No Laughing Matter

Charleston Harbor, Charleston, South Carolina

I'm not great at identifying birds, but according to my National Audubon Society Field Guide, this might be (I repeat might be) a Laughing Gull. According to the field guide this gull has a loud, high pitched ha-ha-ha-ha-haah-haah-haah-haah-haah sound. I'm not sure that this sound would seem hilarious to people surrounded by these gulls.

Satan is no laughing matter.

"Keep your mind clear, and be alert.  Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour." 1 Peter 5:8 God's Word to the Nations

Halloween is one of those celebrations that elicits polarizing emotions. I'm not entering into that discussion. My goal is not to persuade you one way or the other. It is my goal to challenge you to believe that Satan is real and that he wants nothing more than for you to fall away from Jesus Christ.

That is his sole design.

I don't usually add a second Bible passage but in this case I can't resist. In his final word to the Romans Paul wrote, "The God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet." Romans 16:20 God's Word to the Nations

Satan's demise is guaranteed. Jesus first act of victory was his descent into hell. There he proclaimed his victory over.  Now God has given us his Spirit as the guarantee that in the end, the devil loses.

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

Show Me What to Do

Theresa Mine, Victor, Colorado

I don't know what these wheels do. I've never worked at a gold mine, but I'm sure that these wheels play an important role in making this mine work. Show me what they do and I'll probably be able to work these wheels.

When it comes to mechanical things, I don't have a clue how they work. I can tear apart anything, but don't ask me to put it back together. So when it comes to learning new things, I gain knowledge by watching others.

"What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me-- practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." Philippians 4:9 English Standard Version

We probably learn best by following the example of others. Paul recognizes this fact and encourages his friends in Philippi to follow his example. Living as a redeemed person was new stuff to his readers. Living as a child of God doesn't come naturally to us either.

We learn best when we watch those who are mature in Christ live their faith. I would encourage you to find someone you respect and follow in his/her footsteps. It's a great way to learn what it means to live as a child of God.

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

The WOW Factor

Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

So...guess what the name of this waterfall is?

If you guessed anything other than Triple Falls you're looking at a different picture.

Traveling the Columbia River Gorge is one of the most beautiful drives you will take. However the most spectacular scenes are found deeper up the gorge, far away from the noise of I-84. 

I could expound some theological picture with this waterfall. It is tempting to talk about the Trinity; one creek, three falls returning to one creek.

My seminary soccer coach told me, "You think too much."  Sometimes you need to stop and, instead of thinking too much, marvel at what God has made.

"Heaven and earth and everything in them were finished.  By the seventh day God had finished work he had been doing.  On the seventh day he stopped the work he had been doing."  Genesis 2:1-2 God's Word to the Nations.

I want to add, "And he said, WOW!"

As beautiful as this waterfall is, God takes the greatest delight in us. The wow factor of creation was God forming his human creatures.

That includes you. God has big a WOW to speak over you today. It is spoken through a cross and and an empty tomb. That is how much you mean to God.

So don't think too hard today. Instead, enjoy God's WOW!

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

"May the Force Be With You!"

Paint Mines Interpretive Park, Calhan, Colorado

I don't understand the geology of the Paint Mines but it's a cool place to hang out. Dinosaurs, camels and all sorts of other creatures appear in the imagination of those who tread among its stones.

Even Yoda.

This is my half Yoda face. Look in the middle of the picture. You can't miss him. He's right there.

Most people don't see it. And that's what makes the Paint Mines cool.

We each see something different in the varied colored clay. We all bring our experiences, personalities and perspectives into the canyon. How we enter the canyon determines what we see there.

"I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well." Psalm 139:14 English Standard Version

In spite of his sin, failures and faults, David, the author of this psalm, knew that God had created him as a unique individual. 

Yesterday I mentioned that the people around us have been uniquely crafted by God, but so are you. All of us struggle with our weaknesses and sins, yet we too have been "fearfully and wonderfully made." 

Rejoicing in God's gift of forgiveness, celebrate what you bring to the world as the hand-made instrument of God. No one sees the world exactly like you do.

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

You Gotta Wonder

Pancake Rocks, Pikes Peak, Colorado

How did this bowl-like rock come into existence? It sits out in the middle of nowhere. Yes there are a number of people who climb the trail to Pancake Rocks and one might think that they have had something to do with this formation, but this is granite which is not easily shaped and it is one of many goofy rocks here.

The answer to this question is probably the same answer that explains the existence of the platypus, three-toed sloth and cockroach: God only knows how this rock was shaped.

In the same way each one of us is uniquely shaped by God.

"Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature."  Genesis 2:7 ESV

Similar to this rock, we might ask why our spouse, children and friends are the way they are? What is it that has shaped their lives? The attempt to find answers might be as puzzling as the formation of this stone.

Ultimately we leave the answer to God, recognizing that the people who surround us, though tainted with sin, have been crafted by God.

It is God who has made them. It is God who has redeemed them. It is God who loves them.

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

You Are Your Age

Anchorage, Alaska

I really don't know much about cars or trucks. I can change the oil, filters and wiper blades, but other than that I don't work on motorized vehicles.

However, I do like things that are shiny. And this old Ford F-1 pickup is nice and shiny. Someone dedicated a great deal of time and expense to make this old pickup look new.

Yet it's still old. It looks nothing like a new Ford F-150. It probably doesn't have the horsepower or get the same kind of mileage as a new pickup. I doubt that it has an mp3 player in the dash or a hybrid motor under the hood.

No matter how cherry it looks, it is old, but that's what makes this pickup special. What makes it special is its age.

"And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin,  and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day."  Luke 2:36-37 English Standard Version

Anna had a history. A history filled with pain and tears. A history filled with passion. Anna's history is what makes her story important. This broken women is given the eyes of faith to see the Savior.

No matter your age, you have a story. It, too, is not only a story of brokenness and pain but of forgiveness and life.

I can't help but think that the red of the pickup is much like the blood of Christ. No matter our age, he makes us shine.

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

Beauty in the Trials

Pikes Peak, Colorado

The fall colors are late in coming to much of Colorado this year, especially around Pikes Peak. Many of us jump in our cars the last two weeks of September heading to Cripple Creek expecting to see the forest ablaze with color. I hoped for a little more color this past Monday when I took this picture.

Even though I was disappoint, I still enjoyed the journey.

What struck me as I walked through this grove of aspen was the old tree to the right standing in the midst of the younger trees. As many of you know, aspen are like weeds. New aspen spring up from the roots of older aspen. These younger trees in this picture are the babies of the older tree.

The older tree shows the results of age. It has character. The younger trees are cleaner and straighter and are in the process of developing their character.

"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." Romans 5:3-5 New Living Translation

This older aspen has a beauty because of the trials it has face. There is beauty in the life that has endured trials, especially those struggles that are the result of faith in Christ.

For the older "trees" among us these words of Paul encourage us not to lose hope. As we feel the marks of life and the struggles of faith we are confidence that God fills "our hearts with his love." God uses the scars to do his work in the lives of others.

For the younger "trees," God intends that we see the scars on those who have endured the battle to be an encouragement to us that a life of faith is worth the struggle and that God produces his work through the battle.

In the hands of God, the trials of life produce a beauty of its own.

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

God's Stamp of Approval

Lutheran Valley Retreat, Near Divide, Colorado

There is a story behind this stump just as there is a story in each one of our lives. The story of this stump includes death.

More than likely this tree died in the 2002 Hayman fire that devoured much of the land that surrounded Lutheran Valley Retreat. Had the fire not occurred, this tree would still be alive, but then again, maybe it wouldn't.

This tree might have died of natural causes or from the infestation of the Mountain Pine Beetle. One way or the other this tree had a limited life span.

Our days are numbered.

Our mortality might scare us, yet standing before God might even be more frightening.

"However, in our spiritual nature, faith causes us to wait eagerly for the confidence that comes with God's approval." Galatians 5:5 God's Word to the Nations

As Paul reminds us in Galatians, our confidence to stand before God is not based on the quality of life we've lived but on the One who lived life for us. Our confidence is in Jesus who suffered death in our place that we might have confidence of God's approval in him.

Yes, the story of our lives will include death, yet more powerful than death is God's approval of us in Christ.

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

Hopeful Waiting

Lutheran Valley Retreat, Near Divide, Colorado

I take my camera with me most every place I go. If I can't take my Sony A-65 with me, then I make sure my Sony a5000 or cell phone are close at hand.  

My D-SLT camera was a part of my luggage to a recent men's retreat sponsored by Holy Cross. I was excited about the possibility of some night photography. At six in the morning I tried to shoot a full moon;

It didn't work.

Knowing that the sun would soon crest over the eastern horizon I waited. It was cold and slightly windy, yet I waited.  I was on sensory overload when the sun made its appearance. The colors were brilliant and the clouds soft, yet dramatic.

"Wait with hope for the LORD. Be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Yes, wait with hope for the LORD." Psalm 27:14 God's Word to the Nations

Life might not be turning out for you the way that you expected.  You're in a season of life where you understand the call of the psalmist to "be strong, and let your heart be courageous." The last thing that you need to hear are the words, "wait with hope for the LORD."

As King David penned these words he struggled with workers of evil who desired to devour him (27:2). That might be how you feel at this moment. You understand the encouragement to "be strong" but to "wait with hope for the LORD" seems counter intuitive. You don't want to wait. You want results and you want them now.

Jesus stood strong in the face of the cross that you might find courage to face the battles confronting you today. It is in Jesus that you find the courage to stand strong. And in standing strong you wait with hope for the Lord.

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

The Water of Life

Fountain Valley Regional Park, Fountain, Colorado

It takes plenty of water to grow cattails. You don't find cattails in the desert, but by ponds with an abundance of water, and once these cattails are established, they grow prolifically.  

Cattails have two ways of multiplying.  Note the seeds on this flowering spike. In the fall these seeds are blown long distances where they take root next to other ponds, yet this is not the only way cattails grow. They also expand through their roots. All of this growth begins with water.

"He also said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the one who is thirsty I will give water free of charge from the spring of the water of life." Revelation 21:6 New English Translation

It is hard to kill cattails once they're established. When we drink deep of God'mercy in Christ it is hard to destroy the faith that grows in us. That faith is nourished by God himself. There will be times when our growth is challenged by the circumstances of life, but we continue to grow...and thrive.

As we grow, the seed of God's Word is spread through us. Sometimes that seed drifts far from home and finds soil and water to nourish the seed. Sometimes the growth happens through the roots of the local community of Christians.

All of this growth happens through the Water of Life. The growth we experience in our relationship with God is the result of this water.

Jesus is our abundant source of water that brings life.

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