Eric Suddoth's Blog, page 37

Murren – The Town of Fairy Tales, At Least to Me

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Today we stayed in the same region of Central Switzerland and journeyed to some nearby villages, Interlaken and Grimlewald. They were larger than the few we explored yesterday. The town of Interlaken was more of a tourist destination with souvenir shops and trendy jewelry stores sitting between two lakes. Whereas Grimlewald was not as large, but situated in the valley with the Alps mountain peaks visible from all sides. Each had its appeal, but once again, there is nothing like the fairy talesque of Murren, the village a mile above these other towns with the population of a meager 300.

I went to sleep last night with the village buried under a blanket of clouds and awoke with them being curled back and the massive mountains were knocking on my bedroom window begging me to take a look. I gazed down at the villages below in the valley and felt like Jack as he climbed the bean stock. This area is one of mystery and intrigue for me. In the little chalets around the quiet streets and green fields I can imagine a family of elves or fairies living in the coo-coo clock style homes. I’ve been to various places that seemed make believe (Venice, spots in Ireland, and a few small villages in Tuscany) but I’m going to have to add this spot of Switzerland to that short list of charming, unreal places.

What’s better? To live a life without any imagination and with only a firm grasp of reality and snobbish glances of lofty dreams. Or to live in the realm of curiosity and creativity. I love the line by Emily Dickinson, “I dwell in possibility.”

May we all find that childlike innocence of looking at s cloud in the sky and letting your mind wander. Do you see only a cloud or do you see something else?

I hope you see something else.

I hope you can open your mind wide enough to allow the God who created the platypus or painted a thousand types of flowers or conjured up the idea of a billion galaxies to show you something unexpected. You may be surprised with what He shows you.

But people say I’m strange…and that’s fine with me. As Nichole Nordeman write, “I would be a fool for You, all because You asked me to.
A simpleton who’s seemingly naive,
I do believe, You came and made Yourself a fool for me.”

Peace…tomorrow the Matterhorn

Schilthorn

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I left Lucerne this morning and headed to central Switzerland. After two train rides, a bus ride, and two cable car rides we found the hotel in a tiny village of Murren. Murren is a stopping point to Schilthorn which is a very high peak in the Alps where you can see for miles, even to France and Italy on clear days.

Today wasn’t a clear day. At first I was discouraged, but I reassured myself that I could come by tomorrow since I’m staying two days in this area to explore other small villages in this region. All of a sudden it started snowing.

It hit me as I was walking around in the snow, what is better, to gaze upon beauty or to experience beauty. If it was a sunny day I would have been able to see the mountain peaks miles away. But I would not have had a chance to play in the snow in the Alps.

I say this so many times, life is so much about perspective. You may be having a cloudy day, but clouds also bring rain which allows beautiful things to grow. With only sunny days we would live in a constant dry and wasteland of sand dunes and cacti.

I will always have the memory of making a snowball in the Alps, but God wanted to show off more. As we descended from the mountain we lowered between two layers of clouds giving us time to look into the clear distance and bask at the glory miles away.

What could be better? I got the best of both worlds today. I do not know why God continues to wow me, because I don’t deserve to be wowed. But I hope I could say that even if I didn’t see snow or mountains today I would still be content with the fact that He created the clouds for a purpose.

If you’re in a cloudy funk right now, know with certainty that there is a reason for it. Maybe He’s trying to protect you from being burnt by the cruel world. Or maybe He’s just creating the perfect time to part the clouds and leave you breathless.

And when He does…you will be breathless.

Peace…tomorrow more of these villages.

Mt. Rigi – Top of the World

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Have you ever felt like you were on top of the world? You were on the top of your game and everyone else was playing second fiddle?

I slipped out of Zürich before the sun rose and headed to Lucerne which is an hour south. We dropped off our bags at our hotel and journeyed to our boat. Lake Lucerne is a gorgeous lake with various little villages scattered beside the tranquil waters, with mountains closely behind.

We made it to our stop, Vitznau and took a cobwheeled train up 1,700 meters rising above villages, trees and even clouds. On a clear day you can look around in all directions and see the beauty. On a cloudy day you can basically only see clouds with an occasional break to peak at the ground below. Which views are better? Both are spectacular, but while we walked above the clouds it was easy to forget what was below. I couldn’t see the villages so it was like they weren’t even there.

In life, have you ever forgotten someone below you was even there? It’s so easy to focus on ourselves so much that we look pass everyone around us.

Take time to appreciate those around you. Those who encouraged you to climb those mountains. Those who lifted you on their shoulders when you were weak and tired. Those who sometimes take the backseat when you take the drivers seat.

