Palmer Park, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Freed to look goofy.

I believe it was in 2003 that Holy Cross, the church I'm privileged to serve, participated in Rick Warren's 40 Days of Purpose. In those forty days we learned about our S.H.A.P.E. According to Rick, each one of us has our own S.H.A.P.E. This acronym stands for Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. All of these form who we are.

Sometimes our shape can look rather goofy like this pillar standing tall in Palmer Park.

"You are chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, people who belong to God. You were chosen to tell about the excellent qualities of God, who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9 God's Word to the Nations

Talk about goofy looking. We have been chosen by God to look goofy to a world that lives in darkness. We are surrounded by darkness and standing in the light of Christ makes us look goofy.

But this is how God has shaped us. Each one of us is uniquely shaped by God to shine in the darkness in our own unique way.

There is no other pillar like this sandstone tower in Palmer Park. It has been crafted by the forces of nature for many years. In the same way, no one can tell of the excellencies of God like you because you are uniquely shaped by God.

Not only is it okay to look goofy, you can celebrate it!

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

Seeing Past the Chaos

Glen Eyrie, Colorado Springs, Colorado

This is a closeup picture of a much larger sandstone formation. I'm not sure what forces have been at work on this piece of Lyon's Sandstone near Glen Eyrie but I love the patterns.

I love the images that are conjured up in my imagination when I gaze at this picture. What do you see? I see deer prints, a pigs nose and an aspen leaf. You probably see something different.

Though we all cling to the same salvation in Christ Jesus, we all have different gifts and experiences that allow us to see the world differently

"God in his kindness gave each of us different gifts." Romans 12:6a God's Word to the Nations

My job is not to convince you to see the same things I see in the sandstone. I can tell you what I see and even point it out to you, but it is not my place to convince you that what I see is the only image set in stone.

There is tension in the Christian community between acknowledging the one way to the Father through Jesus Christ and the variety of perspectives with which the baptized see the world. We don't usually like tension so we try to resolve it by convincing other people that our vision is correct.

Instead of resolving this tension, what if we did something novel. What if we told others what we see, and then listened as they tell us what they see? In the end we'll grasp the bigger picture of what God is doing in his world through this one gift of salvation in Jesus Christ.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

Palmer Park, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Beware of the prickly thingies.

Here is some important advise: Don't kneel on a Prickly Pear Cactus.  It takes days, even weeks for the prickly thingies to work themselves out of your skin. You ask how I know?

I read an article on going "low" to take pictures. So one evening I experimented at the Paint Mines near Calhan, Colorado. I set my tripod as low as it would go then knelt down to look through the viewfinder and OUCH!!! It was a painful trip home.

"Be careful not to do your good works in public in order to attract attention. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you." Matthew 6:1 God's Word to the Nations

OUCH!!!  What good are "righteous thingies" if they can't be seen by others? Prickly Pear Cactus are beautiful when they are in bloom, but they can be quite painful if you embrace them. Embracing our efforts at getting right with God can be painful.

Instead of our own good deeds declaring us right with God, it is God who embraces us with the righteousness of Christ. And instead of kneeling in the prickly thingies we kneel in the embrace of Christ and the power of his love for us.

Believe me, the ride home is not nearly as painful when we kneel before Christ.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado

So close yet so far away.

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison is 48 miles long and 2,722 feet deep.  Crossing the canyon takes quite an effort no matter which route a person chooses.  What seems so easy to reach is actually much more difficult than a person might think.

Sin has created a great distance between God and us human creatures.  But God has not abandoned us.  The questions is who built the bridge to whom?

"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide." John 15:16a English Standard Version

Jesus will soon  be crucified when he speaks these words to his disciples, yet he assures them that he is the one who has built the bridge to their lives. It wasn't their superiority to other Jews or because of any moral greatness that Jesus chose them.  He loved them.

In the same way it is Jesus, who, through his crucifixion, reaches out to you.  He builds the bridge.  Why?  Because he loves you.  He is passionate about you.  He will not abandon you.

