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.