A Top of Quarry Rock

Water, sun, canoes, mosquitoes, steak, hiking and great company – these are a few of my favorite things. O.K., minus the mosquitoes but that’s the price you pay to experience the breath-taking beauty of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. It seems like yesterday but it has already been 10 days since a group of Quarry guys returned from three days in God’s country.

We had a fantastic time and there are numerous stories but let me share just one. Day three was reserved for a canoe adventure to one of the better known pictured rock areas in the BWCA. It was around twenty miles one way but we didn’t need to carry anything but our canoes and so we set out with a sense of anticipation. Three hours later, anticipation waining, we still hadn’t found the infamous rocks. After a very brief discussion and some comments about the marvel of paint on granite we started back.

As we paddled up the Kawishiwi River, Peter Corniea spied a rock outcropping off in the distance that towered over the river some 200 feet. In passing he said, “That would be cool to climb.” That’s all the encouragement I needed. Within a few minutes our three canoes were nestled into a small inlet off the river. After looking at the map, we determined this was as close as we could get by water. The destination was still about a mile off. In order to get to the the cliff we had to weave our way through a dense pine forest, plod through a dried up bog, and avoid mounds of fresh moose droppings. By the time we arrived at the base of the cliff, I was praying that 1) We’d be able to get to the top and 2) God would do something really cool when we got there. We weren’t disappointed.

The view from the top was awesome. You could see for miles out over the vast forest of the Boundary Waters. It really is impressive when you can see the forest in spite of the trees. What happened next made the trip. I asked each of the guys to find a rock to make a memorial. Each man placed his rock haphazardly in a pile. Then our two elders, Joel and Denny, heaved a large rock on top of the smaller rocks representing the congregation resting on the leadership of the Quarry.

The analogy really worked but the large rock was unstable on its ad hock foundation. We tried to make sense of the whole thing saying that that was they way it is with leadership. Leaders aren’t perfect and sometimes things are a little shaky. Well we all know that’s true. Leaders are simply gifted men and women who obediently follow God’s call. As I thought, God impressed on me that we can do better. I asked Joel and Denny to take off the large rock. Then I asked the men present to use their rocks to form a solid foundation for the larger stone. They went to town – turning and positioning each rock until it fit snugly against the others. After several minutes they called for the larger rock and placed it on top of the others. The fit was solid. That memorial will be there for years to come.

The memorial represents God’s church. We can throw it together and people will come. The foundation will be unstable but it will work for a while. The alternative is to take our time, listen to God and position people with respect to their God-given gifts and passion. The leadership foundation, while taking some time to lay down, will be strong and able to support the many challenges that come with building a missional church.

The last thing I remember about that “mountain top” experience is watching Denny Lundquist lay his hands on the large rock and with tears in his eyes pray for more people to experience God’s grace and forgiveness through the Quarry. It was a picture I will not soon forget.

Isn’t it amazing what God can show us when we get off the beaten path and take the time to listen – simply awesome!