This month I had the joy of spending a week of continuing education at Ghost Ranch, a former dude ranch, now a Presbyterian conference center about an hour south of Santa Fe. Ghost Ranch is an awe-inspiring location known not just for its Presbyterian history, but as a site of historically significant paleontological discoveries and artistic inspiration. Georgia Okeefe herself lived at the Ranch starting in the 1930s.
The conference itself was incredibly life-giving, and the connections and conversations I made with clergy from a wide range of generations and Christian traditions were refreshing. But the landscape was what really captivated me. I kept taking the same photos over and over again, hoping that maybe the next one would be able to capture the overwhelming beauty of the mountains and surrounding mesa. One evening, a friend and I took the chairs from our guest room out into the middle of a field to stargaze and be overwhelmed by a clear glimpse of the Milky Way.
One of the most famous mountains viewed from Ghost Ranch is Cerro Pedernal, which means “flint mountain.” The architects who thoughtfully designed the main lecture space at Ghost Ranch ensured that there was a clear view of Pedernal behind each of our keynote speakers and preachers. I will confess that mostly while I was listening to the presentations, I was looking at the mountain.
Okeefe herself is said to have painted Pedernal at least 29 times. I wonder if, like me with my iPhone, she kept trying to capture the overwhelming beauty of the mountain that can’t be fully captured in film or in oil. The quote commonly attributed to Okeefe in reference to Pedernal is, “God told me if I painted it enough, I could have it.”
It is no wonder the Psalmists found both beauty and divinity in the vision of a mountain –
“I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”
My prayer as we near the end of summer is that you too have found a place to experience the beauty of God’s creation—something so remarkable that it defies being captured in a photo. But also, that the summer has offered a time of quiet and retreat, a time of reconnecting with friends old and new, a time to give thanks for the blessings of this life in the midst of its challenges.
May we lift our eyes to God’s glory revealed in the world around us and remember again the One from whom our help comes and our calling to be stewards of God’s beautiful creation. And may we carry that sense of wonder, gratitude, and renewal with us into the season ahead.
“Georgia O’Keeffe – Red Hills with Pedernal, White Clouds [1936]” by Gandalf’s Gallery, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
