Tag Archives: growing spiritually

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Healing Pain: Trust in Jesus the Chiropractor

Jesus is a chiropractor

This pain has got to stop. Even though I hide it well, I’m suffering. Hey, I’ve done all I know to do; something has got to give. I need help.

I set the appointment, filled out all the paperwork, checked in, and now I’m waiting. That was quick; now I’m in the doctor’s office. Didn’t even have time to get more nervous and scared. In walks this young man with a beard. He speaks to me in a gentle voice. He told me his name. (His initials are J.C.) Then he asked me what my problem is. It causes me to ponder that he asks that question to complete strangers every day, in and out. But without a doubt, he seemed to be totally interested in my life and what was going on.

Okay, I’ll interact with this guy. I tell him about the pain. I also tell him about the stupid stuff I’ve done over the years to cause damage to my body.  Stupid stuff like all the dares and risks we took in our younger days when we think we are invincible.  (I’m being real here and confessing the stupid stuff, so, you be real and admit you’ve been stupid too). You know, the sports activities, lifting loads too heavy for your back and shoulders, neglect, bad posture habits, on and on. It’s unreal what we do to our bodies.

He listens. Something that seems to be missing in this world.  He listens. Then he says, ”let’s see what we can do about this”.  He lays his hands on me.

 What I will always remember is that he immediately touched the muscles in my neck that were hurting.  He used big words that I didn’t understand.  Said I had a something in my whatever muscle. There was a “subli something or another ” in my vertebra.  What I’m trying to say is this.  I didn’t understand what he was saying to his assistant who was writing it down, but I knew that he knew more about what was going on inside of me than I did.

Then he looked inside me. ,In this case, he used an X ray. Told me exactly what was wrong. Showed me why I had such pain in my life. Then he said, “We can fix this.” He didn’t say, you’ve done stupid things, or you’ve waited too long, or anything to make me feel unworthy of seeking his help. He just calmly said, “I can help”.

So now he asks me to stretch out on the table face down. He places one hand on my neck and brings my arm behind my back….. (time out) Now you guys know me, my involvement with falconry, with wolves and predators. This position that I am now in, is totally a submissive position. In the wild, if you have a claw on your neck and your wing, leg, or arm is pulled behind your back, you are totally in submission.   Why would I submit to this?  Because I trusted J.C..  I didn’t understand, nor did I really know this guy.   But I trusted him.

What happened next is a blur. I didn’t know whether to laugh, cry, kick myself for not doing this sooner, or………..  My neck went ccccccrrkkk.  He realigned me. He began a physical journey that I am now on.  A journey that doesn’t have pain from the past going along with it.

So, my daily devotion for this day was this (and it can’t be a coincidence).  John 8:32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Why had I not gone to see the chiropractor before this? Well, I didn’t believe in their ways. You know, the world says that when you have pain that you need a pill, or shot, or surgery, or well, let’s just do all of these. Then we’ll cover up the problem with numbing medicines.. Does that sound like your life?  Also I thought I could handle this on my own.  After all, who better to run my life than me.  A chiropractor?  All he will do is some touchy feely stuff. Then he will yank on your head.  People will expect me to say ‘‘I’m Healed!” And he’ll want to keep seeing me. Honestly though, I was just scared of him.

I want to ask you a most serious question. Is your spiritual life filled with pain? Go see J. C. “the chiropractor”, Jesus Christ. He’ll listen to you. He’ll look inside of you, and show that He knows more about what’s going on inside of you than you yourself. When you come to the point that you trust Him, he will realign your life.  Don’t expect to understand, or know what words to use.  Just Trust!! 

The world we live in these days has so little that we can trust in. Hard to put trust in politicians, advice from so called experts, even Facebook. They all have a way of letting us down when all we want is the truth. The Truth. Will you trust me enough that I could give you a good recommendation for the hurt in your life? If it’s physical pain, I have J.C. the chiropractor’s number. Give me a call. If it’s spiritual pain, let me share Jesus with you. Leave me a comment (it will be private).

And by the way, J.C.(Jesus Christ), will want to continue to see you.  It’s a good thing.

I thank God for J.C.

See Ya! Dan Ainsworth Wilderness Preacher

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Pressing Forward: Embracing Life’s Journey

Have you ever attempted to drive by only your rearview mirror? Ever try living your life by only looking back at what’s already happened?

Driving across country early, early one morning, I saw a most beautiful sight in my rearview mirror. It was a sunrise. A glorious sunrise. It’s always cool to me to see the sun burst over the horizon. Getting to see those first few rays followed quickly by a full sun shining is something that never grows old to me. Initially, there was darkness; subsequently, a shade of pink became visible. A beautiful dance followed, with the clouds swirling by, sharing their purples and reds. A brilliant golden glow began its rise above the horizon. Anticipating that first bright ray of sunshine, I drove the next couple of miles while basically looking only in my rearview mirror.

Just like that, it was there. A sunrise! Good morning, Lord! I’ve been driving for a few hours in the dark, kinda getting sleepy. The light wakes me up and motivates me to drive for several more hours. But I won’t be looking in the rearview mirror anymore.

  I’m looking ahead. Looking ahead so I won’t hit anything for sure, but looking ahead so that I won’t miss anything either. Now, the light behind me, which supports me, is guiding my path.

Philippians 3:14  GWT  I run (press on) toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus.

I want more out of this life. More out of work, my play, my marriage, my family, …. more out of myself. Not a greedy more. However, I desire more regarding God’s promise. He promised abundant life. Abundance is coming when I arrive in Heaven, but I also want it now! That doesn’t mean a fancy car and lots of money. Life won’t be free of hardships or devoid of painful experiences. No, God’s heavenly call means believing in Jesus. Trusting in a God who supports you. This belief and way of life gives us an authentic way to PRESS ON and continue our spiritual journeys. Isn’t His providing and protecting us a source of His giving us abundance?

We frequently long to go back in time and dwell in the past. Times spent with friends and family members, times to be cherished, good times in the past. The “good ole days” seem far superior to our current situation.

Driven by God’s promise, I move forward. His light shines the way for me. I know lots of time in religious talk it’s said to “keep your eyes on God”. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus”. I get that. Stay focused on Him. Don’t we try to stay focused on Him by “looking in the rearview mirror”? We think, “God, why can’t it be like it used to be?”

Nope, let’s press on. My friends, let’s keep going on our journey. Know this. Even on the darkest of nights, the sun is about to rise over the horizon. Sure, it is a glorious sight to see the sunrise in your rearview. However, observe future developments and see where the light guides you. 

Because God’s Son supports me, I am inspired to keep going. It’s a heavenly calling that you and I can receive even while still in this earthly human body. A relationship between little ole you and a Most Awesome God. Wow! And you thought a sunrise was a thing of beauty.

Sunrise, the all-day sunshine, and the sunsets provide us with light to see our path during the day. Even at night there is artificial light, as well as natural light to help us continue our journey.

These beautiful experiences you see in your rearview mirror. Cherish them. Use them to grow closer to God. Whether a spiritual high, a beautiful family experience, or even just a pleasant day, it’s great to relive them (in your rearview mirror).

But realize God has promised us abundance! Press forward on your journey. The illumination of the daytime reveals the view forward.

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

Beautiful sunrises in the rearview mirror are astounding. But having hope, joy and peace provided by God gives me and you high expectations for our future.

Our spiritual view on this journey is accompanied by rearview mirrors(memories of past spiritual encounters) and full view windshields (full views ahead filled with hope, joy, and peace). Press on!

See Ya! Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher

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God in Every Fiber: Lessons from Nature and Buckskin

It’s been said that embellishing the truth is one of my superhero traits. My wife says about my storytelling that “He flat out lies”! A good friend of mine, who knows me well, knows that I must show a picture to prove the truth of anything I say in private or public.

So, in three weeks, you can follow along on a hunting adventure. No need to worry about my stretching the truth or whether I’m flat out lying. An experienced cameraman is tagging along with me to record what happens on this wilderness excursion. It will be a blast. Frankly, knowing I’ll have a video to confirm my experiences is a relief. Trying to explain the unbelievable events that tend to follow me can be as exhausting as the 5-mile climbs occurring on this hunt.

So, in three weeks, the vast, majestic mountains of Colorado are my destination for a muzzleloader elk hunt. The year 1825 meets 2025! I’m using my old traditional muzzleloader rifle. Yep, they used a Hawken 50 caliber, just like mine, 200 years ago!

I’ll be wearing my buckskin coat I tanned from deerskins tanned the way the Native Americans did, 200 years ago! It’s called brain tanning. The brains of the animal contain enough oil to tan the hide, turning it into clothing. Lots of time, labor, and stretching, pulling, and softening to turn a skin into clothing that will last for years. I’ll share more on a future blog.

My buckskin coat. That truly is what connects the two years 2025 and 1825. It’s actually a great functioning piece of clothing to wear into the mountains. It is warm and soft, like a flannel jacket. But what if it gets wet, or snowed on, or I have to crawl over sharp rocks or plow through thick jagged limbs? These are all elements that must be withstood to bring success to my adventure. The buckskin can handle it.

The buckskin coat goes through several steps to change from raw animal skin to a finished piece of clothing. One of the important steps to making buckskin able to withstand the elements of the outdoors is to “smoke” it.

Smoking the buckskin involves building a fire that produces lots and lots of smoke, but very little heat. The smoke infiltrates every fiber of the skin. Here’s how best to describe this process.

The smoke molecules attach to the fibers of the buckskin. It exists within every single fiber. Each fiber now becomes waterproof from the protection of the smoke. When wearing the buckskin, if it rains or snows, the clothing will get wet.

Here’s the amazing part. As it dries, it goes back to its soft, pliable, clothlike texture. If someone hadn’t smoked it and completely covered all the fibers, the buckskin would become hard and brittle. Just like your dog’s rawhide chew toy.

Apply this important step to your Christian journey today. You have to “smoke” the buckskin to make it waterproof. Position the skin above the fire, avoiding fire yet within 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, both inside and out. 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? Otherwise, contact with this world we live in will produce a hardened self. Things of this world rob you of God’s Love. Your hardened heart robs you of the chance to share God’s Love with others. Let God permeate your entire being, much like smoked buckskin. He wants to be in every part of your life.

I don’t want to have a hardened heart. How can we prevent this?

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.

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. His assistance is required. Ask Him, see what happens!!

What does the world “throw” at you to make you hard-hearted? What makes it difficult to let God in every fiber of your being? Leave a comment.

See Ya! Dan Ainsworth