A Better Resolution

Fountain Creek Regional Park, Fountain, Colorado

Yesterday I mentioned that the goose that was suspended in flight would soon land next to his bride. This picture is of their reunion. It appears that their heads are touching. Looks nice doesn't it? What you don't know is that things didn't go all that smoothly when he first splashed down.

There was plenty of squawking when he arrived. Was it that he promised to return earlier? I mean it could have been his turn to sit on the nest. She probably needed a break. She needed time for herself. How could be so insensitive?

Relationships are difficult.

"As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend." Proverbs 27:17 New Living Translation

We live in a time when everyone has to be right, so much so that we don't know how to disagree with each other and remain friends. Following the lead of radio and television personalities, we call people names who disagree with us in an attempt to make our point look like the only point worth believing. Then we post it on Facebook and declare our victory.

And in the end, we have lost the ability to sharpen each other as we pick up our marbles and go home rather than work through a problem.

These two geese got it right. They worked through their momentary problem and found common ground.

The grace of God at work in our lives is the power to work through problems and maybe find common ground, and in the end find that we have been sharpened (not destroyed) in the process.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Waiting to Land

Fountain Creek Regional Park, Fountain, Colorado

I believe in the philosophy that you take pictures for your own enjoyment and if others enjoy them, that's icing on the cake. This is my favorite picture from this photo shoot, but when I posted it on Facebook, only one other person liked it...and that's okay.

You see, I keep waiting for this goose to land. What's called "negative space," the space of "nothingness" in front of this goose, anticipates its arrival. It was a millisecond later that this guy displaced a fair amount of water and swam next to his bride who had been sitting on the nest.

There might be times in our lives that we feel like we're waiting to land. We haven't arrived at our destination and it feels like we're suspended indefinitely in space.

And we hear God's call to be patient.

"We ask him to strengthen you by his glorious might with all the power you need to patiently endure everything with joy." Colossians 1:11 God's Word to the Nations

"To patiently endure everything with joy" might seem over demanding. Paul doesn't know the struggles that you and I endure. How can he ask us to endure this mess with joy?

I want to land!

We will land, but it might not be here on this spinning planet. We will land with our true Love, Jesus Christ. He has guaranteed our safe landing through his cross and resurrection.

Until then we wait.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Something to Sing About

Fountain Creek Regional Park, Fountain, Colorado

I hope that you like birds because the next seven blogs feature some of God's winged creations. As many of you know, I had toe surgery on April 2, 2013. For nearly a month I didn't go on a photo shoot. I chose Fountain Creek Regional Park as my first outing after surgery because of the level, well used trail and because of the challenge of taking pictures of birds.

Since the birds are protected in this park, they like to show off.

"The birds nest beside the streams and sing among the branches of the trees." Psalm 104:12 New Living Translation

This day the birds were singing. If you look closely at this Red Winged Blackbird not only will you note that his wings are spread but you will see his beak wide open.  It was happy.

What causes you to sing, you know, to make melody in your heart if not with your lips? Is it the birth of a baby, a hole-in-one or a perfect score on a test? These things can make us happy, but to sing with joy takes something else.

You are a child of God. Through the baptismal stream you have been adopted into God's family. You are not the sum of your failures or successes. You are God's child.

Now that is something to sing about!

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Drenched

Pikes Peak, Colorado

When I moved to Colorado Springs from Portland, Oregon in 1999 I wasn't prepared for the lack of rivers, lakes and streams here. Our home in Portland was only a few miles up the hill from the mighty Columbia River, a river that is navigated by large ships to the Port of Portland. Even the Willamette River can handle fairly large ships as evidenced during Portland's Rose Festival in June.

The streams in Colorado Springs can barely navigate toy boats.

Yet even in the driest summers, water finds its way to these small streams on Pikes Peak. Whether I'm following the North Cheyenne Canyon Creek on the Seven Bridges trail or hiking the steep St. Mary's Falls trail along the stream running through Buffalo Canyon (pictured above), there is always water available. It might not be much, but these streams rarely run dry.

"And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail." Isaiah 58:11 English Standard Version

The people of Israel were about to descend into their Babylonian captivity. In the dryness of their captivity God would still be their source of nourishment, so much so that they would be like a spring of water.

We, too, have time periods when our lives resemble a desert, when we feel parched maybe even separated from God, yet his promise is as true for us as it was for Israel: God will drench us in his love and we will become a spring of water bubbling up in the desert.