As you regale on your achievements, don’t forget you didn’t make the journey alone. You might have planted the flag first, but this life is not about being faster or even better than everyone else. It’s about climbing together. Because when you stumble, and you will, if you’re in a group you won’t be down long.

Find your pack and carry on. Three strands a cord is not easily torn, but one thread breaks far to easy.

Peace

Zürich – Slow Down

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I arrived in Zurich early and hit the town running. Jumping on trains, trams and busses I started to explore the beauty of this large city nestled beside Lake Zürich and in the distance peaks of the Alps can be seen.

As I walked I noticed most places were closed. Jewelry stores that housed Rolex watches were not ticking. Bakeries that created their chocolate delicacies were cold and vacant. Even the devil couldn’t have opened Prada on this Sunday. It was as if the bulk of Zürich took the day off to enjoy the day.

When have you truly taken a day off to bask in the sunlight. To figuratively stop and smell the roses. To let the whole world stand still for a day and just chill. To catch ones breath and gear up for the coming week. It seems like so many people work 7 days a week 52 weeks a year. We weren’t meant for that merry go round of constant spinning and chaos.

We were created to take those moments and be still.

Be still to listen to that still small voice. Be still to reflect on the moments that have stolen your breath. Be still to thank God for all the moments, the breathtaking and those that just aren’t.

And rest in the stillness. Tomorrow will be another day to grind those gears you let rest. Tomorrow will be Lucerne.

Peace

Devotional – Chapter 3 – Certainly Is Definitely a Possibility – 2 of 2

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“To
the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not
believe, nothing is pure.  In faith, both
their minds and consciences are corrupted. 
They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny Him.  They are detestable, disobedient and unfit
for doing anything good.”  Titus 1:15-16

Which are you?  Are you on the side of purity or are you on the other side of the fence?  As I read the first part of the verse, the first thing that popped into my mind is inkblots.  The inkblots you see psychiatrists hold up and ask, “What do you see?”  In life, do you see things as God’s handiwork?  Do you see the harmony in creation?  Do you see that God is involved in every aspect of your life?  Or do you see errors?  Do you see chaos?  Do you see an aloof God who walked away on the seventh day?  Which are you?

In
my past, I have known people who claimed to be Christians, but yet their life
didn’t show any proof.  Yes, they came to
church, Bible studies, and helped out on mission opportunities. But their
actions were something that was not of Christ. 
Do you enjoy being around people who try to bring unity or try to divide?  I cringe when I hear someone’s wrecking ball
crash into someone else’s life.  Why
can’t people just leave well enough alone? 
When everything is going well, why start conflicts?  We are called to be peacemakers. Yet so often
there are more civil wars in church than in any other organization. 

So,
are you a peacemaker or a fire starter?

“For
everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received
with thanksgiving.”  1 Timothy 4:4

Let’s
experience everything God created for us with complete enthusiasm.  Let’s embrace every morning like it is
Christmas morning, jumping up from our beds and running to see what God has in
store.  Let’s see that everything God
created is good.  Let’s remain pure, so
we can see more clearly.

I
love thanksgiving, and in the last few years I have learned that I may love
Thanksgiving more than Christmas for the fact that it isn’t commercial.  Our family comes together for the simple fact
of being with one another.  There are no
strings attached. We don’t bring presents, just ourselves.  Yet I wonder, do people still give thanks on
Thanksgiving?  We have so much to be
thankful for and yet most of us see the day as the start of a four-day
weekend.  May each day be one in which we
see the goodness of God, and offer our utmost gratitude with purity.

Daily Scripture – Psalm 138

If you have enjoyed this devotional, check out my latest book, Dream Chasers – A Journey of Faith.

Devotional – Chapter 3 – Certainly Is Definitely a Possibility – 1 of 2

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“Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; He is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commands.”  Deuteronomy 7:9

Know
it!  You got to know it without any
doubt.  Do you know that God is God?  That God who we casually talk to causes
storms to knock down trees.  God, who we
command to answer our selfish prayers, makes volcanoes to blow, spewing
scorching lava.  God, who we pack neatly
in our jewelry boxes and then place around our neck, forces the earth to quake
and form gaps and caverns with ease.  Our
God is not a small powerless God.  He is
the God who spoke everything into existence. 

We
know it, but do we show it? 

What
can you do to show it?

He
is faithful to us.  He is more faithful
to us, His creation, than we are to our Maker. 
Shouldn’t it be the other way around? 
Shouldn’t we do all that we can to show our gratitude? Yet He makes sure
to hear every word we say…even when we hardly speak to Him.

All the chisels I’ve dulled carving idols of stone

That have crumbled like sand neath the waves

I’ve recklessly built all my dreams in the sand

Just to watch them all wash away

Through another day, another trial,

Another chance to reconcile to One who sees past all I see

And reaching out my weary hand I pray that You’d understand

You’re the only one who’s faithful to me

 – Jennifer Knapp
“Faithful to Me”

He
keeps His promises.  What promise should
you keep with Him?

