Where's the baby?

I going to say something that will probably offend you: IT'S NOT CHRISTMAS!  Technically, today is the last day of Advent.  So, where's the baby?  The baby is waiting for tomorrow. (Okay so maybe I'll fudge a bit and say that we can celebrate his birth tonight.)

So we wait.  The gift of waiting is not necessarily a gift that children receive.  Christmas Eve might be the longest day of the year for them.  It doesn't matter whether you open gifts on Christmas Eve or Day, waiting to open gifts is never easy, especially for children.

"But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer." Psalm 38:15 ESV

Waiting for the Lord to act is similar to a child waiting to open Christmas gifts.  We pray for God to heal a friend and we wait.  We pray for God to intervene in a broken relationship and we wait.  We pray for God to make the pain go away and we wait.

Today is about waiting but we don't have to wait for long.  Soon we'll sing the carols that begin the twelve days of celebrating God's intervention in our lives.  Until then, happy waiting!  God will appear in the manger.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.

Hope Forever

Oregon Gardens, Silverton, Oregon

As long as the Oregon Gardens is in business (which hopefully will be for quite some time) these bronze statues of a boy and girl will endure.  I was captivated by these figures and took more pics of them from various angles.  Yet, the reality is that they may not stay here forever.

"O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forevermore."  Psalm 131:3 ESV

Unlike these statues, as long as this world spins there will be hope.  The hope we have in Christ transcends the uncertainty of worldly hope.  "I hope it snows tomorrow."  "I hope I can sleep tonight."  "I hope the creek don't rise."  There is an air of uncertainty in each of these statements.

There is no air of uncertainty in the statement that Jesus Christ is going to return, that he is going to raise the dead, and that all things will be placed under his feet.  This is our hope.  And as long as the community of God's people exists in the here-and-now, there will be this unwavering hope in God's promised future.

------

We've made it to the fourth Sunday in Advent.  In a few short days we'll be holding candles and singing Christmas carols to the praise of the one who has come for us.  We've walked through the season of Advent focusing our attention on love, peace, joy and hope.  I pray that we make these characteristics not just Advent thoughts but a lifetime journey.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.

Campbell River, Vancouver Island, B.C.

Branta canadensis.

This summer Janice and I were blessed to spend a week in Courtenay/Comox, B.C. on Vancouver Island and to make the trip north to Campbell River.  A member of Holy Cross who served in the Canadian military and was stationed in Comox told me that I had to make the however-many-kilometers trip to Campbell River.  And I'm glad that he did.

These Canada (not Canadian) honkers were peacefully swimming at the mouth of Campbell River as it entered into the Strait of Georgia.  Not a concern in the world. As you are probably aware, many of these birds have decided to winter where they summer.  They've stopped migrating.  Why?  One reason given is that their former predators are not as numerous as they once were.

"Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything." Philippians 4:6a NLT

How I envy these geese.  The reality of our lives is that our "predators" are always laying in the grass ready to pounce on us at any moment.  What's even more difficult is that the predator isn't always "out there" sometimes the predator is inside of us.

Prayer is not a magical act that guarantees that the bad guys will disappear and we'll live happily ever after.  Prayer is about a relationship with a God who understands what it means to be hunted and to be killed by that predator on a cross.

In the next verse Paul writes, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philipians 4:7 ESV  This peace is gift that God has for you.  Peace doesn't come because you stop worrying.  It's the other way around.  The antidote to worry is the peace of Christ that already rules in your heart.

May you find yourself at peace today because of the God who gives you peace.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Wilkerson Pass, South Park, Colorado

The critical role of clouds.

The enemy of landscape photographers is a cloudless sky.  Even one puffy cloud will add interest to a photograph.  There is nothing more boring than pure blue sky; at least in pictures.  Take out the clouds in this picture and the horizon becomes indistinct, the aspen lose their appeal and it becomes more difficult to determine depth.

Yet my guess is that most of you were not drawn first to the clouds.  You might have noticed the aspen, the hills or the treeless patches of land that make up South Park but not the clouds.

John the Baptist understood his role. "He must increase, but I must decrease."  John 3:30 ESV

When John comes on the scene in the gospels crowds flock to him, listen to him and are baptized by him.  But his role changes the moment that Jesus walks out of the Jordon River dripping from the water of his baptism.  John knew that his role, his purpose, was to point to Jesus.  Though John baptized with water, he pointed to the one who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John played a critical role in Jesus' ministry.

The Church plays a critical role in Jesus' ministry today.  Our role is not to point to ourselves but to the manifold color of God's grace in Christ in a broken, sin-filled world.  More important than people seeing us is that they see Jesus.

Take the clouds out of the picture and I delete it from my hard drive.  Take the Church out of the world and there is no one pointing to Christ.

The Church plays a critical role in society.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Paint Mines, Calhan, Colorado

A community of thanksgiving.