May you experience God's satisfying nourishment through his Son, Jesus Christ and know that today you are drenched in his mercy.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Passing on the Faith

Mt. Angel, Oregon

Whether this young man chose to dress up as Uncle Sam or was encouraged by his family, he portrayed a important symbol of American freedom, a symbol that dates back to the War of 1812. Samuel Wilson packed barrels of meat for the troops. These barrels were stamped "U.S." but were better known as Uncle Sam's.

The most iconic picture of Uncle Sam doesn't come from the war of 1812 but from a poster drawn by James Montgomery Flagg to recruit troops during World War I.

I doubt that this young man understood all of that history (I had to look it up on the History Channel website), yet he reminds us Christians that passing on our history of faith is critical today.

"And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up." Deuteronomy 6:6-7 New Living Translation

I'm not saying that our children ought to dress up as Jesus and march in a parade, but if God commanded the Israelites to teach their children the Word of God ought we also pass on to our children the story of Jesus?

Besides, isn't the story of God's love in Jesus worth repeating again and again to our children?

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

A Different World

Agate Beach, Oregon

It seems that no matter the time of year, you can find a beach that isn't crowded in Oregon. Maybe that's because the Oregon beach is nothing like Florida or Southern California beaches. In August the Oregon beach can be quite cold.  In fact, if the temperatures are in the 90's or 100's in Portland you can bet that you'll need a parka on the beach.

When you walk the beach in solitude you become aware that this is not like any other place. The smell of the ocean is different. The sound of the ocean is different. The feel of the sand is different.

It's easy to believe that you're in a different world when you walk the beach.

When Jesus prayed for his disciples he said, "They do not belong to this world any more than I do." John 17:16 New Living Translation

There are good reasons why we feel that we're living in a different world. In Christ we experience mercy not ridicule.  In Christ we experience kindness not meanness. In Christ we experience goodness not evil.

Being in Christ is like walking on the beach. We're in a different world, a world of redemption. This world sounds different, smells different and feels different. It's the world of grace.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Be Prepared

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Three days in a row we've had thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail in Colorado Springs. Needless to say this weather is causing problems for those of us who've planted our gardens.

I made the mistake of planting tomatoes the weekend after Mother's Day.

One of the things that you are told when you move to Colorado Springs is not to plant a garden before Mother's Day. You're guaranteed to have freezing temperatures. In fact, this year we reach the upper 20's early in the week after Mom's Day. Ugh.

However, once it warmed up I planted my tomatoes, but I WAS prepared.

I haven't used my Walls of Water for a number of years, but this year I thought it best as the temperatures have been cold and I really would like to eat tomatoes sometime this year (or I should say have tomatoes for Janice to eat). These Walls of Water have saved my tomatoes.

"But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect." 1 Petere 3:15 English Standard Version

Today might be the day that someone asks you and me about the hope that you have in Christ. Are we prepared to give an answer?

We might be prepared to "let 'em have it," or to run and hide. Those seem to be our usual responses to people who ask us why we do what we do because we're Christians, but is there a better way?

Peter says yes. It is the way of hope, hope that is rooted in the promise of everlasting life in Christ. It is this life, and this life alone, that truly produces hope.

It's time to be prepared.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Alone with God

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Peaceful moments like this in the Garden of the Gods are not easy to come by, especially in the summer, but when they do it feels like you are alone with God.

This feeling of being alone with God might be similar to those days and nights when Jesus was alone with his Father.

"But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray." Luke 5:16 English Standard Version

I'm not talking about a New Age idea of communing with nature being the same as communing with God. Nature itself is a rather harsh place to live. There are animals in the Garden preying on each other, rattlesnakes ready to take a bite out of your leg and deer who love to leave little nuggets on the trail.

However, withdrawing from our noise-filled lives and being alone with God is critical for us to reenter life. Jesus' life was filled with people making unreasonable demands of him, with people who had high expectations of him. He withdrew, not to commune with nature but to commune with his Father.

You and I need times to withdraw from the craziness of life so that we might become intimate with our Father through his Word.

Whether your "desolate" place is similar to the Garden of the Gods or your garage may you find this intimacy with your gracious, heavenly Father renewing your spirit.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

More Than Survival

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

I didn't grow up with cacti. I was raised with sky-scraping Douglas Firs, and ground hugging ferns. Moving to the desert of Colorado, cacti were a new experience for me. What I didn't know about cacti is how beautiful they are when they bloom.

These flowers are born out of drought.

"Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life." Revelation 2:10 English Standard Version

This picture of faithfulness to death is displayed well for us in cacti. They live much of their lives in drought. I have a Christmas cactus in my home. I neglected it for many years going months (literally) without watering it. After so much neglect I decided to pay attention to it, and as soon as I gave it water it sprang to life with beautiful flowers.

