Category: Lake Michigan

Accept: Recognize Something as True

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters.  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
 
James 1:16, 17
 
Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me: I surrender it
all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more.

St. Ignatius of Loyola

 

The Intuition Diaries

During every vacation there comes a point, when you have to recognize something as true. As we listened to the weather report on Saturday evening, we had to face a hard truth.  The winds were going to be picking up. We would be facing 5-8 ft waves in a couple days. We had a decision to make; we could stick with our plan to stop at a couple more places along the Upper Peninsula or outrun the wind. We went to bed knowing, we had to pass up the extra stops.

After we left Escanaba, the first twenty miles were smooth sailing. And then the lake got a bit choppy, so I put on my earphones and listened to music while sitting on the back of the boat. I put my feet up on the side and watched the waves sail by. We were headed east and the sun was behind some clouds, but still shining through. The water looked like molten metal. I had never seen anything like it.


As we approached our destination, we had another decision to make: to drop anchor or go to a marina. As most couples do, we came to our conclusion smoothly, about as smooth as riding over those choppy waves all day.

Once we figured out what we both wanted, we decided to anchor out. Sometimes when faced with a decision, it’s best to choose acceptance of what you don’t understand (I’m referring to myself here). I get nervous in new situations, so I wanted to go to the marina (familiar choice), but anchoring out was the best choice. We swam off the boat and  enjoyed the sunset together.

In the St. James harbor, we were anchored with about 11 other boats, mostly sailboats. When the wind shifted all the boats would glide in unison to the same point without bumping into each other. One of the boats was named, Acceptance.
 
 

Sometimes I accept God’s gifts freely. But other times, I get deceived. I start thinking I deserve certain gifts, like cooler weather or having my own way. It is hard to admit, but sometimes I start rejecting the gifts from above or worse I resent them because they’re not exactly what I wanted. I know that sounds really immature, but it’s true.

After spending the night in St. James harbor, we embarked on the  next leg of the journey that would lead us to St. Ignace, a small town across the way from Mackinaw Island under the majestic Mackinac Bridge. Calm waters accompanied us.
 
 

Once we made it to safe harbor, we checked the weather report. We successfully outran the winds. The waves were already at 4ft in the section we passed through earlier. Thankfully, we willingly received God’s wisdom to let go of one thing, so that we could enjoy another.



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Doubt: To Lack Confidence In

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. ( James 1:6 NKJV)
The Intuition Diaries 
About midway through our Lake Michigan boat trek, I had a bout with doubt.

We left Rock Island early to cross the wavy sea to make our way to Escanaba, a small town on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The waves tossed us to and fro, as we were travelling in a beam sea, which means the waves push your vessel from the side. Nice rocking motion if you want to put a baby to sleep, or get seasick.

I tried to fight the motion sickness, and Les offered me the remedy; drive the boat. But even taking the helm was difficult today, because at first I had nothing on the horizon to focus on. I had to go on faith, trusting the computer chart to direct me. I wanted to quit driving, but I knew the alternative would be worse, headache with nausea all day.

I had to roll with the waves, and trust the unmarked route. I had to rely on the tried and tested navigation aids that would get us through this turbulent sea.  Several minutes into the rocking and the rolling, I spotted a stationary object on the horizon. Just the focal point I needed to persevere on the path.

 

This light stands out on the middle of the lake far from the shore. It marks an underwater shoal, a natural rock wall that can cause damage to a ship. Before this adventure, I didn’t even know that these lights existed on Lake Michigan.

 

This person of faith may know her destination, but at times when nothing is on the horizon, doubts buffet me like the waves of a beam sea on a vessel crossing the water.

 

Thanks be to God for putting unexpected markers along the route to realign my faith in Him, and lead me to the ultimate destination—forever with HIM!

 

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Sojourn: A Temporary Stay

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

(1 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV)


The Intuition Diaries

As we travelled from port to port, we would either rent a transient slip (a boat “campsite” at a marina, assigned to those passing through) or we anchored out.

Upon arriving in the Door County area, we chose to anchor out near Sturgeon Bay, WI. We had a pleasant morning puttering our way up the coast of Wisconsin. We stopped in Kewaunee to use the post office and pick up a few groceries. We used their public dock and literally had to climb up to get on solid ground.
 
 

It was a quaint, quiet town with a very slow pace. Two things happened there that made us smile. Outside the post office we saw a man run the lawn mower up the sidewalk, while it was running. We had no idea why he did it, but he did. The postmaster was a hoot as well, whenever I made a comment, he would say, “You’re probably right.”

 I thanked him for being so agreeable.

We left there, and headed to the canal that cuts through the Door County peninsula via Sturgeon Bay. There we were greeted by a light that marked the canal. We stopped for gas and ice at one of the marinas along the canal. We were marked by peace and settling into this pace of travelling by boat with the expectations of more adventures and relaxation ahead.

