Category Archives: Great Outdoors

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Finding God in the Flames: Spiritual Reflections on Fire

What is it about a fire? We stare at the dancing flames. Whether an inviting warmth yielding campfire, a crackling fireplace, or even just a cozy, comforting candle, the dancing of the flame draws and invites our eyes to share in its existence. We staringly gaze without thinking why.

You ladies find comfort in the small flame. The candlelight dinner, with 3 or 4 candles, sets an ambience nowhere to be seen in a fast-food joint. A hot bath with scented candles takes your mind (and your thoughts), on a journey somewhere peaceful and calm. An ordinary match transforms the candle into a light giving, mood changing instrument used to induce feelings and comfort that are anything but ordinary. Though it’s just for a fleeting moment’s escape from your busy world, the flame invites you to join in. I’m picking up a smell of the vanilla cinnamon aroma.

Men, we like enormous fires. Bar-B-Que fires. Fires that will cook, burn, smoke, and grill. These are a start. Give us a chance. We’ll set the woods on fire, burn trash piles, or even set abandoned buildings ablaze.

That grill will operate fine at a temperature of 400 degrees. Men need grills offering more than basic operation. We want the grill to elevate! C’mon BBQ grill! Produce enough smoke so the entire universe can see and be jealous. Heat that joker up to 650 degrees! Then we can pour water on it just to see the steam dash away. A bonfire elevates the concept of a men’s gathering. Put a match or lighter in our hands, it’s gonna be lit!

If you want to watch our human nature at work, watch when a man creates/builds his fire. Whether it’s in the fireplace, or a campfire, or BBQ, he takes pride in how it’s started. He wants to impress everyone (especially himself). It has to be just right.

Ladies, if you want to stir up something (and I don’t mean the ashes), just go poking and meddling in HIS fire. Tell him he’s not doing it right. Uh Oh! Sparks will soon fly from more than just the actual fire!

With the fire burning, the arguments over its construction forgotten, we gaze. The dancing of the flames catches our eye. Heat from the glowing coals warms us. The smell of an actual fire and hearing the crackling and popping sounds gives our senses a way to connect with this flame. We connect in some primitive way with this fire. Our senses of sight, hearing, touch, and smell are in high gear. Shucks, sometimes we even taste the smoke from the fire. Perhaps the coffee’s aroma and flavor, or perhaps the gooey s’mores roasting over the fire, captivate us. We watch and, without even noticing, our eyes go into a trance. We stare.

One thing I’ve noticed also is how a fire brings out honest and REAL communication between people. Wish open conversation with friends? Build a fire. Such a simple task, yet it creates a desire from deep within to be real. Maybe Congress ought to have campfire meetings, instead of committee meetings.

On your spiritual journey, maybe you can stop for a moment. Take a break from everyday life. Be still, and maybe even stare.

Our scripture verse for today. Hebrews 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire.

We can use the fireplace example of fire to help us see God as the consuming fire. God is a God of unending Love, mercy, and forgiveness. He also is a jealous God (He doesn’t want you to be anywhere else, only with Him). He is a just and righteous. His Holiness is pure. His Fire will consume the wicked and sin itself. He does the “dirty work”. We just follow/stare. We focus on God’s flames of love and mercy.

God loves us. We need to show our love to Him by avoiding sin. That same fire that comforts us can also burn us if we don’t give it respect. I’d rather receive God’s comfort and warmth than his wrath.

So ask God to help you with the sin that comes between you and Him. Throw another log on the fire. Let that log represent the sins that come between you and God. That log represents the things in life that steal our joy. Giving God our ‘sins’, our problems work better than being burdened with carrying them around with us all day long. Let the sin burn; don’t join it.

Now stoke up the fire a bit. Throw another hickory log on the fire. Share this warmth and comfort with others.

How is a fire comforting to you? Tell me your thoughts. Share this with others.

See Ya!

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Carved Trees and Lasting Legacies

While bushwhacking in the Colorado wilderness, I discovered this carved tree. This aspen tree shows evidence of Mr. Monte’s presence. There were no roads or trails in the vicinity. My search for a quicker route to a fish-filled mountain lake resulted in this discovery. It makes me curious to think about how many people have walked this same spot. Maybe just old Chas and me. I’m willing to wager he was riding a horse. What motivated him to write this message? Was he starting an adventure? Might those have been his last days on Earth? We can only guess why Mr. Montes stopped 75 years ago, but I’m thankful he did. It prompted reflection on my lasting impact. How will people remember us? Ever thought about it?

Well, think about this. The legacy you leave can be the life that you lead. That’s a pretty neat saying! Some leave a legacy for others to remember them by as a building, a sizeable chunk of money, or a monument. Chas Monte left a message on a tree. 

We have the power to build a lasting legacy. I advise against carving messages into trees. So, how is that done? You define your legacy by how you live your life. Guiding your life is much like leading a horse.

Whoa! (Grab a cup of coffee as I explain). Have you ever considered the idea of your life being like your own horse? Consider this: you’re in charge of both your life and your horse. You lead your horse to water, down the path, over the river and through the woods. I think you get the idea. You also have your own life to lead, don’t you? Your life is in your own hands. Your actions, destinations, timing. You determine your life’s path.

Yes, we sometimes feel out of control. A scared or disobedient horse causes the same ‘out of control’ experience. Life can feel the same way. We sometimes get spooked. Sometimes we act against our better judgment. We don’t practice what we preach. Your frightened horse will go off the path. My horse and my life share a tendency to stray. I’m still trying to guide my life. Life’s journey is a struggle; things aren’t always falling into place.

