Category Archives: Steps Along This Journey

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A Letter to My Newborn Grand Daughter

My Dearest Faith, (Faith Marie Ainsworth)

I’ve got to get used to calling you that. This is your Grandfather, Dan Wiley Ainsworth. You can call me Dan Dan. (I’ve got to get used to you one day calling me that.) I wanted to write you a letter and welcome you into this big, big world. It’s a lot bigger than where you’ve been dancing around the last few months. Ha! You are a pretty special young lady, I want you to know that. You are and always will be surrounded by love.

When you get older, I’m going to find out from you first hand why you waited so long to be born. Were you already showing the world that you are always going to be late for everything? …. Just like your Dan Dan! Or maybe just a little princess in the making. Your Mother was in labor for over 36 hours! Either way, there was tremendous excitement when your grandmother (Tay Tay) and I found out you were born. Over the last few days, I’ve sensed all kinds of emotions. Love, anxiety, excitement, love, hope, nervousness, longing, love, not knowing, concern,…… did I mention love? Without a doubt, baby girl you are being surrounded with love.

How would it be in this big world without love? Well, take out the love that exists in your first two days of life? Here is the above list (without the love). Anxiety, excitement, nervousness, longing, not knowing, concern…… Now throw in an extra dose of hate, divisiveness, anger, and people being mean and you have what is going on in the world around you. Not the most pleasant place to get to grow up in is it? Nope, not unless you have LOVE.

If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres…………. And now these three remain; faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13: 3-6, 13

My precious granddaughter, you have been blessed with some extremely loving parents. They will protect you from this unloving world. They will show you how it’s possible to love others even when it seems difficult.

As time goes by, you will learn about this Most Holy Loving God that I worship. He will give You His Love to share with others. It’s a great mystery, but well worth the adventure to follow Him.

You’ll also learn about love and how to love from your Dan Dan and Tay Tay! We can’t wait for our turn to show you love. How to love ice cream! How to love a tree swing! How to love fishing! Woohoo!

AI, (Artificial Intelligence) will be an all too common thing in your generation. While it may make things more convenient, just remember…… you have to search for the real things in life. The greatest thing in your life even now at just a couple days old? LOVE! It’s a real love! Keep this love going and growing in your life.

I’ll be behind the scenes watching as you start a life of your own. Come give me a hug. I’ll probably have something in my pocket for ya! A dollar bill, a piece of candy, a bag of cheetos. (to share of course!)

I LOVE you Faith! Signed Dan Dan wilderness preacher (stocking up on Cheetos!)

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Finding Hope in God’s Beauty: A Wilderness Adventure

Seeing the Beauty in Life using God’s Enlightenment

On a cold, dreary, late winter’s day, I’m propelling my kayak towards a remote and hidden spot in the swamp. This area is one of my favorite places for a wilderness adventure because it’s so secluded and quiet. Across the bog and with the water mirroring its image, a pink colorful plant catches my eye.

What is striking to me is the color from these delicate flowers contrasted to the colors defined by the dead. The dead tree, the dead grass, the dead branches and dead limbs. Everywhere on this dull, dreary, overcast day the drab is overwhelmingly painting a gloomy scenario. Yet, planted within this dullness, this plant full of pink flowers is offering a glimmer of hope to draw me away from the humdrum . The hope that no matter the dull and colorless that is seen in this world, my focus can be on beauty. I’m being drawn to this beautiful display as if my eyes are unquestionably focused on the good, not the everyday mundane.

I steer my kayak closer and take a moment to let my senses overflow with this beauty. The locals call this plant a “Wild Azalea”. Have you ever seen one growing in the wild? The fragrance from these flowers is nothing but SWEET! The colors can only be described as vibrant and beautiful.

It makes me come alive just to be experiencing this perfect illustration of seeing beauty in a dull, dreary world.

Here’s my prayer for you and me. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of Glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His Calling, what are the riches of the Glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. Ephesians 1: 17-19

Do you ever feel pulled into the “going through the motions” routine in your everyday life? It can feel so dull, so day to day, so normal, over and over, rinse and repeat. But there’s hope! On our Christian journeys we can know the hope of God’s calling to you. We can share in His riches of Glory! And we experience His power! All we have to do is believe.

