Located in Crawford State Park near the Canadian border, Gardner Cave is the second longest limestone cave in Washington State. The free tour took us in the first 500 feet, which is just under half the cave’s 1,055-foot length. The guide told us the cave was discovered by a bootlegger in the late 1800’s but that 70-million years ago the cave was covered by vast ocean. Because the cave was well lit for tours we were able to look at the unique limestone formations formed by creatures having lived in that ocean.
At one point the guide turned off the lights. We stood silent for a moment waiting for our eyes to adjust. After about a minute we started getting uncomfortable. We couldn’t see a thing! Having satisfied his intentions, the guide explained that our eyes were never going to adjust because we were in true pitch darkness; meaning there is absolutely no source of light that far down into the cave. To comfort us he pressed the button on his tiny keychain flashlight. The cave was immediately illuminated.
Imagine you are deep inside a cave with no light source. It is pitch black. You cannot see your own hand in front of your face. Then someone turns on a flashlight. Suddenly you can see the low ceilings of the cave, the smooth limestone walls and most importantly, your way out. When the flashlight starts moving toward the exit you move with it, otherwise you will find yourself back in the dark. Likewise, in your excitement you don’t dare run ahead of the light or eventually you will find yourself in darkness there also. In order to safely and effectively make your way out of the dark cave you must keep pace with the light and move as it moves.
Jesus says,
“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life. (John 8:12)”
The Lord recently reminded me of Gardner Cave and used that experience to show Chris and me how we were in danger of leading Chariot Ministries into darkness rather than keeping the ministry illuminated by Christ’s light. In our zeal to fulfill the vision God gave us for the ministry, we ran ahead of the light by scheduling events without God’s consent. Fortunately, we were quick to recognize our heavenly Father’s gentle rebuke and with minimal embarrassment and much humility canceled the two performances that were scheduled for 2010.
We now understand that although theatrical performances will continue to be a major part of the Artistic Ambassador’s arm of the ministry, we are to spend this year building up the evangelism and discipleship ministries within Chariot. We will post more about this later.
How do we intend to keep pace with the light?
- First and foremost, our intention is to stay transparent with our supporters. We feel strongly that we cannot expect you to walk in faith if we are unwilling to do so ourselves. We’ve also learned (the hard way) that sometimes we misinterpret God’s will for us and have to backtrack. We want you to be a part of this journey and invite you to walk along side us as we strive to stay within the circle of God’s light.
- One way we hope to accomplish this transparency is through a monthly blog detailing what is going on behind the scenes at Chariot Ministries. Let’s face it; I didn’t do a good job maintaining our blog last year, but this is a new year and I’ve come to realize I don’t need to write “articles” for each blog. I simply need to keep you informed about the ministry. The first week of each month either Chris or I will post a blog detailing our current walk with the Lord as it relates to the ministry. For the time being this blog will be your primary source of information.
- Since some of you have asked about the website, yes, we are updating it. It should be current by the end of February.
- We are currently scheduling classes on Evangelism and Discipleship. Please keep these items in your prayers as we hope to announce them soon.
Thank you for sticking with us. Our prayer is that this year's Journey to the Son keeps us all walking in the light.
In His glorious name,
Chris & Harvest Rich
