Marti signing her life away while John looks on.
There is no time left for us to stare at a blank page as if we were the author of something yet unknown. Time only to jump in and experience it all – the good, the bad and the ugly.
The key to living is not perfection. The requisite for life is not to win. No, the pivotal answer for all of us is nothing more than our willingness to act on what is right, as written on our hearts. In essence: to obey. To choose to live this way will undoubtedly include failure, blowing it, and bombing out. But those I love the most are those who go for it anyway and remain in the game to recover in spite of it all.
Like the man I married. He is one grand man of many mistakes and contradictions, and I think for this reason if people knew him better, they would perhaps take him more seriously. The reason there are songs and articles and books written by John about Christ is because knowing Christ for John is such an extraordinary reality and nothing close to commonplace.
We can change the world – even if many of us are just getting started.
Over this weekend, I jumped out of an airplane at 10,000 feet and flipped 5 times before freefalling, enjoyed the escapade of twirling, then headed toward the very top of the sky with arms stretched out wide until quite sadly, pulling the cord, I released the parachute toward the gravity of adult responsibilities – back to where I belong. The experience will always remind me of the sheer fun of flight with the light breaking forth in the skies as if it were a new day – if even for a moment. I flew with the Lord, and saw a snapshot of the unfathomable universe we all get to participate in, and most importantly, I got to see a glimmer of where God is. He is, of course, with the vulnerable and the poor and with us if we are with them – and if we are not, He continues to watch over us, perhaps hoping we capture for ourselves, if only for a moment, the fun He delights in as we change the world, turning our dreams into action, and closing the gap between dreaming and doing.
John Fischer The Catch 
Great story, Marti, and encouragement to just “DO IT”. We all make a difference either one way or the other and it is much more fun to leave a positive trail than a bunch of doo doo. 🙂
Awesome!
My husband and son went skydiving for the first time. After seeing their faces when they landed was awesome. I was envy when I saw their faces and determined to skydive. I went for my 40th birthday and Mother’s Day in the same year (3 years ago). I was scared when we were on the plane and I was the first one to jump followed by my husband and son. We jumped from 13,000 feet and it was the most amazing feeling and just thinking this is what our Lord see. When the chute opened, I never felt SOOO peaceful gliding like an Eagle. It was the most amazing and beautiful experience and willing to do more. My husband wants to to the 18,000 feet in Monterey Bay and you bet I will be there to JUMP!!!!
Wow, that must have been an amazing escapade jumping from a plane 10,000 feet above land. It is exhilarating just reading about it.
I am not fond of heights and have vertigo…I for one am glad we can get a glimmer of God with my feet planted on earth. John has given me those glimmers at times through his songs and writing. Your husband has a way with words that I believe are inspired by the Lord and are used mightily in peoples lives. They have been used in mine. I still have quotes and songs of his in my head from almost 30 years ago.
I am glad that the Lord is with the vulnerable and poor and with those with them and those that aren’t. That is a very nice way to say that He is with everyone. Some just don’t acknowledge it yet.
I realized that my life went better as a Christian when I realized that I am one of the vulnerable and poor…maybe not in the physical since but in the spiritual sense I am. I need to hand my loaves and fish to Jesus everyday so that he can meet the works He has for me and expand my vision every day.
How wonderful it is that the Lord has created so many creative diverse ways to serve Him and worship Him as he completes His mission for the world.
So whether we are obeying Him and flying out of planes or are burrowing ourselves in some hole He is with us and we can through His Holy Spirit understand what that means and feel the Love and Hope he fills us with so that we can pass that on to others..
Thanks for sharing your experience. I will probably have images of you flying in the sky all day….A bright spot in my thoughts today..
I loved the story. I have always wanted to jump, I have hang glided. I will get there one day. I admire your courage and I truly relate to the story of making changes in the world if by nothing just changing yourself.
Congratulations! There is something about jumping out an airplane that you cannot understand vicariously. No one can tell you exactly what your experience will be; they can tell you about the wind in your face, but everyone doesn’t flip 5 times and survive to tell the story.
But then, there is something about anything we do in life that we just cannot understand vicariously. And some things go well, by our standards. And we all rejoice when things goes well, by our standard. But some things don’t go so well, by our standards. And how do we respond when things don’t go so well, by our standard?
But whose standard is most important anyway?
I jumped with a static line, and my jump master pulled the cord before I completed the first flip. The parachute, which I had packed under careful supervision, deployed perfectly and by anyone’s standard, that went well. I was a tad disappointed, but decided that skiing off a cornice was more fun, by my standard, because I capable of landing and skiing away.
Sometimes we do what God directs us to do, and things don’t go so well, by our standard. But whose standard is most important? Things didn’t go real well for Job and he had some really stupid friends who were really good at saying stupid things that they didn’t understand because they had never experienced what Job had experienced. Joseph and David had it pretty rough there for awhile, too. Joseph saw God at work and David wrote a lot of worship songs for us.
“And many other people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.” (Heb. 11:13)
In a small town nearby, the police chief, a Godly man, was doing his job and was killed by a crazy guy. That didn’t go well by anyone’s standard.
I married the girl of my dreams. But I had never known a Christian who couldn’t forgive me for, I don’t know, something I said or did, she wouldn’t say, and could nurse bitterness and carry a grudge. That didn’t go so well, by anyone’s standards.
And He has said to me, ““My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. (2Cor12:9)
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Rom8:26-28)
By my standard, that is really hard to comprehend right now. But then, Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. . . . And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him. (Heb 11:1,6)
Apologies if this is too long for you, but then, this is more necessary for me right now. And I really appreciate the prayers of this community.
Check that last sentence, everybody. Prayer is great, by anybody’s standard. I guess the issue is making God’s standards ours.
Yeah! Marti!!!! What a great experience, one that I hope to have. “to die for” 🙂