He lowered his head and did one more splash, directing the palms-full of cold water to the top of his head, working cold water into the stubby hair on his scalp.
As he raised his head and began to stand up, a movement on the other side of the stream caught his eye, and he froze. Not forty feet away in the shrubbery oak stood a black bear on all fours, snout raised, head swinging back and forth. The bear apparently had picked up the scent of something unfamiliar within the bear's territory, and as far as Curt could tell, the bear was not too happy about the intrusion.
Curt immediately broke direct eye contact with the bear, lowered his head, and slowly crouched back down, sitting on his heels. He then slowly turned his head to the right, fixating on a particular oak shrub twenty feet to the bear's left while using his peripheral vision to watch the bear.
Oh, man! This isn't cool — a bear encounter! Curt's brain screamed.
A minute or more passed and Curt's thigh muscles began to rebel at his motionless, crouched position.
"Blackie," as Curt had already mentally named the bear — not an original name, but one that immediately entered Curt's mind — stopped sniffing and instead appeared to stare at Kevin and Curt's campsite.
Is he going to charge or what?
Curt could almost sense the bear's intelligence at work, but to what end, Curt had no clue. After another minute or so, Blackie, his coat catching the sun rays and momentarily glistening midnight blue, harrumphed and snorted, and then ambled into the oak shrubbery and disappeared.
Curt stayed motionless for another minute and finally let out the breath he had not realized he had been holding.
"Good morning," Kevin said cheerily as he stuck his head out of the tent entrance.
Curt stood up stiffly from his crouching position, turned, and said, "Well, Sleeping Beauty, you missed the show. We had a visitor."
Kevin, all the way out of tent now and lacing his boots, said, "A visitor? Who?"
"A bear."
"A bear? You're kidding!"
"No way am I kidding. He — well, it might have been a she — but he or she was a pretty good-sized one, too — three-, four-hundred pounds, I'd guess. Right across the creek from us. Over there in those bushes. I named it 'Blackie.' "
"You named it?"
"Well, ye-a-a-ah. Why not?"
Kevin had made his way to the stream next to Curt. He crouched down and splashed his face with the icy water, blowing the excess away from his mouth, and sputtered, "Tell me more."
Curt stood up, walked over to the cold campfire, and crouched down. Kevin joined him.
"Tell me what you saw. Tell me more about your friend Blackie," urged Kevin, not sure he believed Curt who was not beyond a tease or two.
"There's not all that much to tell," Curt said, but he recounted what he had been doing, what he saw, and what he did.
While he was telling Kevin, Curt picked up a stick and stirred deep in the campfire ashes to reveal several red coals buried deep. He grabbed a handful of nearby wood shavings and kindling and carefully placed them on the red coals. An immediate column of grey smoke began to rise, which he encouraged into a small flame by blowing his breath at the coals.
He continued with his account of the bear encounter, "…then you popped your head out of the tent with a cheery 'good morning' and that's it. End of story," said Curt.
At the end of Curt's narration, Kevin, now convinced of the bear encounter, asked, "Do you think the bear'll be back?"
Curt said, "I don't know, but it sure was eyeing our camp for a long time. I think when we leave on our hikes, we'd better hang our big backpacks in this tree," and Curt pointed to a sturdy branch some twenty feet up in the tree next to their tent. "It's a good thing we brought the rope. If ole Blackie comes back while we're gone, he'll have a hard time getting at our MREs and hard candy up high in this pine."
"Yeah, but bears can climb, too."
"Yeah, I know. That's why it'll be important to pick the right branch for our rope. I don't think many branches on this young pine will hold Blackie's four-hundred pounds, and that's to our advantage."
"Okay. You're the expert. I'll leave it up to you," replied Kevin. "Speaking of MREs, I'm starved. I'm going to have the oatmeal. You going to have the biscuits and gravy again?"
"Yuck. I guess so."
~~~
And thus started Day Three. After the breakfast MREs, Curt used their rope to hoist their backpacks up on a sturdy tree branch, but not too sturdy as to hold a four-hundred pound bear, he calculated.
Kevin and Curt spent the rest of the morning leisurely fishing the stream while warily keeping one eye on the oak shrubbery across the stream for Blackie or Blackie's relatives.
By noon, the two had caught three nice-sized rainbows. They decided to return to camp, clean the fish, bake them in the campfire coals, and enjoy a respite from the MREs.
Later in the afternoon after burying the scraps of their trout feast in the garbage pit to discourage any prowling Blackies, something seemed to urge Kevin to seek some solitude. It was a strong enough feeling to prompt Kevin to tell Curt, "I'm going to go upstream a ways to be by myself awhile. Don't take it personal. I think you overheard my dad urging me to find some quiet time and reflect on what he wants me to do. I think I'll do that. Time seems to be right. You okay with that?"
"Sure. Why wouldn't I be? You might make some noise though as you go upstream so any Blackies know you're coming — better to announce yourself and give them a chance to mosey on instead of being quiet and surprise one. Know what I mean?"
