Tag Archives: nature

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The Silver and Gold Mine

Looking For Faith is like looking for Gold!

Here’s the silver and gold mine on our property here in Colorado.  It hasn’t been worked hard by anyone since back in the late 1800’s/early 1900…….. well except for me now.  I’ve been down there digging.  Digging for gold.  Digging for silver, or any other precious metal.

So many questions.  Why did the miners pick this particular spot to dig?  A certain rock outcropping?  A certain boulder showing promise?  And why did they quit digging after going several feet back into the side of the mountain?  Probably wasn’t worth the effort.  What I’ve been told is that there is gold and silver all over this part of the mountains.  It’s just that you have to mine through several tons of dirt to get the few ounces of gold/silver.  Question….. would you do it?

I’ve got to do a little more studying, (or bring someone who knows to my mine).  There are all types of different colored rock, different veins showing in these rocks.  I’m wondering if I’m literally sitting on a gold mine.  Or maybe it’s just a big pile of dirt!!  I guess there is only one way to find out.  Dig, baby, dig.  Search, sift, dig some more, inspect, then share it with someone who knows more than I.

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.  I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.  1 Peter msg

Faith is better than gold.  But just like the gold in my own little mine, a lot of “dirt” has to be refined away to see the pure faith.  This dirt is what you and I would call testing, trials, tribulations, or in everyday talk,…….. it’s what happens to us in everyday life.  The good , the bad, the ugly, the stuff we don’t understand, the things that happen around us that have an effect on us.  It’s the every day activities that you and I go through.

Each and everyday you and I are being “refined” so that our faith can be seen.  Seen by whom?  Seen by others, but seen and felt by YOU, and by God!  How to we find this faith?

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. Romans 10:17

Well, the scriptures are telling us that faith comes from hearing the word about Christ.  For you to get and grow your own faith, then Dig, baby, dig.  Search, sift, dig some more, inspect, then share it with someone who knows more than you.  That would be the Holy Spirit.  Dig in the Bible, pray for guidance.  Search for true answers about this Christian way of life.

You’ll have to dig and remove a lot of “dirt” as you look for the valuable Faith that you are looking for.

I’ve been told that unlike gold, your faith can grow.  And you only need the faith the size of this dot [.]  It’s there for your taking.  I’ve been told that Jesus wants to give us all the chance to grow and become more faithful to Him.  It’s there for the asking.  Question…… would you do it?

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The Bird Bath

Now That's Being A Church Right There!!

 

The birds have made a bird bath out of the puddle in the streets!  Now that’s being a church right there!

It finally rained here in drought strickened Colorado a couple of Sundays ago.  Just enough to wet the ground…… and just enough to form a few puddles in the road.  Whoa, and boy did the dirty birds take advantage of it.

Not the best picture, (I didn’t want to get too close and spoil their fun), but you can see these dirty birds were celebrating their new found water source.

I’m calling these birds “dirty birds” for a reason.  They are English sparrows.  They are a pest.  Their other name should be “flying rats”.  Pigeons get the blame for all their dirty deeds.  Poopin on sidewalks, on cars, on……ME!!!  Look at any Wal-Mart Entrance, and in the big letters on the wall above you as you walk in, there will be a nest.  And when you walk under it……..splat!!

Hey, I like birds.  But English sparrows are different.  The live in towns and cities where they expect a “free ride” from the trash us humans leave around.  And to top it off, they can’t even sing.  Just chirp,chirp, chirp, chatter,chatter, and more chatter.  How wrong is that?

But today, these dirty birds are teaching me a lesson.  Honestly, today maybe God is using these dirty birds to teach me a lesson.  A lesson on living water.

1 John 1:7  If we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

These “dirty birds” were getting cleansed.  They were taking a bath in fresh rain water.  And they were enjoying the moment.  No need to see who was the dirtiest.  No need to see who splashed the best.  Just getting cleansed.  Just taking the time to enjoy the water sent from the Heavens.  Hmmm………. sounds like what church should be.

I bet there are a bunch of “dirty birds” at the church where you attend.  I’m also betting there are a bunch of “dirty birds” at the church where those of you that don’t go –would go– if you did go.  Huh?  What I’m saying is this.  Pick a church, any church, and you’ll see a bunch of “dirty birds”.  Some try to hide it, pretend they aren’t dirty as YOU, or even try to get away with being dirty by saying, “I’m fine, how are you?”

But friend, here’s the wake up call for you.  Look at the picture again.  The birds are tellin’ ya!  It’s not how dirty everybody is, IT’S HOW CLEAN AND REFRESHING THE WATER FROM HEAVEN IS!!

