Musings from an Old Wooden Bridge

MJ Gaylor

Description

Elisabeth Elliot wrote, “A little quiet reflection will remind me that yes to God always leads in the end to joy.” Musing brings us to that place.

In today’s world, musing is a lost art that desperately needs to be rediscovered. Contrary to popular belief, we don’t run farther when we run faster. A full daily planner that leaves little time for thoughtful reflection, leads to an empty, unfulfilled life. A packed schedule sets aside one of the great purposes of life, to exercise the mind and stoke the creative spark within. We need to muse and muse often. In Musings from an Old Wooden Bridge, author MJ Gaylor offers a collection of random musings, complemented with Scripture, Bible stories, and personal experiences.



The lead story, “Life Cycles,” expresses the importance of transitioning from one phase of life to the next, both as a Christian and as an individual. Moving successfully through each stage brings us to maturity, which is the goal of our human experience. “The Impossible Made Easy,” emphasizes the ease of the Christian life in contrast to how difficult we sometimes make it. Borrowing a phrase from baseball great Honus Wagner, Gaylor surmises that there’s not a lot to being a Christian, if you are one. The selection “Loved by God,” explores the love that God has for each of us. It is only when we receive His love that we begin to love ourselves. Treasuring ourselves as creations of God is the first step in loving others.



Insightful and introspective, Musings from an Old Wooden Bridge encourages the reader to think deeply concerning the true meaning of life.

Sujets

• Christian Living
• Inspirational
• Philosophie et théologie
• Devotional
• Jesús de Nazaret
• Devotion
• Jesus
• Religion
• Jésus de Nazareth

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 08 août 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664273528
• Langue: English

Extrait

MUSINGS FROM AN OLD WOODEN BRIDGE

Biblical wisdom for a world gone mad





MJ GAYLOR










Copyright © 2022 MJ Gaylor.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.



WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
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Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked (KJV) taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6642-7351-1 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7353-5 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7352-8 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022913704



WestBow Press rev. date: 08/05/2022

















" It is an ironic habit of human beings to run faster when they have lost their way. "
ROLLO MAY



Contents
Prologue

Chapter 1 Life Cycles
Chapter 2 Generation Redeemed
Chapter 3 Vanity
Chapter 4 The Impossible Made Easy
Chapter 5 Reclaimed Lives
Chapter 6 Loved by God
Chapter 7 Coddiwomple
Chapter 8 Mountain Pass
Chapter 9 The Mad Hatter
Chapter 10 The Grove
Chapter 11 Right Thinking
Chapter 12 Barefoot in the Desert
Chapter 13 A Watery Gospel
Chapter 14 The Debate
Chapter 15 A Kangaroo Court
Chapter 16 Hated for His Name’s Sake
Chapter 17 The Danger of Indoctrination
Chapter 18 A Pigeon Named Joseph
Chapter 19 Climate Change
Chapter 20 Tall Tales
Chapter 21 Kingdom in a Cave
Chapter 22 The Sound of Many Waters
Chapter 23 Finished
Chapter 24 Unshakable
Chapter 25 Friendships
Chapter 26 Times are a Changing
Chapter 27 Full Steam Ahead
Chapter 28 Faithful unto Death
Chapter 29 The Lion and the Lamb
Chapter 30 Wonder
Chapter 31 Armadillo Wars
Chapter 32 Short People
Chapter 33 Death’s Door
Chapter 34 Origins
Chapter 35 A Dog’s Day
Chapter 36 Wasting Time
Chapter 37 The Unforgivable Sin
Chapter 38 Aunt Minnie
Chapter 39 A Late Bloomer
Chapter 40 The Hope That Endures
Chapter 41 Raising Good Kids
Chapter 42 Truth on the Throne
Chapter 43 Falling to New Heights
Chapter 44 Loneliness
Chapter 45 The Timeless Gospel
Chapter 46 Faithful are the Wounds
Chapter 47 Fearless
Chapter 48 True Salvation
Chapter 49 Roots
Chapter 50 The Classroom
Chapter 51 The Miracle of Redemption
Chapter 52 The Pathos of God

End Notes










bisbeesworld.org
I am filled with gratitude for my chief editor, Karen Gaylor, and her team Susan Jordan and Caleb Bryan. Their tireless work, chewing over every sentence, and grappling with each thought, is, and always will be, greatly appreciated.
I wish to dedicate this book to the congregation of The Church at Sun Coast in Jacksonville, Florida for whom I have had the great joy of leading these past twenty years. I have never known a more musing people in all my journeys. They think deeply, love passionately, and serve endlessly. I look forward to spending eternity with them musing by the River of Life.



Prologue
There was an old wooden bridge spanning the stream that ran behind our house on North Grand. A black walnut tree grew along the trail leading to the bridge, and cows dotted a nearby pasture. A large aspen grew out of the creek, providing shade in the hot summer and limbs strong enough to climb. For hours I would sit on that bridge and dangle my feet above the flowing water. I would watch the water gliders make their way through the gentle currents and look for crayfish peering out from underneath the stones that filled the brook. I can still hear the buzz of the dragonflies as they attempted to lite on the sedge grass. The sound of the passing brook was restful and channeled me into magical moments. Sitting on the sturdy planks of that old wooden bridge, I would daydream until I heard my mother calling.
The busy years have not erased the sheer pleasure of those moments, where time did not matter, and schedules did not pull my attention away from the simplicity of a blue bird resting on a willow branch. That old wooden bridge was a place where I gave my mind permission to wonder and my imagination freedom to roam about the countryside. I had time to ponder life and the world around me. I would think about my friends and family. I reflected on the meaning of life and where it would take me. In a word, I mused.
As I grow older, I find myself longing to return to that place of musing. I want to sit on that old bridge again and stare into the water. Many of the questions of my youth have been answered, but still, I want to remain curious. There are still mountains to climb and rivers to traverse, and so, I want to keep asking the questions that make life worth living. I refuse to waste my remaining days in a rush of frivolous activity. The sacredness of solitude calls out to me, and I want to answer. I never want to lose the magic of musing and the resulting adventures.
It has been said that we never view the same stream twice. The flow of life is constantly changing. The brook flows heavy with the winter thaw and then returns to its gentle meandering in summer only to be filled with fallen leaves as the year wanes. Rocks are polished smooth by the pressure of the current, and creek banks erode to create new eddies. Children grow up and bring back with them little bundles of energy called grandkids. Romances blossom, thrilling the soul, and people die, leaving deep gaping holes in our hearts. The stream incessantly babbles with a different song with each rising sun. I want to continue to grow as life’s stream changes over time and current. I want to capture every season in its fullness.
There is one difference from those days of my youth on the old wooden bridge. I have met the Master of the stream, and I have found his voice to be the sweetest of all. His daily call for me to walk with him along the banks is irresistible and has become the reason I live. It is my hope that you will hear his voice as you read the following pages.
The book in your hands contains no plan or sequential order. There is no attempt to build an argument that reaches a crescendo with four points and a poem. It is simply a collection of random musings because life is random. One of the beauties of sitting on an old wooden bridge, staring into the water, is that your mind drifts with reckless abandonment. The deepest and best thoughts of life come in this way. So, come muse with me. Let’s sit on the old wooden bridge together and stare into life’s stream.



CHAPTER 1
Life Cycles
I n the classic children’s story, Peter Pan , J.M. Barrie tells the tale of a boy who refuses to grow up. Peter, having rejected life’s march toward maturity, goes to live in Neverland as the leader of the lost boys. On that mystical island, he battles Captain Hook, gains a fairy as a friend, and eventually meets Wendy, Michael, and John Darling. The story has been a favorite for generations and finds its enduring quality in our desire to live forever in the fantasy of our childhood. For boys at least, an island filled with warring Indians and dangerous pirates adds to the draw. However, the time comes when we must all grow up. Eventually, we must all face the rigors of adulthood. The only question that remains is how successful our transition will be to the mainland of maturity. Will we land on happy shores?
One of the secrets of a successful life is our ability to navigate change. Childhood yields to adolescence, and then before our wondering eyes, adulthood emerges. The ugly caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly or vice versa. Sociologists call these periods life cycles . God has designed this transitional process for our growth and development. Shakespeare, in his play, As you Like It , suggested that there are seven stages of a man. The first stage is infancy followed by schoolboy, lover, soldier, justice, and then the apathy of old age. The last stage culminating in an oblation to God. The movie, The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons , is a story abo