Complacency in Creation

"Asphalt, steel and buildings all surround me.

But I'm stranded in the city, with a mountain in my heart."

 

-The Hills - Josh Pepper Band

 

One of our newest songs is called The Hills. It is a song that I wrote a few years back when I had to move my entire family from the calm, quiet life that we knew in our suburban home just outside of Raleigh, NC to the hustle of Minneapolis, MN for Carter's (my oldest son) bone marrow transplant and treatments for Fanconi Anemia. It is a song about a small town boy transplanted to the city and all of the culture shock that goes along with it.

 

As much as I love Minneapolis, and any other large metropolitan area, I'll always be a small town kind of guy. I like the idea of acres and acres of land. Free rolling hills. NO skyscrapers as far as you can see. And the only noise you hear is insects, animals and the occasional tractor.

 

Sometimes I feel like we all get complacent. We see all of the things around us, be it architecture, electronics, technology and we lose sight of the ONE TRUE CREATOR. We think that we can build anything and do anything.

 

This is why I have made it a point to visit places that are untouched by humans....We haven't had the chance to ruin everything yet....and over the last few weeks and forever to come, I'll be showing you some of the places and things you can do to realize that someone created a world prior to us creating THINGS.

 

One of the things that Crystal, Carter, Ethan and myself have really started to enjoy is biking...Novice bikers at best, we don't yet, nor will we, have full body spandex and tiny seats...BUT we can gently glide down the Greenways's set up to take you down the bank of the Neuse river. A place called Sam's Branch Greenway that is only 4 minutes outside of downtown Clayton, NC can show you in NO uncertain terms- sights, sounds, smells- that WE cannot create anything as beautiful as the parts of the world left untouched by human hands and enjoying it with family makes it all that much better....Here are a couple pics from our last couple trips...

 

 

 

Another place that we went just this past weekend is Raven Rock State Park in Lillington, NC.

 

 Carter took a picture of us on the way...

...Once there, it is MILES upon MILES of trails, camping and picnic areas...Just walking the trails, listening to sounds, smelling the freshness of the air, and feeling the cool breeze through the tree's is enough to make anyone step back and say, "Thank you Lord for all you have created!"

 

 

The first stop on the trail that we took, was down about 150 steps....STRAIGHT DOWN....

 

It is enough to make you question whether it could possibly be worth the trip down...IT IS! The river has cut trough the rock to leave you with stunningly large rocks hanging over your head and river views that are unreal...

 

 

 

After stumbling up the  previously mentioned stairway......and about a 15 minute rest break....you head to the overlook. Neither words nor these pictures can describe what you are able to see and feel while standing at the overlook...I will not try, just show you the picture...

 

 

 

 

The point of this post is simple. Should you ever be overwhelmed by your hectic schedule, and never slow down attitude in life, take a break...go far away from the things that WE created and the man made stress and get back into the real world...the places that are touched by God and GOD only. And do it with your family, because the people that we care about should be there to experience the natural beauties with us.

 

Until the next travel into the woods, God Bless You all -

 

-The Pepper Family (Josh, Crystal, Carter and Ethan)