Tag Archives: a step onward and upward

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When You Follow The Wrong Path

The mountain lion was really a bunch of bull!

Boy, did I make a mistake.  Yep, ole mountain man has got to confess that he blew it.  Should of known better……..

There were tracks in the snow behind our log house.  Big tracks, tracks the size of my extended hand.  Something BIG had walked below our house.  Definitely not a deer, not a dog, it left a circular track with no claw marks.  That’s not a bear.  That looks like a ……….naw it can’t be.  Too big for coyote, or fox, or any other critter in the area.  I know what it’s not, just haven’t figured out what it is!  It’s too big for anything else.  The only thing it can be is a ………naw it can’t be that.  But it’s not anything else.  SO…..therefore it must be.  Yep, it’s mountain lion tracks.  I’m sure of it.  What else could it be?

Staci and I are exploring in the fresh 10 inch snow that is still falling on our property.  We cross this path of tracks and immediately begin to focus on what it is.  I saw a similar set of tracks years ago in the snow while elk hunting.  They were…… yep, they were cougar tracks.  A large cougar can have a big foot leaving tracks the size of your hand print (with extended fingers!)  That’s a big cat!  That’s what I was looking at here.  Any cat ( a mountain lion or your own little house kitty)  doesn’t leave claw marks when they walk.  There are no claw marks in these tracks either.  I am convinced based on my outdoor experiences that we have a cougar/mountain lion on our property.  So what do Staci and I do when we realize this?  Well, after a little (encouragement) from me, we BOTH start following the trail.  Staci did ask me what we will do if we catch up with the lion.  Hmmmm……… I haven’t planned that far ahead.  Actually the tracks appear to be a few hours old, based on the fresh snow that is partially filling them.  I’m too excited with the idea that a cougar has been on our property.  I want to see where he’s been and is going.  I don’t sense any danger… yet……….

We BOTH continue following the tracks for a way.  Guys, how do you feel when your partner in adventure is constantly second guessing you?   Staci is asking me, “Are you sure this is a good idea?  Do you really think this is a cougar?  What if he is just around the corner?   I try to to assure her (and myself), that everything is just like I see it.  AND THEN IT HAPPENED!!!!

As we were coming around the corner to our driveway, there he stood.  Huge, his hair covered in snow.  He was staring at us.  Looked like he was ready to run at any minute.  I was literally frozen for a split second.  (couldn’t even do the little girl scream I’m supposedly famous for)  My brain was concentrating on tracks, never thought I would see the animal face to face that had been making them.  But there he was……

A Big bull.  I’ve been following a bunch of bull!  Boy, do I feel stupid.  There is a stump in a Louisiana swamp that is smarter than me.  That’s how dumb I feel.  Staci is laughing (after she gets finished being scared), laughing at our situation and a little at me as well.

How did this happen?  I literally convinced myself that we were truly on a mountain lion trail.  Once convinced, I never took the time to truly look at what was going on.

Have you ever taken a wrong path in life?  Maybe didn’t know what you were getting into?  Maybe even to the point that you CONVINCE YOURSELF that this is a good idea?

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.  Psalm 119:105

On our Christian journeys and our walks with God,  I think we sometimes get ahead of God and His plan. Instead of totally hearing from God, we convince ourselves that we know what we are doing (or following).  We make the mistake of relying on ourselves…… and not God.

That’s where the Bible comes into play.  The Bible is a tool given to us to help us follow God’s will.  It is a light for our everyday paths.  How?  Look at it like this.  When I read my Bible whether a time of study, or maybe JUST my daily devotion, my focus is on God and His word.  It’s not on Dan and his limited source of knowledge.  The mystery behind reading God’s Word is that His Spirit helps us apply this scripture to our lives.  It helps us stay on course to follow the correct way.  (and that’s no Bull!)

If I hadn’t been so bull headed and stubborn, I might have realized that I was on the wrong trail.  But,……but…. I was convinced that I was right.  Here’s the problem.  I had convinced myself to follow what turned out to be a bunch of bull.  I don’t even need to follow myself.  I need to follow God’s will, not even mine.  Wheww, how do we do that?

