Coming to the Still Waters

  It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas inside and outside in Colorado.  It has been fun hunting through the storage closets and finding more treasures to put out in the sanctuary, foyer and fellowship hall.  Hopefully this Advent season will be a memorable one for us as we share it with another part of God's family.  Most of the decorations are up but don't worry we haven't started singing Christmas carols yet.   The hiking has subsided (ugh) so I am getting my exercise pushing snow.  The bike is in for the season too.  Maybe I will take a hike to town and back now and then to keep my hiking legs.   Matthew introduces himself into the life of Christ in the passage this week.  He tells you who and where he was; where and when Jesus came into the picture of his life; and what he is doing now.  This is a classic testimony for all of us.  You share who you were before; when Jesus came into view; and who you are now.  The story could be shared like this for Matthew. I wa

  See all those squiggly black lines and circles?  That is where I have been this past summer and a few places beyond the edges of the map.  It has been such an adventure to follow these trails all through the western part of the Rocky Mountain National Park, the Arapaho National Forest, the Never Summer Range and the Indian Peaks Range.  I'm always pushing myself to see what is around the next bend or over the next rise.  New discoveries seem to enrich my soul and that is true of God's word too.  Just like some of these trails I will hike again next year, God's word has been the book of my life and some passages have been gone over again and again with new discoveries around each bend and over each rise.  This passage was no different.  At the end of the passage, the consensus of the people was that Jesus was still just a man.  He was a man being used by God and could do some pretty phenomenal things but He was still just a man.  They based this on what they saw .  The par

See the tree line in the distance.  Yup, I came from there to this point and beyond before heading back.  I spent a good hour on this rock field and that evening I realized I'm a 60 year old man.  It took a couple days for my legs to fuly recuperate from this excursion.  Being in the middle of this rock field that I would estimate at 100 acres makes you feel small and especially with the mountains towering over you.  I didn't make it to my destination on this day but maybe that was the point. Jesus gets a different response in this passage and maybe that is the point.  What was probably expected by His disciples was the whole town giving Jesus the key to the city but what happened was a polite ask to leave the region.  They picked the pigs over the people and it was turned out to be a short stay on the " other side " of the Sea of Galilee.  "Back in the boat boys.  Our work here is done."  "But Jesus, we just got here.  Didn't those people just see

  The first snow has hit our little town and church at 8400 ft.  I'm documenting this event for years to come.  Really this blog for the last 14 years and nearly 2000 entries and my facebook page have been documenting places for my life moments and the life of the churches I have been apart of.  It has been a spot to think again of the sermon I just preached and also thoughts along the way now on the trails of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.   I could not go much further without telling you that we have a new sister of the kingdom of God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the faithful ministry of the Stillwater Community Chapel sharing His gospel.  Please pray for this dear sister as she starts her walk with Jesus.  I am so thankful for those of the church family here who were part of this surrender to Christ.  A miracle happened at SCC last week.  Praise the Lord! The healings and miracles of Jesus point to His authority and also His place as the Messiah that

  Which way to go?  On that day I headed to Watanga Lake.  Next year I plan on continuing up the Roaring Forks trail to a couple alpine lakes over the pass.  The lake was beautiful and the effort was worth it to have lunch in such a beautiful setting.  It was a good choice.  Here is what I think is my best picture of the lake and also another picture of Twin Peaks, a majestic mountain viewed on this trail. In our passage we see someone, a centurion, take a different path than previously with the leper.  The leper was cleansed but he did not follow Jesus' instructions to go show himself to the priest and be a witness that Someone great has come.  The centurion does go at Jesus' command and heads home to find his servant healed just as Jesus said.  One went one way and one went the other.  We don't want to be too hard on the leper but it does show that the healings and miracles given to us in the word of God always have another truth that we are to see and learn. The physical

  Getting to the destination is the goal.  I set a goal not knowing if I will make it there in the time limit I have set but last week I did.  This crossing of Hallett Creek is 9 miles up the North Inlet Trail.  It is at the curve when you cross over to another mountain so you can see the trail on the other mountain as you are nearing this spot.  At this point I have been following the creek for awhile and wondering what kind of crossing it would have.  Would I be stepping on rocks to get across or would there be a wooden log or bridge?  What I found was a wide wooden log but it was cracked in half forming a "v" .  It was plenty sufficient and lunch never tasted better after 4 hours of hiking.   When we open up the Bible and read of the life of Jesus sometimes we don't know where the destination will take us.  Today was the cleansing of the leper after coming down the mountain where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount.  There were great multitudes following Him so th

