Today I had the awesome opportunity to visit Tarangire National Park here in TZ. I really couldn't describe it to you in a blog post. I will say this: it is a weird feeling to get out of your truck and think, "I'd better not go too far or I might get eaten or gored to death." This feeling is intensified after you have watched a lioness chase a herd of crazed wildebeests, tearing into one and promptly feasting on its warm flesh. "Wow," you say to yourself, "That would hurt." On the innocuous East coast, about the most scary thing you'll see is...well...there's not much there. Did you know that (1) a water buffalo has a really fiery temper and will charge at the drop of a hat (you die when that happens), (2) a bull elephant can flip an SUV, (3) a giraffe has been known to literally decapitate a lion with a kick of the leg? Yeah, these African animals mean business.
Death seems a lot nearer here in TZ. People die all the time. A European tourist at Tarangire National Park several years ago was literally eaten by a leopard mere yards from where I stood today. Fatal car wrecks are virtually an everyday occurrence here in Arusha--a town with a population of around 400,000. Everyone in Tanzania accepts the fact that "it is appointed unto man once to die" (Hebrews 9:27). This was a good check for me--a good reminder that my life is a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away (James 4:14). For the believer, this is not a fearful thing, though. A Christian need not fear lions, disease, or any other form of death for that matter, for his "life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). Read these words by H. A. Cesar Malan:
Thank you all for praying and reading!
In Christ,
Nick
P.S. - Check out the "Safari Photos" tab at the top if you haven't already.
Death seems a lot nearer here in TZ. People die all the time. A European tourist at Tarangire National Park several years ago was literally eaten by a leopard mere yards from where I stood today. Fatal car wrecks are virtually an everyday occurrence here in Arusha--a town with a population of around 400,000. Everyone in Tanzania accepts the fact that "it is appointed unto man once to die" (Hebrews 9:27). This was a good check for me--a good reminder that my life is a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away (James 4:14). For the believer, this is not a fearful thing, though. A Christian need not fear lions, disease, or any other form of death for that matter, for his "life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). Read these words by H. A. Cesar Malan:
It is not death to die,
To leave this weary road,
And midst the brotherhood on high
To be at home with God.
It is not death to close
The eye long dimmed by tears,
And wake, in glorious repose,
To spend eternal years.
It is not death to bear
The wrench that sets us free
From dungeon chain, to breath the air
Of boundless liberty.
It is not death to fling
Aside this sinful dust
And rise, on strong exulting wing
To live among the just.
Well, it is really late and I am really, really tired. Preaching begins in about 36 hours on Sunday, then the conference begins Monday. Aaron is also preaching for the conference, so pray for him as well.Jesus, Thou Prince of Life,
Thy chosen cannot die:
Like Thee, they conquer in the strife
To reign with Thee on high.
Thank you all for praying and reading!
In Christ,
Nick
P.S. - Check out the "Safari Photos" tab at the top if you haven't already.
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