Mountain Man

He rolls into camp driving a mid-1980s work van with a hand written telephone number on the side. He opens the door and climbs out. It's Uncle Tim and he's come to help us dismantle and rebuild the log cabin I mentioned last time. With a bandanna tied around his head and a home-made bowie knife strapped to his side he heads toward the cabin. I go over an hour later to check on his progress and I hear classical music playing behind the pounding and screeching of loosening boards.

Tim is what I describe as a true mountain renaissance man. When I first met him I wasn't sure who this person was. But as I've gotten to know him I've discovered he designs and builds log houses. Not those kits you can buy but genuine, get the logs in the woods, log houses. He can operate a saw mill and he can dry out a log while its still on the stump. He's a licensed beautician and has remodeled historical homes in Lexington. He's even working on a way to liquefy the natural gas he has on his property. He's a Civil War "expert" and there's not much in history that he can't speak about intelligently. But what impresses me most of all, Tim is authentic. What you see is what you get!

Would that we as Christians would be as authentic and transparent. We play our games sometimes and put on masks to hide what we don't want others to know about us. Christ teaches us to be real and genuine in our walk. "Let your light so shine before men that they might see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven." May our goal be to draw others to the Gospel because we are authentic.

That's what's happening along the banks of Troublesome Creek until next time.