We will not get rid of droughts that happen to invade our lives, yet in the midst of these droughts (and dare I say because of these droughts) we blossom in this world.

Christ planted his cross, a dead piece of wood, firmly in the soil of our sin. It is through his experience of the cross that we receive the nourishment to bloom, even when we experience the struggles of life.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014
 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Paradise

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

There is a reason why the Garden of the Gods is called the Garden of the Gods: being in the Garden can feel like paradise.

There are many different angles from which to look at the Garden. You can get up close and personal with the rock formations, or you can draw back on one the outer trails and view the garden from a distance.

Yet paradise is not paradise without people. Enlarge this picture and you will see people walking the trails and enjoying the beauty of the Garden.

"And he said to [the thief on the cross], 'Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.'" Luke 23:43 English Standard Version

The Garden of Eden was created for people. The Garden was not complete until God planted Eve and Adam in her midst.

Heaven is heaven because it is where God dwells with his people. It may not be today or tomorrow, but one day we will experience what the thief experienced, we will be with him. Until that day, we walk with the promise of an eternity with Christ, an eternity in paradise.

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

The Eyes of a Child

Grandson, Eli

Last year, when I was laid up for a while after my toe surgery and wasn't able to roam Colorado in search of the illusive trophy picture, I began digging through the catacombs of old photographs. Needless to say there are many computer bytes taken up with this young man, Eli, and now of my second grandson, Nolan.

Eli had just turned one when he, along with his parents, graced our home with his presence and I snapped this picture.

I don't know at whom Eli is looking, but he has his eyes fixed on that person.

"My eyes are always on the LORD. He removes my feet from traps." Psalm 25:15 God's Word to the Nations.

There are many things upon which we can focus our eyes: money, another person, or things. God invites us to focus our eyes on him. There is much out there that would trap us into thinking that "they" have the answers to life's struggles, yet our only answer is in Christ.

Did you catch that: Jesus is the only answer. I didn't say he would answer all your questions. We live with the reality that many of our questions will never be answered.

However, it is Jesus, and Jesus alone, who can remove our feet from the traps laid for us by the world, our broken sinful nature, and the devil himself.

As the writer to the Hebrews encourages us, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2 English Standard Version

God, give us the eyes of a child!

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

This Isn't Right!

Alaskan Cruise

An outdoor swimming pool and hot tubs on a cruise ship, but no people? How can this be!

It's Alaska!

Unlike a Caribbean cruise, the primary goal of an Alaskan cruise is NOT to sit by the pool and work on frying your skin. In fact, you might never see the sun on an Alaskan cruise.

However, there is always one hearty soul, and that usually of a child, who doesn't care what the temperature is. Notice the young person wrapped in a towel in the upper left hand corner of the picture. This child swam against the flow, not caring about the cold and rain. This child was going to swim, and he did!

Living counter-culturally is the call of Christians, and is rooted in Jesus' command to pick up our cross and follow him.

"Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.'" Mark 8:34 New Living Translation

The soul of a child in us is the work of the Holy Spirit. Read the book of Acts and see how the early church swam against the flow and didn't care about suffering or pain, but lived for Jesus Christ.

May the Holy Spirit create the soul of a child in us.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

An Appeal to Process Your Pics

Unedited

Edited in Lightroom & Photoshop

Notice anything different about these two photos? They are the same picture taken with the same click of my camera's shutter. 

My guess is that the top photo looks like pictures that come out of your camera when you've upload it to your computer. It's disappointing when pictures look like this. You know that it doesn't represent what you saw.

I spend a good amount of time in the digital darkroom trying to create what I remember seeing. Yes, there are times that I "overcook" a photo and it doesn't look natural. However, photographers need to understand that just because the camera says that you've achieved a perfect exposure it doesn't mean the picture will look like what you saw.

The problem is the difference between a camera's sensor and the human eye. The human eye, created by God, has the ability to discern a much high dynamic range than your camera. That means the eye can see the details in the clouds while not losing detail in the foreground. A camera can't do it as well as your God given eye.

To capture that picture you want to share with others you need to spend time in the digital darkroom. What is the digital darkroom? It is software like Gimp, Photoshop Elements, Lightroom and others that allow you to edit you photographs. This is often referred to as post processing. In other words, the camera does its thing (processes your picture) then you upload it to your computer and edit the photo using software (post processing).

The evening I took this picture I remembered the detail in the clouds and the softness of the new leaves on the Cottonwoods.  

So what did I do to get this photo to look like the image I had in my brain? Funny you should ask. Let me give you quick rundown.  

