Deep in the Buffalo River region of Arkansas is one of the most peaceful places I have ever visited. I have been there enough times now that it has become a familiar friend, a place for solitude and spiritual refueling. I hesitate to disclose the location for fear that it may become so popular it loses it’s quiet reclusive character, but then that wouldn’t be fair to others seeking shelter from the storm of life-clutter and distraction.
Within the small village of Ponca, sitting next to a very photogenic creek that runs through the distance of the township is a lodge called Cedar Crest. I usually stay there when visiting the area for several days. The main industries of Ponca are canoe and overnight cabin rentals and the Lost Valley General Store where you can pick up a few staples and an ice cream bar on a hot summer’s day. If you’re looking for a broad selection of food items, a longer drive will be necessary. All of this is comfortably nestled at the north end of Boxley Valley, a place worthy of some National Geographic attention, but then I am a little biased.
Almost daily elk can be seen quietly grazing in large open fields against the back drop of breathtaking limestone cliffs and forest covered hills that host and escort the Buffalo River on its meandering southern journey to the White River. Not far away from the Cedar Crest, beaver and trumpeter swan can often be seen traversing an old spring fed millpond, and occasionally I have spotted a bald eagle or two perched on one of the many trees at water’s edge.
One cold January day while visiting there for a retreat, I was reading the Sermon on the Mount when I reached the Lord’s Prayer. Each time I read this section, it is always with deep honor and devotion. While slowly perusing its words, I found myself amazed at the brilliance of the mind of Jesus and his passionate heart of love for his Father in heaven, the Father’s will, and for those given to serving him. Within these brief sentences he strategically provided his new disciples and all who would later join them with his framework for a successful prayer life and the whole of life as well.
The prayer is as relevant today as it was the moment it flowed from his lips to the ears of those positioned around him. Though brief and woven with simplicity, it is embedded with power, divine brilliance, and instruction.
(from the book, “Vigil”)
Craigs Thoughts 