. You are either on Ubel's side or on Gottes' side." 
   Realization comes to your face. Ahda mentioned these two people before and said that in the mountains the danger of the war from both of these sides is real. You realize that if you answer this question wrong you could die. "I am on no one's side." The tree shook his head, which was actually like shaking his whole body. "If you are not on a side you are on Ubel's side." You shake your head, "I am not a part of this war. I just want to save my friend. Please help me save him." 
   The tree sighs, "I can tell that there is no trying to reason with you. I encourage you to ask more questions of your friends who are here. You must learn more about this if you are to survive the mountain. For your friend, you may take one of my branches." 
   The tree sets you down and reaches a branch out. You break off a branch and the tree squeezes his eyes in pain. "Thank you," you say. "Don't thank me, thank Gottes who provies." You nod and run back toward Ahda and Kaine. You just may have to ask more about this war...
   If the tree asked you "whose side are you on," what would your answer have been? If you don't know whose side you are on will you ask more questions to figure out whose side you want to be on?

   Revelation 3:15-16, Matthew 12:30, Matthew 5:13

Mountains of Bloomsburg Part 2: Clakes and Fear

   You walk through the village searching for the man you just met. Suddenly you see Ron and you run up to him. Ron smiles at you, "How are you doing today?" You smile back and say, "I'm doing well but I have a problem. Can you help me navigate my way through the dark side of the mountain? I need to get home." Ron's smile turns into a frown, "no one ever goes into that part of the mountains, it is forbidden." 
   A man who was walking by comes over to you, "hello my name is Ahda. I couldn't help but overhear, I have never been in that part of the mountains but I've studied it. I could help you." You agree to have Ahda help you and some other men, Kaine and Abek, agree to come.
   You walk through the mountains. You turn around and take one last look at the village. Suddenly it gets really dark. Ahda turns around, "it normally is dark in this part of the mountains." He hands you a torch. Kaine and Abek take out torches as well. You take the time to light the torches and continue on. You wonder if you will ever reach Ubel's part of the mountain. 
   Ahda stops, "it is night, we should stop to rest." You look at the sky. It looks the same as it did an hour ago, dark. Ahda smiles, "I kept an eye on the few shadows you can see in the mountains. That's how you know what time it is. Kaine will take the first watch. You should get some rest while you can." 
   You lay down and close your eyes. No sooner do you do that than you hear someone scream. You wake up and see Kaine grabbing his leg. Ahda turns to you, "he was bitten by a Clake." "What is a Clake?" You ask. "It is a creature that crawls on its belly, has 2 legs along each of its sides, has leathery wings, and sharp fangs. When it bites you it makes you see your greatest fears. The only cure is sap from one of the trees on this side of the forest." 
   Ahda put some cloth over Kaine's wound. "I need you and Abek to go look for a tree and bring back a stick with sap in it when you find one."
   You and Abek run off. You hope that Kaine will be alright. All you can think about is the fact that if he dies it will be your fault.
   Would you have agreed to go on a hard journey with strangers? Who do you go through the journey of life with? If the Clake bit you, what would you see? How can you stop having that fear?

   Philippians 4:6-7, Psalm 119:105, Isaiah 41:10

Mountains of Bloomsburg Introduction

   Dark. All you see is dark. You open your eyes, now you see fog all around you. You cannot see any other people or any other things. After you stand there for a while you decide to move on because standing there is not doing you any good.
   You keep walking and you see beautiful trees. They are some of the prettiest trees you have ever seen. Next there are creatures you have never seen before. There are lions with the heads of eagles, birds that look like they are on fire, men with goat legs, and so many more creatures. 
   After walking a while you come to a town. There are many children playing, people working, and people worshipping. You walk up to a man and ask, "where am I?" The man replies, "you are in the Mountains of Bloomsburg. I've never seen you here before, what is your name?" You tell the man your name and he shakes his head, "are you new here?" You say, "I've never been here before." Then you tell the man where you are from. The man says, "I've never heard of that place either but you are welcome to stay here. If you have any questions my name is Ron." You nod your thanks and walk on.
   Suddenly you see a lion with the bead of an eagle above you. You cover your head thinking that this is the end. The lion like creature lands and cocks its head at you, "who are you?" Your mouth drops open. This creature can talk! You finally get your voice back and tell the creature your name. "You are not from here are you?" You shake your head no. 
   The creature begins to pace while talking to itself, "very strange, what is he up to?" The creature stops pacing and freezes. You look around wondering if this is normal.
The creature glances at you. "I don't know what Gottes is up to but he says I am to take care of you and answer any of your questions."
   You begin to ask questions of the creature. You find out his name is Jordan. He is called and Engel and he works for Gottes. Gottes created this world. You look around and see a long, dark mountain range. You ask Jordan, "what is that place?" Jordan replies, "that is the part of the mountain that Ubel is contained to. The people of the village have decided to never go there lest they be tempted to betray Gottes." 
   You ponder that for a little then say, "I don't belong here, I'm from somewhere else." Jordan says, "I know you are from somewhere else but you were brought here for a purpose." "What is that purpose?" You ask. "I do not know, I do not try to understand Gottes." Jordan replies. "Would he be able to take me back?" Jordan nods. "Good then I'll ask him to send me back." Jordan smiles, "you can ask but you may not get the answer you want." You sigh, "is there anyone else who could send me back?" Jordan glances at the dark mountain range, "Ubel may be able to but he is crafty. He used to be an Engel but then he betrayed Gottes."
   You think about it then realize that you must get back. A plan begins to form in your head. You are going to go to see Ubel.
   If you actually came to this land would you want to leave? What other questions would you have asked the Engel? Would you trust Ubel? How does this story relate to the Bible?

   Proverbs 3:5-6

Blessings In A Hard Week

   We have all had them: a week where it feels like murphy’s law applies to you. Over and over the hits just keep coming. That happened to me one week. Believe it or not, the week started out with me on my first vacation (without having volunteer teaching) in 12 years!

Sunday, I woke up and went to church in South Carolina with my boyfriend’s family. Now, I had a crazy good experience there but that’s a blog for another time. The thing was the temperature was very hot down there. Like even the pastor who lives there was saying it was crazy hot. We had decided to go jet skiing that day…and we were beginning to regret it as we waited at the pier in the hot sun.

   BLESSING: jet skiing is fun, brings a cool breeze, and is exfoliating. It was so nice just being on the water, seeing wildlife, and playing let’s see who can hold onto the throttle the longest without letting go with my boyfriend.

   Monday we were headed back to Pennsylvania. We were projected to get back at 7pm. Well, because of the traffic, we made the mistake of going through Washington D.C. during rush hour, which is not only confusing but also incredibly annoying and I do not recommend. We didn’t get home till close to 8:45pm.

   BLESSING: I got to see some D.C. monuments from a distance. I spent some time getting to know my boyfriend better and see him in a stressful situation (so I know how he handles them). We were thankful to have gotten home safely and that we were able to relax.

   Tuesday, I went back to work. Which was hard enough as is, but while there I also remembered that my co-teacher was going on vacation that day (she had a half day). This meant I had more kids in my room than originally planned. Then I had an allergy shot. After my shot I just wanted to go home and rest because I was still tired from traveling. But I had agreed to go shopping with a friend so I tried to kill some time between my shot and meeting her. Well, because of work conflicts, she had to cancel.

   BLESSING: I got some recharging alone time. I got one more week with some of my older students. And, because my friend canceled, I was able to have a phone call with another friend which was a blessing.

   Things happened Wednesday but I am going to skip it as Thursday was a bomb of a day. The day started out well enough. But I got out of work later than I was supposed to. Luckily, the party I was attending was later than my boyfriend thought. I was minding my own business driving down the road when my car made a bang chink chink noise. I didn’t notice anything strange until I tried driving after I stopped at a red light… I made my way to Sheetz and parked. Sure enough, I had a flat tire. Well, I had never changed one and for some reason my lug nuts were not cooperating. I was on the verge of tears.

   BLESSING: I got paid for my extra work. A man came along to help me change the tire and helped me fill my spare. I was able to attend the party, which I thought would drain me. But the party was actually really relaxing, and I was able to get to know my boyfriend’s friends.

   Friday rolled around and I was not sure I could handle much more. I was driving on my spare tire in the morning and a light came on on my dashboard. I went to Sheetz to fill up my spare tire again, but the light didn’t go off. So, I contacted my mechanic and he said he could probably fit it in that day. The problem was I had work all day. Then I contacted my boss and asked if I could leave to get it fixed. She said they would make it work! When I got to work, the internet was not working. Music is usually what helps me get through the insanity of work and keeps me out of my head. That meant I had to fix my thoughts on the things of God. Later, I traveled to get my tire fixed. It only took one hour for me to get to the garage, get it fixed, and get back! I worked then went to the first meeting for soccer this season.

   BLESSING: The internet was fixed within an hour, and I was able to fix my thoughts on God and have my music time. I was able to get my tire fixed quickly because of people working with me and understanding. I did not lose money. I got to see the soccer girls and catch up with them. And oddly enough, I had energy to play with my students and interact with the soccer girls (introverted girl here).

   All that is to say, yeah depending how you looked at it, this was a pretty crappy week. But instead of focusing on the negative, instead of wallowing in pity, I chose to focus on the positive. I was trying to follow Romans 12:12 without knowing it. The verse says: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Let’s just say, my patience was definitely tested that week. And I learned how to better communicate with God. Would it have been nice if my week just went smoothly? Yeah, but would I have learned as much or grown closer to God? No.

   So, when problems arise what is your attitude? What are your thoughts like when these times come? How can you follow Romans 12:12 better in your life.

The Crutch

   We all have one at one point or another in our lives. It's a weakness, a sickness, an event, a hurt, or something else. It's a crutch. What is the job of a crutch? According to Oxford Languages a crutch is, "a long stick with a crosspiece at the top, used as a support under the armpit by a person with an injury or disability." A crutch is to be used to help someone get healed. It keeps you off your injury until you are better.

   Yet, what if you never let go of the crutch? What if you are too afraid that you will get hurt again that you never let it go? Then the crutch holds you back. What is it that is holding you back? Is it a specific sin like gossip, lying, hate, addiction, etc.? Is it fear? Maybe you are afraid you will never be good enough, never be loved, never be able to let go of that one thing, etc.? Is it a lack of faith? Faith that God will provide, faith that God is with you, faith that he loves you, etc.? If you refuse to let go of the crutch you will never become who God created you to be. You will be diminishing your mission and the purpose God has given you.

   How then do we let go of our crutch? Proverbs 3:5-6 gives us the answer. It says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." We need to trust in God and admit that we have this crutch or weakness. If you don't admit you have a problem and know it, you cannot let go of it. 

   Then you need to trust that God is in control. You need to have faith that you can let go of the crutch. Let go of the fear and believe that God is with you. Believe that you don't need to hold onto what's holding you back. Instead, hold onto Jesus. He's the only one you need and hes not a crutch. He's real. He's with you. He is for you. He doesn't want to hold you back. He wants you to grow, to walk, to run, to fly. You just need to trust him and let go.

   So, what is your crutch? Are you willing to let go of your crutch? How can you trust God more today?