Dawning Comprehension

/ Carrie Muller

dawn
Edited by Nancy Enlow
Photo Credit: Jeremy Thomas

He reveals deep and hidden things;
He knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.
Daniel 2:22

“The longest journey is the journey inward.”
Dag Hammarskjöld, Markings

John shoved aside the flap of his tent and ducked out into the early morning air. He stood for a moment to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. The base, though never fully asleep due to the nature of their work, seemed almost peaceful. In this predawn hour, nothing but faint engine noises and occasional shouts interrupted the soft sounds of crickets. A slight breeze rustled through the nearby evergreens that bordered the east edge of camp. He closed his eyes, inhaling the fresh, pine-tinged air, and imagined standing in an ordinary meadow on an ordinary day with nothing but ordinary things to do.

The gunshot-like backfire of a nearby jeep startled him out of his reverie, reminding him that, while one day it might be a reality, it is not reality today. He took a sip of the steaming coffee in his hand and began the journey to the other side of the base. Continue reading →

The Road Not Wanted

/ Carrie Muller / 1 Comment

pexels-photo-192517

In high school I had an English teacher that introduced me to the poetry of Robert Frost. I was not interested in poetry at the time but felt an immediate draw to his work, particularly his “The Road Not Taken” poem. As an idealistic teen (is there any other kind?) this image of going my own way and not being fettered by the hang-ups and expectations of the world around me appealed to me on every level. In many ways this poem felt like an anthem. I would “take the road less traveled by” as I moved forward in life and that would “make all the difference.” Continue reading →

What’s Next?

/ Carrie Muller

clem-onojeghuo-143466

I am at a bit of a loss. I am unsure where to go next with this blog. Our trip to Africa is over and now we are back to our regular everyday life. Don’t get me wrong, I am very grateful for my regular everyday life, it is just not filled with things I necessarily want to write about. While in Kenya no matter where I looked, my eyes took in something I wanted to capture and express. What am I looking at today? A lot of laundry that needs to find its way to the washing machine. Continue reading →

What is your mental image of God?

/ Carrie Muller / 1 Comment

pexels-photo-187023

A. W. Tozer once wrote “What comes into the mind when we think of God is the most important thing about us. We tend, by a secret law of the soul, to move toward our mental image of God.” You may or may not agree with this being the most important thing (C.S. Lewis voiced strong dissent) but either way, what we believe about God plays a major role in how we experience him, especially when it comes to our sin. Continue reading →

Maasai Mara

/ Carrie Muller

Africa

My heart will always belong to the forest. There is something soul stirring to me about walking among the trunks of large hardwood trees under sunlight filtered by a green canopy. However, I occasionally leave pieces of my heart in other terrain. It happened when I hiked the Rockies. It happened again these past few days as I toured the savannah. Continue reading →

Jet Lag

/ Carrie Muller / 1 Comment

Pinterest 736x1128

I am bodily here in Kenya but my personality and thinking self got lost somewhere on the plane ride over. While this trip has been astounding, traveling to a place with a seven hours time difference has been the most disorienting experience in my life. I don’t know what day it is, I am exhausted when the sun is high in the sky and wide awake when it is pitch black out. As we drive around (btw…the roads out here are a blog post in themselves) it is a constant fight to stay awake. Continue reading →

God said “all things,” didn’t he?

/ Carrie Muller / 4 Comments

Qatar Airways

Have you ever had a bad experiences ruin a trip? It is amazing how a well-placed engine repair or illness can seem to ruin an entire experience. The trips I have taken where trouble raised its ugly head have, too often, colored my perception of all subsequent events. I have had vacations where I have been exposed to some amazing sights, but the tire that blew out on the drive there left me too grouchy to enjoy them. I have had vacations with wonderful opportunities to enjoy my family but not getting my way on some trivial issue has left me too angry to engage with them. Continue reading →

I’ve been meaning to get to this…

/ Carrie Muller / 3 Comments

danielle-macinnes-222441

Have you ever had that “thing” in your life you always wanted to do but never got to? Maybe you’ve always wanted to take on a college degree or start up that new small business. What has been holding you back? I’m willing to bet it is the same thing that has been holding me back…fear. Fear that you don’t have what it takes. Fear that you will fail. Fear of what others will think of you. Fear that people will see just how bad you are at spelling and grammar. OK, maybe that last one does not apply to you, but it applies to me because I am a closet writer. Continue reading →