Tag Archives: Being God’s Creation

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It’s Gone, now I can really Celebrate Christmas!

There was a lot of junk and bad, rotten stuff in my barn.  So, I cleaned it out!  It’s made Christmas time even more special to me.

Why clean out my barn?  Because, I’m getting ready to fill it with logs for my new log house that I’m building with my own hands, (and help from friends and the Good Lord).  Lots of old pallets, old rotten wood, pieces of junk are now piled into a fire.  I was surprised at all the trash that had collected in my barn over the years.  Lots of memories are being thrown into the fire as well.

Actually in my own special personal way, it’s turned into a worship service.  I’m rummaging through all the stuff and find things that have a good meaning and memories to me.  Memories of family events, things Staci and I did,……. there’s something the kids would want.  I place these items back in the barn in one of the storage containers.  Thank you Lord for these reminders.

But..…. I also come across some rubbish that reminds me of bad events in my life.  Times when I was not Being what God has created me to be.  Things that came between me and my God.  I call that sin.  I throw these reminders into the fire. Thank you Lord for these reminders that are now NO MORE.   Forever gone.  Burn baby burn!!! 

Psalm 103:11-12Good News Translation (GNT)11 As high as the sky is above the earth,
    so great is his love for those who honor him.12 As far as the east is from the west,
    so far does he remove our sins from us.

For unto you is born this day a Saviour.  Well, there you go.  Christmas is about celebrating the birth of MY Saviour.  Why he came in a manger, a bright star, shepherds, wise men, angels, all that seems strange doesn’t it?  He loves us enough that he also removes our sins as far as sunrise is to sunset.  They are gone.  Burned up.  NO MORE!  Rejoice, celebrate, Merry Christmas.

Maybe you need to clean your barn/HEART from all the rubbish and rotten stuff that may have collected over the years.  Shucks, turn it into a special private worship service between you and God.  Hey, why don’t you actually build a fire and throw your sins into the fire to forever be gone.  That piece of wood can represent when you weren’t being what God designed you to be. That piece of paper you are burning can represent those things that may have come between you and God.  It’s called sin, remember?  Get rid of it.

Brother,……sister……I’m writing this from the heart.  Get rid of the guilt and hurt as well.  You know what you did.  God does too.  But when you ask for forgiveness, God takes it away. It’s gone.  He no longer sees it.  If you still dwell on it, this guilt and anxiety is coming between you and your Saviour.  That’s sin remember?  Throw this into the fire as well.  BURN, BABY, BURN.

WooHoo!  That’s a fire and a half there.  All that stuff is burning up to nothing.  Thanks be to my Saviour.   Time now to celebrate.  Pass the marshmellows.

Merry Christmas my friends.  Continue on this journey of yours.  You are doing this on your own.  You will also have friends along the way(count me in!).  But you also have your Lord and Saviour riding with you.  Now that He’s burned your sins away, He’s even more REAL and the REAL reason to celebrate Christmas!

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wildernesspreacher, log home builder, real Christmas party person

 

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Until the day I die, as for me and my LOG house……….

The cabin in the background was built by me 30 years ago.  I told 100 people back then that I was going to build it myself. Ninety five of those people told me “you can’t build a log cabin”, “you don’t know what your doing”, “you’re not strong enough” and on and on. Those people were right except for the “can’t ” part.  Well, I showed them didn’t I?

See, I didn’t know what I was doing, I wasn’t strong enough.  However…….., God gave me a talent of being able to read a book, and use this for learning…. always learning.  From a book I learned how to move 1200 pound logs with ropes and pulleys by literally using one hand.  There is no such word as can’t.  Say it with me out loud…..There is no such word as CAN”T!

It’s surprising to me that this cabin was built 30 years ago.  Not surprising that it was built, but that it’s now been 30 years.  Lots of great memories, family times, and most definitely a spiritual place for me.  Why did I build it?  Well, the challenge was there.  I needed to prove to myself that I could do it.  (And yes, I wanted to prove to all those who said “I can’t”).  But the main driving force was this.  I needed something physical to show what my spiritual being was about.  The cabin has been my passion, my love for the outdoors, my desire to build it myself, the beginnings of wilderness preacher. All these traits in my life came from my Lord up above.  I used them for my own life, but at the same time to give honor and Glory to God.  It’s called serving Him.  It has been rewarding.  How?  By allowing my spiritual being trapped in this body to actually make me “feel alive“.  That’s why there is a cabin in my life.  I wanted to “feel alive” before I die.

So, what passions, desires, motivations, or yearnings does your spiritual being want You and Your physical body to do and/or be before you die?….. Well,…….Ah…… You don’t have any?  Then you’re already dead.  Sorry to be as blunt as a grizzly bear attack, but “you dead!”  Spiritually, you’re dead.  Now you’re just waiting on your physical body to catch up.