"Yeah. Good advice. Be back in a couple of hours."
"Be careful," said Curt.
"I will. Don't worry," replied Kevin.
~~~
Kevin shouted, "Hey, bear!" every third step as he walked upstream from their campsite. If a bear had been encouraged to move on because of Kevin's presence, Kevin could not tell; he had no reason to believe he had prompted a bear to retreat, but, on the other hand, he had no reason to believe he had not done so.
Five or six minutes later, Kevin found a suitable spot for meditation on a slight rise some twenty-five feet from a section of the stream containing a small rapids and the soothing sounds of rushing waters splashing and gurgling over and around a series of fist-sized and even larger water-polished stones.
The rise was unusual in that the side facing the stream was more akin to a mini-amphitheater of basaltic scoria with an inside arc some three feet high and fifteen or more feet in length.
Kevin sat in the middle of the arc, his back against the sloping and weathered rock. He marveled that but for the hardness of the rock, it was as near to a chaise lounge as he could expect in the wilderness.
Thirty yards to Kevin's back, a hill of ponderosa pine rose majestically another thousand feet, and fifty yards to his front, beyond the stream, was a solid wall of mixed conifers backed by another one thousand foot hill of ponderosa pines.
Kevin watched as two luminescent blue dragonflies darted and chased each other, one apparently intent on protecting its territory, the other intent on taking it.
Kevin took a long couple of minutes to absorb his environment. From the sounds of the mini-rapids to the scent of pine and meadow flowers to the sight of the dragonflies to the sunlight bathing the myriad shades of green grasses and trees to the dark shadows of the far ponderosa-clad mountain to the turquoise blue of the New Mexico sky and a billowing, brilliant white cumulus cloud to the northeast, he sensed a beauty, a contentment, an impression of what heaven must be like.
As he mused, Kevin remembered a sermon that his father once preached on the subject of heaven, and he knew that even what he was experiencing at the moment could not hold a candle to the unimaginable scenes and glories of heaven. Kevin remembered his father saying that heaven is simply so magnificent and so glorious that it is beyond the capacity of any human to describe.
Kevin remained in a meditative mood. Here, in the wil
derness, Kevin could see clearly that life had meaning far beyond the pursuit of career position and riches.
He could see and sense that God had created Man to commune with Him, and although the ideal relationship had been destroyed in the Garden of Eden, nevertheless, that relationship was the meaning of life. God still desired that close and loving relationship with Man and was showing Kevin the evidence of that desire through nature.
Kevin began thinking about his future and about his father's wishes for him. A growing sense of certainty began to flow over Kevin as he realized that God had been working in his life for months, leading him to this wilderness place and, through the beauty of the things God had created, was calling Kevin to follow in his father's footsteps and preach the gospel, the good news, the salvation message, of Jesus Christ, His birth, His sacrificial death, and His glorious resurrection and victory over sin and death.
So, Kevin made his decision — the decision to follow in his father's footsteps. As soon as he did so, a wave of spiritual contentment washed through and over him. He sensed that God had touched him, and indeed God had.
~~~
And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 NKJV
~~~
Kevin prayed and emptied his heart to God, praising Him for His Son, Jesus Christ, and the gift of eternal life, a gift that Kevin had accepted four years ago.
~~~
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV
~~~
Kevin continued his prayer and thanked God for leading him to the decision he had just made because Kevin knew that the time and place and circumstances of his decision could not have been accidental and instead was part of God's plan.
Kevin then asked for guidance from God in all that he would do from this day forward.
Tears trickled down Kevin's cheeks. He felt a Presence that he could not explain but knew was as real as the rock he was leaning against, as real as the ground on which he sat, as real as the stream that gurgled, and as real as the scent of the forest that he so enjoyed.
Kevin sat for a long time against the rock, his eyes closed, hearing the rush of water, but deep in his soul listening to the Holy Spirit. He could not remember a more contented time — a time of being more at peace — in his life. He felt a lightness of being that he had not experienced before. Every fiber of his mind, body, and spirit seemed to resonate with his newfound purpose and commitment to God.
Twenty minutes later, Kevin came striding back into camp.
~~~
"Whoa! What happened to you?" asked Curt who was sitting with his back to their pine tree, whittling on a long branch that he intended to use as a cooking spit.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… your… your… I don't know how to say it — there's something about you that's changed. I can't explain it. What happened?"
"It shows? Well, praise God! Let me tell you what just happened."
Curt jammed the blade of his knife into the ground, pointed his sharpened stick at Kevin, and said, "Dude, it must have been something really special."
"Oh, it was. It was!"
And Kevin squatted down opposite of Curt and explained the encounter he had with himself and with God and the career and life decision he had made.
Curt sat quietly, listening to Kevin and occasionally flicked his whittled stick at a passing black ant or used it idly to draw lines in the dirt. He seemed at once interested yet troubled — uncomfortable — by what Kevin was telling him.
Deep inside, a part of Curt felt a stirring to have Kevin's same excitement — a purposeful life direction — and to have Kevin's newfound contentment and confidence.