1. In Lightroom and Photoshop I...
• ... darkened the darks
• ... lightened the lights
• ... reduced the highlights
• ... used the graduated neutral density tool
• ... sharpened the image
• ... added vibrancy
• ... reduced saturation
• ... added a cooling filter
2. I then saved the image.

Sounds like a lot of work. It took some time but not near as much as it would have taken Ansel Adams to manipulate a photograph in a real darkroom, nor as long as it has taken me to write this blog.

You might not like the edits I made to this picture (you don't have to), yet over time I have appreciated everything that I've learned in the digital darkroom.

You will too.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

The Honey Bee Dance

Brauner Backyard, Colorado Springs, Colorado

I don't know what this plant is in my backyard, but by mid summer it is covered with flowers that attracts hundreds of bees. I also don't know where these bees come from. I have not seen a bee hive in our neighborhood (though I have seen enough yellow jacket nests).

A fact that I learned recently about honey bees is that when a female worker finds a plant with a lot of flowers she marks the spot with a scent then returns to the hive and does a dance that gives directions to the plant. WOW!

"[The Philippian jailer] took Paul and Silas upstairs into his home and gave them something to eat. He and his family were thrilled to be believers in God." Act 16:34 God's Word to the Nations

The Philippian jailer did his own "honey bee" dance.  In his joy at coming to know Christ and the forgiveness of his sins, he did a dance for his family. Everyone in his household was baptized that night. Why were they baptized? They were baptized because he pointed to Jesus.

It's not too late to dance.

Many of us have been walking with Christ since infancy or for quite sometime and we forget how to dance, yet the reality of life in Christ is as fresh today as it was for that jailer.

May we not forget to dance today that others might taste the goodness of God.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Satisfied

Bear Creek Park, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Pity the poor bug that ended up this birds meal. This bird is desperate. I don't know what kind of tree clinging bird this is, but it was not going to be refused a meal.

This bird and I have something in common: We like to eat. I rarely skip meals (or snacks) which, for those of you who know me, is rather obvious.

Yet, I'm not always so desperate to feed at God's table.

"You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing." Psalm 145:16 English Standard Version

Physical hunger is real. We live it every day. Spiritual hunger is just as real but we don't always identify it as spiritual hunger. We talk about wants, needs and desires, yet don't realize that these desires, needs and wants are often rooted in spiritual hunger.

I wake up in the middle of night partly because of age, but also because of anxiety. I worry about the typical things: money, health and family. This anxiety reflects a deeper issue in me. I have a strong hunger that everything be "okay," that my finances be "okay," that my health be "okay," and that my family be "okay."

But not everything is okay.

The psalmist writes that God opens his hand and satisfies our desires, deals with our hunger and is the answer to our anxiety. God opened his hands when Jesus received the nails that fastened him to the cross. And in his cross, in his death and resurrection, our desires are satisfied.

Oh, God, may we hunger for you!

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Birds in Flight

Lepaterique, Honduras

The Birds of Paradise flower is truly unique. There is no mistaking its character. This flower received its name because it resemble a bird in flight. The flower in this picture fits that description.

Whom do we resemble? Is there no mistaking whom we follow?

In Ephesians 5:1 Paul writes that we ought to imitate God as his dearly loved children. That sounds great, but with many different voices ringing in our head it is hard to discern what is the voice of God and what is the voice of the world so that we might follow his example.

Earlier in Ephesians Paul describes what it looks like to imitate God.

"Be kind to each other, sympathetic, forgiving each other as God has forgiven you through Christ." Ephesians 4:32 God's Word to the Nations

Are these the only qualities we ought to imitate? No, but they are the foundation. The foundation of our relationship with God is forgiveness. The foundation of our human relationships is forgiveness.

Without forgiveness we cannot effectively communicate with each other.

Without sympathy we cannot dig deeper in our relationships, going beyond surface issues.

Without kindness we cannot enter into the space of another person.

This is how God has treated us. He has forgiven us in his Son, Jesus Christ. He knows our tears. He treats us with respect.

These are the qualities that make us look more like God than any others. As Birds of Paradise look like birds in flight, we Christians look like God when we imitate him.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Let's Take a Walk

Lepaterique, Honduras

There is an interesting dynamic between the speed at which we physically travel and the speed at which our lives move. The faster the means of travel, the faster life moves...at least that's my experience.

This vehicle is a taxi.  When I first visited Lepaterique eight years ago there were no taxis. Yes there were motorcycles like the one in the distance.  However, most people traveled on foot. Being much slower than a taxi, life slows down when we take time to walk.

