Jesus

Courage

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To persevere…daring…to do something that makes us uncomfortable…strength in the struggle.  There are many things that can make us uneasy, cautious and fearful in our world.  We all need a source of encouragement, a source and a foundation from which we can draw strength…there is only one who has lived that can provide us the example of courage in the most devastating circumstances…Jesus Christ.  Not only did He show what true devotion and fortitude looks like He did all for someone else, He did it for you.  Take your fears and your worries to the Lord and let your Faith be stronger than your fear.  May we be surrounded in the comfort and courage of God’s love.

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“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.  Do everything in love.”

1 Corinthians 16:13-14

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado)

Rest In Him

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Take your burdens and your worries to the Lord.  Take rest in His grace and forgiveness.  Believe in the sacrifice that Jesus made for you and trust in Him.  All that is good comes from God.  May you find peace and joy in the Lord.

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28

(This photo was taken in March in 2018 in southern New Mexico)

Wait For The Lord

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Our lives are usual so busy moving from one thing to the next, that planning and preparing become dominant activities…the thing is if we are always planning and preparing for what’s next when are we living in the present moment?  A difficult part of surrender for all of us is not always trying to control what’s next.  A life of faith doesn’t mean we always go and do what we want…Jesus said in Luke 9:23 “…If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”  We all have a cross to bear in life, it is different for everyone…and bearing a cross is doing what we should be doing, doing what needs to be done.  It means being obedient to God and we do these things because of love.  Be in prayer and talk with the Lord about what He needs you to do then wait and listen.  May you be surrounded by the love of God each day.

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“The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord,”

Lamentations 3:25-26

(This photo was taken in June of 2013 in Badlands National Park in South Dakota)

Music Fills My Soul

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Ever since my Dad passed away about 3 weeks ago, I have sensed there has been this constant bit of darkness hovering around me.  No matter where I went or what I did, nothing could change the fact that life is different now everyday going forward.  The thing is…different doesn’t have to be bad, do I miss my Dad, absolutely…but more importantly I am thankful for every day of my life that I had with him and I will see him again someday.  The darkness was trying to tell me something different and send me into a downward spiral.  Last night, my wife and I attended a Christian concert with tickets given to us as a gift back in July.  The music and worship that these talented people provided last night was so uplifting, so encouraging and so refreshing for my soul.  There is something very unique about music and christian music is a gift that soothes my soul unlike anything else.  I offer my things to Danny Gokey, Tauren Wells and Riley Clemmons for wonderful evening of restoring music and praise.  May you feel the joy of the Lord in your life on this day of worship.

Here is one from Danny Gokey:  Give Me Jesus

Here is one from Tauren Wells: When We Pray

Here is one from Riley Clemmons: Broken Prayers

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“I have told you these things, so that in my you may have peace.  In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Glacier National Park in Montana)

Forgiven

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We can not change the past.  We are not able to undo what has occurred.  Even still God has forgiven us for our sins…we can do better today, here in the present.  We can learn from the past, we can learn from the experiences of others.  If you are holding on to a mistake or a wrong done by you or by others bring it to the Lord.  Worry and anxiety are the biggest waste of time in life, yet so many of us have spent a significant amount of time doing it.  I have wasted an enormous amount of time in my life on worry about the past and about things that may or may not occur because of the past.  That is how I have not trusted God.  I am learning, slowly as usual, to bring it to God…all of it and that really means all of it.  Let it go, stay present in life and know that God forgives you for your sins.  He gave His One and Only Son to ensure we know of His forgiveness and His love.  May you sense the peace and comfort of God in your life.

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“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:  While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Romans 5:8

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands)

Surrender

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Because a life of faith is a journey and not one event or moment in time we must come back to Jesus Christ and His life, death and resurrection.  I am learning that growing and developing or maturing in my spiritual life takes persistence and commitment.  If I reserve my time and faith in God for a few moments at church on the weekend and a few memorized prayers before I eat or go to sleep, I feel like I am just going through the motions and not connecting.  Coming to Christ daily, reading scripture and praying every morning before I sit down with this laptop and ask the Holy Spirit to guide my fingers to share the good news with you…that is how I am learning about new levels of faith and connecting more deeply with God.  We must be willing to give of ourselves, we must be willing to trust in God’s plan and we must be willing to surrender our own plan in order to experience the full glory of God in life.  May the peace and joy of the Lord be with you.

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“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said:  “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me  and for the gospel will save it.”

Mark 8:34-35

(This photo was taken in March of 2018 in White Sands National Monument in New Mexico)

Compassion

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To be helpful…thoughtful…aware of the suffering of others…a desire to provide help and support…understanding the needs of another.  One of the strongest elements of humility is compassion.  Being aware that others are suffering and need assistance and then going and doing something that provides help and support.  We all have different roles in our relationships with others, which means there are many different ways for us to provide help and support depending on who needs us and what has happened to them.  When you know or get a sense inside you that you should do something for someone else but you are unsure what it is you should do, do not ignore that feeling, turn to the Lord and ask Him to help guide you to what the other person needs…then listen and watch for His reply.  Be careful not to do something you believe they need from your perspective, rather be sensitive and aware of what they say they need.  Compassion does not have to be something difficult and complex in order to be helpful…often times it is the simple and thoughtful things that make the biggest difference for others.  May God’s grace and mercy flow through us and into our relationships.

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“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.  The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.”

Psalm 145:8-9

(This photo was taken in June of 2018 near the border between Minnesota and South Dakota)

Humble Yourself

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Admit it when we are wrong…forgive others when they are wrong…be grateful…reflect and confess our sins to God…choose to serve the needs of others.  These are just some of the ways to practice humility.  The messages we receive all around us are ‘get more’, ‘climb higher even if it means running over others’, ‘me first’, ‘look out for number one’.  To guide us at being better at humility we should read the teachings of Jesus.  Work at simplifying our lives and living with the hope of eternal life.  The past five days for me and my family has included two funerals, difficult times, and yet this morning I am struck by the fact that there are others all around us that are suffering everyday.  It is so easy to get swallowed up by our own world of existence…however, God gives us community and fellowship with each other to help guide us.  Don’t try and go it alone, be willing to accept that we need each other…all of us do.  May goodness and kindness surround you in your daily life.

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“Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 18:4

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 near Dillon, Colorado)

Living Water

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How are we going to get through this?  Now what?  I don’t know what to do?  Why is this happening?  The answers to these and many other questions is Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord.  The true source of all that makes life good is your relationship with Jesus.  Like any relationship we must invest time in meeting with Him, we must be willing to listen to Him, we should do our best to help support what is important to Him and be willing to introduce Him to others.  He supplies the living water of life.  The first step to staying connected or re-connecting with Christ is spending time reading the Word of God.  May God’s mercy and grace be with you.

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“Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

John 4:13-14

(This photo was taken in August of 2016 in Mount Rainier National Park in Washington)

He Knows Me

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The One who created us knows everything about us.  Even if we haven’t spent much time with God in our life.  Even if we have put Him aside in our daily, weekly routine and have been trying to go it alone or do things our own way.  He knows you, He loves you and He wants to have a relationship with you.  If you want to seek more about this read Psalm 139.  Then pray and invite Jesus into your everyday moments.  God has a plan for you and your life and we must be willing to surrender our belief that we are in control and seek His Word.  God knows you, He loves you because He created you.  May our days be filled with the comfort of God’s presence.

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“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Psalm 139:23-24

(This photo was taken in July of 2018 on Lake Superior near the Apostle Islands)