A Daily Devotional: Using The 1928 Book Of Common Prayer Morning Lectionary

Dale Matson

Click On Photograph To Enlarge

A daily devotional is the single most important thing that can be done by a Christian as the first act of the day, on an ongoing basis. A dentist may disagree with this but teeth are temporal and a soul is eternal. Using a devotional is like a swimmer in a pool, taking a deep cleansing breath as she turns at the end of the lap. I have begun my day with a devotional reading, followed by journaling every day for nearly twenty years.  Starting daily in this way is a statement of priorities. All time spent with God is not taken from the day before us. It is time returned tenfold. It is saying above all, that you are dedicated to a relationship with God and committed to maintaining and deepening that relationship.

When an individual begins a devotional using Scripture including prayer, that person is not just connecting with the Word of God. That person is not alone but is a participant in the Body of Christ, the universal church forever celebrating the Glory of God. The person is connected to the true vine Jesus Christ where he is not just transfused but transformed. Individuals are reuniting with their ancestors and the saints who have preceded them on this earth.

In beginning each day with a devotional there is a sense of focus, meaning, pace and purpose. Why am I here? What really matters? Can I make a difference? It is a time of peace in a world of chaos. It is portable and when we travel we can take the devotional with us. It is a matter of being in the moment. It is living in the real world that has no boundaries not a virtual world where others exist in a few lines of a text message on a small screen and quickly are ignored or dismissed.

The Christian life is intended to be directed, have meaning, and be empowered by God the Holy Spirit. It is a life intended by our Creator to include reflection, self-examination and service to others. When we leave our worship service,, we are dismissed by the Deacon with the charge, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.” Our response is, “Thanks be to God.”

Commitment to a daily devotional introduces discipline into a life that would profit from discipline when it is absent or increased discipline when it is needed. The devotional can become a safe and familiar harbor from which each day’s journey begins.

Finally, the devotional sets the tone for our entire day. The devotional is done intentionally, consciously and directed to God. It is a good work that affects the entire cosmos. It becomes incense, carried with us throughout the day, anointing with its fragrance the ordinary secular daily acts and makes them sacred. It is not time spent alone but in solitude. This is a frightening idea for some, since much of their bustle and distractedness is an attempt to avoid the reality that surrounds them on all sides.

So, Fr. Dale, you have said why a devotional is important. Why did you write a devotional? This is my answer.

“Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.” (2 Cor. 1:14)

Available now on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1518731716?keywords=A%20Daily%20Devotional%3A%20Using%20The%201928%20Book%20Of%20Common%20Prayer%20Morning%20Lectionary&qid=1445599440&ref_=sr_1_1&s=books&sr=1-1

The Trail To The Interior Wilderness

 

Dale Matson

I recently finished a book that involved hiking trails into several Sierra Nevada alpine basins over several years. Each journey involved some risk with most of the trips being solo. Each trip was an out and back. Many required an overnight or two and great effort under the burden of a backpack. I used to run the Yosemite trails, covering more mileage in a day than three days of backpacking. These trips provided singular perspectives from on high and punishing descents back to the beginning at the trailhead. These hikes provide glorious suffering and a sense of accomplishment.

All of these journeys are real and recorded and require sweat and gumption but they are also metaphors for the journey inward. This trail is more difficult and dangerous with no assurance markers along the way. The mountain trips are optional but the inward journey is not.

I am halfway finished with writing a devotional, a Lectio Divina based on the Epistle readings for Morning Prayer in the 1928 Prayerbook. It is a much slower trail. I began this book three years ago. It requires selection, reflection and prayer. God only knows if anyone will read it besides the editor and me but it is above all a book of thanksgiving and praise. The more I read and reflect on Scripture, the more I love the God I so undeservedly serve.

He has chosen me and bestowed on me the faith necessary to believe in Him. He called me from my youth but I resisted and postponed His call. Since taking on Holy Orders and being installed I have suffered for the sake of the Gospel. This book is a recalibration of my internal compass. I have been off course. Writing sermons doesn't provide enough time with God.

I am a priest who looks for God in things beautiful, especially the tarns and granite of the Sierra Nevada. But currently my own interior is more barren than any alpine basin. My heart is filled with boulders and scree. My heart is in need of more time alone with God. Time is something that is running out. Working on the devotional will break the rocks so the water may flow forth in the wilderness.

An Introduction To Alpine Basins Of The Central Sierra Nevada

Dale Matson

Click On Image To Enlarge

An Introduction To Alpine Basins Of The Central Sierra Nevada

I now realize that so many of the places in the Sierra Nevada I have loved to visit are mountain alpine basins. Mountain passes and peaks are singular and impressive but they are places we pass on our way to a campsite in a mountain basin. For example the climb to a pass may be difficult and arduous. We may like the view but we press on because we hope to end with a well-deserved longer rest at the pass followed by a descent to a basin campsite. We may have to put our windbreaker back on there. We may have to sit down every few switchbacks to rest ourselves by sitting on a boulder in the shade. I often think of the difficult climb up to Glen Pass on the northbound John Muir Trail. Once on top there is only time for a short celebration and rest because our campsite will be in the Rae Lakes Basin below.

A mountain basin reminds me of a great cathedral where we are surrounded by lofty steeples. Alpine basins are at 10,000’ plus feet yet you still look up and are walled in by massive granite walls. I was at guitar lake at 12,500’ and looked around at peaks 1,500’ higher yet.

These basins (also called watersheds) all have their own ecosystem but share common elements. Uplift or glacial scouring generally forms them. Basins are similar to valleys but valley tends to be “V” or “U” shaped while basins are round or oval shaped.  There is generally a stream and a beautiful rather stark expansive view with scattered vegetation. These basins also contain several tarns or lakes, which may be fed by the same creek. Eventually these creeks flow into a river. For example Piute Creek flows into the San Joaquin River. The lakes can be deep blue or even green if fed by glaciers. Some basins are very popular like Rae Lakes and Kearsarge where there are length of stay limits.

I often imagine the deer, bears bighorn sheep and other animals living in but also wandering away from these basins or traveling over the passes. I once saw a deer tagged in the Owens Valley that was in Kings Canyon 30 miles away up by Reflection Lake. The bighorn sheep seem to make up their own rules about where they go.

I have written this book as an encouragement to the experienced physically fit but average person who is interested in going to these places. The person does not need great navigational skills but it is necessary to have map and compass skills at a minimum. I say experienced because some basins like Evolution Basin are literally days away from a trailhead. These trips require quality gear that has been tested by prior use. You need four things in the wilderness. You need to be able to stay dry, warm, hydrated and fed.  A health emergency can arise like altitude sickness; do you have a way of contacting someone? I carry an Iridium Satellite Phone. When you pick up your wilderness permit you will have to show an itinerary. Stick to it for your own safety sake. If you have problems on the trails, there is always a chance someone will come along. If you are off the trail by yourself, you may never be found.    

Available now in Paperback.  http://www.amazon.com/dp/151768482X
and Kindle. https://authorcentral.amazon.com/gp/books/book-detail-page?ie=UTF8&bookASIN=B0168QB6E8&index=default

Don’t miss out on the good medicine of nature

[Excerpted from the Fresno Bee October 3rd 2015]

Andrew Fiala

Yosemite and Sequoia national parks are sources of natural beauty

John Muir’s philosophy rooted in transcendentalism

We all can benefit from making contact with nature



This year marks the 125th anniversary of Sequoia and Yosemite national parks. There are practical reasons for preserving natural areas. Pure water and clean air are obviously useful. Biodiversity and flourishing natural ecosystems serve human interests.

But behind these parks is a philosophical ideal that celebrates the aesthetic and spiritual value of nature. Natural wonders sing to our souls. Yosemite Valley is a marvel. Sierra summits inspire. And the big trees awaken reverence.

Consider this: As the Rough fire raged this summer, firefighters took extra precautions to save sequoia trees. These ancient organisms have a kind of value which should be cherished and protected.

We are not born understanding this. Nature love is a late development. Sequoias were once logged. And a dam destroyed Hetch Hetchy Valley. Practical interests sometimes prevail. But beauty matters as much as business.

One source for this moral and aesthetic ideal is the American philosophical movement known as transcendentalism. The transcendentalists celebrated the spiritual power and wild delight of nature. They worshiped natural beauty, eating clouds and drinking wind, as Ralph Waldo Emerson once put it.

Emerson felt a sense of homecoming and companionship in the presence of nature. He argued that nature was “medicinal,” curing us of the stress of our workaday lives. Emerson disciple Henry David Thoreau dreamed of making direct contact with the mysterious power of nature. Thoreau set off on walking tours in search of contact – one of the original American backcountry hikers.

Emerson and Thoreau inspired John Muir, who brought transcendentalism to Central California. Muir’s enthusiastic nature worship helped create the national parks and the Sierra Club. Emerson himself visited Yosemite in 1871, accompanying Muir to the Mariposa grove of giant sequoias.

Muir said that going to the woods was going home. He described the big trees of the Sierra as superior beings arrived from another star – calm, bright and godlike creatures that leave us awestruck. He described Yosemite Valley as a work of art and a natural temple.

In defense of the national park idea, Muir explained, “Mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.”

MOUNTAIN PARKS AND RESERVATIONS ARE USEFUL NOT ONLY AS FOUNTAINS OF TIMBER AND IRRIGATING RIVERS, BUT AS FOUNTAINS OF LIFE.

Naturalist John Muir

Muir recognized the practical importance of the mountain ecosystem for the well-being of the rivers and waters of our own Central Valley. But he also thought that mountain grandeur and primeval forests were a source of spiritual power.

Granite cliffs, towering trees and sparkling waterfalls somehow elevate the spirit. They put human concerns in proper perspective. The sequoias have stood silently while entire civilizations have come and gone. The mountains have been carved by forces more powerful than anything homo sapiens could ever devise.

For some, this is alien, intimidating and incomprehensible. Some get vertigo in high places. The natural world is not all wildflowers and rainbows. There are fires and storms and earthquakes as well. But these infernal powers remind us of our fragility and the need to savor beauty when we find it.

Muir worried that people saw forests as weeds to be cleared or timber to be profited from. Today we have a different problem. We often cannot see the forest for the trees – or the trees themselves. We are no longer in contact with the natural world. Much of the time, we are immersed in virtual reality. We would often rather play with our phones and poke our computers than make contact with the world. And we miss out on the good medicine of nature, which offers a cure for the stresses of the human world.

National parks allow us to explore beauty and commune with nature. We should celebrate the inspired and tenacious work of visionaries such as Muir. We should also thank the nameless firefighters and trail-builders whose sweat and blood allows us to enjoy these places in safety.

These parks have a long history – and deep philosophical roots. But 125 years is only a small fraction of the life of a sequoia. It is nothing in comparison with the tempo of glaciers. Let’s hope that these parks last another 125 years so that our great-great-grandchildren may continue to make contact with these awesome fountains of life.

Andrew Fiala is a professor of philosophy and director of The Ethics Center at Fresno State. Contact him:fiala.andrew@gmail.com

The Trail To Baxter Pass

Dale Matson

Click On Photographs To Enlarge

Baxter Pass 12,300'
Mt. Baxter Center And Acrodectes Peak Left Of Center

Trailhead 6,000’ Baxter Pass 12,300’

Baxter Pass is considered one of the “Four Nasty Passes”. http://cholla.mmto.org/hiking/sierras/trips/nasty.html

I have also done the Taboose Pass trail and the only thing better about Baxter Pass is the drive to the trailhead. From there what passes for an unmaintained trail is barely beyond a “use trail”. It is understandably seldom used. Two hikers, one whom had just been discharged from the army, passed me. They were the only people I saw in three days. I saw them again at the pass.

I picked up my wilderness permit in Lone Pine and headed to the trailhead. I began my hike at 9:15am and made camp for the night around 10,000’ after about 7 hours of hiking. My Suunto Ambit indicated a stingy 5.56 miles to my tick-infested campsite while my Garmin indicated 7.39 miles and 4,191’ of gain. The chart on the website must have been scaled from a map because the entire trip is only supposed to be 5 miles. Resupply water whenever you can. Much of the time the creek is too far below the trail.

The following are my reflections on the first day. There were three creek crossings. The first crossing at about 6,400’ a small tributary of the Oak Creek North Fork soon after you enter the John Muir Wilderness. The second crossing is Oak Creek from north to south at about 6,700’. When you get there, cross the creek. Don’t try to follow the trail on the north side of the creek. Wear long pants also. There are stinging nettles (the gift that keeps on giving) near the bank and buck brush covering the trail in plenty of places. The trail along the south side of the creek is difficult up and down. It is narrow with powdery edges that collapse dangerously. There are no switchbacks because there is no room for switchbacks. You are going up and down a canyon with steep sides. The third creek crossing is switching from the trail following the south side to one that follows and remains on the north side of Oak Creek. Not long after crossing the creek the final time, there is a campsite on the south side of the trail in a grove of half burned evergreens. There is a campsite indicated on the map at about 10,000’. I camped near the creek but did not see any evidence of an established site.

The second day I intended to summit Baxter Pass, drop down to Baxter Lakes and return to my campsite. Not long after heading out at 7am, I came to what looked like a series of Cairns directing me west (you can see it on the GPS download). I wound up in a steep gully and had to retrace my steps till I could climb out, head south and rejoin the trail. I lost about an hour to this nonsense. The worst part was the wasted energy trying to climb out in several places. The lesson I should have already learned is that not all Cairns are useful or correct.

The final part of the climb is a sharp bend to the north. You have been headed toward Diamond Peak (about 13,000’) up until you begin the switchbacks. There is a false summit so don’t think you are there until you see the sign. I did a lot of resting on the final part of the climb. I summited and took photographs with a 24-70mm lens and a (3 pound) 100-400mm lens. I was hoping once again to photograph Bighorn Sheep. You can see their paths in the bronze colored area. No luck again. I headed back and arrived at camp about 4pm. My Ambit indicated about 3 miles from my camp to the Pass. Once again, this was longer than reported.

The final day I broke camp at 6:60am and arrived at the trailhead in about 6.5 hours. Tired legs don’t go down steep hills any faster than fresh legs go up. My total ascent for the entire route was 7,141’

What’s the best advice I can give another person in his or her seventies? Don’t do the Baxter Pass trail.     

 Looking East At White Mountains

 Creek Crossing

 North Fork Of Oak Creek

 Trail Route

 "Trail"

 Sunrise

 "Campsite" With Running Water

 Diamond Peak

 Author Literally One Year Older Than The Beginning Of The Hike

 From The Switchbacks

 Looking West

Lake 11,830 above Baxter Lakes

There is a video slideshow with additional graphics on YouTube here;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OEOLu4UBWE