……… Choose whom you will serve……. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15

Joshua wrote this to make a stand.  He was now on old warrior.  But he wanted all the people to know that EVERYTHING he is, owned or had influence with would be serving the Lord.  Now that’s commitment.  That’s taking a powerful stand.

Back to you now with those passions, desires, motivations, and yearnings.  You go find out from your spiritual “heart and soul” what it takes for you to come “alive”.  With God’s help live this way until you die whether it’s 3 days, 33 weeks, or 35 more years!!  Your passion may be your children, your garden, your guitar.  Your desires may be to help others, to build something.  Your motivations may be with charities and church.  Your yearnings may be to read the Bible, to connect with other Christian warriors.  Any and all of these will cause you and your physical being to “come alive” in  a way that is only brought on by the spiritual.

Over these past thirty years my hair has thinned and grayed.  I’m getting old….. like Joshua.  I am a Christian warrior….Hey, like Joshua.  OK, Joshua and I have got something else goin’.  I’m joining him to make a stand.  Everything I am, all I own, and whatever influence I may have with others I will do and be so that I can serve the Lord. I make this commitment before you my friends.

How do you serve the Lord? By becoming “alive”! Take those passions and yearnings that’s been given to you by God and use them to Honor and Glorify God!  That’s serving God Joshua style! What about you? Can you be a Joshua or a Joshuette?

What’s next for me as the wilderness preacher?  Well ONE of the things that my physical body will be doing  to give  more spiritual meaning and insights to me is to build a new log house.  Why you say?  I’m already hearing the “can’t ” crowd as I share my plans.  “You can’t build a log house, you’re too old, it won’t be good enough, why bother”, etc, etc.  Oh yeah, expect to hear from the “Can’t crowd” as you pursue your own passions, desires, and yearnings.

Choose this day who you will serve (the Can’t Crowd?), but as for me and my LOG house we will serve the Lord!!!!!!

1st log to be cut and the model of the log house

1st log to be cut and the model of the log house

See Ya!    Dan Ainsworth wildernesspreacher, log home builder

 

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Give Thanks, No Matter Your Situation………Seriously??????

You’ve got problems.  You’ve got bad times, and here I am telling you it’s best to give thanks.  Hear me out before you tune me out.  Believe me, I’m hurting along with you.  Many of you are hurting, (and have shared with me your hurts).

In the picture above, I’m doing my best to stay on target.  That splash you see directly in front of the camera is my fly hitting the water.  That’s a bad thing.  It’s not going as planned or as it should.  The purpose of fishing a fly is to hit the target with a gentle throw of the rod and line.  The fly is then supposed to gracefully land on the water as if it were a real live fly.  Not go SPLAT!!  But hey, made the cast and went through all the motions to make it right.  Did I say I went through the motions?  Uh Oh, I’m goin’ through the motions………

Take a breath, count to 10, realize that a day fishin’ is better than a day doin’ anything.  I need to give thanks.  Thank You, Lord.  Thanks for the outdoors, thanks for this opportunity to fish.  Now all of a sudden it seems that I’m not just “goin’ through the motions”, but I’m actually “in the groove.  No more Splat! on the water.

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you 1 Thessalonians 5:12 -22 KJV

How does this relate to you and what’s going wrong in your life?  Take a look at this version from the Message.

16-18 Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. 

Those of you out there facing big problems, this fishing example is a feeble attempt to help us understand what this scripture is pointing out.  I should apologize for the feeble attempt, but I will never apologize for what this scripture says.  Give thanks, for this is what God wants.  No, no, don’t give thanks for being in the hospital (Splat), or struggling with a job (Splat), or hurtful relationship (Splat) or current bad event in your life (Splat, splat ,splat).  Don’t look for someone else who is having a worse time than you so that you can say, “Well, it could be worse.  At least I’m not like ole so and so……  But instead, look to God.  Stay on target.

Splat happens.  When it causes us to “go through the motions”, life just got less meaningful.  If we stay on target, life takes on new meaning.  Folks, we are all a  spiritual being living in a temporary physical body.  Yet, we don’t seem to live that way lots of times do we?

It’s Thanksgiving!  Be cheerful (stay on target).  Pray (helps with that target thing).  Thank God no matter what happens (He is the target).

         Lord I pray now for my friends that have Splat going on right now in their lives.  I wish they didn’t have to deal with it.  But I most want to thank You for who You are to us, and what You mean to us.  Thank You that you will be there beside each and every one.  You are a most awesome God.  Thank you for what you do and are going to do!  Help me and my friends not go through the motions because of “Splat”, but stay on target and stay “in the groove” with you. Help us focus on You.  You Lord, are worth living for.

May our Thanksgiving become a ThanksLiving!

See Ya God and friends!!!!!!        Dan Ainsworth  wildernesspreacher