I wonder what difference I'm making in the vastness of human existence.  Okay, let me say it more like Doug Brauner would say it.  Why am I here?  Those of you whom I have been privilege to pastor over the last thirty years might wonder how I can say this.  It's easy.

It doesn't matter our position or station in life, the question of our existence is important to us.

From the President of the United States in the White House to the homeless person laying under a house of cardboard, we question the purpose for our existence.

But why would we question our existence?  Maybe it's because we see more of our failures than our successes.  Looking out over the landscape of life we feel that our contributions are minimal at best.

However, in the picture above, the lone Indian Paintbrush makes the picture.  Though the prairie rolls on for miles, this flower gives the picture life.

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope."  Jeremiah 29:11 ESV

God speaks through Jeremiah to the nation of Judah.  The nation of Judah was made up of people with whom God had made a covenant to be their God.  They were not alone in their daily struggles of life.

Dotted throughout this picture are hundreds of Indian Paintbrushes each one giving color to the place it's planted.  And so it is in the church.  We exist in community even when it seems like we're standing alone.  And in this community called the Church, God accomplishes his plans for wholeness and a future of hope.

On this Thanksgiving Day may we give thanks for the redeemed community of God's people gathered at the foot of the cross and know that through this community God lives out his purpose in the vastness of human existence.

And by the way, you are an important part of that community.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Pancake Rocks, Pikes Peak, Colorado

The cumulative effect of life.

No, this is not another blog on ducks, though I'm still recovering after Saturday's loss by the Oregon Ducks to Stanford (how can a team named after a color win a football game).  These rocks piled one on top of another are a good picture of what I sense going on in my life.

Life is a compilation of experiences.  One event is stacked on another until they take on a life of their own.  As a result, what I see happening in me is that present events are blown out of proportion.  Something happens today that is attached to an event of the past and makes it worse than it really is (or better).

Janice and I have an argument.  That argument is piled on top of 34 years of arguments.  As a result that one argument stacked on top of others contributes to the picture of our marriage.  And no one's picture looks like someone else's.

"For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us."  Psalm 103:11-12 ESV

Though this side of the grave we live with the reality that our experiences are stack one on top of the other, in God's mercy every day we start over.  I know that I've written about this before, but it is such an amazing, freeing concept to know that because of forgiveness today I start over.  That is the power of the cross.

We might be shaped by the cumulative effect of life, but the power of the cross is greater than the compilation of these events.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Life Happens

Brauner Backyard

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."  Matthew 9:36 ESV

Someday I think that I'll be able to recline like this gnome and enjoy life. But such is not the case. Just as soon as I think things will settle down the phone rings, a deadline approaches or the car breaks down.  It seems that there is always something that gets in the way of relaxing.

This gnome keeps on smiling no matter the weather conditions, no matter if the dog knocks him over.

What are the things that harass us? Is it the mundane daily rituals that seem to invite boredom? Is it the relentless pressure of deadlines? Is it the constant, unsolicited "surprises" of life?

Things haven't change much since Jesus' day have they? Sheep without a shepherd is a good description of our lives.

Yet there is a Shepherd who has laid down his life for his sheep that they also might recline in the green grass of his love. No matter what attempts to steal your enjoyment of life, know that the Good Shepherd is your ultimate source of joy. It is he who keeps you smiling.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, Colorado Springs, CO

"Off we go into the wild blue yonder."  Part III

When people think of the Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel they picture the Protestant chapel.  But I enjoy heading down the steps to the Roman Catholic Chapel.  (Don't worry my Lutheran brethren I'm not converting.) You have to admire how the chapel tells the story of Christ through the way of the cross.

Unfortunately, most days the chapel is fairly well roped off so that you cannot travel the nave to meditate on all the stations of the cross.  But two of the sculptures could be viewed up close and personal.  And here is where the story of the chapel finds its true purpose. To see the chapel's message you have to go deeper into its recesses.

"For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God." 2 Corinthians 13:4a (ESV)

This message is cradled in the spires, surrounded by its beauty and in-bedded its walls.   May that also be true of our lives.

Our bodies cradle the message of the cross.  Our lives display the beauty of the cross.  Our souls tell the message of the cross.

If you ever make the trip to Colorado Springs I hope you will make the journey to the Cadet Chapel.  Come in through the Academy's north gate, expect to show your ID and open your trunk to be searched.  Then travel up the hill to the visitor center.  Granted, you can park closer to the chapel, but its worth the short 1/3 mile trek.

And when you make this trip, may you see Jesus.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, Colorado Springs, CO

"Off we go into the wild blue yonder." Part II

A bride had better be in good shape to walk down the Protestant Chapel aisle.  No only is it a gazillion paces to the front, it also sits over 7,000 feet above sea level (oxygen not provided).  And dare that the bride turn around and see the pipe organ consisting of 83 ranks and 4,334 pipes.

Though the altar, reredos and pulpit are spectacular, the focal point of the chancel is the cross.  Made of aluminum like the outside of the chapel, the cross is 46 feet in length, with a wing span of twelve feet and weighs in at 1,200 pounds (I don't need to think about that the next time I do a wedding and stand under that cross).

Yet it is a simple cross.

"For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." 1 Corinthians 2:2 ESV

Though the focal point of the chapel is the cross, I wonder how many of the 800,000 to 1 million people who visit the chapel every year actually see the cross.  I know that I spent a great deal of time looking back at the organ, noticing the colors shining through the windows and observing the symmetry of the chapel.  I didn't take a detailed picture of the cross.  I took pictures of the organ, windows and chancel, but I didn't see the cross.

How many of us miss the cross?  Maybe its too simple.  We want the spectacular, the magical and the awe-inspiring.  We don't gravitate to the simple.

Jesus Christ crucified.  May we put aside the distractions and focus on  what is most important.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, Colorado Springs, CO

"Off we go into the wild blue yonder." Part I.

Many people equate Colorado Springs with the Air Force Academy.  When you think of the Air Force Academy you can't help but think of the Cadet Chapel.  My next three blogs will take you deeper into this amazing structure.

I have been blessed to officiate at two weddings and a baptism in the chapel, however, it had been a while since I'd made the hike from the visitor center to the chapel.  Seeing a picture of the chapel in a magazine and finally having some time on my hands, I made the journey.

If you enlarge the photo you will note that the outside of the chapel consists of 17 spires that reach 150 feet into the sky.  Seventeen doesn't really have any biblical significance.  I understand that the original design included two more spires but money was an issue.

The chapel is the dominant feature on the academy grounds.

Two important biblical structures were lifted off the ground.  The first is found in Genesis 11 where a group of people wanted to make a name for themselves and built a tower into the heavens.  The other was a cross.

"But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."  Galatians 6:14 ESV

If we stay outside the chapel and view its spires from a distance then all we have is another tower of Babel, a monument to human ingenuity.

To understand the Cadet Chapel we have to move deeper into the structure.  The same is true of our places of worship.  God invites us not to stand outside but to enter and receive what he has to give us in his Word.

It is inside that we hear of that other structure that was lifted from the earth.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

"It's Not Easy Being Green."

Spruce Mountian, Greenland, Colorado

I have often told people that to live on the plains of Colorado you need to like different shades of brown.  In the winter even green is brown.  So how does land on the east side of the Rockies get the name "Greenland"?

Spruce mountain (a gem of a five mile hike on which not many people travel) is a bluff that sits on the Palmer Divide.  The Palmer Divide receives more precipitation than Colorado Springs: more snow in the winter more rain the summer.  The grassy fields that surround Spruce Mountain are actually green in the summer.

You might consider Greenland as an oasis of life in the midst of death.  That is our call as Christians; to be life in the midst of death.

Hours before experiencing death on the cross, Jesus told his disciples, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command you."  John 15:13-14 ESV

Kermit the Frog sang that "it's not easy being green."  In a world where you and I experience many shades of brown it is difficult to be the life God created us to be.

Jesus experienced every shade of brown in his death for us, laying down his life on a dead tree.  And in his death we have received life...and we give life; his life to a world dwelling in many shades of brown.

Consider this today: You give life to people by simply being what God in Christ has redeemed you to be.  You are an oasis of life in the midst of death.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.    

Coors Field, Denver, Colorado

Veteran's Day

My father was proud of his service to our nation in World War II but it wasn't until later in his life that he started sharing with me what it really meant to be a veteran of that war.

My siblings and I heard many stories of my father's friendships but we never really heard about the horror of what he experienced.  I remember a phone conversation I had with my dad about a year before he died.  It was the first time that he shared with me just a little of the ugly aspects of that conflict.

We're learning a great deal about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder through the men and women returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, a condition that has existed in every war.  For those of us who have not experienced war we will never understand the depth of terror related to it.

So, our thanks to our veterans can never be enough.

"And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.  Let them be a holy and living sacrifice--the kind he will find acceptable.  This is truly the way to worship him."  Romans 12:1 NLT

The sacrifice of our veterans is the picture of the sacrifice of self which is our act of worship.  Was my father scared when he served his country in the Philippines and New Guinea?  Absolutely.  Sacrifice can be frightening.  Living a life of sacrifice can be that way.

But it is the way of God.

Thanks vets, for your sacrifice and service.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.     

Finding Space in a World without Margin.

Colorado Springs, Colorado

"And he said to [his disciples], 'Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.'" Mark 6:31a English Standard Version

There is not much margin in life. For some reason we think that we have to fill up every minute of every hour of every day. Yet when we go to bed at night we wonder what it was that we accomplished in that day.

