Monthly Archives: July 2014

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In the wilderness with this group of men

newwildernessadventurespic

5 days in the Indian Peaks Wilderness.  What happened? I was able to travel with these guys (New Wilderness Adventures) in the mountains of Colorado.  I caught the biggest rainbow trout that I’ve ever caught (cha-ching). I slept under my tarp in the rain.  (Thankfully, I stayed dry).  Food was great.  The landscape was awesome.  But what happened?

We hiked in 6.5 miles climbing 2800 feet.  That’s steep.  It was very difficult, I’ll admit.  We camped for an extended stay Wednesday thru Sunday.  The food was great.  The adventures were a thrill.  But what happened?

Here’s what happened.  By disconnecting from this world for a few days, all of us men here in the picture were able to HEAR from God.  We were able to understand that we all have what it takes to make it on this hike, (as well as having what it takes to be a man back in our regular lives).  I especially connected more with God in a personal way.  In a proud but humble way, I saw more clearly how God views each of us as his own son/daughter.  We can never do enough good, or not do enough bad that he would “adopt” us.  It’s because of His Love that He is our Father.

It’s amazing how us Christians get so caught up in this world that we forget to “disconnect” long enough to hear from our Lord and Saviour.

I want you to “disconnect” from this world long enough that you can hear from God.  Your invited to come along with New Wilderness Adventures.  I’m inviting those of you near Mississippi to come out to the cabin.

Where is God inviting you to come to hear from him?  Woods down the road, Maybe your back porch swing?  Go!  He’ll be waiting there for you.     Let me know what happens.

Psalms 121: 1,2   I will lift up my eyes to the hills.  Where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord.

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The Spiritual Secret on my Buckskin Coat

Why do I wear my buckskin coat when I speak or have wildernesspreacher events?  It’s to remind me of a very important scripture given to us.

I personally made my buckskin coat from deer skins the way the Native Americans did.  It’s called braintanning.  The brains of the animal are used to tan the hide, turning it into clothing.  Lots of time,labor, and stretching, pulling softening to turn a skin into clothing that will last for years.  I’ll share more in a future blog.

Here is the important step for today.  You have to “smoke” the buckskin to make it waterproof.  You take the skin and actually place it over a fire away from the flame but in the smoke.  The longer you leave it in the smoke the darker it becomes.   Why smoke?  The smoke particles cling to every fiber of the buckskin.  This “clinging to every fiber” allows the buckskin to remain soft, even when it gets wet.  If the smoke is not in every fiber, then when the coat gets wet, it will become hard as rawhide( you know, like your dog’s chewbones).

Is God in every fiber of your being?  If not, then when you “get wet” by what this world throws at you, you will become HARD/have a hardened Heart.

I don’t want to have a hardened heart.  How can this be prevented?

Mark 12:30    Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.

In other words, Jesus must be in every “fiber of our being” for us to keep from turning hard hearted.

Let your desire for Him to be in every part of your life become the most important step in this journey.  You will need His help to do this.  Ask Him, see what happens!!

See Ya!   Dan    wilderenesspreacher.com

What does the world “throw” at you to try to make you hard hearted?  Leave a comment

 

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Take a Break. Have a drink

drinking water

Life is not a race……. but indeed a journey.  When you hear “take a break, take a drink”, it’s time to get refreshed.  Constantly hiking without stopping can cause fatigue.  That “water break” we take every so often gives us time to renew and  refresh.  The rest of the journey will then be more enjoyable.

When hiking in the mountains,  I use to carry all the water in my pack that I would be needing on the trip.  But, man that stuff is heavy!  I now take a water filter and take “water breaks” along the way.  It’s less of a load  than with bottled water.  Plus, this mountain stream water tastes cold and good!  The filter is used as a precaution to protect from unwanted bacteria, etc.  You can’t get any better water than this.

A benefit that comes about when taking a “water break”.  I tend to look around, see the beauty, sense God’s presence, just be more aware of what is going on around me.  After a refreshing drink, the hardships are not as hard.  The mountain trail is still steep, but I’ve been refreshed.  So, I’m ready to continue.  Need to be refreshed yourself so that you can continue on your hardships/mountain trail?  Click on the verse of the week.

How does God refresh you on your own spiritual journey?  Leave a comment.