Their conversation the day before about a God vacuum had stuck with Curt and that concept had been mulling around in Curt's subconscious in a troubling way that Curt could not identify, but in a way that Kevin was tapping into by his telling of his experience only hours before.
Curt could stand it no longer. He broke eye contact with Kevin, turned his head, and stared away from Kevin into the oak shrubbery on the other side of the stream. His eyes were inexplicably welling up with tears. He had a strange ache — a turmoil — deep inside himself. He could not understand what was happening. All he knew was that his best friend had something — an extraordinary kind of something — a peace about today and a confidence about tomorrow — about all of his tomorrows — that Curt desperately wanted.
And suddenly it hit him: Curt realized he was sensing his God vacuum; the turmoil he was feeling was because he realized his need to have that vacuum filled.
Kevin could not help but notice Curt's troubled demeanor. Kevin could see and sense that the Holy Spirit was working with Curt, convincing him of his need for Jesus Christ as his Savior.
Kevin felt the Holy Spirit urging him to help Curt with the decision. With that knowledge, Kevin's heart was overjoyed at the opportunity to lead his best friend to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, and he said, "Curt. Curt, let me help you," as he reached over and placed his hand on Curt's left shoulder.
Curt turned his head and averted his eyes that were welling up with tears. He took a ragged intake of breath and then let it out in a sob, turned his head to Kevin as a flood of tears rolled down his cheeks. He said, he pleaded, "Yes," and in an emotionally choked whisper, said, "I need Jesus. Help me, Kevin. Help me."
Kevin teared also at the import and emotion of the moment. He said, "Oh, Curt, I am so happy for you that you've come to this decision. God has made it very simple to become part of His family and have eternal life — all you have to do is acknowledge that you are a sinner — that you've missed the mark — missed the target, the standard of perfection that God has set. The Ten Commandments is that standard, but let me explain about that.
"Many people think that keeping the Ten Commandments as best they can is the route or the way to get to heaven, you know, by being as good as they can; however, God gave the Ten Commandments not as some kind of ticket to heaven but as a mirror — a mirror that shows that none of us are good enough to keep all of the commandments, which means that no one gets to heaven by way of the Ten Commandments or by trying to be good; it's impossible — we always fail. And that's why we need someone to save us from that failure, from the consequences of missing the mark, the consequences of sin, and that someone is Jesus Christ."
~~~
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 NKJV
~~~
"You see, God sent His Son Jesus — perfect, sinless Jesus — into this world to accomplish what we cannot do by ourselves, and that is to escape the consequences of sin.
"How did Jesus accomplish that? Well, Jesus took your sins, my sins, and the sins of the whole world upon Himself and said, 'I'll pay the price. The price will be my death, but once the price is paid, and you accept that payment, it will be just as if you had never sinned.
"So, what does this mean for you, here and now? Simple. Pray to God, confess that you have sinned, missed the mark, and that you intend to repent — meaning, turn away from your sins and follow Jesus. Acknowledge and give thanks to God for Jesus for paying the price for your sins — past, present, and future — on the cross of Calvary and that you want to live for Him from this day forward. Then simply invite Jesus to come into your heart and into your life. Ask Him to forgive your sins and give you the gift of eternal life and make a new person out of you. Would you like to do that?"
~~~
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Romans 10:13 NKJV
~~~
…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Romans 3:23 NKJV
~~~
…Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be a
s white as snow; Isaiah 1:18 NKJV
~~~
As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalms 103:12 NKJV
~~~
"Yes. Yes!" Curt's voice was soft and husky with emotion.
"Okay. In your own words, pray to God, ask God to forgive you of your sins, tell Him you will turn away from those sins, and thank Him for His Son Jesus. Then ask Jesus to come into your heart and life and be your Lord and Savior, and you will be saved — born-again. It's just that simple."
~~~
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 NKJV
…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 NKJV
~~~
Curt bowed his head and closed his eyes. He prayed, his voice breaking and interspersed with tearful emotion, "God, I need you. I'm sorry for the bad things — for the sins I've committed. I know… I believe Jesus can take those sin things away because he died on a cross to do that… for… for me. I… I am so thankful for what Jesus did. I want Jesus to come into my life… make me a new person… fill… fill my God vacuum. I… I want to walk with Jesus from now on. Come into my life, Jesus. Save me and make me a new person. Amen."
Kevin echoed Curt's amen, by saying, "Yes, in Jesus name, amen," and then Kevin prayed, "Dear Lord, thank you for your Son Jesus Christ and his sacrificial death on the cross when he paid the price for my sins and Curt's sins — and for the sins of the whole world if they would but believe and accept the gift of salvation. Thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to convince Curt of his need for Jesus as his Savior. I pray that now that Curt has surrendered his life to You that You will surround Curt with your love and compassion and guide and direct his life onto the path that You would have him take, according to your will. In the wonderful name of Jesus, Curt's Savior and my Savior, I pray. Amen."
~~~
Kevin squeezed Curt's shoulder and smiled and said, "You and I are now brothers in Christ."