It is hard to find time to sit and enjoy a good cup of coffee, a Louis L'Amour novel or conversation with someone we love. We don't even know how to have conversations anymore.

How about scheduling time to do something absolutely outrageous: to simply BE instead of DO.

Jesus understood the need for rest. There is nothing wrong with resting; with being instead of doing. God rested after finishing the work of creation.

Go ahead and grab your espresso and sit at the roadside cafe. Smile at someone walking past you and imitate God by enjoying creation.

And if you don't mind, I'll join you.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Grandpa Brauner

Pointing the way.

Today would have been my father's 89th birthday.  It is hard for me to believe that he joined the Church Triumphant over three and a half years ago.

I remember my father for his love of my mom, his provision for our family, his love of sports and most of all for pointing the way to Christ.

My father wasn't perfect.  We all knew this.  But he knew the One who paid the price for him. 

And in a way that was uniquely Ken Brauner, he pointed the way to Christ.  I remember family devotions, attending Sunday Bible classes with him and that rare occasion of getting up early for the men's breakfast Bible class (we had to be at church extra early as my dad helped make the breakfast).

"Teach [these words] to your children, and talk about them when you're at home or away, when you lie down or when you get up." Deuteronomy 11:19 GW

I owe my dad a lot.  He taught me to see the world as an artist.  Many of the photos that appear in this blog owe their beginning to my father.  He taught me about light, color and composition (though most of the time he did so indirectly).

I look forward to the day that I will be with my dad in the presence the Artist.

Marantha! Come quickly Lord!

By the way, a good song for today: "My Father's Eyes" by Eric Clapton.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Westcliffe, Colorado

Election Day

For many of us today couldn't come fast enough.  We're tired of all the adds, phone calls and signs.  We're ready to get this thing over with.

After the ballots are counted and a presidential candidate is declared the winner there will be many people who are happy and almost equally as many people who will be disappointed.  There will be those who say our nation has been saved and those who will say that our nation is going to...well you know where.

Which ever side of the fence you fall, remember this, God's love for you and for his people will not change.

You will get up tomorrow morning, eat breakfast (oatmeal with blueberries here), brush your teeth and begin your day.  I invite you to take a deep breath.  Whoever is president will not save us nor will he damn us. 

In the midst of our frustration with this election, there is only One person who needs to be trusted.

"Be still, and know that I am God.  I will be exalted among the nations.  I will be exalted in the earth!" Psalm 46:10 ESV

There are people who still live in this house near the Sangre de Cristo mountains. This home appears to have been here for quite some time.  Daily the picture of the mountains change.  The sun rises and sets.  It has weathered many other elections.  And so will we.

Whether it is true that in heaven there is no beer is up for debate, but I can guarantee this, there will be no elections.  There is only One who sits on the throne, and there he will remain for all eternity.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Oklahoma City Memorial, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Justice for all.

According to a government website, Team 5 was the bomb disposal unit that turned its attention to rescuing victims the day of the Oklahoma City bombing which took place on April 19, 1995.

They make three critical statements about justice.

• The Courts Require it
• The Victims Cry for it
• And God Demands it

The courts of our nation and the world cannot exist apart from justice.  Those who have been victimized by others cry out for justice.  And there is no one more just than God.

Without God's justice we cannot understand his mercy.  Thank God that he is absolutely just because if he is fully just then he is fully merciful.

"We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.  And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.  For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.  Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous.  He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins." Romans 3:22-24 NLT

God demands absolute justice for your sin.  The penalty for your sin weighed upon the body of Jesus on his cross.  And through that cross God has poured out his mercy on you.  He is absolutely merciful to you.

This absolute justice and mercy of God is call to complete repentance on our part.  Knowing that God forgives we come clean before him.  The court of our conscience requires it.  The victims who have been affected by behavior cry for it.  And our loving God demands it...NOT because he wants us to suffer, but because he wants us to live.

There is justice for you.  And it comes in the flesh and blood of God's Son.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

North Gateway Rock, Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Like a rock!

This path has a specific destination.  It does not wander.  It does not change directions.  It is headed to only one place.

Since taking this picture I have been filled with some regret.  When I snapped it I was in a picture taking mood.  In other words, I needed to fill my memory card, which would have been an impossible task that night.  The sun was dropping behind Pikes Peak and time was running out.

I didn't stop to take in what I was about to capture.  I positioned myself to the side of the walkway.  I studied the rock.  I frame the pic.  "Click."  And I was off to take another picture.  I missed soaking in the rock formation.

Since that night I have spent significant time pondering this photograph.  I now have it posted as my wallpaper on my work computer.

"He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God." Psalm 62:6-7 ESV

It is easy to get distracted at the Garden of the Gods.  A person who ambles the trails can wander in many directions.  There are multiple rock formations that capture the imagination but this path leads in the direction of only one of them; toward the North Gateway Rock and the center of the Garden.

It is easy to get distracted from God's path for our lives.  I'm not talking about the specific details of doing this or that job, marrying this or that person or buying this or that car.  I'm talking about the path laid out for us in his word that leads to Christ, our Rock.

There is one path that leads to the Rock and it is worth not being distracted as we journey on it.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Worth the Climb

Mt. Lincoln, Colorado

There are 53 mountain peaks in Colorado that reach over fourteen thousand feet into the sky.  Granted, they don't look as impressive as Mt. Rainier in Washington (14,410 ft.) since it is often viewed from sea level but the air is just as thin at the top of these 14ers.

In my thirteen years of living in Colorado I have only climbed one 14er and it wasn't Mt. Lincoln.  In fact the 14er I summitted is Mt. Sherman which is only 36 feet over 14k.

I climbed Sherman with my sons, Nathan and Joel.  Needless to say, they summitted the mountain much quicker than I did.  My rhythm was fifty paces, stop, rest; fifty paces, stop, rest. Though I might not have made it as quickly to the summit as my sons, I made the climb and was rewarded with an amazing view.

"No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven." Philippians 3:13-14 NLT

Unlike this picture of Mt. Lincoln, we don't see the goal to which we have been called by the Holy Spirit.  We don't see it with our physical eyes but we do with the eyes of faith.  This "summit" has been won for us in Jesus Christ.  It is not by our efforts.

And yet this life can feel like a trek up a 14er.  It might even seem that we're taking one step up and two steps backward.  There are boulders, cliffs and streams that must be crossed on our journey.  All of these obstacles can make life difficult.

Remember this: Jesus climbed to the summit before us.  It is through his sacrifice and resurrection that we reach the goal.  As a result we live like Paul.  We forget the past and strain forward to the summit because we can already see it with eyes of faith.

What an amazing view awaits us.

Paint Mines Interpretive Park, Calhan, Colorado

More than grit.

Some of us might see this plant as a symbol of endurance.  That's true but take a closer look at this picture.  This plant is thriving in hardened soil where nothing else grows.  If I were to pull back from this plant you would see that the only thing growing in this soil are these plants.

Is it possible for us to thrive in the hardened soil of society?  It probably depends on our definition of "thrive."

If by thrive we mean no pain, no sorrow and no suffering then the answer is, no.  

If by thrive we mean the ability to find reasons to rejoice when others say there shouldn't be, then the answer is, yes!

King David sung these words, "Let the righteous one rejoice in the Lord and take refuge in him!  Let all the upright in heart exult!" Psalm 64:10 ESV

Those are nice pious words until you recall that David was a wanted man.  King Saul wanted him dead.  The Philistines wanted him dead.  Even his own son, Absalom, tried to take throne from him.  Yet David found a reason to rejoice in the Lord his refuge.

David was known by his God and he understood what it meant to live in an intimate relationship with this God.  He understood God's forgiveness.  He understood God's protection.  He understood God's provision.

God calls us to thrive today even if we feel the soil around you is parched.  With his forgiveness, protection and provision we can do more than endure, we can thrive.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Anticipation

Monarch Ski Area, Colorado

One of my favorite ski hills in Colorado is not one of the biggest.  It is not surrounded by condos and boutiques.  People come here to ski more than to be seen.  They don't want man-made snow.  They want the real thing; the God produced stuff.  They want it steep and deep but there is one drawback.

The chairlifts at Monarch are SLOW!

Granted there is not as much vertical skiing at Monarch as there is at other resorts.  The chairlifts don't travel far but a person still sits on a lift for quite sometime.  And if you have ever had a board or skies strapped to your feet and dangling in the air, you don't want to hunker down here longer than necessary.  And pray that the lift doesn't stop!

Life can be painful as we anticipate Christ's return.

"...the one who endures to the end will be saved." Matthew 10:22 ESV

The pain of the chairlift is soon forgotten as my skis are pointed downhill on Little Mo, Great Divide or Tango (but not Gunbarrel...NEVER Gunbarrel).  The ride might be long and painful but the end result was worth the ride.

Your life might feel like a long slow ride on a chairlift.  It might even seem like the lift has stopped and the pain will never end.  But God has a place for you.  It is prepared.  

The ride of this life is worth the trip as we anticipate what God has prepared for us in heaven through Christ.

And by the way, there is a lot of beauty on the ride to the top.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Mad Creek Trail, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Group Shot!

I haven't got a clue what these plants are named but that's not what's important anyway.  This is a group shot.  Take away all these plants except one and I don't stop to take a photograph.  Not one plant stands out from another.  Each is equally important.

What a picture of the church.  

"By one Spirit we were all baptized into one body.  Whether we are Jewish or Greek, slave or free, God gave all of us one Spirit to drink."  1 Corinthians 12:13 GW

There is unity and symmetry to these plants.  Both their symmetry and their unity are based in their rootedness.   The roots of these plants tie them together.  In their unity they are interdependent.  They need each other, gain nourishment from each other and grow together.

Being that they share a genetic similarity there is a symmetry to their appearance.  This symmetry does not come from each plant looking exactly like the other but from its being what God had created it to be.

Unity in the Christian community is not the same as uniformity.  Unity and symmetry in the church flows out of the fact that we are rooted in Jesus Christ, the God/man who pours out mercy and grace on his people to be the church.  

Rooted in Christ we need each other.

Rooted in Christ we become this amazing organism that makes others stop and contemplate what God is doing in us.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Oklahoma City University, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Livin' the dream.

So why is my son, Joel, smiling?  He is standing between three Miss Americas; that's right, THREE (there is one behind him)!  

Our son, Nathan, graduated from Oklahoma City University.  Three Miss Americas have attended this university (not to mention Kristin Chenoweth).  These three bronze statues grace one of the main entrances to the campus.  How often can you have your picture taken with three Miss Americas?

Yet better than standing in the midst of three Miss Americans is the fact that you and I stand in the midst of  our Triune God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

"O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!"  Psalm 8:9 ESV

You stand in the midst of a God who has created you and all that exits

You stand in the midst of a God who has redeemed you from your broken sinful ways.

You stand in the midst of a God who is constantly renewing you on this pilgrimage you call life.

Now that's livin' the dream!

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Ketchikan, Alaska

Let it rain.

If you don't like rain stay away from Ketchikan.  The average annual rainfall in Ketchikan is over 150 inches.  That's right, around 12.5 feet of rain falls on Ketichkan every year.  Compare that amount to just over a foot of rain that falls annually in Colorado Springs.

This boat appears to have seen its share of rain.

But where would we be without the rain?  The fires in Colorado this past summer showed the danger of little precipitation. The High Park fire in northern Colorado burned over 87,000 acres of land and consumed 259 homes.  And the most destructive fire in Colorado history, the Waldo Canyon fire in Colorado Springs, burned nearly 29 square miles of forest, destroyed 346 homes and took two lives.

"[The Lord] covers the heavens with clouds, provides rain for the earth, and makes the grass grow in mountain pastures."  Psalm 147:8 NLT

God is the source of the blessings that rain down upon our lives.  Each of these blessings are but a foretaste of the blessings yet to come, however we soak them in today.

Where is the refeshment of God's rain pouring into your life? 

Your life might feel like the parched Colorado earth, waiting for just one drop of rain.  God provides.  Jesus' thirst on the cross means that he understands your thirst.  It is his sacrifice that pours God's blessings into your life.

Growing up in Oregon I know rain but I never owned an umbrella as a kid.  I felt the rain.  May you feel the rain of God's blessings smacking you in the face today.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Now This Is a Park Bench!

Paint Mines Interpretive Park, Calhan, Colorado

As much as I enjoy the Paint Mines for its weird shaped rocks, I also enjoy it for its never ending prairie.  Those of you who know me, know that I love the ocean.  This is an ocean of another kind and it seems to stretch as far as the horizon.

Instead of hearing the crashing waves, you listen to the cry of coyote.   Instead of seeing a whale spouting, you notice a bounding deer.  Instead of watching the graceful flight of pelicans, you contemplate the flight of a Great Horned owl as it silently passes by.

I could sit here for hours.

But I end up sitting for only minutes.  The openness creates an uneasiness inside of me.  It is hard to sit in the magnitude of the prairie and not contemplate the reality of life.

"I consider the days of old, the years long ago. I said,  'Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.'  Then my spirit made a diligent search: 'Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable?'...  Then I said, 'I will appeal to this, to the years of the right hand of the Most High.' I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old." Psalm 77:5-7, 10-11 ESV

The gift of grace is the ability to look back over our lives and see the hand of God, not the failures of our human frailty.  Satan loves nothing more than to drag us into the endless prairie of failure.  Grace picks us up and places us like child in the lap of God.

You see, we don't sit alone on this bench.  The one who has taken on our human flesh and who knows our frailty sits with us...and bless us.

Enjoy the view!

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Skagway, Alaska

Keeping our promises.

Jefferson (Soapy) Smith ruled Skagway for a short time during the Klondike gold rush.  

It is said that Jeff. Smith's Parlor offered a telegraph service.  Stampeders could spend a chunk of their money sending messages to their loved ones back home.  There was one problem; just a small problem.  The telegraph lines in his parlor went no further than the wall (at least that is what I was told).

Whether the story is true or not, it would be in character for Soapy to make promises and not keep them.

How often do we do the same thing when it comes to prayer.  Someone asks us to pray for them and we say we will but end up forgetting to bring that request before the throne of God.  Our telegraph line only runs to the wall.

Paul asked the Thessalonians, "Friends, please pray for us."  1 Thessalonians 5:25 CEV

More than likely these Christians took Paul's request seriously.  They prayed for him.

I would encourage you to think about someone who asked you to pray for them. Stop what you are doing and offer a petition for that person.

It is never too late to pray.  (By the way, the gift of forgiveness means it never too late.)

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Breckenridge, Colorado

You had better not get lost.

My first ski outing in Colorado was with my friend Woody.  In one day we skied Breckenridge, Keystone and A Basin.  However the day almost ended after an early run at Breck.

I lost Woody.

As you can see from this trail map, it is easy to get lost at Breck.

Among the thousands of people, the 31 lifts (that's right 31) and acres of terrain, Woody found me.  We didn't have walkie-talkies or cell phones, yet he found me.

"The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, 'Follow me.'" John 1:43 ESV

Jesus is in the habit of finding people, especially those who are lost.  We don't know the circumstances of Philip's life.  But we do know that Jesus found him...and called him.

You might feel lost.  Circumstances might be getting the better of you.  I pray you hear Jesus' voice today calling you.

He has found you.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

 

Bathtime for Ginger

Now this is love.

Ginger hates baths.  If I touch the hose in the backyard she scampers to the door hoping someone will rescue her and open the door.  Fortunately she is one of the cleanest dogs I know (outside of the fact that she sheds 24/7).  To be honest, I don't know the last time that Mike and I gave her a bath.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, Mike loves Ginger.  This was his idea of helping Ginger with her winter bath.  He chose to put on his swim trunks.  He chose to sit in the bath with her.  He chose to reassure her that everything was okay.

She still didn't like the bath but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

"This is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the payment for our sins." 1 John 4:10 GW

Jesus Christ has climbed into the tub with us.  He wraps his arms around us in our fear and anxiety.  He bears the wounds of our sin.  He makes us clean.  Why?  Because he loves us.  He loves you.  

It doesn't mean that we always like the bath we receive from our God, but he loves us enough to get into our tub.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Drayton Hall, Charleston, South Carolina

Order out of chaos.

Cut Drayton Hall in the middle and you have two buildings that look exactly the same.  Built in the late 1730's, Drayton Hall is an example of Georgian Palladian architecture with strong symmetrical overtones.

We grow up thinking that life is similar to Drayton Hall, that is, that there is a symmetry to life.  We have this belief that as we go through life things will fit together and make sense; that there will be rhyme and rhythm to our adventure.

But in reality, life is like an old church that is remodeled and rebuilt over many years; those churches where the front door is actually the back door and the hallways resemble a corn maze.

"And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day."  Genesis 1:3-5 ESV

God is in the business of creating order out of chaos.

Nothing has brought more chaos into your life than sin which separates you from God.

It is the cross that gives you the gift of symmetry; Jesus equally extending his arms on the cross and bearing the chaos of your sin.  The gift of forgiveness is God calling out into the darkness of your life and saying once again, "Let there be light."

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Pancake Rocks, Pikes Peak, Colorado

Built upon the rock.

A friend of mine would say, "Roll Tide."  I say, "Go Ducks."  And from the looks of this rock formation on Pike's Peak, I WIN!

(For those of you who follow this blog and don't know who I am, you need to understand that even though I didn't attend the University of Oregon, I am a Duck fan.)

Thousands of people visit Pikes Peak every year but most will never see these rocks.  The climb is long and exhausting for the person who is out of shape like me.  But the view is spectacular.

And God placed one thinly laid rock upon another to fashion a duck, just for me (at least I'd like to think so).

"You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone.  In him all the parts of the building fit together and grow into a holy temple in the Lord. Through him you, also, are being built in the Spirit together with others into a place where God lives."   Ephesians 2:20-22 GW

You are a stone built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone.  Though the rocks may look goofy, forming the head of a duck, they are where God has placed them.  And so it is with you.

You are where God wants you to be.  Which also means that you are a part of a much bigger structure called the Church.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Glen Eyrie, Colorado Springs, Colorado

More than just a beautiful rock.

Tragedy struck Colorado Springs this summer.  The Waldo Canyon fire burned thousands of acres, destroyed over 350 homes and damaged many more.  Those of us who live here are reminded of this fire every day.    We look to the west and see nothing but the blackened forest of the Rampart Range.  The scar from this fire will be with us for our lifetime. 

It hurts.

However, the rock formations in the Garden of the Gods and Glen Eyrie stand as tall as ever.

"The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."  Psalm 18:2 ESV

Our lives might resemble the ravaged homes and charred forest of the Waldo Canyon fire, but God stands as our rock in midst of these personal tragedies.

The gift of faith sees Jesus even when life seems hopeless.

And to our first responders who saved lives and homes, we cannot say thank you enough.  You are more than a blessing from God.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Anchorage, Alaska

Who is your Goliath?

Many of you have watched the Seinfeld episode entitled, "The Soup Nazi."  Anchorage has its real life version.  He is known as the Hot Dog Nazi (and many other names).  Posted on his stand are rules that must be followed if you want to be served and not "yelled" at..

His presence is like that of Goliath.

Israel didn't want to cross Goliath.  Standing at a distance, his taunting brought fear to the Israelite troops.

In taking on the giant, David said, "'The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.'" 1 Samuel 17:37 ESV

Who is your Goliath?

In fighting Goliath, David prefigures Jesus.  Your Goliath, that makes your knees tremble like the Israelites, has been defeated by Jesus.  He defeated Goliath not with sling and rock, but with nails and spear driven into his own body. 

Jesus' death has deafeated your Goliath of sin.

By the way, I was too afraid to purchase a hot dog.  Hard to believe, I know.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  



Brauner Backyard

You gotta love your grand kids! 

I love my grandson, Eli (not to mention his mom and dad).  He makes me laugh.  He likes this gnome in our backyard but not because it is a gnome.  He likes to put rocks and stuff in the gnomes pot.

Eli has not been beaten down by popular opinion or the negative comments about his silly actions.

He likes Thomas the Tank Engine.

He thinks his father's mini van is his personal fort.

His favorite food is ketchup.

And he doesn't care what you or I think.

Oh that we had the faith of child; that we could be that unique creature we were created to be and that we have been set free in Christ to be.

Those who are in Christ are new creations.  "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."  2 Cor. 5:17 ESV

As a new creation of Christ, I invite you today to find your Thomas the Tank Engine, your own personal fort and a bottle of ketchup and celebrate what God has made you to be.

God loves his children.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Where Are Your Initials Inscribed?

Fish Creek Falls, Steamboat Springs, Colorado

It is kind of annoying isn't it?  You walk along a beautiful trail in the greatness of God's creation and people have engraved their initials on a tree.  But which makes less sense: The engraving of these initials or my thinking they're worthy of a picture?

The truth is, something compelled me to take this pic.

If I returned to Fish Creek Falls and traverse this trail a second time, those initials would still be there.  As long as that aspen tree exists, those initials will endure.

Are your initials inscribed somewhere?  A tree, park bench or telephone pole?

Like Israel, your initials have been engraved in God's hands.

"Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me."  Isaiah 49:16 English Standard Version

More enduring than the ink of a Sharpie is the fact that your initials have been written upon God's palms with the everlasting blood of Jesus shed for you.

I don't know what you're facing today; the joys, pains and stuff of life.  But know this God has you engraved in his hands.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Cedar Mountain, Lutheran Valley Retreat, Divide, CO

Life is an uphill climb.

It had been over ten years since I climbed Cedar Mountain.  The last time I made the ascent was before the Hayman burn (June 2002).  At the Holy Cross men's retreat this past weekend I once again took the challenge and climbed the peak. The trip was not the same.

The elevation gain was the same.  The rock scrambling was the same.  The cross at the top was the same (other than more rocks at its base).  But there were two important differences.

• The trees were gone
• I'm older.

The trip had changed.  So also the road of our lives changes from day-to-day and year-to year.  We hear Solomon's words, "Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure."  Proverb 4:26 ESV

The landscape of our lives changes. 

• Like the trees that no longer exist on the Cedar Mountain trail, there are external changes to our lives.
• Like the fact that I'm older, there are personal changes to our lives.

God calls us to ponder this path of life and remember that it was a path to a cross that Jesus climbed.  Yes, life is an uphill climb, but like the cross at the top of Cedar Mountain, we remember that Jesus climbed this path for us and with us.

Feel free to check out Lutheran Valley Retreat's (LVR) website at www.lvr.org.  Amazing place with amazing people.  Thank you Steve Johnson and your staff for hosting us.

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Ginger

Who is that masked dog?

Ginger was a wounded dog when our son, Michael, rescued her.  We weren't sure she was going to make it in our house.  She hid from us, barked at us and tried to escape from us (that's another story).

But that was only a mask.

It didn't take long for Ginger to become an important member of our family which she remains today.  I credit Michael for her transformation.  He loves her unconditionally.  And in return she loves us unconditionally.

Jesus said, "Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.   John 15:13 (ESV)

Jesus laid down his life for us.

It is God's unconditional love for us that has transformed us from "wounded dogs" to loyal followers.

It is this unconditional love of God in us that changes the lives of people around us.

By the way, there is mounting scientific evidence that petting your dog lowers your blood pressure.  And no, John Morely, Ginger is not the spawn of Satan!

(Click on picture to enlarge.)

Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.