Jesus Christ is so close to you.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

Climb On

Red Rocks Canyon, Colorado Springs, CO

In my youth I tried rock climbing (yes, we had climbing ropes, carabiners and REI when I was a teenager). On the south side of the Willamette River in Eugene, Oregon is Skinner Butte.On the west side of Skinner Butte are columnar basalt formations.  These columns are popular with rock climbers. I never made it to the top. I didn't even make it halfway.

I admire this man on his ascent up the Lyons Sandstone in Red Rocks Canyon. He made it to the top.

"We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne." Hebrews 12:2 New Living Translation

Different than an indoor rock climbing wall, there are no marked routes for this man.  His climb is as much problem solving as adventure.  The same can be said about our lives.

Life is a series of problem-solving decisions. Every day we're confronted with choices to solve one problem and then another. I know some of you prefer the term "possibilities" rather than problems. Whatever you call them, we are must regularly make choices that will affect our future.

But these choices also create a sense of adventure. Each one of us is on a "Huck Finn" adventure. Every hand and foothold, every choice, comes with an adventure. Some of these choices are more difficult than others, but each one is part of a unique journey.

As we climb on we remember the one and only free climber, Jesus Christ, "the champion who initiates and perfects our faith." He has climbed this route all the way to death for you. And by the power of his Spirit alone, we climb. This Jesus has risen from the dead that you and I might have a special surprise at the summit.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

Growing Like a Weed

Jones Park, Pikes Peak, Colorado

The Rocky Mountains are known for their massive aspen groves.  These groves are beautiful anytime of the year.  In the spring, when this picture was taken, the leaves take on a bright green color followed by a deeper green in the summer and yellow, orange and even some reddish leaves in the fall.  Winter itself reveals a different view of the aspen as white bark and twisted branches make for an interesting picture.

The power of the aspen is in its roots. New trees arise from the aspen's roots and they grow like a weed.

"The time is coming when Jacob's descendants will take root. Israel will bud and blossom and fill the whole earth with fruit!" Isaiah 27:6 New Living Translation

This has always been the goal of God for his people.  His heart is that we take root and from these roots we bud, blossom and bear fruit in the world he created.

You cannot miss an aspen grove when traveling the highways of Colorado.  In the same way people ought to recognize the church of God which, rooted in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, buds, blossoms and bears fruit for others.

May the church grow like a weed.  Spirit, grant this to your church!

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

Colorado Springs, Colorado

"Objects...are closer..."

What looks like a safe distance between the trailing car and my car was closer than it appears. Ginger appears to be in the backseat of a limo rather than close to the mirror. In the same way, we keep people at a distance, and we do so for a variety of reasons.

Even though we like to keep people at a distance, thank God that he doesn't.

"He was weak when he was crucified, but by God's power he lives. We are weak with him, but by God's power we will live for you with his help." 2 Corinthians 13:4 God's Word to the Nations

Jesus chose to be intimate with the people who were created through him by becoming weak on the cross. Do you understand that it was his choice? Why? Because he didn't want to keep you and the suffering that you experience at arms length.

But that is only half the story. Paul reminds us that by God's power Jesus lives. God's heart is that you live and this life is found in him. It is not found in your job. It is not found in your family. It is not found in your recreational activities. Life is found in God.

Jobs are necessary. Family is a blessing. And recreational activities can relieve stress. But life, real life, is found in the one who chose to draw near to you.

Because of Christ, you are closer to God than you might think.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

Bloom Where You Are Planted

Jones Park, Pikes Peak, Colorado

Bloom where you are planted.

I know it's an old cliche that states, "bloom where you are planted," but I couldn't think of a better title for this picture. This iris bloomed far from the beaten bath, even for those who hike Jones Park. This plant was doing what its genetic makeup said it was to do regardless if someone was paying attention or not.

The test of our character is being what God has gifted us to be as the baptized of Christ Jesus whether anyone is looking at us or not.

"God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts." 1 Peter 4:10 New Living Translation

Peter reminds us that what we are is a gift from God. He freely and lovingly has gifted everyone one of us with his "great variety of spiritual gifts." The question is not whether we've been gifted by God, but how we've been gifted by him.

Yet we need to take the next step.  This is not a call to naval-gazing contemplation. Understanding that we are a gift of God to the world through his gifting is a call to be what we are even if people don't seem to care.

Take this flower out of Jones Park and the scene isn't as beautiful. Take you out of the world and God's creation isn't as beautiful.

So I encourage you, instead of worrying about whether you are making a difference in this world, simply be what God has gifted you to be, living to the praise and honor of the one who has saved you even if you sense that nobody is watching.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Beware of Rattlesnakes!

A sign warning of rattlesnakes is posted near where I took this picture. I have a feeling that with the temperatures hovering around 12 degrees, I didn't need to worry about rattlesnakes. In fact, as I have mentioned in another blog, I have never seen a rattlesnake in the Garden of the Gods. They're probably there but I think the signs are more of a deterrent to people who want to wander off the paved paths.

How many people have read that sign and then all they think about are rattlesnakes and they miss the beauty of the park? I hate snakes. I lift my feet when my car runs over a snake because I'm sure that somehow in someway that snake is going to bite me through the floorboards of the car. But fear of snakes is not worth missing the beauty of the Garden.

"But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy." 1 Peter 3:14-15a English Standard Version

What is the "rattlesnake" that instinctively makes you defensive and cautious? Is it a broken relationship with a loved one?  Is it the threat of losing your job? Is it cancer? I'm not going to tell you that you'll never run into that "rattlesnake." Odds are in my favor that if I keep hiking in the Garden of the Gods one day I'll see a rattlesnake. But do we need to live in fear?

The antidote to our fear is worship of the one who faced the venom of Satan on his cross. He died from that venom called sin, our sin, but rose and has conquered sin, death and the devil...for you!

So, instead of being afraid of the "rattlesnakes", enjoy the beauty of God's garden that is part of your life today.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

Invited to a Surprise

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

When you walk along the trails in the Garden of the Gods you don't know what lays ahead. Granted, many of us have hiked these trails numerous times and we know where they lead, yet each time we walk these paths we see something different. Even though I had previously climbed these steps near the Three Graces rock formation, I found them inviting me to a surprise.

At the top of the trail I was surprised not only by the view of the central garden but also by some cat tracks that wandered around in the snow. I've seen a Bobcat in the Garden in the summer and I wondered if these were tracks of just such a creature.

"You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." Psalm 16:11 New International Version

It saddens me to think that many of us have lost sight of God's desire to surprise us in worship. Even though we have gathered often with God's people, it has simply become a ritual and we don't expect anything from God.

When I pack the car for a photo shoot I often pray, "Father, surprise me." And I am amazed at how God answers my prayer. Though I couldn't stay in the Garden long when I took this picture, God answered my prayer.

This week, before you worship, pray that God would surprise you. God delights in surprising us.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR

Making Tracks

Garden of the God's, Colorado Springs, Colorado

We've experienced some pretty cold temperatures in Colorado Springs lately as frigid Canadian air decided to pay us a visit. Along with the cold came a little (and I mean a little) dry snow. But this cold, snowy weather allowed me an opportunity for a few pics in the Garden of the Gods.

There is an of advantage to visiting the Garden when it's cold and snowy:There are few people hanging out in the park. For some reason visitors to Colorado Springs don't think about strolling the pathways when it's twelve degrees Fahrenheit. A place crawling with people is in the summer had only four cars in the parking lot.

Yet there are a few of God's creatures that call the Garden of the Gods home no matter what the temperature or how many people wonder around. There were a number of rabbit tracks, deer tracks, and what looked to be cat tracks.

"Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow builds her nest and raises her young at a place near your altar, O LORD of Heaven's Armies, my King and my God!" Psalm 84:3 New Living Translation

The sons of Korah are singing about the beauty of God's dwelling place. They're singing about the temple in Jerusalem and  how amazing it is for them to make tracks to the temple where God dwells.

Do we desire to make tracks to be near God's altar? I love the beauty of Colorado Springs, the place I am blessed to call home, but greater still is the home where my soul finds rest; in the community of God's baptized. This is not to say that there isn't solace in the Garden, but there are gifts you and I receive in the community of God's people that we don't receive elsewhere.

What joy to make tracks to the house of God.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR