Struggling in the shadow of civilization

Walking along mile after mile of hiking trail, it is quiet. Eerily quiet. The only sounds stem from the occasional breezes and the gnats or other bugs buzzing close to your ear. The twilight hours of a Tuesday afternoon offer up a little bit of wildlife. A bug here. A fish or two there. The multiple species of turtles in aquariums next to stuffed Ivory-billed woodpeckers and passenger pigeons in the visitor center.

The lack of sound is relaxing. It is calming. After a day of class from eight in the morning almost until 3:25, the idea of escaping to a nature center, to an oasis, is quite nice to the average Knoxville resident. 

The North Cove Trail, leading out from the front door of the visitor center, is the first stop for the average traveler or visitor to Ijams Nature Center and Wildlife Reserve. From here, the artery-like highway system of trails and loops and connectors interweave within the dense forests across the 275-acre wildlife sanctuary and nature area. Trails head uphill, downhill, through natural tunnels of trees and across wooden bridges, connecting all parts of the park. The little trails that leak off of the main trail give access to spots on the Tennessee River, while also providing cool shortcuts or detours for the curious hiker. 

The colors are vibrant all over the place. There are the vivid reds of berries on a tree branch, the purples, yellows and a flurry of other colors in the flowerbeds by the greenhouse, the former Ijams-family homesite, the blue from the sky peeking through the cracks of the brown and green canopy and under layers of the trees in what appears to be an untouched environment. Sure, the occasional wooden plank tied down by a metal bar latched into the ground isn't natural, but one can turn the other cheek and chalk that up to safety precautions. 

Within a mile of walking, the shaded forests open up to a boardwalk, just downstream from the beginnings of the Tennessee River. The views are just simply gorgeous and the quiet atmosphere continues to impress a first-time visitor like myself. There a serene tranquility to this area and little human traffic or human distractions whatsoever. A lone paddler glides across the water and a person walking her dog or a fellow classmate trying to grasp the importance and beauty of this place makes for a great setting.

And then a speedboat zooms down the river. 

It is almost startling. The sound from the boat cruising towards downtown Knoxville, along with the succeeding waves heading toward the coastline, puts a lot into perspective. As much as the average person wants to get away from the crazy, hectic life of a city like Knoxville, going just five or ten minutes out of the way does not fully present the feeling of isolation and serenity.  

If the speedboat does not do it, then it is the airplane flying high above the Tennessee River, landing at nearby Island Home Airport or over at McGhee-Tyson Airport, just 10 to 20 miles to the south. If it's not that, then it's the industrial facility right next door to the edge of the park. If it's not that, then it's the power lines that cut through the eastern end of the park, adding an odd feel to this area.

The nature center is a great idea and a great attraction for those that want to take a step out of downtown Knoxville and enjoy some serene peacefulness. It is a nice place, don't get me wrong. And it is certainly off the beaten path--driving across the train tracks and through the run-down residential areas of South Knoxville is required to reach this hidden destination.


One of the only things regarding Ijams is that it plays little brother almost to the huge--and isolated--Great Smoky Mountains National Park, about 40 miles south of Knoxville city center. Where Ijams deals with power lines and speedboats, the national park makes up for with authentic peacefulness in the mountains, where little or no outside forces affect the atmosphere.

Ijams is still a solid attraction that the immediate Knoxville area can call their own. It is certainly a lot closer to downtown and it provides a more close-up, personal view of area plants and wildlife and historic sites than GSMNP provides. No need to deal with the tourists in the Smokies or the long drive it takes to get there. Despite its little flaws, Ijams is a great destination to spend a few hours and simply relax. 

The Walk--9/12/12

"Behold, this day your eyes have seen how the LORD gave you today into my hand in the cave. And some told me to kill you, but I spared you. I said, ‘I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD's anointed.’ See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it. May the LORD judge between me and you, may the LORD avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you. After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea! May the LORD therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”

(1 Samuel 24:10-15 ESV)

Prayer. The act of voicing one's thanks, concerns, adoration. A personal discussion with God. Always ended the same way...."in Jesus's name, Amen."

But what does this mean? It's so often and too easy for Christians to go through this and forget its meaning. It's literal and its actual meaning. We're praying everything in the name of Jesus. That's kind of a big deal.

I went to the Walk at Sevier Heights tonight and I enjoy it. It's a great addition to the rest of my busy week, especially on a day like Wednesday, where the middle of the week can bring the stress and pressure of half a week to come. It also provides some simple, yet very helpful, reminders of where I stand with God.

We, and I, are susceptible to pray to God with an idea of wanting to forward progress. It's not an unheard  of idea. Society has one idea that involves everyone in school to go as far as they can and achieve the utmost  highest achievements as possible. Not a problem, necessarily. It becomes a problem when we take this mindset and apply it to our prayer. Praying should not be an idea of progress and this is one aspect where Christians, including myself, get into trouble.

I will not sacrifice obedience for the sake of convenience.

In the above verses from 1 Samuel, David, the eventual king appointed by God, goes against the popular belief of his friends to kill Saul, who, at the time, was the king appointed by God. Saul, who went out to kill David and his men, happened to enter the same cave as David and his men. David then went and cut off a corner of Saul's robe, but was quickly repentant and convicted of his act. Cutting corners (figuratively, not just in this literal sense) goes against our obedience, goes against who we are as humans, our character that God has provided for us. If we keep on taking every open door that becomes available to us, even if it goes against who we are and what our values are, then are we honoring God and giving God the glory? Every door that becomes open doesn't necessarily come from God. The perfect opportunity needs to be weighed with the Word of God. Is this where God wants me to go? The perfect opportunity might be perfect for a number of reasons, but it's probably filled with emotions, which tend to fog or cloud our judgment and decision-making process (I should know...).

A simple idea, but one that many struggle with and one that convicts many. Throw a krispy kreme donut on top and it makes for a wonderful Wednesday night.

A Time of Thanksgiving

Neyland Stadium can get pretty loud. It's a known fact to everyone everywhere that knows anything about college football. When 90 to 100,000+ people are packed into one stadium, covered in orange and white, it is quite a spectacular sight for anyone to see.

The Georgia Dome in Atlanta does not quite have the same atmosphere. Still, when most of the 55,000 person crowd dons orange and amps up the noise level in an echo-friendly dome, the experience is overall enjoyable.

While there is a certain feeling of school pride when Tennessee chants flood the stadium and seas of orange flow in all directions, the experience was enjoyable far beyond the football (Dare I say? Yes, yes I do.). The day (and weekend, for that matter) that was punctuated by football was highlighted more by service, by chemotherapy waste bags, by books filled with words that are unknown to most of the population, by thanksgiving.

Chemo waster bags are heavy! I mean, taking out each bag by four or five at a time eventually add up when you realize that you've filled up one box of 100 and there's still just as many, if not more, in the original box. Or all the Pediatric Journals that someone apparently didn't want, using all sorts of medical jargon that, at least to the Journalism major, might as well be in Greek or Russian or Hungarian. Boxes and boxes of medical supplies piled against a wall, set for sorting into boxes, eventually to be shipped out to countries around the world from one small warehouse in suburban Georgia. One truck with supplies for El Salvador even left the day our group ended up working there.

It's humbling.
It's fun.

Yes, when it's all said and done, sorting through boxes of medical supplies that we'll never see again because it'll be in a foreign country is fun. Doing something beyond yourself is fun. Waking up at 7 in the morning to go on a three or four hour bus ride only to come back at 4 that next morning is fun. Serving is fun.

The whole thing is humbling.

After the past few weeks, this trip and this weekend was almost like a wake-up call. I've been reminded of all of the blessings that I've been given and realized the lies that I was believing prior to Friday. Just took a few diapers and books and waste bags to come to the realization.