Your life reflects your choices and actions. Your life follows your lead. You lead and guide with your heart and soul. That’s the best I can explain it. You have chosen your horse. Saddle up, take the reins of your life, and trust and pray as you continue on your Christian journey.

The righteous will stand firm. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Psalm 112: 6,7.

We have the privilege of making our own decisions. I determine the path my life takes. I lead and guide according to my beliefs, following my Lord and Saviour with all my heart. My life and legacy will reflect how I follow God’s lead and guidance.

You can pass your legacy, the life you lead, on to others. Not that you go around bragging, tootin’ your own horn. Your life draws attention. They see your trust in the Lord. They feel your heart. You’ve taken the reins of your life. While you lead your own life, it’s good to follow God’s lead and direction.

Lead as you are being led. Follow Him!

See Ya! Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher “learning to follow as I’m being led”

Leave a comment, or send me a private message describing your legacy.

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Snakebite! Conquering Fear With Faith!

Looking back, I remember hearing that slithering noise that a snake makes as he’s moving through the leaves. I even remember asking myself,….. is that a snake moving underneath the limbs I’ve just picked up to move?

There is barely enough light to see as the sun has set for the day. The sun may be through doing its job, but I’ve got just a little more to do. I’m cleaning brush and fallen limbs from around the lake. A few more handfuls carried to the trash trailer and I’ll call it a day.

     Five minutes later, I’m sitting on the bench at the front door of the house removing my hiking boots. Staci insists I remove whatever footwear I’m wearing before I can enter HER house. After forty-two years of marriage, she has me trained fairly well. I usually remove my shoes/boots before entering her humble abode. (The only time in my mind it’s permissible to leave my shoes on, is when she is away and I’m only coming in to drink milk, water, or Sprite straight out of the container……no glass needed.)

     So, as I was saying, I’m removing my hiking boots. I feel a pain, more of a sharp tingle. Allow me to compare it to this. Not so much as a bee sting, but more like three or four fire ants biting at once. But I’m definitely thinking, something has bitten me.

That’s when I see it. The undeniable fang marks of a snakebite. Well, this isn’t good. What to do now? Google snakebites to see how long I have to live? Show Staci so I can get sympathy and “babied”? All that will come later. Right now, I’m going to monitor this injury to see just what, if anything, is going to happen.  

       A doctor friend of mine (who is a specialist in snakebite treatments) once told me that when snakes strike, they do not inject venom in up to thirty percent of all strikes. Another thirty percent of snakebites may not have a full dose of the venom. (Somewhere between ‘boy that’s gonna hurt’, to ‘well maybe we won’t have to amputate.) What?

        I’m thinking that I must be playing the odds in my situation. I did not see the snake strike me. There is definitely a fang mark on the back of my ankle. I feel a slight pain that is honestly hard to describe. So, I wait. Two hours later, after wasting time googling snake bites and trying to get sympathy from Staci, I make the prognosis that everything’s going to be OK. I definitely got bit, but no venom to amount to anything! Woohoo!!!

       In all honesty, if I had seen the snake strike me, I would have first screamed like a girl! Next, I’m sure that I would have overreacted and called four different people to see who could get me to the ER the fastest. Hyperventilation would have set in along with stomach issues. (I had just eaten about half a watermelon). Let’s just say I would have not been an easy patient to deal with.

        But,……. everything was OK. In fact, it turned into a Thank You Lord moment! I mean, I got lucky right? Could be that when we pray for protection and provisions, our Heavenly Father says, “I gotcha on that!”

       Now the burning question…… for me anyway.  Do I go back out to the pond and continue to clean up trash and limbs? Hmmm…. I have to answer with a yes! I can’t live in fear! Sure, I’m going to be more cautious. For a while, I may be overly cautious. Shake that stick before I pick it up. Poke a stick or rake in the leaves before stepping into it. 

        How would it be to live a life full of fear? That’s not the life you or I want. Neither does God want this for you!

       2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

       In the spiritual journey we take, there are many “snakes” out there that can cause us harm. We have the power, the love, and a sound mind given to us by God through his son Jesus. That power is much stronger than the fear.

     I have a hunting buddy who will not walk through tall grass. Why? Because he’s afraid of snakes! Even when I tell him to follow in my tracks, he won’t do it. (Says I’ll just stir ’em up then they’ll bite him.)

So how can I, the wilderness preacher, tell you not to fear? (especially when you know I scream like a thirteen-year-old girl when I’m scared). FOCUS. Focus on the power, not the fear. The churchy way of saying it is like this. Faith is the opposite of fear. So fear is the opposite of faith.  

  This Christian journey is a growing time. A time to grow your faith. The fear will always be there, to some extent. But when it paralyzes us (like my hunting buddy who won’t walk in the grass), faith has no way to grow.

Take one step at a time. Step out into the grassy world of snakes, (spiritually). Use the sound mind given to you to help with your decision making. Realize you have a power, also given to you by God, to help overcome the fears, and take the right directions. Last but definitely not least…….you have the gift of love.

This gift of love is eternal. Nothing, no one, no circumstance, no evil, nothing even mistakes of your own doing can rob you of this love. Say aloud the previous sentence. Hmmm, it’s already helping with the fears you are facing, isn’t it?

See Ya! Dan Ainsworth Wilderness Preacher