Coming to the Still Waters

  We are on a path through the events of the 1st coming of Christ.  Many times when I am doing this with a congregation it is blazing a new trail for some people who have not dived deep into each element and individual associated with the coming of Jesus.  This continues to open my eyes each time I have the opportunity to walk down this path given to us in God's word.  The connection of the Old Testament to the New Testament melts together at Christmas time. Along with the Messiah being in the line of David to be the King of a forever kingdom is the fact that the Messiah would have a messenger before Him who would point to Him as the anointed and sent One from God.  We know this to be John the Baptist who said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." (John 1:29)  Jesus also points out that John the Baptist is the Elijah type forerunner spoken of by God through the prophet Malachi.  This part of the telling of the events of Jesus...

  The aspens of Colorado continue to put on a display in every season.  Even with no leaves, they decorate the landscape.  May we do the same in the different seasons of our lives for the glory of God.   Stephanie has always been such a big part of the ministries wherever we have been.  We have always been a team when it comes to where we can serve in the local church.  Stephanie and the ladies of SCC put on the annual Ladies' Christmas Brunch and it saw 50 ladies from 5 area churches and the community come in to hear her share the true message of Christmas and the gospel.  I am so thankful for her in my life. Our passages showed us what the Jewish people knew about the coming Messiah.  I think it is a classic example of we hear and retain what we want to hear and retain.  We can do the same as they did when wanting to focus on one aspect of Jesus more than another.  They were looking for a victorious Messiah when all the of Scriptu...

  The snow has come to 8400 feet and I feel like I am back in Gaylord, MI when moving snow was just a part of life for at least 5 months or until the Great Lakes froze over.  I am thankful for the snowblower provided and the ability to work a shovel all these years.  I love the outdoors so I get the benefit also of being refreshed by being in it. I wanted to share this article called "The Unknown Pastor" by Darryl Dash.  I could relate to many parts of it.  The emphasis is so much on the big and being known but the reality is that much of what happens is in the small and the unknown.  A 2 minute read that is really good.   https://www.dashhouse.com/the-unknown-pastor/ Advent and Christmas bring us back to very familiar material in the Bible.  I am going back 3 years to my time at Weymouth Community Church when I first looked at the Apostle Paul looking back at the event of Jesus 1st coming and then the next Sunday looking forward to the even...

  It was all you can eat snow crab night at Sagebrush and I got invited along for the feast with some old friends and some new ones.  Some were from Louisiana so they knew what they were doing when it came to cracking the crabs.  I also got a bib with my name on it for future use.   We finished up chapter 9 and will take a break over Advent and also our upcoming vacation in January and will then get back to chapter 10.  Matthew told us before the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7) that we have a teaching Jesus, a healing Jesus and a preaching Jesus.  The Sermon on the Mount displayed the teaching Jesus.  Chapters 8 and 9 highlighted the healing Jesus.  So we will be going onto the preaching Jesus next.  It was great that Matthew bookended this passage with stating these three about Jesus again. We find two blind men in this passage that shout out Jesus as the " Son of David ."  They start what will conclude when Jesus comes into Jer...

Mount Baldy (Craig) looking across Shadow Mountain Lake is changing along with the surface of the lake.  When we head to town Stephanie and I always look for the cross left of the summit made by the snow and crevices.  See if you can find it.  It is a " Where's Waldo " moment.  13 degrees this morning so I do believe winter is here. Sometimes the highlight of my morning is not delivering the message from God's Word but the reaction of a person or a couple to the whole of the service.  Sometimes I become numb to what we do every Sunday until I meet someone who is new who has a reaction that I haven't had in a long time.  How I need to see that at times.  Everything was so new and encouraging that it just spilled out of them, not only through their lips but their whole facial expressions.  What I have become so accustomed to and what I work on each week for the following Sunday gathering was a brand new experience for them.   I just love t...

  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....

  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 b...

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...

  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 auth...

  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 ...

  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.  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 religio...

  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 wha...

  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...

  "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 ...

  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, clot...

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 h...

  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 fastin...

  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...