You pick a church and you go to it.  Give it a try!  Rule #1…. Don’t go to see all the “dirt”.  Rule #2… Go to SEE the Living Water!  Spiritually, that’s Jesus Himself.  He’s there!  I’ll be totally honest with you.  He’s everywhere.  But the fellowship of being with other “dirty birds” who are being cleansed is what church is about. (Or should be!!)  You regular church goers, yep talking to you,…… make these new dirty birds feel right at home in your cleansing water puddle with the steeple on it.  It’s not your water, it came from above, remember?    And you dirty birds that don’t participate in any church activities,…… yep, talking to you this time,……here’s a question.  Does it make any sense for the bird to never go to bird bath?  Oh, there’s always reasons, but why wouldn’t the birdy not take a little time out of his day to fellowship in the water puddle with the steeple on it.  The birds taught me this…… When you are focused on the water, the cleansing refreshing water, you lose sight of all else.  Too much joy from being refreshed to worry about any and all dirt from You as well as others.

Come to church.  You’ll see  me there!  I’ll be splashing away in this Life Giving Water!  I know, I know, you can dunk yourself in cleansing water anywhere, anytime, anyplace.  But friend, there’s something special about having a fellowship with fellow believers who are on the same journey as you.  Even for a loner like me……..(and some of you).  The joy, inner peace, being refreshed in my soul is magnified when I’m with other Christians.  Even when we all are the “dirty birds”!

See Ya!   Dan Ainsworth Wilderness Preacher

 

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What If God Says No

In the middle of this extreme drought here in Southern Colorado, I’ve planted my yard in native grasses.  I watered just enough for the seeds to sprout.  BUT, I’m not wanting to water anymore for fear of running my well dry.  It’s that dry.  But I’ve got lots of good reasons for planting my yard.  Mainly to cut down on the dust, and give the deer something to munch on.  No plans for mowing at all.  I just want a natural meadow.  Now I’m leaving it up to Mother Nature,……. or should I say my God.

If we don’t get rains soon, this grass will die.  I find myself asking God for rain so that MY yard grass will grow.  I catch myself becoming concerned over this little patch of green turning brown.  I find myself facing the fact that God may not send the rains needed.  I Realize that God’s answer may be NO.

Ok, Ok,  this is small potatoes in the grand picture of my and your life in this world.  No big  deal whether my grass lives or dies.  But we all have wants and needs in our lives.  And the answer we hear concerning our wants sometimes is……. no, not now,……. ain’t happening.  That leads us to our next question.  Why am I hearing No?

I don’t think I’m being like a fussy kid in the candy store.  I seriously am not saying, “I want this and this and this.”  I’ve got no plans to throw a temper tantrum if I don’t get my way.  For all the right reasons I’ve got a want in my life. (it’s this little ole desire to see it rain).  My mind spins because…….. well, maybe I’ve not done something I should have done, maybe I’ve not been good enough, maybe I , maybe this and maybe that.

With these thoughts of God and how He interacts in my life, I find an answer to being told no.  The answer comes from a local rancher here in Colorado.  He didn’t even know my question, but he gave me the answer I was searching for.

I was on his place setting bee swarm traps. (It’s that time of year again.)  Looking around at his cattle and also seeing that his grass was more brown than green, I asked him, “how will you survive this extreme drought?”

His answer………..”I don’t know”……….. and that was that!

But his presence, his body language, his manner, (his being a Colorado Cowboy), gave me much more insight into this simple but complicated answer.

He has faced droughts before.  He has faced times of no rain, times of too much rain, times of well, living life on the ranch.  No need to figure out life’s good and bad.  Just need to live….admit that you don’t know…..and keep going.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of our God endures forever.  Isaiah 40:8

Such a mystery to all of us how bad things happen, why good things happen.  We spend enormous amounts of time trying to “figure out” the whys of life.  Maybe coming to the point in our life when we can comfortably say, “I don’t know” concerning spiritual and physical happenings in our lives is when we reach the point that TRUST and HOPE and FAITH become more than just words.

I say “I don’t know” more than I want to when asked about spiritual matters.I don’t know why bad things happen to good people.  I don’t know why circumstances catch up to some people but not others.  I don’t know if my puny yard of grass will live or die.  I don’t know , I don’t know, and I just don’t know.

But just like the rancher, there is a confidence in my answer of I don’t know.  You see, it’s not in realizing the answers to life that is important.  It’s realizing that my Lord is with me forever, no matter what!It’s not what you know, but WHO you know!!

I am someone who has let faith, trust, and beliefs as a Christian  take over my way of thinking about this life while here on Earth.

Call me a simpleton.  Call me naive.  CALL ME A CHRISTIAN!

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher