Praying With the Eyes: February 2015

Saturday, February 28, 2015

Being True to Our Character

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"Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures." James 1:18 English Standard Version

These Pinot grapevines are within footsteps of my father-in-laws house. Since I visit him in the summer, not the fall, I have yet to see ripened grapes on these vines. Instead, what I find are very tiny, green bunches of immature grapes, yet there is the anticipation of what they will be.

James reminds us that we are the firstfruits of God's creation.

We were created last of everything that God called into existence. We are the best of his creation, and through our redemption in Christ, we are his chosen fruit.

The first grapes to ripen from these plants in Mt. Angel, Oregon will be crushed, fermented and bottled that others might enjoy the taste of the fine wine they produce.

And so we, the firstfruits of God's creation, add life to this world.

We're not intend to be bottled and stuck in a wine rack until someone blows the dust off and pulls the cork. As the firstfruits of God's making, we are poured into the world to change our world.

We are true to God when we live as God's firstfruits.

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You can listen to the Praying With the Eyes broadcast on The iB Network Internet radio station every Sunday at 8:00 & 11:30 am, as well as, 1:00 & 8:00 pm MST (www.ibnetwork.us). You can also listen to the show using the Tunin app on your mobile device.

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Friday, February 27, 2015

Being True in Our Thoughts

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"Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Peter 1:13 English Standard Version

What we perceive with our senses is usually what captures our thoughts. There is an interplay between what we perceive and what we contemplate. This contemplative activity might be too much for us, so we escape our thoughts by vegging out before our televisions, computer screens or smart phones.

However, contemplating the cross will radically change how we live.

Pondering the cross prepares our minds for action. Jesus' sacrifice on the cross is God's love in action. We might think of the Jesus' death in passive terms. Yes, he was crucified by others, but only because he actively allowed it to happen. Viewing the cross is a call to action.

Pondering the cross makes us think twice about the direction of our lives. There is a heightened level of sobriety that surges through our minds when we consider the extent of Jesus' love for us expressed in the horror of the cross. His love causes us to contemplate how we express our love to others.

Pondering the cross produces hope. There seems to be little in which we find hope in this world, yet staring at the cross we see that life is not hopeless. The cross is empty. Jesus has risen. He has promised us life.

Contemplating the cross is part of what it means for us to be true to God.

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Thursday, February 26, 2015

Being True to Our Baptism

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"For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." Galatians 3:27 English Standard Version

It stinks that conversations about baptism divide Christians. Should we baptize babies or shouldn't we? Can you sprinkle people with water or must they be immersed? In these debates we lose the significance of Paul's words to the Galatians. In baptism we wear new clothes.

So much of our identity is caught up in what we wear. I wore button on suspenders, logging pants and flannel shirts in high school as my rebellion against the "cool" kids (remember, I'm 58).

Clothes speak volumes about a person's social status. All of us have judged people by what they wear, and have determined whether this is a person I want to associate with or not based on their appearance.

The beauty of our baptism into Christ is that it doesn't matter what we wear on the outside, our true clothing is that of Jesus Christ. We wear his death and his life. In Romans 6 Paul reminds us that we are buried with Christ in baptism and then raised to a new way of living.

Baptism marks us as a child of God through the merits of Christ. And with this new clothing we venture out into life, exploring what it means to wear this new clothing.

We're being true to God when we wear our baptismal garments.

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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Being True to God

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"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

Our world seems to be in the throes of an identity crisis, if not the world, at least our nation. We don't know who we are.

This identity crisis in the world is reflected in the Christian community. We also don't know who we are. For too many years churches have tried to copy "successful" churches, that is, congregations that are growing faster than ours is. That process has created an identity crisis for the saints of God.

What we see happening in the church is also happening in our individual lives. We are bombard by messages that tell us that to be successful in life we need to be like the famous people, those who have money and popularity. We become confused as to what it means to be true to ourselves.

Peter reminds us that our identity is found in our new birth. Through this new birth we are given a new name. We are called the children of God. That's our true identity.

Knowing our identity gives us the freedom to explore what it means to be called children of God. When people don't know their identity their energy is expended in discovering that identity to the point they can never explore who they really are.

Through Christ and his mercy for us on the cross, we have the joy of exploring our identity in God. This discovery of our identity is not about being true to ourselves. It is about being true to God, the one who has declared us to be his children.

The picture of this fast flowing stream reminds us that discovering who we are in Christ brings life. This is a living stream just as we are alive in Christ. We are alive to explore this amazing love that God has for us.

The joy of this week's journey is the joy of being true to God in this process of reclaiming our true identity.

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Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Nails in God's Hand

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"Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last." Luke 23:46 English Standard Version

Many of us aren't comfortable with a crucifix. We've been told that the cross should be empty as a symbol of the resurrection. However, Jesus had to die on that cross for it to be emptied of his body.

Jesus' hands were firmly attached to this cross. He died with these hands fastened to the tree, yet before he dies he commits himself into his Father's hands. The only way for Jesus to be free of the cross was to die. He had nowhere to go and no one to whom he could look to save him from death. With his last breath he commits his spirit to the Father.

These nails pierced the hands of God.

Because of Jesus' nails we can commit ourselves into the hands of our loving Father. Through Jesus we can be assured that God will not turn his back on us. The Forsaken one guarantees that we will never be forsaken by God.

We will never be disowned by God because of the nails that pierced Jesus' hands.

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You can listen to the Praying With the Eyes broadcast at the ib network on Sundays at 8:00 am, 11:30 am, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm MST (www.ibnetwork.us). You can also listen to the show on the ib network on Tunin Radio.

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Monday, February 23, 2015

Healing in God's Hands

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"Christ carried our sins in his body on the cross so that freed from our sins, we could live a life that has God's approval. His wounds have healed you." 1 Peter 2:24 God's Word to the Nations

How many times did you mom kiss your owies? That's what moms do when we hurt, and nine times out of ten, the owies felt better after her kiss, right?

Life seems to be a series of owies for many of us. We think that we've survived or heal from one problem only to find ourselves bleeding from another. These owies come in all sorts of forms. Our bodies are wounded, our spirits are wounded, and our souls are wounded.

Who kisses these owies?

The greatest owie that any human creature experienced was Jesus. There were other people who had been crucified, probably some who suffered a greater physical pain than Jesus, yet his owie reached not only his body, but his spirit and soul.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

In the forsakenness of the cross, we experience God kissing our deepest owie, God healing our broken sinful condition. Healing at the depth of our spirit and soul is in the hands of God, a God whose hands were pierced on a cross for us.

Healing is in the hands of God.

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You can listen to the Praying With the Eyes broadcast at the ib network on Sundays at 8:00 am, 11:30 am, 1:00 pm and 8:30 pm MST (www.ibnetwork.us). You can also listen to the show on the ib network on Tunin Radio.

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Sunday, February 22, 2015

Creatures in God's Hands

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"Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created." James 1:16-18 New International Version

We are creations of God, but do we understand how powerful that statement is?

We are bombard by messages that make us out to be much less than creatures in God's hands. However, as difficult as it may be to comprehend, we are creatures of God. We are creatures in the hands of God.

The girl in this picture is entrusting herself to someone much bigger than she is. There is an implied expectation that this bigger and stronger man will protect her and lead her to where she is traveling.

Our hand firmly grasps the hand of the one who made us because he is the one who has reached down and seized us. There is an implied expectation that God will guide us on this journey through life, even when it seems that we're only grasping air.

This expectation is rooted in God's promise through his Son, Jesus Christ, who declared to his disciples that he would be with us, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:20).

Yes, we are creatures in the hands of our gracious God.

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Saturday, February 21, 2015

Creation in God's Hands

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"Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands." Psalm 102:25 New Living Translation

The Word of God is powerful. It creates the heavens and the earth. It redeems our lives. Yet the psalmist who wrote these words speaks of God using his hands in the act of creating.

The Scriptures use language that we can understand, language that paints a picture in our minds. We know that God is spirit (John 4:24), but in this poem the psalmist pictures God with hands, hands that make the heavens, hands that lay the foundation of the world.

Creation itself is in the hands of God.

We have a tendency to mess up God's creation when it is in our hands. This is not a political statement, but a theological observation. It seems that there are always consequences for creation when we try to play God with it.

Yes, God created this world for us, the crown of his creation, but we forget about sin. Sin separates us from God and it separates us from his creation. The ability of creation to heal from the damage done by our sin is testimony to the power of redemption.

God's redeeming hand is evidenced in the world. It is evidenced through us who are the redeemed children of God through Christ our Lord. As the redeemed of God we ought to see creation differently than before we knew Christ.

We now see creation in the hands of God, and seeing creation in God's hands means we treat it as a gift not as something to be exploited, for creation itself reflects the nature of God who laid her foundations.

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Friday, February 20, 2015

Joy in God's Hands

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"You thrill me, LORD, with all you have done for me! I sing for joy because of what you have done." Psalm 92:4 New Living Translation

I can't stop smiling when I see this picture of my grandson, Eli. It was taken at his birthday party. It was a beautiful July day in Loveland, Colorado. He swung his new golf clubs, cast his new fishing line, and enjoyed his candle adorned cupcake.

What fills your life with joy?

That is a hard question for me to answer. I've recently purchase a new lens for my camera. I did my research and found a lens that fits my budget and gives me a focal length that I didn't have among my other lenses, but does it give me joy?

I'm happy, but the lens doesn't cause joy to swell in my heart.

There is this illusion that joy is the same thing as happiness, and therefore we can produce joy when we strive to be happy.

Yet, as I written before, the two words have different meanings. I am happy when things go well in my life and sad when they don't. Joy, on the other hand, doesn't depend on my circumstances. In the Greek language both joy and grace come from the same root. Joy is connect to grace. Grace is connected to Joy.

Joy is in God's hands. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End of joy. Joy is ours when we celebrate birthdays and when we gather at cemeteries. Joy comes a God who loves us so much that would not hold back his Son from a cross. His deepest grief is our source of joy.

It's okay to be happy, to smile, to laugh, and better yet is to be filled with joy.

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Thursday, February 19, 2015

Resting in God's Hands

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"Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:29 English Standard Version

It's easy to feel alone in world that treats us like cattle heading to slaughter. We're the meat that someone else consumes. We're the step to our boss's next promotion. We're the gum stuck to a stranger's shoe.

Sometimes we need an arm around our shoulders assuring us that we're not alone.

When life is in God's hands, we find rest for our souls. Not only do we find rest in his hands but it is also his arm that we find gently laid upon our shoulders. He doesn't regard us as gum, a step, or meat. He knows us by name. He is our Father. We are his children. It is in God's heart to place an arm around our shoulders.

It is in God that we find comfort. It is in his Son, Jesus Christ, that we find rest for our souls.

Life is better in God's hands.

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Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Life Is Better in God's Hands

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"To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. 'He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.' When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly." 1 Peter 2:21 New International Version

It's Ash Wednesday, and so begins our Lenten journey.

In Lent we come face-to-face with two competing drives within us. We are driven to take life into our own hands and create our own destiny, and we are driven by the power of the Holy Spirit into the hands of our God.

The picture of this mother cradling her daughter is wonderful image of what it means to be entrusted into the hands of God. This child has no worries, no concerns. She sleeps calmly in her mother's arms because she knows that mom is caring for her.

God wraps us with his love and holds us close to his heart. So, why do we think life is better when were in charge of our lives? This journey of Lent is the journey inward to see what life is truly like when it is in our hands.

Life in our hands is chaotic.

Life in our hands is a meaningless.

Life in our hands is death.

As this mother brought life to her daughter, so God gives us life. Ash Wednesday is not merely a journey inward, it is also a journey upwards. It is a journey to the cross where in the abandonment of the cross we find the loving arms of God wrapping us in the gift of forgiveness, and with that gift of forgiveness comes life and salvation.

In his suffering, Jesus entrusted himself into his Father's hands. On our life's journey we are entrusted into those same hands. And yes, life is better in God's hands.

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Tuesday, February 17, 2015

"Lean on Me"

Ute Park, Colorado Springs, Colorado

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You've got to believe that life is easier for this tree than others nearby. When a strong and bitter north wind blows, this tree is anchored against the rock.

It's difficult to stand alone, yet so often that is the choice we make. And, ironically, that choice makes life more difficult.

We don't have to stand alone.

"And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you." Psalm 9:10 English Standard Version

Granted there are people that we can trust; people who have been there for us when times were tough. Yet even the strongest person we know cannot hold us like the Lord.

When the strong and bitter north winds of life kick in, God is there for you. He will not abandon you.

Faith leans into God.

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Monday, February 16, 2015

Written in His Heart

Ute Park, Colorado Springs, Colorado

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My gut tells me that it was "Ryan" who chiseled his and Alysia's names on this rock in Ute Park. Who knows how long it has been there. It looks like it has weathered a few winters.

It's quite possible that Alysia and Ryan broke up soon after they wrote their names or maybe they're married with children. Unless something dramatic happens, their names will remain in Ute Park for years.

"You are to put the two stones on the shoulders of the ephod, stones of memorial for the sons of Israel, and Aaron will bear their names before the LORD on his two shoulders for a memorial." Exodus 28:12 New English Translation

Two onyx stones were engraved with the names of the sons of Israel. These stones were then attached to the shoulders of the ephod. God would remember the names of the children of Israel through the priest who wore the ephod. He could not forget his people. Their names were etched in stone.

What an amazing picture of God's love for his people. You are a child of God, only your name has not been written on stone it has been written on the heart of God. He will always remember you.

Israel faced some pretty tough days after God gave this command to Moses. There were days that they rebelled, days that they were attacked and days that they basked in the glory of God. God remembered his people. God remembers you no matter what you're facing. Your name is written in his heart.

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Sunday, February 15, 2015

The Straight and Narrow

Old Knik River Bridge Near Palmer, Alaska

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Have you noticed how hard it is to walk a straight line? We tend to walk in circles. We veer one way or the other. We run into each other when we're walking side-by-side.

We need help to walk the straight line like that offered by the yellow divider on this abandoned bridge in Alaska.

"All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work" 2 Timothy 3:16-17 New Living Translation

What we wrestle with most in this quote is the phrase, "All Scripture"; not "a portion of", not "in general all Scripture," but "all Scripture"; period. Paul doesn't allow for wandering off of the yellow line.

Yet we hear the serpent's voice in our ears, "did God really say..." and we begin the process of rationalization. All of us do it. It's in our DNA. And it doesn't take long and we have wandered off God's path.

It's easy to lose hope, isn't it? That is, until we remember that there is the One who has walked the yellow line for us; every bit of it, who sets us free. There is One who not only believed that every word of Scripture was God breathed he lived it perfectly. It is the same One who died on a cross, was buried in the grave and rose in victory over death.

So don't lose heart. Yes in our fumbling, bumbling way we stumble along God's path for our lives laid out for us in the God breathed Scriptures but we do so under the canopy of his grace.

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Saturday, February 14, 2015

"Why Me! Why This! Why Now!"

Lutheran Valley Retreat, Colorado

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The Hayman fire was the largest forest fire in Colorado history. Lutheran Valley Retreat and Ranch stands in the middle of the devastation. An amazing view of the destruction of this fire is seen from Cedar Mountain, a climb that many of us have made both before and after the fire.

There are areas where the fire took no prisoners and other areas where the forest looks like it did before this travesty. What amazes me in this picture is how the fire consumed the land all around this stand of pine trees yet they remain untouched.

Isn't that the way suffering works? It makes no sense.

"The LORD responded to Job, 'Will the person who finds fault with the Almighty correct him? Will the person who argues with God answer him?' Job answered the LORD, 'I'm so insignificant. How can I answer you? I will put my hand over my mouth.'" Job 40:1-3 English Standard Version

Doesn't pain require a Job like response to God? Most people I know never receive an answer to the "why" questions of suffering.

In the midst of pain, God calls us to experience grace. His answer often is, "I'll be God. You be you. Trust me." That answer might not satisfy us (it doesn't have to) but it is a call to faith when faith doesn't make sense.

For those of you who are suffering today (physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually) I don't have answers for your suffering other than going to a cross of suffering and an empty tomb of hope and trust God.

Yes, God can be trusted even when you suffer.

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Friday, February 13, 2015

Hope in Silence

Ketchikan, Alaska

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Why do we feel that we need to fill every moment of silence with noise? The first thing we do when we sit in our car is turn on the radio, CD or iPhone. When we take a stroll we plug in our ear buds and listen to Taylor Swift, tobyMac or Eric Clapton rather than God's creatures. Our televisions blare away even when we're in another room. We don't like silence.

Yet the psalmist calls us to discover hope in silence.

"For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him." Psalm 62:5 English Standard Version

Silence causes us to reflect on what is important, yet for some reason we equate noise with doing something significant. The hammer blow, the pounding of computer keys and the racing of a car engine means that we are engaged in something important, right?

The psalmist calls us to find hope in silence; in silently waiting for the Lord. Could it be that we hear God better when we're engaged in silence? Is it possible that his Word penetrates the core of our being when we're not making a lot of noise.

As I'm typing this blog it's ironic that I have music playing in the background. I don't like silence. So guess what? As I finish writing, I'm turning off the music. Now, as I hear the silence, will I hear the voice of God?

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Thursday, February 12, 2015

Hope for the Lost

Mt. Sherman, Colorado

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You'd think that it would be easy to reach the summit of a 14er; just keep climbing and when you can't climb any higher you've reached the summit. That sounds good but it isn't that easy. In fact, when everything looks the same, as it does above timberline, it's easy to get lost and disoriented.

Rock cairns like these keep you pointed in the right direction.

"Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105 New Living Translation

Life shouldn't be hard, right? Just keep climbing. The problem is that sin points us in the wrong direction and eventually we find ourselves trapped. We'd like to believe that we don't need help to live, but such is not the case. Every time we try to play god we end up in the wrong place.

And given the fact that we end up in the wrong place we can (and probably will) do the wrong thing. So instead of reaching the summit we end up in the pit of despair or some other place of desperation. We'd love to blame God for our problems, but in reality we ignored the "cairns" of his Word. He doesn't force us to follow his path. He invites us.

The good news? There is no better search and rescue team than God's Spirit. And there's no pit so deep that the cross of Christ can't reach.

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Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Countdown to Glory

Colorado Springs, Colorado

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"10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3...2...1 Glow!" or something to that effect is yelled by the Balloon Glow faithful and then in unison the pilots blast their burners. The sound is as impressive as the view.

In between countdowns individual pilots will release their burners to keep their balloons filled with hot air. The view and the sound are not as impressive as when the pilots work in unison.

"See how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in harmony!" Psalm 133:1 God's Word to the Nations

To often the Christian community resembles the individual firing of a balloon's burner, each of us drawing attention to ourselves but not accomplishing much. It's easier to work this way; less "muddy," but it is not the best way.

The oohs and aahs occur when the balloons fire together. The same is true of Christ's body. Christians make a difference when they're firing together. Christian congregations impact their communities when they live in unison with each other.

Imagine what will happen when the world sees us glow in unison with Christ's love.

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Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Reflecting the light

Colorado Springs, Colorado

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What a difference a blast of flames makes on the faces of those close to the light.

I have only been to the evening balloon glow once in the fifteen years that I've lived in Colorado Springs. Memorial Park is shrouded in darkness and then, with a propane blast, the night sky lights ups.

It is easy to become spellbound by the light.

"When Moses came down Mount Sinai carrying the two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn't aware that his face had become radiant because he had spoken to the LORD." Exodus 34:29 New Living Translation

Like the people gathered around this glowing balloon, Moses didn't even know that his face reflected the glory of God. Isn't that the way it is for you and me when we've been in the presence of God?

There are times that we can't stay out of his light. We're mesmerized by the glory of God's love for us in Jesus. People can see it in us even when we're not aware of it.

That's what happens when you're close to the light.

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Monday, February 9, 2015

The Ultimate Cowboy

Colorado Springs, Colorado

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I grew up in the west but I didn't live in the cowboy west. I do now. This is the land the Lone Ranger roamed. A couple years back I purchased a cowboy hat and boots. Now I'm ready to head out to Chico Basin Ranch and help the Moons round up the little doggies...NOT!

This picture is of a hot air balloon glowing in a night blast of propane at Memorial Park in Colorado Springs. This horse looks more frightening at night than in the morning light when it will be launched into the thin air of the eastern high plains.

"I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war." Revelation 19:11 New International Version

So often we picture the gentle Jesus, and rightly we should, but there is another picture of Jesus, the "cowboy" Jesus who rides his mighty steed to work justice.

Though we don't see it now, a time is coming when the One who is Faithful and True will ride back into history and justice will become a reality. Sin, Satan and death will be trampled under the hooves of the Rider and his horse.

Come quickly, Lord Jesus.

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Sunday, February 8, 2015

Seeing the Light

Palmer Park, Colorado Springs, Colorado

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Seeing our way through this world can be quite difficult. It can look much like this tangled mess of scrub oak branches.

God calls us in a direction that seems so clear and then we get lost in the stuff of life. We get caught in the tangled mess. The will of God that seemed obvious to us now appears obscured in the darkness.

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone." Isaiah 9:2 English Standard Version

Isaiah spoke to a people who understood the darkness. They had been walking in it for quite sometime. Their darkness looked like wooden sticks and stones made to symbolize the local gods who controlled the harvest. In the tangled mess of idolatry they lost their way.

Isaiah still speaks to a people who understand the darkness. We might not follow gods made of stone and wood. Our idols are made of computer chips and electronic circuits. In technology we trust, and in the tangled mess of our "advanced" culture we lose our way.

God's light still shines for those of us who feel that we have lost our way. He reaches down and shines the light of his love into our day-to-day existence so that we might know the gift of his great light at work among us.

When you stare at today's picture the light draws you past the darkness. The light of God's love in Jesus draws us past the darkness of our tangled lives into his presence.

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Saturday, February 7, 2015

The Magic Hour

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

There is something magical about sunrises and sunsets. Photographers often refer to the light of both as the magic hours.

"From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the LORD is to be praised!" Psalm 113:3 English Standard Version

I have often been privileged to be with a families as their loved ones die. This is one of the greatest joys of being a pastor, walking with the saints of God, and their families, as they die. Yes there are tears. Yes there is pain beyond pain, but there is also joy. There is laughter and stories.

There is life in the face of death because of Jesus' death and his risen life.

A year ago I visited a man in hospice care. Only once were we able to carry on a conversation. We talked about his faith, his hopes and his pain of saying goodbye. We shared Scripture. We prayed. Earlier he had received Communion. The sun was setting but the name of the Lord was praised.

Shortly after this man died, our grandson, Nolan, was baptized into Christ. We celebrated Nolan's new birth Febraury 9, 2014. The sun rose on our grandson and the name of the Lord was praised.

But here's the point: Yes beginnings and endings have a special quality to them, yet it's what happens in the intervening years that matters most.

God receives our praise not only at birth and death but also in the daily grind of the in between time.

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Friday, February 6, 2015

The Proving Ground of Pain

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Click this link to listen to the audio version of this devotion. SoundCloud

Harsh climates produce amazing works of art.

This is one gnarly tree, but it's alive. This tree adds character to the Garden of the Gods. Its mettle is the result of seeing difficult days. These painful moments have produced this work of art.

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow." James 1:2 New Living Translation

Most of us want a pain free life.

We don't pray for cancer. We don't pray to lose our jobs. We don't pray for our marriage to end. These "troubles" come without our prayer. They are a part of our human experience and a reminder of the impact of sin's presence in our lives.

The power of grace is to turn our struggles, pains and heartaches into a work of art.

God works through the various struggles and trials of your life. It is difficult to see grace, let alone experience it, when we're smack-dab in the middle of the painful experience. James encourages us not only to endure these trials but to "consider it an opportunity for great joy" when we encounter them.

This is the joy of Christ who endured his cross because of the joy that was ahead of him. (Hebrews 12:2) What was that joy? Christ knew that through his suffering and death you would become a child of God, his sister, his brother.

You don't need to pray for trials. They come without your prayer, yet know that through these trials God works to make you a beautiful work of art that reflects his grace.

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Thursday, February 5, 2015

Firmer Than the Hills

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Click this link to listen to the audio version of this devotion. SoundCloud

One of the first places that my family and I visited when we moved to Colorado Springs was the Garden of the Gods. That was fifteen years ago.

I haven't seen a great deal of change in the Garden since I've lived here. The only change I've noticed is erosion of some of the trails after recent torrential rains. The rock formations looked the same.

However, throughout the park there is evidence that change has taken place, and will continue.

"'For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you, and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,' says the LORD, who has compassion on you." Isaiah 54:10 English Standard Version

We struggle with change. We don't like change. We resist change, yet change is inevitable.

Though change is difficult, we cannot resist the fact that we change and the world around us changes. The house doesn't look the same as it did twenty years ago nor do the people who inhabit it. We move a little slower, think a little slower and react a little slower.

It's difficult for us to think of anything that doesn't change, and yet that's what Isaiah declares. Isaiah reminds Israel that God's steadfast love never changes and his covenant of peace never changes.

This message is for you as well.

God's steadfast love and covenant of peace will never change even when life seems to be eroding around you. How can you be sure that God's love and peace will never change? The proof is in the message. The message of Christ crucified never changes.

He is God's love for you. He is God's peace for you. That will never change.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-14 Douglas P. Brauner. ARR

Wednesday, February 4, 2015

Staying the Course

Garden of the Gods, Colorado Springs, Colorado

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I'm not against straying off the path to explore new territory, but doing so can be dangerous. The biggest danger is getting lost, especially if you don't have a map and don't know the territory.

"My steps have held fast to your paths; my feet have not slipped." Psalm 17:5 English Standard Version

King David was in danger when he sang this prayer to God. We don't know the circumstances or if he is referring to an event recorded for us in the narrative of his life. Whatever the situation, David's life is threatened.

At the time of this danger, David claims that he has kept his feet on God's path and as a result he has not slipped.

It's easy to stray from God's path when we sense that our lives are in some kind of danger. Maybe we believe that God is too slow to come to our rescue. Maybe we believe that God only helps those who help themselves. Maybe we believe that God is incapable of hiding us in the shadow of his wings when we face dangers.

David knew what we know: In difficult situations it is always best to keep our feet on the path of God's Word. It's not easy keeping our feet on God's path when facing danger, but it is best.

It is Christ who is the fulfillment of David's prayer. We know that David would stray, but Jesus never did. His feet walked the road leading to his cross. The power for us to walk on God's path for life is a gift from the one who walked to his death and resurrection for us.

We will face dangers. In those dangerous situations may we keep our feet on God's path and trust in his power to rescue us.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-14 Douglas P. Brauner. ARR

Tuesday, February 3, 2015

The Big Picture

Mt Sherman, Colorado

I took this panorama after climbing Mount Sherman, one of Colorado's 53 mountains over 14,000 ft in elevation. Turning around, I had to see what we had climbed. We had decided to park our car at the old Leavick Mill sight instead of the gate near the Dauntless Mine which added 5.5 extra miles to the hike. As exhausted as I was, the look back was spectacular.

It's easy to see life in segments and forget the big picture. We look back over the past and we get caught up in times of struggle and pain, as if those moments define our entire life. Yes, those times of struggle are a part of who we are but they are not the whole picture. We cannot forget those moments of grace.

"But God's kindness made me what I am, and that kindness was not wasted on me. Instead, I worked harder than all the others. It was not I who did it, but God's kindness was with me." 1 Corinthians 15:10 God's Word to the Nations

On Mount Sherman there were times of beautiful vistas and times of exhaustion; times I wanted to keep climbing and times I wanted to turn back; times when I was accompanied by my sons and times when I was alone; times of joy and times of pain.

We continue to climb the mountain on which God has placed us. There will be times when we want to stop climbing and others where we can't wait to see what is coming next, yet no matter where we are on the journey, God fills the climbed with his grace.

Don't forget to see the big picture!

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

Monday, February 2, 2015

A Never Ending Source of Wealth

Hilltop Mine, Mt. Sherman, Colorado

It's hard to believe that in 1888 over $600,000 worth of silver came out of the Hilltop Mine. In today's dollars that would be somewhere around $9 million.

Miners probably thought the silver would flow forever and profits never cease. Such was not the case. The price of silver crashed in 1893 and brought a halt to silver mining.

"He will be the foundation of your future. The riches of salvation are wisdom and knowledge. The fear of the LORD is your treasure." Isaiah 33:6 God's Word for the Nations

Though all of us look for something tangible to give our lives substance, they will all disappear like silver from the Hilltop Mine. What will never run dry is the treasure of God's love for us. So why do we still hold on to stuff that really doesn't matter?

I have all the stuff I need in my life; my "silver." Our basement is filled with stuff that I might have used at one time but no longer do. It sits there collecting dust and if it were gone tomorrow I wouldn't miss it.

However, if I didn't have God's love in Christ sustaining me, I would posses nothing of substance.

When life takes everything away from us, we will always have treasure in Christ.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2012-14 Douglas P. Brauner. ARR

Sunday, February 1, 2015

Summited! Now What?

Mt. Sherman, Colorado

I'll bet you were expecting more from this picture; a grand vista or a awe-inspiring panorama. Sorry. Just a picture of a marker letting you know that my sons and I reached the 14,036 foot summit of Mt. Sherman.

Don't get me wrong. There was a great sense of accomplishment in making it to the top. Yet aren't there times when summits seem anticlimactic, times when we reach our goal and we're left wanting more?

"What strength do I have left that I can go on hoping? What goal do I have that I would want to prolong my life?" Job 6:11 God's Word to the Nations

When some of us have reached our goals we wonder what we've actually accomplished. There is this feeling of, "so that's all there is, a stick in the ground? This isn't what I expected." And we lose our strength to hope. We might feel more like Job than Sir Edmund Hillary, one of two men to first summit Mt. Everest.

Standing on top of Mount Sherman is more than a personal victory as if I was checking something off my bucket list. For me, the beauty of the summit was seeing not what I had accomplished but the majesty of creation over which God said, "It is very good."

You don't have to climb a mountain to see the handy work of God. I invite you to view life from another summit by looking into the eyes of the person staring back at you in the mirror. What you will see is a person for whom Christ died and through his death has declared good.

What a view!

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