 

With all the beauty around us, you’d think it would be hard to become discouraged, but even on vacation we faced “light and momentary troubles.”

Last night after we anchored out in a very picturesque cove, named Sawyer Bay, we were accosted by flies. The stillness invited the flies to swarm around our boat. I had brought along a handy all-natural fly contraption to catch them. It had some debris in the bottom, so I thought I’d just dump it in the lake. In doing so, I dropped the plastic container. In my desire to rid myself of pesky flies, I jumped into the lake to make a rescue effort. In my haste, I forgot that I had my glasses on my head. The impact of my kersplash into the lake caused me to lose both the container and my glasses.

We looked and looked for the glasses. I waded around in the three feet of weedy terrain under the water to feel for the glasses with my feet. I cried and cried because of my foolish attempt to rescue a plastic container. I went to bed discouraged.

 

But joy comes in the morning.  (A good cup of coffee and the rising of the sun reminded me that God is good, even if I am foolish.)

Temporary upsets cannot outweigh the Presence of God in our lives. He never leaves or forsakes us, even when we temporarily lose our common sense.

I never found the glasses, but I did find out that God loves me despite my reckless attempts to rescue something that I really could live without. The flies still pestered us, I never found the glasses, and I cried myself to sleep, yet in the morning I was still able to rejoice in God and his goodness.
I did have contact lens with me, but somehow after this experience I felt like I had clearer vision, as result of losing the eyeglasses.

 

 
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Cairn: A Heap of Stones Piled Up as a Memorial

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. He called that place Bethel, though the city used to be called Luz.

Genesis 28:16-19


Tuesday’s Pics

 
 
The concept of a cairn was introduced to me when I visited my sister and her family, while they were living on a farm in Scotland. The cairn throne was a wedding gift to the farmer and his wife. A Scottish marker of the hightest point on their property and a memorial to their wedding vows.
 
I collected the small pile of stones on our  recent vacation at special spots along the shore of Lake Michigan. I piled them on my table the other morning as a reminder of God’s goodness to us this summer.
 
Yesterday, I happened upon a blog post about cairns and culture and community and listening.
 
I leave you with the photos to enjoy and a link to the article: Cairn-making.

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Wonder: Rapt Attention

 
The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
where morning dawns, where evening fades,
you call forth songs of joy.

Psalm 65:8

 
The Intuition Diaries 

Another morning has dawned, and soon the evening will fade. We have enjoyed another spectacular day out on Lake Michigan. Once out of the harbor of Port Washington, we knew we had a choppy ride ahead. I remembered that I could move our dinette seat and make a forward facing seat, much better way to observe the wonders of the lake. I knew we would see more lighthouses, but I wasn’t expecting all the silos. On the coast of Wisconsin, the farms sit above the lake on the bluffs overlooking the water.

We went past Sheboygan making our way to Manitowoc, one port of S. S. Badger, a steam driven car ferry from the 1950s that goes between Michigan and Wisconsin, across the lake each day. We weren’t sure if we would see the famous boat. Wonder of wonders, it was arriving at the harbor at the same time we were approaching. It was pretty daunting to work our way into the harbor without getting in its way. Courteous as we are, we pulled back the throttle and gave way for the legend.

S. S. Badger
 

 

As we were bouncing our way over the lake to Manitowoc, I was thinking.

Yep, I really can’t stop. But this time I was wondering. (My sister’s Facebook status has “wonder” as her occupation.) Oh, to be occupied with wonder! As I was recalling her clever status, one thought led to another.

I thought of all the things that cause wonder, like the clouds in the sky. How do they hang there and why do they come in so many shapes? I know there are scientific reasons, but I was wondering if God delights in making them so varied or if some days He decides to have a cloud art class with the angels and they hang them in the sky for us to observe. Silly– sure, but fun to think about.

God has given us so many ways to be occupied with wonder. We can marvel at the feats of history, like the fact that during WWII, a small community in Manitowoc, WI, made submarines. Les was able to tour one today, while I was surprised by another one of God’s wonders. (Have you ever noticed how God times things in such a way that we know He is thinking of us?)

One of my desires while on this trip was to buy fresh produce from a farm stand, rather than the grocery store. Wonder of wonders, the Farmer’s Market was open right across the bridge from where Les was touring the submarine. I walked over. I browsed each booth, and then bought some fresh peaches, cherries and raspberries, as well as corn on the cob, a bunch of carrots and string beans. God knew where we would be on our itinerary, which by the way was one day behind. So here we were in Manitowoc on a Tuesday instead of a Monday, and the market is only open on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

That evening, we grilled chicken, zucchini, summer squash and peaches on the grill with a wonderful view of the lake and the Manitowoc lighthouse. Another wonder-filled day with the God of the universe directing our way!

 
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