Think about the things that upset us, all of which have to do with the speed of life.

• We're upset if someone drives slow in the left hand lane.
• We're upset if we have to park our car at the end of the parking lot.
• We're upset if our food takes more than five minutes to reach our table.

What's sadder than being upset about these facts is that we never ask ourselves the question why we're upset.

We need to learn to walk again.  The psalmist describes this walk in Psalm 119.

"I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways." Psalm 119:15 English Standard Version

You can't meditate on who God is when you're worried about where you're going and how quickly it takes to get there. Meditation takes place in the discomfort of time, when we think we need to be somewhere that we're not.

Meditation happens when we walk with God, when we become the disciples on the way to Emmaus. Those two disciples spend a great deal of time with Jesus as they walked. It was sacred time even if they didn't recognize Jesus.  It was sacred without the goal of getting to Emmaus on time or an hour early.

Why not slow life down a little today and take a walk with Jesus. Maybe you'll find the rest of your life slowing down as well.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Making Sense of the Mess

Lepaterique, Honduras

Whether we were visiting Tegucigalpa or Lepaterique, this was a common sight. I've had fishing line look like this power pole. It is hard to make heads or tails out of these electrical lines, some are even dangling toward the ground.

You might see your life reflected in this power pole. Energy flows from your life in many directions. Some of that energy is absorbed by family members. More energy is absorbed by your boss. And still more energy is absorbed by people you don't know; people who simply intrude on your time and space.

It's easy to feel drained of energy and life.

"I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 1:19-20 New Living Translation

That's a "powerful" verse. Our energy, strength and vitality flow from an external source. We will not find energy from some internal power source. Our energy comes from the One who was completely stripped of his power on the cross, but who was raised from death, never again to be divested of power.

Do you understand the implications? If the risen Christ is the source of our energy, that source will never be depleted!

Please don't misunderstand me. I'm not saying that you and I will never feel weak. What I'm saying is that in our weakness he is strong because he has conquered death.

Our life may continue to look like this power pole in Lepaterique, but the source of our energy will never run dry.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Surrounded by Light

Gulf of Alaska

Alaskan sunsets in June are amazing. To be honest with you, I don't remember the time that I took this pic but it was much later than what I'm use to. I'm sure that I fell asleep long before the light disappeared.

When you travel to Alaska the sun acts differently than in the lower 48. It's hard to tell the east from the west in Alaska because the sun doesn't appear to move from east to west but to circle you, especially in the summer.

What a picture of God's love.

"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11 English Standard Version

How frightening it must have been to travel at night when the Sons of Korah wrote this psalm; no street lights, no neon billboards to light the path. This image of God spoke to their fears.

There is still a darkness that we experience even though we can light the night sky as if it were day. The darkness of sin is real and causes us to be afraid of what others might do to us, or what we might do to them.

God is our Sun who always surrounds us with his kindness. He has chased away the darkness by experiencing complete darkness on the cross in Jesus Christ.

With God's daily presence surrounding us we live differently. Living in the light is not license to do or think whatever we want, but to live for him and him alone. Why? Because we need not fear the darkness any longer.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Getting Out of the Car

White Pass, Skagway, Alaska

"Nicodemus said to [Jesus], 

'How can a man be born when he is old? 

Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?' 

Jesus answered, 

'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water

 and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'"  

John 3:4-5 English Standard Version

This is my favorite picture from my trip on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad out of Skagway, Alaska, but you have to look closely to see why. The curved rail cars and track add some drama to the picture, the green grass adds color and the overcast sky adds mystery, but it is the people standing outside the railcars that fascinate me.

The best place for pictures of the mountains was on the railcar platforms as we made our way into Canada. You didn't see one platform without someone snapping pictures or enjoying the view.

We saw the same mountains, rivers and wildlife from inside the rail cars, but the tint of the glass dulled the view. The walls and the windows distanced us from the scenery.

What walls and windows keep you from fully experiencing the mercy of God in Christ? We all have them.

Nicodemus' understanding of how God works prevented him from comprehending what Jesus meant by being born again (or born from above as the Greek word also suggests). Our boxes, fashioned by our opinions, have a tendency to keep us from knowing what the Word says. "That can't be how God operates" is the force of Nicodemus' comments...and of ours.

God loved Nicodemus, and his Word changed Nicodemus. When all of Jesus disciples abandoned him at the cross, it was Nicodemus who buried Jesus' body, not agreeing with the ruling council that Jesus should be condemned to death.

God loves you, and his Word is changing you. His Word pulls you out of the railcar to experience his love in ways that are no longer distant from God. His Word creates intimacy with him through the power of forgiveness.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Odd Place to Stick a Sign

White Pass, Skagway, Alaska

There were two passes that stampeders used to reach the Klondike goldfields in the late 1890's: the 33 mile Chilkoot Pass and White Pass. Prospectors (called stampeders) were foot-to-foot on these passes as they strove to reach the goldfields. They made numerous trips over these passes carrying their supplies before ever reaching their stake.

White Pass, or the Trail of 98, became the preferred pass because horses were allowed to help carry supplies.  Horses would cut the time significantly for stampeders to reach the gold fields from Skagway.  However, this trail became obsolete in 1900 because of the completion of the White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad.

Because of the railroad the trail was abandoned and the sign now seems out of place.

How many people drive by our churches, see our signs and have the same feeling.  Has the church (small "c") become irrelevant, and if so, why?

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

When people look at the local gathering of Christians what do they see?  Might they see people fighting and bickering over insignificant issues?  Might they see power struggles?  Might they see the goal of institutional survival rather than reckless abandonment to the story of God?

The message of Christ crucified is as relevant today as ever.

The problems is not with the message.  The problems is with those who carry the message.  Fortunately God never gives up on the baptized.  Fortunately, empowered by forgiveness, God continues to inspire his people to be what he has called them to be.

So instead of seeing a sign posted on an empty trail, may people see a Church (capital "C") engaged and empowered by a message that is extremely relevant to people today.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

"Oh, No You Don't!"

Chico Basin Ranch, Colorado

Have you ever wondered what horses thinks when you peer at them in their corral? I got the feeling that this horse was saying to me, "Oh, no your don't. Don't even think about getting out a saddle and riding me! You'll find yourself eating dirt faster than you can say, 'Getty up!'"

We've probably given that same look to others.

"Oh, no you don't! You're not going to use me today!"

"Oh, no you don't! You don't get to ignore me today!"

"Oh, no you don't! I'll make you pay for it if you do!"

Sound familiar?

"Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another." 1 John 4:11 English Standard Version

There is a tension point in this verse.

We live in a constant tension between giving ourselves to others and not being used by them. Our goal in this tension is not to resolve it but to manage it. In other words, we going to face situation where we'll need to say, "Oh, no you don't," and other times when we say, "Take my cloak as well."

Living in that tension means living by grace. There will be times when we say, "Oh, no you don't" when we should have said, "Take my cloak as well," and vice versa.  We won't always get it right.

Fortunately, there is One who got it right for us. It is God, through Christ, who has loved us, and in that love set us free to express love even if we don't get it right all the time.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.

What's the Big Deal?

Chico Basin Ranch, Colorado

This is a simple picture. There is nothing spectacular about it. There's no chaos or calamity, and that's why I like it.

There is something wonderful about the ordinary, the simple, the mundane. Our lives are often so characterized by chaos and calamity that we desire a week, a day or even an hour of the ordinary, the simple, the mundane.

We desire peace.

"In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8 English Standard Version

God alone is our security and as such he alone is our peace. The problem is that we think the quiet life resides in what we do.

"If only I could get away to the mountains for a week, then I'd experience peace." "If only I could spend a couple hours wrapped in a blanket with a book, then I'd have peace." "If only I could take my camera for an evening stroll, then I'd find peace."

Though these activities might be good, they only bring temporary peace.  God invites us into his presence to experience lasting peace. We don't need to retreat to a mountain, get cozy with a book or walk the camera to experience peace. Our peace is in the One who makes us secure in his love, in the One who delights in us, in the One who has given everything for us.

Jesus Christ is our peace.  Jesus Christ is your peace.

He is your peace when you experience chaos.

He is your peace when you experience calamity.

So, what's the big deal if Christ is your peace?

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.

A Deadly Reminder

Chico Basin Ranch, Colorado

I couldn't miss this skull. It's bleached white color drew my attention. As I walked around the pond near the headquarters of Chico Basin Ranch there was other evidence of death.

Life and death are evident around all of us.

"If we live, we honor the Lord, and if we die, we honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord." Romans 14:8 God's Word to the Nations

We spend so much of time living in a way that denies death. Some of us avoid funerals because they remind us of our mortality. Some us use medical procedures in an attempt to fool death. Some us wear clothes that make us feel younger.

I'm not saying that it is morally wrong to wear clothes that make us feel younger, or to have medical procedures that make us look younger, or even to avoid funerals.

What Paul understood is that both in life and in death we belong to God. Death is a terrible intrusion into our lives, a constant reminder of the power of sin. Jesus has defeated death in his resurrection and through that resurrection he has made us his own.

We are set free to live in the midst of death.

We are set free to die in the midst of life.

Whether we live or whether we die we are the Lords.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.

Hope

Chico Basin Ranch, Colorado

Many people make the mountains of Colorado their vacation destination. They come in the winter for the world class skiing and in the summer for rafting, climbing and fishing. Many of these visitors come from our neighboring state of Kansas.

Please understand that I have nothing against Kansas. I've driven many miles through Kansas, traveling to visit my son who attended college in Oklahoma. However, when driving through Kansas and looking forward to a mountain retreat, it can seem like years before you reach the Rockies.

Then the first glimpse of Pike's Peak or Mt. Evans appears and there's hope. When these peaks first emerge there are still many miles to be traveled, but you can see your destination.

Hope is powerful.

"I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and with hope I wait for his word." Psalm 130:5 God's Word to the Nations

The mountain to which our hope looks is the word of God, yet it's hard to have hope when we don't hear that word. Think about how many hours in the day we're bombarded with words that don't flow from the mouth of God. These words influence our thoughts and behaviors, and following the words of the world we're left with little to no hope.

God's word of promise is always on the horizon, and it is this word that gives us hope. The word of promise is the word of forgiveness in the blood of Christ. This word of promise is the word that we're never abandoned by God. This word of promise is the word that we're going to see the Lamb who was slain for us.

The word of promise is the word of hope.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.

Shaken to the Core

Pikes Peak, Colorado

The drive to the top of Pikes Peak is one of the most beautiful drives you will ever take. There are opportunities to pull your car to the side and enjoy majestic vistas. This is one of those vistas before reaching the summit.

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling." Psalm 46:1-3 English Standard Version

I can't imagine Pikes Peak being "moved into the heart of the sea" but I have experienced a couple of minor earthquakes. One tremor lasted a couple of seconds. The other lasted longer, shaking me out of bed.

There is always the potential of a natural disaster intruding on our lives. Tornadoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes can change our lives in a moment, yet it doesn't take a natural disaster to impact our lives.

Our lives can be shaken as much by good things that happen to us as well as bad things. A new baby can shake us as much as the death of a spouse. A new job can turn our lives upside down as much as a foreclosure on our house.

In the good and the bad, God is our "very present help."

There are many things that will shake us to the core. Maybe you're facing such an event, good or bad.

Because of Christ, and the promise of his presence, you can face the fears of the future because Christ Jesus is your "refuge and strength" even as your world shakes around you.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Confidence for Living in the Great Unknown

Chico Basin Ranch, Colorado

Chico Basin Ranch takes me back to episodes of The Lone Ranger, The Rifleman and Big Valley. I can see cowboys riding their horses through this gate, home from a long day on the range.

I took this picture on Sunday as we gathered with friends celebrating the Confirmation of a very special young lady, a lady who knows her Bible better than most of us. We sat in chairs, told stories, caught up on each other's lives and did a lot of laughing.

My prayer partner, Dave, sat across from me. We've been meeting once a month for spiritual retreats for a while now.  I deeply value these get aways.

I saw Dave again Sunday night at 9:45 in the emergency room at one of our Colorado Springs hospitals. Though Dave is younger than I, he had suffered a stroke. He could talk but the words weren't coming the way he wanted. Early in the morning he was flown to Denver for surgery from which he is now recovering.

While in the emergency room, I took out my phone and pulled up my Bible app. I'm not sure what word I was searching on when Psalm 77 appeared. We read this psalm.

"Will the Lord spurn forever, and never again be favorable? Has his steadfast love forever ceased? Are his promises at an end for all time? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has he in anger shut up his compassion?" Psalm 77:7-9 English Standard Version

Sounds hopeless, doesn't it?  Sounds like some of our prayers.  However, the psalmist continues, "I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. Your way, O God, is holy. What god is great like our God?"  Psalm 77:11-13 English Standard Version

I don't know what God has in store for Dave. I don't know what God has in store for any of us, but I do know that even in the worst of times we can remember God's faithfulness and lean on this faithfulness into the great unknown of life.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.

Planting Seeds

Guayabal, Honduras

This young woman never stopped smiling.

When the children left the church building to hangout, play games and learn about Jesus from the rest of our team, this young woman stayed behind to listen my message.  She smiled the entire time.

Later that morning, I called for our translator, Pablo, because I wanted to tell this young woman how special her smile was. I told her that I thought God would use her smile to help someone else. She looked embarrassed, but as you would expect, she kept smiling.

I might not see this girl again.  I probably won't know how her smile affects others, but I couldn't pass up an opportunity to plant a seed.

"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth." 1 Corinthians 3:6 English Standard Version

God calls us to work hard at planting and watering seeds in the lives of others.  I'm certain that an opportunity will arise today for us to plant or water a seed.

We work hard at planting and watering the seed, but only God gives the growth.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.

Love Life

Colorado Springs, Colorado

I feel like an eagle in a chicken's body.

When I read the Scriptures I see the life that God intends for me to enjoy this side of eternity, but I find myself too often mired with the chickens.

"For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God." 1 Peter 1:23 New Living Translation

The life we have in Christ lasts for eternity. The problem is that too often we think this life begins when we're in the presence of Christ on his throne, but when I read the Scriptures like 1 Peter 1:23, I see that God intends for us to fly like eagles now.

Look at this picture. There are only two people in the balloon beginning their flight into the morning air. There are hundreds of people stuck on terra firma. Those two people saw the world differently than the rest of us.

We have been redeemed to fly with Christ even now. Our problems and struggles look differently when we fly with Christ.

In Christ this chicken can fly like an eagle.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.

The Infectious Nature of a Smile

Guayabal, Honduras

Thinking about the people of Guayabal brings a smile to my face.

Like many of the villages we visited, Guayabal is beautiful. Added to that beauty is the vegetable garden planted in front of the church. Even though it was March when I took this picture, beans, corn and other vegetables were growing. (I'm still a few weeks from planting anything in my garden.)

However, what causes me to smile more the the beauty of Guayabal are the smiles on the people of this village. It seemed to me that everyone was smiling.

"We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, 'What amazing things the LORD has done for them.'" Psalm 126:2 New Living Translation

Smiles are infectious. In high school I worked for a pole bean farmer. During the picking season I weighed the beans and dumped them into the tote that would carry them to the cannery. I saw the same pickers multiple times during the day and throughout the week. One picker asked me why I smiled all the time.

People notice when we smile. When our smile is rooted in the "amazing things the Lord has done" for us that smile runs deeper than simply having a nice day. I've seen this smile in the hospital and at the graveside. I've seen this smile on the face of the poor and the wealthy.

I believe the people of Guayabal understand this fact. That's why they keep smiling.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.

Moved by the Spirit

Near Lepaterique, Honduras

Tuesday was a busy day, and one thing that we've learned over the years is that when we visit Lepaterique we must be flexible. In fact, that is one of the things that we enjoy about our trips. Every year its and adventure.

We knew that we'd be visiting different villages around Lepaterique, but we didn't know how many. This year we set a record.  On Tuesday alone we visited four villages, and as you can tell from this picture, some of the villages didn't have curbside service for our bus.

Our visit to honduras is a reminder of how the Holy Spirit works.

"The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." John 3:8 English Standard Version

God's Spirit is more than the wind beneath our wings.  The Holy Spirit is the wind that directs our lives.  It is the Holy Spirit who constantly directs us back to the cross.  It is the Holy Spirit who directs us in our testimony to the love of God in the world around us.

Sometimes the Spirit leads us to places of comfort, and at other times it directs us to places of discomfort, to places that stretch our understanding of how God acts in the world.

The team was exhausted when we returned to Lepaterique that Tuesday evening. It would have been easy to retire to our rooms and catch some early sleep, but the Holy Spirit had another plan that night. As tired as we were, the Spirit directed us to a faithful community of believers whom we joined in worship.

That's what the Holy Spirit does.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.

The Gift of Growth

Lepaterique, Honduras

Meet Wilson, a young man that many on our team have watched grow up. Not only is he a university student studying to become a dentist, he is also in a leadership training program through Compassion International. God is doing a mighty work in and through Wilson.

However, his plan for the future is not the reason why I chose this picture. I selected this picture because he's the drummer for the worship band at Betesda; a good drummer.

Wilson, like the other members of the worship band, have been encouraged to make a joyful noise to the Lord by Pastor Omar. They've had to grow as musicians. They didn't simply pick up the sticks, strap on a guitar or place their fingers on the keyboard and play like a professional from the beginning.

There were times of frustration, setbacks and insight. That's how we learn to do something whether we have a gift or not.

That's the process of growth.

"Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation." 1 Peter 2:2 English Standard Version

We don't know everything there is to know about God the day he brings us to faith in his Son, Jesus Christ. There is a process of growth in all of us, a growth that continues until the day we die. This process involves frustrations, setbacks and new insights. That's how growth works.

May we long for the pure spiritual milk of God's grace that we continually grow into our salvation.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-2014 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.