  A rock along the East Shore Trail up to Shadow Mountain Fire Tower.  Someone took the time to place a little encouragement along this 1500 elevation gain trail.  The sun was out and the trees were brilliant, especially against the green of the pines.  We were hot and tired when we got back to the car but it was a wonderful way to spend the morning and having our lunch with a view. Jesus has given His disciples the final " therefore " of the Sermon on the Mount.  He winds up the 2s with 2 foundation, 2 houses, 2 men, and 2 outcomes.  There really is only one foundation as we read the passage.  Nothing the world has to offer is a foundation to build your life upon.  As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:11, "For no one can lay another foundation than that which was laid, which is Jesus Christ." Jesus completes His formal teaching of what it means to be a disciple of His.  He has laid out a picture for His disciples to compare Himself to the religious leaders of the day. 

  I took this picture because I thought it was amply put for taking a picture of it and getting a glimpse of the falls in the background.  Granite Falls is about 5 miles up from the Green Mountain Trailhead in the Rocky Mountain National Park.  It was not my final destination of the day but it was a great stop first stop of the morning.  This sign was placed in the perfect spot just like there are also people God puts in the perfect spot in our lives along life's way. Farther up the trail is Sprague Mountain.  There is actually Sprague Glacier, a Sprague Lake and a Sprague Pass.  I know some Spragues and they were perfectly placed in my life to help, encourage and love me.  I looked for John's profile on this mountain but I could only see it from 3 sides so maybe its facing the front range.  The Spragues are just one example of people God has put as a sign in my life to grow from in my walk with Him.  We need good examples to actually see what walking with Jesus looks like. We

  Two is a great number walking side by side in the same direction.  Maybe also single file traveling the same path to a share desired destination.  This kind of 2 can become 1 as the Bible says through the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman.  Our covenant journey is now in its 39th year and while earthly destinations on God's beautifully created earth are wonderful to see, it is our final destination to be with Him face to face will be the ultimate trek and arrival.   This is a different 2 than what Jesus is speaking of in the Sermon on the Mount.  These 2s are opposites.  You can't serve 2 masters.  There are 2 gates and 2 roads and 2 designations with many more 2s to come.  As the song says, "One way or an another..."  Jesus is winding down His sermon with a final picture for them to ponder about the final destination of their lives. Jesus starts this passage with 3 commands, ask, seek and knock.  But what is the context of this asking, seeking, and kno

  "It's right up here."   One of my grandsons and I headed up a little side trail to get to the top of the falls.  We were getting a little closer to the source.  I feel this way when we study the context of a passage of scripture rather than just a verse that has been quoted over and over and tied to many different situations.  Our first verse of the passage this week is one of them, "Do not judge, so that you will not be judged." (Matthew 7:1, LSB) On its own it sounds like we should never judge anyone else and that if we don't judge anyone else then no one will ever judge us.  Just typing that last sentence you see how unrealistic it is.  But in the context of the passage and more largely the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7), Jesus is emphasizing not if we judge but how we judge.  The passage shows us how to judge (how to remove the speck from your brother's eye) and the whole sermon is laying out how not to be like the Pharisees who were judging

  Perspective is always good.  I am sitting at Farview Curve on the Trail Ridge Road looking across the Never Summer Mountain range.  The pointed mountain on the right is Lulu Mountain and traveling down to the left to the saddle before going back up is Thunder Pass.  I can see where I was just a couple days ago.  Many times coming down the trail is actually more beautiful than traveling up.  Traveling up you have your head down and pressing forward.  Traveling down you can have you head up and you are leaning back a bit to maintain balance.  What you couldn't see before or were concentrating too much on taking the your step has come into view.  Is there something in this passage that Jesus wants to come into view as we travel along with Him? Jesus tells His disciples not to worry about what they will eat; what they will drink; and what they will wear.  Jesus has them focus on the basics of life.  In school the answer was food, clothing and shelter.  These are the things that you n

Evidence that I was there.  3 hours up and 2 hours down to make it a 6 hour trip from van to van after a little time exploring around this alpine lake.  The mountains tower over and around it and the streams pour into in continually.  Next year I hope to have a fly rod attached to my backpack for this ventures.  It was a challenging hike at 12 miles round trip and a gain of over 2,000 feet in elevation.  Stephanie says I have always been drawn to challenging things. Jesus puts down a big challenge before His disciples on that hillside as He continues to deliver the Sermon on the Mount as we call it.  He wants them to have a kingdom loyal heart, kingdom focused eyes, and kingdom active hands.  The eyes nourish the heart that enact the hands but will it be for your kingdom or His kingdom?  Will your treasures be of this earth or of heaven?  Will your eyes be on seemingly benefits of the bad of this world or on the good of God?  Will your hands be activity for more mammon or for more of G

  My buddy Kim who rode this mountain bike race with me October 2010 saved these race tags.  Wow!  This brought back the memories of the whole race.  We weren't really racing.  We were just trying to get to the finish line in one piece.  It was December of 2010 that I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.  So I didn't know it at the time but I was putting my body through the most grueling bike ride I had ever ridden in with an immune system that was tremendously compromised.    Cancer, chemo, radiation, and surgery altered my life.  I have a permanent colostomy bag.  The compromised digestive tract has given me times of practicing fasting for health reasons.  Sometimes fasting is the only answer to get my system back to semi-normal.  In the early days it was not uncommon to go 5 to 7 days with no food.  Now I can detect when things aren't quite right and make adjustments that are more like 1 to 2 days.  So fasting became a part of my life. That type of fasting was for physi

  I title this photo:  "A little man in a big world!" Maybe I could have titled it also, "Where's Waldo?"   Below is a zoomed in version so you can see Timber Lake in the background as I stand at the gap on Jack Straw Mountain.  The mountain peak in the above photo in the top left is Mount Ida where we had just come from.  It was a long but glorious day. I am climbing mountains as I am preaching Jesus' Sermon on the Mount.  I have had the privilege to scale a 10,000, 11,000 and 12,000 peak (Shadow Mountain, Jack Straw Mountain, and Mount Ida).  As glorious as it is to do this, it doesn't compare to the insights the Holy Spirit gives me from studying God's word. Embedded in the Lord's Prayer is the spiritual discipline of forgiving one another.  We have covered the spiritual disciplines of giving and praying and next week will be fasting.  Each has a corporate element and a private element.  The passage is dealing with the private element of these

  A couple great things happened this last week.  First is a reunion with a great couple which we have not seen in over 10 years together.  The body of Christ is so wonderful and especially those you have served alongside of for 20 years.  Their encouragement to us was as if it was 1996 and we were talking about planting the church in Gaylord. I also graduated to the 60's club last week.  The church made me feel special at our monthly potluck with some cakes and a well noted card from them all.   I don't know what 60 feels like but I'm still hiking each week and riding my bike to and from town a couple times a week.  I do thank the Lord daily for my health and all those who prayed me through my time with cancer 13 years ago. A good teacher will use techniques to help his or her students to retain what is being taught.  We see Jesus doing this in the passage leading up to the Lord's Prayer.  His instruction on prayer sounds very much like His instruction on giving.  He u

  I got my feet wet in the alpine lake of Lake Parika after hiking 9 miles to get there.  A rise of about 2800 feet in elevation and 6 hours of breath taking scenery.  Parika Peak is behind me and someday I hope to summit it.  It takes some discipline to make these hikes.  It was another 3 hours to get back to the trailhead before heading home. We ventured into Matthew 6 this week and what I call the trilogy of spiritual disciplines, giving, praying and fasting.  The similar language that Jesus uses in each of these shows us that each is important to the life of the believer.  It is interesting that He starts with the one that we might think less of as a spiritual discipline.  Maybe it is also the one that we as less to be diligent at even though it is probably the one most easily to keep these days.  We can now schedule our giving to be done and forget about it.  Pretty hard to do that with prayer and fasting. The Bible gives us 2 ways to give.  This passage deals with one of them but

  Another Cascade Falls on the trail from Monarch Lake up to Crater Lake. Crater Lake and looking at Lone Eagle Peak. Maybe the cascading waterfalls is a good picture of what Jesus' disciples are experiencing as they sit with Him on the mountainside and He is instructing them on what a disciple of Himself is like.  It might have felt like a cascading waterfall of information that involved tremendous life change.  Jesus was pouring out to them that His ways are much higher than man's ways. Last week we studied that He told them to not promote themselves by puffing themselves up but that their communication would be a simple yes and no response.  He told them not to return insult for insult.  He told them to give to those who want to take and rely on Him for their needs.  He told them to go the extra mile with those who who are using force or rights to get their way.  He told them to be people who share instead of store.  Each of these situations could open a door to tell those s