Truth

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)

The Word Of Life

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The more I spend time reading the Word of God and in prayer the more I am learning about how God is present in my everyday life.  I like many of us stumble very often in life with my words or my actions or my thoughts and as I sit down each morning and read from a Billy Graham devotional book and from the Bible I am learning about the things Jesus was teaching when He was here and what He is still teaching us today.  When I think about other things I could pick up and read first thing in the morning, the Bible and time with God are clearly the only things that will renew my spirit, restore my mind and comfort my thoughts.  I can physically feel my shoulders loosen up and relax more as I read and pray.  The Word of God also sets up my perspective for the day and helps to refresh my attitude to help and serve others wherever I can.  The Bible is truly the Word of life and the living water that only comes from Jesus Christ.  May we all see and sense the presence of God’s Word in our daily life.

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“But blessed in the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.  He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out it roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Jeremiah 17:7-8

(This photo was taken in August of 2012 while hiking near the north shore of Lake Superior)

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)

Living Hope

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When we talk about hope, it mostly gets aligned with wishful thinking in general conversations.  This kind of hope is not sure, not firm and carries many doubts.  The hope talked about in the Bible is hope that believes and knows the Word of God and God’s promises for good things.  The hope we receive from Christ is a hope that knows that God is for us and working for our good, even when, especially when the visible evidence is against it. The hope in the Word of God tells us to not give up or surrender to sin, rather know that God is with you and you can trust in Him…not for the things you believe you should have but for the things God knows that you need.  May the God of all hope be present in your daily walk.

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“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Romans 15:13

(This photo was taken in September of 2016 on a lake in central Minnesota)

A Sacrifice…Our Salvation

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When you feel you are not sure where God is in your daily life…stop and take a moment to remember what God has done for you.  God is love.  He is our Creator and our Redeemer.  We are broken, all of us.  Me, you and everyone you know is broken in some way, even if it is unclear to you how someone else is broken or fighting a battle it is still going on.  God knows this, He knows our worries, our fears and He is doing good things.  It is all a matter of perspective.  If we reflect on what has been done already it will help restore our perspective and our knowledge that God is love and He loves us more than we can ever imagine…the proof?  The Cross.  May you know the love of God in your daily life.

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“This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

1 John 4:10

(This photo was taken in October of 2014 at sunrise on the island of Maui, Hawaii)

Perseverance

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Steadfastness…persistence…determination…purposefulness.  The story of our lives is not about when or how often we will get knocked down.  It will happen and sometimes it will happen with increased frequency.  It is in how we choose to respond to these events that will shape and define our character and our relationships.  We only need to look to the Cross and the Resurrection for the example of what sticking with God and His plan can be.  From what was one of the greatest tragedies in history to an even greater story of new life, hope and joy.  As it says in Romans 8:31 “What, then, shall we say in response to this?  If God is for us, who can be against us?”  We are His creation, He loves us and no matter what may trip us up along the way He will be with us.  May we all go out into the world today with the confidence that God is for us.

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“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

Romans 5:3-5

(This photo was taken in April of 2016 at sunrise on a lake in central Minnesota)