You
know what I think is interesting, that the God who planned out His glorious act
of love through a horrible death on a cross, planned it out before we were
here.  He loved us so much that He knew
we were going to mess it all up. So He had a backup plan.  Think of yourself in God’s place.  He created the Garden of Eden for perfection,
and then we chose to become imperfect. 
If you had a friend that hurt you, are you quick to forgive?  If that friend lied to you, hid from you, rejected
and betrayed you, how would you respond? 
Would you find a way to mend the relationship or would you part
ways?  God sent Jesus to mend our
relationship.  He doesn’t want to part
ways with any of us.  Thousands of years
have passed since Jesus’ sacrifice, and God is still begging us to come back to
Him. 

I’m
certain of that.

Daily Scripture – Psalm 57

If you enjoyed this devotional, check out my latest book, Dream Chasers – A Journey of Faith.

Not All Adults Are Mature…Even If They Say They Are

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One would think that once you get a certain age maturity would take the drivers seat and pettiness, bullying and rudeness would start to slowly fade away like a passed by hitchhiker. One would think that derogatory words, slanderous Facebook posts and one sided tweets would vanish in the late teenage years. As if puberty could flush out this type of irrational behavior. One would think that when you reached a certain age love and respect would be on the forefront and not a blaring bullhorn.

This post is not about one issue. It’s about a lot of issues. I hate that we live in a society that is constantly about picking sides. Sensitive ones like abortion, marriage, stem cell research, environmental climate and then stupid ones like what color is the dress or shoes? When did we become like this because if you look at children, children will play with other children until they are taught not to like someone. Maybe we are the most mature at three years old and not twenty-three or even eighty-three.

I’ve often thought that if you always assume you are right all the time, you are only fooling yourself because one is never right all the time. That is what frustrates me the most with this electronic social world we live. We post our comments like its dogma and we then jump and high-five anyone who agrees with us as if that’s the secret handshake for the right side. But God forbid someone disagrees. If they disagree they are the stupidest person who ever breathed. Let’s now rant about their ignorance with degrading posts and bullying tactics that we learned and specialized on the playground.

Once again this is not a republican/democrat political post. This is not a civil rights post. This is not to fuel any hate with protesting or picketing with signs, because sadly both immature sides of the argument do this type of stuff each day. One side of the road scolds the other side. And then the other side of the road scolds the other. It’s a never ending rat race and the only winners are…no one.

Maturity is not supporting only the people you agree with. Maturity is being respectful to everyone no matter what side of the line they stand, listening and talking rationally with the other side, and at the end of the dialogue mutually agreeing to disagree and then leaving to have coffee or dinner together like mature people do.

There is a line in a new Taylor Swift song that puts down a group of people, “But you would rather be in the dark age, Just makin’ that sign must’ve taken all night” yet I recall the other side holding signs that must have also taken all night as well to make to picket a restaurant. This post is not about a side. This post is to show that both sides do what they scold the other side about. If I do it it’s okay, but if they do it it’s wrong.

Once again, this post is not about one stance. It’s about the stance of the entire human race and how we interact with one another. If we look at the life of Jesus I think he would be saddened by both sides of the line, whatever line it is, even if one side was more spiritually correct. But the way they portray themselves, well, I can hear Jesus calling them nothing more than Pharisees and a brood of vipers.

I do agree with Taylor Swift that people need to calm down. But unlike her, she states, “YOU need to calm down,” pointing at the people on the other side of the line, whereas I think, WE need to calm down. WE all need to calm down. WE.

It’s not a them complication , it’s not a they problem, it’s not the others issue. It’s an us complication. It’s a we problem. It’s a me issue.

Peace

All I Got Was This Dessert…For Me

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I woke this morning in Morlaix and headed all the way to the western coast of France to Brest. Once I got to Brest I saw it was just a large town so I didn’t stop. Big towns don’t interest me much. I like the charm of small villages. So I put in my next city in my GPS and headed off.

Locronan was more my pace with quiet streets, a church to tour, little shops to window shop and just to relax in the quiet. With my umbrella in hand I wandered the streets aimlessly. Looked for souvenirs, but found none.

Next came Quimper, or Kemper in the Brittany language they speak here. It is a larger town, but if you walk a few blocks in either direction you get to the quiet rustic charm of a little village. I went in various shops and found nothing one again. Still with umbrella in hand, I embraced the quiet streets.

After Quimper I headed to Pont-Aven. When I first planned my route I didn’t include this little gem. I’m glad I added it last minute. The bubbling brooks, sailboats and bridges of this small village had the makings of another village I walked through in Ireland. Once again I searched for gifts, but found none. I did find a dessert to try. This thing, a kouignamann are sold all over Brittany so I finally decided to try it. It was ok. Not really sure how to describe it, but a flaky roll similar to a cinnamon roll, but it comes in many flavors. I got chocolate. Still my favorite dessert of France is the macaroons. Crepes…not a fan. Had one the other day since Brittany created the crepes and I thought it would taste better here. Nope.

So the only thing I bought was a sweet for myself. I know my parents don’t need a gift, but I always get them something to show them that I was thinking of them and love them. I’ll search tomorrow. But I know they will tell me to save my money. But I will shop anyways. This got me thinking. God doesn’t need a present or anything from us, He just wants us to love Him. But people show their affection through gifts. So, have you given God a gift lately? I’m not talking your offering. I’m speaking, have you given Him something for no other reason than because? (Figuratively speaking)

So tomorrow as I shop…maybe I will think of something to give Him as well.

Peace…tomorrow is my last day of travels. Driving back around Paris and then flying home Saturday. Hope you have enjoyed traveling with me. Let me know what you think. I’m going somewhere in October so I may do this again to share insights and memories.

Walls, Cliffs and Community

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Well I started my day in Normandy and ended in Brittany, a western province of France that has an Irish influence. They even wave the Irish flag and speak a different French with a hint of Celtic. I toured beaches, walled cities, and cliffs today.

I started out at a beach where there were just a few people walking or fishing on it. It was peaceful.

Then I headed to Saint Malo, a walled city on the coast. It was a busy little town with lots of people and noise. It was remarkable seeing how they fortified their city many years ago. I was even able to climb up on the wall and walk around the entire city. This got me thinking, walls are to protect but so often we build walls to keep ourselves too protected. No one likes pain, so if history is correct, if I let person A or scenario A or dream A into my life it’s going to cause pain. So up comes a wall to keep those issues at bay.

It is smart to build walls to protect yourselves, but just like in every city they have gates. To allow people to come and go. Don’t build up walls without having some gates in your life. Opening yourself may cause hardship, but it may also bring joy that you would have never found locked behind your four walls.

I then went to Dinan, another walled village, but this one once again was peaceful. So peaceful I let myself get lost in the streets with just my umbrella to keep me company as it started to rain.

Lastly I found Cap Fehrel which is on a tip of a peninsula where you can see the Emerald Coast. It got me thinking of Ireland, but nothing can compare to the sights of Ireland. The cliffs were beautiful, the greenish blue sea was refreshing, and the atmosphere was relaxed and quaint.

Cliffs are like walls as well. People build houses on cliffs to keep out the riffraff. It’s interesting how much God showed me today with just walking around these walls and cliffs.

So, you have to protect yourself…but don’t let your protection be a detriment. Find a happy medium. Who knows, someone may knock your walls down, but someone who entered through the gate may be there to help you rebuild. It’s better to go through life in community. Marriages don’t make community. Monks live in community.

So find nice walls to keep you safe, but live in a community behind those walls.

Peace

Tomorrow…more villages and beaches and cliffs…I think

Ebbs and Flows – Mont Saint Michel

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Today I woke up and journeyed to an unbelievable place, Mont Saint Michel. It’s a mighty fortress that was built in the 1300s with the primary purpose of being a church. As the church was being built a village started to be built below it. The even more interesting part of this island is at some parts of the day depending on low tides, it’s not an island. Just a large rock with a city on it in the middle of a sandy land.

When the high tides return, it once again becomes an island. It’s location doesn’t change, it’s stature doesn’t change, but from the outside it looks like it’s moved.

This got me thinking. How often in life when we think something bad is going to happen, we lose God as if He’s moved. But God is constant just like Mont Saint Michel. It may appear that Mont Saint Michel picked itself up and moved closer or further away depending on the time of day, but it’s in the same location. The only thing that changed is the ebb and flow of the tides. Just like in life when the tides roll in you may think you are drifting out to sea, but God has you. He’s not letting go. You may feel a million miles from shore, but you’re still in the exact place God is. The only thing that changed is your perspective.

Your surroundingS affect your perspective so much. If you hang around negative thinking people, you’ll turn negative. If you spend your time chasing after only temporary delights, you’ll end up empty by the evening. If you digest envy and malice likes it’s an hors d’oeuvres then you’re be hungry for more during the main course.

Find glimpses of light to focus on. Think of heavenly things when times get rough. Choose joy when you’re fighting a rip current. If you’re perspective changes, you may find yourself not drifting out to sea, but anchored at a safe place. You may still have to deal with the waves and tides that will crash down on you, but if you know your safe, you can stand the tsunami.

Because God is bigger than a storm.

Peace