How do you believe? Look at it like this. Don’t get “stuck in your kayak” surrounded by doom and gloom. Instead steer your kayak/your life towards that spirit of wisdom and revelation that comes from knowing God. I’ll keep praying for you to find Him. Many of you out there have found Him. I’ll pray for you that everyday you see the beauty that comes from not only knowing about God, but through Jesus Christ you will use your enlightened eyes to see the true beauty He is showing you. (even in a kayak!)

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Wings of Eagles (part 2)

Hearing, knowing, and following God’s Will in YOUR very own life.

At the sound of my voice/whistle, this red tail hawk has flown from over 100 yards away to land on my glove. Why? Well, it was my will to have him come to me. Also, Dak, (this red tail hawk), has a will of his on. He’s free to fly away at any time. He’s free to choose what his next move will be. In this case, it was Dak’s will to come to me. Look a there! My will and Dak’s will are one and the same. But Why?

Dak and I have a relationship. We are two completely different creatures, but yet we both want the same thing. In the sport of falconry, the hawks and falcons are trained/manned to come to the falconer when called. Every time, and I mean every time, we call them they get a tidbit of food. They learn quickly to follow the falconer because he will offer a tidbit of food. Even better, the falconer will give the hawk opportunities and an advantage to catch various prey for their next meal. It may be a rabbit, squirrel, and sometimes a quail. Hey, remember Dak is a bird of prey. Can I offer him a salad? That ain’t happening! He eats meat! My vegetarian friends out there have come to understand that they can refrain from eating meat. But Dak….. well, he wants meat for breakfast, meat for dinner, and what would he want for dessert? Yep, you guessed it. Meat.

Back to this knowing my will for the hawk. I want what’s best for this hawk. After all, while he’s in my possession, he IS my bird. I want to enjoy being around Dak. I get to admire and be amazed at his hunting and flying skills. There is no set agenda, no specific plan. It’s that I want a relationship with this beautiful hawk, much like many of you have a relationship with your dog, horse, or cat. My will for this hawk is to be involved with his everyday life.

Hmmm, so what’s this hawk’s will concerning me? I can promise you the very first day we met he was nothing but scared of me. Through the training/manning sessions, after several days he didn’t understand me. But he began to trust me. Yes! The relationship has been created!

All right. Let’s get a little serious here. Is there any way that your will for what’s going on in your life can be the same as God’s Will and what he wants in your life? We talked about the thermals in the air last week. These thermals are sought after by birds of prey to carry them on their journeys in the air. God offers you “thermals” to help you on your journey as well. For you to be in God’s will you’ve got to seek Him. For your will to be His will, you’ve got to get passed the “scared” part of this encounter. Get over the lack of understanding the relationship. Allow God to give you His training/manning/guidance and direction. How does He do that? He works through you! Your prayers, your meditations, your interactions with other Christians/church are ways that He develops this spiritual relationship with you.

In this modern world, it’s truly hard to hear God’s direction for me and you. It’s not because God’s not there. It’s because of distractions. So many things both good and bad pull us away from hearing God’s Will for our lives.

Here’s a perfect example. Turn on two different radios. then add the TV. Might as well grab 3 or 4 books. Now, grab a pencil and write down what you are going to do tomorrow. Be specific. Also write down the songs you are hearing, the show your watching, and the plot of each of the books your are reading. Oh, everyone knows you’ve also got to list a few things you’ve seen today on Facebook. Complicated? Confusing? Frustrating and Irritating ? You bet. But honestly isn’t that how we live our lives every day. How can you see the “thermals” that God is providing for you when all of life’s distractions are smothering you?

How do you see and hear God’s Will in your life? A huge step is to take time out from life’s distractions. Take a break. Don’t worry. Life and it’s busyness will be waiting for you to get back. Find you a quiet place in the wilderness. My wilderness is in the mountains of Colorado or the swamps of Mississippi. Where is your wilderness? It may be in the chair your sitting in right now. Anywhere that you can dismiss the distractions in your life for just a few minutes. Your car, your back yard, wherever you can focus on your will. And God’s Will. And can the two be the same? You praying, meditating, reading scripture are all ways to focus on God and His Will for you on this Christian journey.

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. Proverbs 8:17 ESV

Get rid of distractions. Look for God’s Will. Then ride the “thermals”!

See Ya! Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher