Blogs for Christian Living

There’s been a trail that has taunted me for the past two summers.  It is almost always in the top listings for trails near Westcliffe on Alltrails.com when I’m looking for places to hike.  I’ve considered it many times but have hesitated because of the length (about 12 miles). It’s the Venable-Comanche Trail.  I’ve hiked portions of it before but not the entire loop. On the Venable side, I’ve been to Venable Falls a couple of times.  I’ve also been partway up the Comanche side. Today was the day to go all the way to Comanche Lake.  Really not a difficult hike (comparatively speaking), and Ginger, my 11 year-old dog,…

You may think that my hiking boots are worn out. Maybe you are right, but I think of them as well-conditioned.  I’ve walked a lot of miles in these boots in the past three years (yes, they are only 3 years old). They have been some of the most comfortable boots I’ve owned.  As I was hiking one day, I was thinking about the miles and process of getting to the point where I could hike to the high mountain lakes and not dread each and every next step and how that relates to our faith journey. My first hike wasn’t to the peaks of a twelve or thirteen thousand…

How we see things can be very different than how others see them.  Our perspective is influenced by many factors including where we are in life, our past experiences, and our beliefs.   We live in the Wet Mountain Valley which, while about 8,000 feet in elevation, is relatively flat and low compared to the mountains around us, many of which are above 12,000 feet.  What we see from the valley is vastly different from what we see when on the mountain.   Two views Take a look at the two pictures.  One is taken from our front deck at about 7,900 feet. The other is taken from about 10,700 feet up…

Feelings, feelings, feelings.  We all have them. Some have got that loving feeling.  Others have feelings of dread. We know when things don’t feel right and wonder how long the good feeling will last.  Feelings are all around us. How much influence should our feelings have on what we do? How do our feelings affect our faith? If it feels good In America we are told, “If it feels good, do it.”  Unfortunately, that can lead us down some very dangerous paths.  Doing something that feels good in the moment often has negative feelings and results in the afterglow.  Taking a look at a beautiful woman who is not our…

Have you ever hidden money in a secret place?  Maybe you have a stash to help save for an extravagant gift or vacation. Perhaps it’s more practical like an emergency fund. Clay Pots Last year,  I had the privilege of traveling to Israel. At one of our stops we viewed the Qumran cave where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. The scrolls were not being searched out when they were discovered. They remained hidden and preserved in clay pots until shepherds looking to determine how deep a hole was where a sheep had fallen.  When they dropped a rock to help determine the depth, the rock hit a clay pot…

Back in January we had a clear night to view the full lunar eclipse dubbed the “Super Blood Moon”.  It was a marvelous, though very cold, experience. Where we live, there are very few lights at night, in fact, our county is designated a “dark sky community”, so when we have full moons, it can be almost the equivalent of a cloudy daytime light.   As the moon was full and bright, we were able to watch as the shadow of the earth spread across the moon.  In less than an hour, we went from full brightness to seeing a red glow outlining the earth’s shadow. This event caused me…

During our trip to Bangladesh, we were privileged to attend a few of the youth meetings.  During one of these evenings, the participants were engaged in their Bible memory challenge.  Mark and I were both very impressed as several of the students stood and recited a portion of 1 Corinthians 13. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3 If I give away all I have, and if…

When we were church planters, we got used to covering a lot of bases.  There just weren’t a lot of people to delegate various responsibilities to in those early days.  We started with boots on the ground, no starter congregation, and no permanent building. In fact, when we planned our home basement finish out, we designed it to use as a place to hold church until we outgrew it. We planned and taught Bible studies, wrote and preached sermons, organized and executed the flow of music and the service, looked for appropriate children’s material, hosted community outreach, cared for the needs of those in the church with pastoral counseling, etc.…

Here in the mountains of Colorado we have a plant that, in my opinion, is an annoyance at best.  It is called Yucca. There are many variety of yucca, and while I have a personal bias against them, they can be beneficial and pretty in the opinions of some, so please don’t get bent out of shape for my disparaging one of God’s creations.  But much like the sound of its name, I think Yucca are rather yucky. As I have attempted to eradicate this plant from my yard, I’ve learned a few things. Guess what? There are spiritual principles to be applied.  (Please note that these observations are based…

They say there are three voices in our heads – our own, God’s, and Satan’s. If you’re anything like me, you may struggle to differentiate between the three. Fortunately, God has been teaching me dependence and the sound of His voice, specifically through an injury these past 7 months. Struggling to Hear God’s Voice I don’t know about you, but I regularly struggle to know I can hear God’s voice. I especially struggle when I am feeling afraid of the implications of something. Afraid to ask someone a question. Afraid to pray over a need mentioned in passing. Afraid to resign from a toxic job. But it’s a kind of…