Cannonball

Have you ever been coaxed to jump into a pool of water? Your friends or family were well meaning when they were prodding you to do so. They were in the water having a grand time and wanted you to join them; yet you found yourself standing poolside, maybe just maybe sticking a toe or finger in the pool. Inexplicably, you found yourself frozen to act as if these people calling you in were a group of complete strangers waiting to have a great laugh at your expense. Then it hit you; these were no strangers, but some of the most trusted people in your life. This was no ruse on their part; they were really having fun. You took a deep breath, held your nose, ran at full speed, and hurled yourself into mid-air over the water.

CANNONBALL!!!!!

If any of you ran in the opposite direction and hurled yourself into the shrubs, you’re only human, but please don’t tell anybody. You might get invited to pool parties for the wrong reason.

If you were one of those to launch out over the water, you soon found yourself immersed in the water, turning and twisting in all manner of strange positions, then anxiously rising to the surface to take in another deep breath. Your friends and family were cheering that you finally jumped in. The water seemed colder than you thought, but in short order it became warmer, refreshing, even soothing. You may have even found yourself prodding those on the pool deck to join you in the water. It was good.

In a way, that is how my journey into “More and Better Life” began. It was actually God that called me in to the water so to speak, but it was the authentic lives of some dear Christian friends and family who had “jumped in” before me that made it clear to me that there was no ruse involved. There was something powerful at work in their lives, and I wanted it too. Life on the edge of the pool was incomplete.

It has been quite a while since I first jumped into this journey, and it has been shocking, warming, refreshing and soothing. But most of all, it has proved to be life changing.

Some of the most recent changes have been my moving to Chippewa Falls away from my lifelong home and remaining family in Illinois, resigning from a firm in which I was a partner and taking a sabbatical. Yet the biggest change has been leaving behind a church family at The First Church of God in Oak Lawn. This is a group of people that God caused me to care about deeply.

Do you remember what it was like getting out of the water? The air was cold and you would shiver, but after a while your body would acclimate. That’s what leaving has been like for me. It also wasn’t long before you would either be called back into the water or you wanted back in on your own, and even though you had jumped in before, there was still a bit of a shock to your system jumping in again. In a way, this leg of my journey is like jumping in again. It is like a plunge into cold water with all of the turning and twisting in strange positions. Yet the water seems to be warming. I am beginning to feel refreshed. I can hear some of my new friends cheering that my family and I are in the water here.

Part of the cheering involves the encouragement I have received regarding the sharing of this Blog called “Northwoods Musings” with my new church family at Valleybrook. The intention is to use it to uplift and challenge, with a balance of seriousness and humor, as we journey into “More and Better Life” together. The inspiration for this project comes from God (Psalm 1:1-2), and the form takes it shape from the tradition of the Old Testament rabbis that would use every day observations to point people to the truths of God revealed in His Word, the Bible. This is not about just memorizing verses or putting them on bumper stickers, but meditating deeply and continuously on them. God’s words are meant to transform all of us. They are not just reserved for special occasions; they are intended for every moment of our lives.

I have been blessed to learn that about God’s words, I hope you will be too.

Grace to you,

Dave Paukner