By where we focus.  Focus on what God has in store for you each day.  One way to confirm, affirm, show the way,………. is to use the Bible.  It’s a light to help see.   Try it.  Grab your Bible.  Sign up for the many daily devotions that can come to your phone everyday.  You’ll be surprised how God speaks to little ole you through His scripture.  So many ways to study and read the Bible.  I’ll admit, it can get confusing as to the best way to use your Bible.  What book, what chapter, what should I read?

Try this.  Begin with the book of Proverbs.  Read a few verses.  (See how God’s light is coming on in your life?)  Want to know about God’s love for you?  Read a few verses from the book John every day.  You’ll see the “spiritual lamp” begin to shine in your thoughts and decisions.

God’s Word will provide a better way for you to see and follow God’s Will.  It will encourage you.  It will enlighten you.  It will protect you……. even from yourself.   And that ain’t no Bull.

“Lord I’m sorry when I try to make decisions on my own.  I need You.  I want You in my life.  Help me as I try to focus on you.  Help me as I read your Bible.  Help me to make it MY Bible from You!!  Amen.”

See Ya!! Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher

 

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God’s Masterpiece

Believing what's Hard to Believe

Wow what a beautiful scene!  God can really put on a show of Glory with His creations.  Seems like every day it’s a different view, a different painting.  He’ll have a cloud here, a different tone of red, purple, or yellow there.  Some mountains up close, some mountains far away.  oh, and let’s put a few trees on the ridge next to us.  ( I feel like that Bob Ross guy, you remember……. he had big hair and was always painting scenes and sticking “happy trees” in them.)

Why do we stare in awe at sunsets and sunrises?  Well, if you ask me it’s because we see God’s Glory. Seems like almost everyday here in the Colorado mountains, I get to see a new masterpiece.  The way the sun reflects, the way the light shines through.  That masterpiece would not be there without the sun shining its way through, reflecting, and even giving new life and a so much of a different view to an ordinary set of clouds, mountains, An ordinary everyday view suddenly comes alive with vibrant colors!!

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.  Ephesions 2:10 NLT

Well now, look a there my friends.  You and I are each God’s masterpiece.  Don’t take my word for it, take it from the Word of God Himself.

I know we all struggle to believe that little ole me and you can be considered a masterpiece created by God Himself!  We find it difficult to believe that such talk can be true.  BUT IT’S IN THE BIBLE PLAIN AND SIMPLE!!!  We are God’s masterpiece!  Created anew in Christ Jesus.  Still don’t believe it huh?

Well, look at it like this.   There you are living your everyday life.  Along comes Jesus, God’s Bright and Shining Son.  This Son/Sun comes into your heart shines into your life and now you’ve got “the glow”.  You become a masterpiece (not because of who you are) but because you reflect His Light.  You allow Him to shine through.  Everything about you takes on a new life. Voila!!!! A new masterpiece!!

Still don’t believe you’re God’s handiwork, created by Him?  I think here’s where we get stuck.  We find it easier to believe that we are not good enough, that we don’t have what it takes, that God has His masterpieces in other people,…….no way it can be in me.

Believe.  That’s one word with such serious consequences.  In this week’s current news, we are to believe that this judge guy is good enough to be placed on the Supreme Court.  But then this lady comes along and tells us we are to believe that something terrible happened 35 years ago, and that judge guy should not be approved.  The Republicans tell us to believe this, the Democrats tell us to believe that.

Groups of people are telling us to believe what they believe so that we will believe what needs to be believed.  Huh?  What?????  Unbelievable, Right?

And then,….. to make things worse, you argue with yourself constantly about what to believe.  You are too fat, too old, too whatever.  You tell yourself to believe that you aren’t smart enough.  Those “voices” inside of your head tell you to just sit down, shut up, just roll over and play dead.  And sadly, you believe that.  You believe lies about yourself.  You know it’s not true,……..but it’s comfortable being a lie verses Being what God created You to BE!

Now, wilderness preacher guy comes along and says BELIEVE in Jesus and everything will be perfect,  roses always blooming, birds singing, never a sad moment, never a bad day. [SCREACHING HALT]  Hold on there pardner, I don’t BELIEVE that I’ve said that!

Take a breath, relax, stop letting this world spin you round like a top. Count to 10,   1…..2…..3…..4………..10.  Whew…..

Believing in the one true God is a huge step to becoming His masterpiece.  When the scripture says to BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,……….. I believe that He is saving us from all this believing confusion.  If I put my trust and beliefs in Jesus and Him alone, I no longer have to battle all these other beliefs that are out there.  By believing in my Lord and Saviour, I now have a Christian way to live and follow.  This helps me to know what everyday decisions to believe in as well.  Bad days still come, but I now have a hope and trust that the future is in God’s hands, not mine.  I figure he can do better with my life than I can.

So, if you ask me, I do believe that I (and YOU) are God’s masterpiece.  He created me (just like a sunset) to shine His light, His Glory, and to reflect His love to a crazy unbelieving world.

I also believe that He delights in what He has created me (and you) to BE!  That is hard to believe, I’ll admit it to ya.  But God loves us that much.

Me and my simple brain have this picture of God not placing me(and you) in some “art gallery” or hanging on a “museum wall” somewhere for all the world to see God’s handiwork in me (and you).  Nope, He’s into a more personal relationship than that.  I have this vision that you and I are “taped to His refrigerator door”.  By that I mean that He loves us so,  He wants us right next to Him spiritually.  We then shine, glow, and come alive because of God and His Son Jesus shining on and in us.

You are God’s masterpiece.  I believe that!  Do you?

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher

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You Will Know ’em By Their Fruit

A Tribute To The Old Timers

Go to the middle of nowhere, turn south six miles, and you’ll find this abandoned house with an apple tree right beside it that is loaded with apples!!

The house was probably built 1890 – 1915 when the mining, ranching, railroad activities were in the area.  All that’s gone now.  Even the house is barely standing.  But even after all this time, and whoever lived in this house has long gone, there is still an apple tree hanging on,……. and keeping on doing it’s thing.

I found this abandoned homestead while out hiking and fishing.  I’m always curious how these old timers lived.  Was he a miner?  Work for the railroad that was close by?  Was he married to a “pioneer woman” like I am?  Don’t know for sure, but for sure I know this.  He planted an apple tree for future use.  Maybe he planted the tree as a gift for his wife and children.  Don’t know, all I know is he planted.

Now, I will be getting the benefit from his work of long ago.  See, there are a ton of pretty red apples on the ground as well as still hanging on the limbs.  There is a big ole bag in my truck…… now that big ole bag is filled with delicious fresh hand picked apples.

Whoooweee!!!  That’s a good tasting apple right there!  Ate four of ’em on the way home!  But there’s more work to be done with these apples so that they can be enjoyed for more than just today.

Yep, time to make the jelly.  It’s pretty easy to do.  The main most important thing is to cook this, and have the jelly in jars, and clean up the kitchen, all before Staci gets back from Walmart.  Mission accomplished!

That’s what I’m talking about right there!  Fresh homemade apple jelly made from fresh picked apples picked from Mr Pioneer and Ms Pioneer Woman’s front yard!  Thanks you Sir and Ma’m.  I raise a glass of milk and shout out a toast in honor of them as I eat my biscuit.

 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.  A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit.  Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.  Matthew 7:17-20

As I get a second helping of breakfast with JELLY, it dawns on me that I too am a pioneer man as well.  This log home that Staci and I have built will last a long time.  Hopefully with a little maintenance, a long, long, long time.  But there will be something that outlives it, and outlasts it.  My own “apple tree”.  The fruits that will come from the people (like you) that experience this place.

The “fruit trees” that’s been planted here are these:  A tree of love, a tree of experiencing God, a tree of becoming more of what God’s created you to be.  That’s a pretty good orchard right there!!

What about this?  As you strive day by day to keep the home fires burning, as you work everyday to maintain your homestead, as you live your everyday life,……… have you “planted an apple tree” for you and your family to enjoy the spiritual fruits from your deeds?  Maybe some stranger might even come along a hundred years later and enjoy some of the “fruits” that were made possible by what you’ve done.

God has blessed each of us in so many ways.  One way we can share these blessings is by “planting the apple tree” so that others may share.  You’ll get the rewards from your share of the fruit.  But now others will get a taste of what you’ve been living!

See Ya!   Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher