Tag Archives: friendship

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Bearing One Another’s Burdens

I’ve been asked to be a mentor at the church camp. I’m guessing what qualifies me for that is that I’m an older guy with experiences in life (both good and bad). So they match me with this younger guy from Arkansas. Hey, at least we can understand each other being from the South and having the same “accent”. Hmmmm,…… what should I say to a younger person who is looking at me as his mentor. Does this make him my “mentee”? Should I invite him over for coffee and share our life’s stories? Staci would be so much better at small talk than I. I’ve always had a dread for that “awkward silence” that shows up when I’m trying to lead in conversations with people. Well, Dan being Dan, I did what seemed to me to be the best way to get a conversation (and hopefully a new friendship) started. I asked him a question. A most unusual question…….

“Hey Chris! I’m going on about a five mile hike in 10 inches of snow to find a dead elk, cut his stinky, rotten head and horns off, (elk had been dead close to three weeks), then bring the trophy horns out, clean them up, and have them on display at my house. You want to come help?”

I hadn’t gotten the words out of my mouth before these thoughts hit me. First of all, this guy doesn’t even know me. Who wants to hike with some guy he doesn’t know five miles into the wilderness? Second thought is why would he even WANT to help me haul out a dead elk. (Did I mention this animal had been dead and had a very putrid smell.) I’m almost regretting asking him, well, because I probably put him on the spot and everything. I’m already expecting to hear him say he’s already got plans, or he’s got work to finish at camp. But his reply is this. “Haul out a dead elk? That’s right up my alley! Count me in! Yes Sir, I’d like to go!” ……And this is where today’s story begins…..

I had a group of hunters up this week for Archery elk hunting (and fly fishing). Shout out to C J, Tyler, Jody, Wendall, and Dave. These guys are super fun to be around! They are also top notched hunters and fishermen. Even where we hunt in the wilderness, you can still send out texts. They informed me that they were in elk, and while hunting they walked up on this dead elk. They also sent me a picture of his horns. Once I saw the picture of the horns, I told them keep hunting, but tell me where this animal is because I didn’t want to see those horns go to waste.

Now, I’m realizing as I’m looking at the map that this is going to involve a fairly long hike in the ten inches of snow that hadn’t melted from the storm a couple days earlier. Traveling in the wilderness by myself is no problem as I have gone many times in the past. But I’m not stupid. I probably lean more on the cautious side. Trips I make by myself are always on specific trails, going to specific lakes to fish. If something were to happen to me, twisted ankle, some type of physical ailment, a bear attack(just kiddin’) someone would know where to find me. On this adventure, no one would know how I’m going in, or how I would be heading out. I need a safety net. Someone would need to go with me. Hopefully someone with young legs and strong muscles to help carry this twenty- five pounds of horn and bones of a burden that I’m wanting to haul out. The mentor’s “mentee” will fit this position perfectly.

The first couple of miles were not that bad. Horses and hunters had already established a trail which we gladly followed. Once we reached the top of the pass (see picture above), we were on our own. We now had to bushwhack our way to the coordinates my hunter buddies had given me to get to the dead elk and those horns.

The storm that came two days earlier had dumped up to two feet of snow. What made my footing so treacherous, was that the snow had melted, refrozen, and was melting again. Every time my hiking boots landed on a smooth sided rock underneath the snow, I fell. Probably fell fifteen maybe twenty times before we made it back to the established trail. I was surely glad I had my “safety net” of a guy there with me.

When we were within a couple hundred yards of our dead elk, we ran into a lot of these………

Mountain Lion Tracks!!……. and lots of them. They actually led us straight to the elk carcass. Hey, it looked like the mountain lion himself had fallen a time or two in the slippery snow. I didn’t feel quite so bad about my capabilities of hiking after seeing that. 😉 As we approached our target, closing the distance to about fifty yards, the smell became overwhelming. The ravens let us know where they were feasting, so we knew right where to go. Now the fun begins………

I have a picture of the carcass, but Staci said don’t show it because someone’s probably eating breakfast. I will just describe the scene for you. Picture a dirty diaper, a dead mouse caught in a trap for 3 days, Sour milk, my son’s tennis shoes, and road kill……. all put into a blender and poured out onto the snow. I then kneel in this substance as I cut the head and horns from this mixture. Lots of gagging, and grimacing going on, but hey it was worth it. You never know what goes on behind the scenes of a picture!

Success! Now to haul our elk horns back out of the wilderness. Chris was great at being a pack mule. He did more than his share of hauling out my burden. My burden became his burden.

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

On our Christian adventures we should all bear one another’s burdens. We are all in this together, right? The struggles, the battles, the highs and the lows of life aren’t meant to be handled alone. God gives us so many opportunities to see Him when we share. My burden of “elk horns’, may not compare to the personal burdens you are carrying right now, or the burdens of someone you know. But when we share in others burdens, likewise when we allow others to share our burdens, we are fulfilling the law of Christ. What law is that? Loving our God with all your heart, and loving your neighbor as yourself. Truly a Godly way to live right?

So don’t miss out on those Godly opportunities to share with others in their burdens. Also realize YOUR OWN BURDENS may need to be shared with someone else. Again this Christian journey is not meant to be traveled alone. God has His all knowing abilities and power to show us things we need to see. Sometimes He uses other people for His purpose. Burdens whether great or small become opportunities for us to interact with each other while seeing God’s care and helping hand in the example of another human being.

“Dear Lord, thank You for Chris and his willingness to share in “my burden”. May his example help me and my friends reading this become more aware of the opportunities that You God give us each day. The opportunities to help and be helped. Those opportunities to Love God, and to love others as ourselves. Amen.”

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Giving Good Directions

The directions to our “Higher Ground” property says to take the next left when you pass over the cattle gap. We had a missionary from Dominican Republic traveling to our house to spend the week. Late,late at night (2:00 am), he was trying to find our house. He confided with us the next day that the directions were clear,…………. except,……….. what is a cattle gap?

Jim from the Dominican Republic was coming to Westcliffe, Colorado to interact with Blue Fire Legacy, a ministry, get this,………. that ministers to ministers. Staci and I met Mark and Dallas from this ministry a while back. We sincerely believe in what they do. They live their faith, they follow God’s Will, and, ….. they minister to ministers. Pastors, missionaries, church leaders, you name it, Mark and Dallas will “come alongside them” in their ministry as they help others along on their journey. They counsel, they encourage, they LISTEN.

We decided to “team up” with Blue Fire Legacy, so we volunteered to be a “host home” for the visiting ministers (and their families). They have their sessions with Mark and Dallas, then come hang out and “chill” here at Higher Ground. It’s a God thing, I truly believe. Check them out.
https://bluefirelegacy.org/

Back to giving good directions. Jim told us he had never heard of a cattle gap, much less seen one. He spent several minutes and miles riding up and down Reed Road looking for our driveway (and whatever cattle gap). That got me to thinking. How do I tell someone to turn at the cattle gap, when they don’t even know what a cattle gap is. Some of our Texas friends, (shout out to Becky and Earl!) tell us that it is a cattle guard, not a cattle gap. Whatever it is, seems that there is a little bit of confusion to my directions.

That got me to thinking…………. what about my directions to Christians that are just beginning their journey. Directions that some of us take for granted. I’ve got to admit to you my readers, maybe I don’t explain myself concerning following Christ as well as I should. “Cattle gaps” in spiritual terms may be this. The Blood of Christ is all that matters. Put your Faith and Trust in God, or Trust the Lord with all your heart and not on your own understanding. Those sentences may be just words to lots of you. Don’t feel like the Lone Ranger.

It’s a growing process. Actually when Jim told us he got lost because he couldn’t find the “cattle gap”, we all had a good laugh. We also became closer to each other by realizing that we are all in this together.

So, readers, let’s all have a good laugh. Our words we use, our thoughts, and yes, even our beliefs, sometimes when written on paper may actually be “cattle gaps” to other people. Hang in there with me (and each other). Maybe, just maybe you are beginning to realize that we are all in this together.

When spiritual “food” is given to you, and thoughts or meanings are difficult to understand, ask someone. Take time to reach out to others for better directions. Take time to reach out to God Himself for directions. He’s always there to listen and guide. Because of Jesus our Lord, we truly are all in this together.

See Ya! Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher, giving and getting directions!!

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I Get By With A Little Help From My Friends

You Are Not To Be Alone In This Christian Journey

It’s My log house!  But I need help from my friends to complete it.  I’ve built it, but I needed help with the construction up high, (since I’m scared of heights).

I also needed help with the tedious, hard to fit, most precise pieces of this puzzle that I call a log home.  I’m not good with exact measurements.  “Eyeball” measurements are what I use.  Make it close enough and that’s good enough.  If I’m building this house and make a measurement and it’s within a half inch of what it’s supposed to be, then “nailer tailer”.  That means it’s close enough, so to me it’s good enough!!

But not my friends from the construction crew.  Nope,….. Stuart, Chris, Rip, and Scott want the best for my log house.  They want the best for me!!!

Being within a half inch may be “good enough” for me, but it’s totally unacceptable to these guys.  Get this.  They will saw, cut, measure, move, pry, measure, shimmy, adjust, measure, and then measure again until it’s within an eighth of an inch!  That’s the space between these to lines. (II) In a house measured in feet, they won’t stop until what they are constructing measures to within 1/8 of an inch of being exact, of being perfect.

They are my friends.  I’ll admit I couldn’t do this without them.  They can see things that I wasn’t looking for or even that I myself wasn’t even aware of in my own log house.

They are able to make My log home even better than what I myself could be doing.  Why are they doing this?  Like I’ve said, they are my friends.  They want what’s best for me.

Well, that’s great and all.  But it’s my house, and honestly I grow tired of waiting.  I grow impatient.  I grow “antsy” because it’s taking too much time.  I grow restless, I grow annoyed.  But I grow,…….hmmm I grow to be more exact and perfected.

Don’t get me wrong, this log house is full of crooked logs, bent, scarred, and full of (Character/flaws).  But with the help of my friends, it’s being “perfected”.  Kinda like how our lives as Christians are being perfected.  You and I are all full of scars,we are crooked,we have flaws (or character) and yet, God is “perfecting” us each day.  Lots of times, it’s with the help of our friends.

Hey, I know, you and I don’t enjoy having other people tell us what to do.  We certainly don’t like people telling us how to live our lives.  I’ll confess. I’m at the top of that list.  But I’m not talking about people in general.  Not the know- it-alls, the busybodies, the do-it-my-way people.  What I’m talking about are the true friends.  Friends who care about you, who want the best for you.  Friends whether they realize it or not,………..that are being used by God to “make you a little more exact and perfect”.

James 1:4 and let steadfastness have its full effect,that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Proverbs 19:20  Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.  Many are the plans in a persons heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Is my log house perfect?  N0 way!!  But with the help from my friends, it has become more exact and more close to perfect.

Is my life perfect?  No way!!  But with the help from my friends, It is growing to become more exact and more close to what God wants me to be.

This coming week, I’ll be at a men’s retreat with a bunch of guys who are my friends.  The Noble Heart is an online group of guys who help each other with their God given calling.  They help each other continue on this Christian journey, they offer support, they pray.  They are true friends.

Is your life perfect?  Aw c’mon no way right?  Do you allow your friends and family to offer help and advice on how to live your life?

Maybe, just maybe one of those “good for nothing” friends is actually being used by God to make an improvement in your life.  Maybe just maybe one of those family members may be God’s way of getting through your thick skull so that you can be made better, more exact, even more perfected.

Think about it.  You belong to God.  He wants the best for Himself.  He will perfect you and make you more exact to what He wants you to be.  In spite of ALL your flaws, He is in the being made perfect and whole business.  Don’t rob your friends and family of the opportunity of letting God use them to speak some words of advice to you.

It’s your house, I mean it’s your life.  You must decide who,what, when to listen to.  Your friends just may be how God chooses to GROW you.

“Lord, I thank you for my friends.  Help me to know and understand when You may be speaking thru them to get to me.  Help me become more exact and “perfect” to what you’ve created me to be.  Help me to truly care for others so that You may use me to speak to another.  Amen.”

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher