Tag Archives: Being God’s Creation

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The Curves In the Road (Why Life Is Not An Easy Road To Travel)

Let the journey begin. Even with ice still stuck to my windshield, I’m boldly pushing forward on my trip. Expectations of seeing lots of pretty countryside, the radio is blaring “Life is a Highway…… I want to ride it…. all night long” by Rascal Flats. All seems to be good, well, until I come to this….

Oooops. Now the road is very icy and there before me is the dreaded CURVE!!! Which means I’ve got to slow down, quit playing air guitar and beating my dashboard like it’s my drum set, and concentrate on keeping it between the ditches. Well, this curve is stealing some of my fun time on my journey, but so far so good. I’ll be glad to get by this curve. Well, I whoop this navigational obstacle only to be met with this……

Another CURVE!! Surely not another one. I conquered the first curve easy, but this one has even more ice on the road (and tracks where a couple of cars slid off during the night). Uh Oh! Better slow down even more and like it or not, my mood is changing from bad to worse. It’s a little nerve wracking, a little spooky being this close to the edge of a dropoff, but looks like I’m going to pull through. (Where are all the other cars that are usually out now?) You know, I get to thinking. Hmmmm. If I’ve had to take right curve after right curve after right curve, pretty soon I’m gonna be right back where I started!! Surely not huh? If I see one more curve sign, I’m gonna………wait. Up ahead there’s a sign. Is it? Can it be? Oh no……

Another curve AAGGHHHHH! Well, at least it’s turning the other way. Hey, I thought this trip would be easy, straight and narrow, full of fun sights and the radio playing my favorite songs. But nooooooo. Like it or not I feel my mood changing from happy, easy going,……. to well ANGRY!!! IF I see another blessed curve in my path I think I’ll explode. Shouldn’t of said that, cause guess what’s up ahead……….

By now, I know what you’re saying,……… “Bless his heart”. But what I’m saying is ahhhhh is “Well, bless MY heart!” Now what? Siri is telling me which way to turn. Do I listen to Siri? Nope, Cause I’m a Man so I make the decision totally because I’m a man! I take the shortcut that I’ve heard about (which will turn out to be wrong……..I know,… “bless his heart”)

There now has come a time on my journey where there are no more curves to face. But this is what I face ahead of me.

Well now that’s just nice! No curves, no ice on road (much), but I can’t see doodly in front of me because of the FOG. What next? Honestly by now I will admit to you that I have become angry. Angry at the weather, angry at myself (for taking short cuts and wrong turns), even angry at….. well, I’ll go ahead and admit it,….. I’m angry at God! I mean c’mon man, I’m just trying to have a fun journey in life. What’s next? I’m ready! Bring it on! And then I see this…….

Uh oh! Maybe I should take away what I said about being mad at God. “God, I was just irritated and frustrated,….. I’m not mad…. at YOU anyways….we good…. we tight….. Help me through this Jesus! ” I got to tell you that I even shouted out, ” Hey Jesus take the wheel!” Why? well, it’s a good country song! I like the girl who sings it! Honestly, right about now I could use a little supernatural help. Cause a few of those boulders ahead of me have rolled down the steep side of the hill and are in the middle of the road. With my luck, as I nervously zig zag this canyon road another big rock will hit me and add another dent to my already beat up Toyota Tundra with its already eight dents and fender benders. Hey, it’s not that funny, my truck just has ahh….. character.

And then it happens. That spiritual tap on your shoulder feeling. That feeling you get when you know God/Jesus is fixing to say something to ya. (have you ever felt it? Hmmm)

You (and I) have that “uh oh I’m in trouble” feeling. We know we probably deserve any punishment that’s coming. Instead, I hear this spiritually. “Dan, I’m not going to take the wheel. I don’t want to fix your problem with curves. I want to fix YOU.” It’s Jesus talking to me I have no doubt. (Have you ever had Jesus talk to you? Hmm) He continues. “I’ll fix you if you’ll let me. There will always be curves in your journey of life. You keep your eyes on Me,…… and on the road cause I’m still letting you drive.” 😉

So what was becoming an angry and even angrier trip became a true REAL life teaching moment for me. IF I (and you) turn my Eyes upon Jesus, then the things of Earth grow strangely dim. (Hmm sounds like a song).

A good friend of mine posted something on that dreaded platform Facebook that very day. It said, “Why be angry at the darkness of the world when you are holding a flashlight……. which is Jesus”………Bam! That’s it right there. That’s what I needed to hear. I’m thinking, well my friend? Well, bless his heart. No seriously I hope God truly blesses his heart, cause these words truly blessed me in my present journey.

Normally in my writings, I place a scripture here that I felt spoke to me and hopefully you. But not today. I want you to seek Jesus yourself. How or what would you need to do to feel that “spiritual tap” on your shoulder? Maybe you will read your Bible, Maybe just pray, Maybe go outside and yell at God, But do what you need to do to communicate to God. Well, what ya waiting for? Do it. He’s waiting to hear from you.

God/ Jesus is waiting to hear from you, then he’ll know you are in a better place to hear from Him. You’ll hear Him say “I don’t want to fix your problems,…… I want to fix you. Really and truly, I want a relationship. I want a living loving relationship with you my child. Then the fixin’ will happen on it’s on.”

You guys are all on a spiritual journey. We face and will face curves all the time. I know ,I know, we all can’t help but think, “if I just get around this curve, then everything will be OK. But what shows up AFTER you face the curve?…… another curve.

My prayer for you,…… and me. “Dear Jesus, I’m sorry for getting angry and for all those other shortcomings in my life. I feel that maybe I need to forgive myself as well. Help me to face the curves and danger zones in my journey. I want to see the whole road but I can’t see because of the “curves” going on in my life. But I’ll accept that you want ME and not just my problems to fix. But Jesus, you’ve got to help me. I need you in my life. I get it. I don’t need you to “take the wheel”. I need you to TAKE ME JUST AS I AM. I think now I can get that true peace and joy in my life “and turn that radio on wide open” 😉

When we turn our eyes to Jesus (which means using him as your “flashlight”), we start seeing the big picture. WE still may not know what lies ahead, but we’ve got Jesus in our heart in a truly living loving way. Then you know what the journey looks like before us? Well here is a small sample.

Our journey as God sees it. (and now maybe a little more how you see it.)

Here’s my phone number 601-832-8567. Call me. Somebody got “tapped on the shoulder” spiritually today. I’ll ride with you on your spiritual journey (even if your vehicle has dents and fender benders) I can’t do anything for you my friend. But I talk with someone and pray to someone for guidance and directions………and it ain’t Siri……… It’s Jesus, “MY FLASHLIGHT”!

See Ya!! Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher

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Watching The Horses “Talk”

It’s pretty much official,…. I’m a Colorado Cowboy! For a few hours anyways, as I was transporting these horses from one Christian camp to another camp several hours away but both in Colorado. Yehaw!

But I’ve always enjoyed watching horses talk to each other, and talk with me as well. You didn’t know horses could talk? Well, read on pardner.

Take a good look at the picture. What do you think the three horses are saying? Here’s what I heard. The horse on the far right, (raring up), has been at camp for months. This is his home, his place, his domain. The other horses have just been dropped off. So he’s letting everybody know that “He’s the MAN!” He’s saying that he’s “top dog” and that if any other horse disagrees, then there’s gonna be a fight.

The horse in the middle has just disagreed. Seconds before this picture, he reached across the fence and BIT, I mean took a big bite out of the other horse on his neck. In horse “talk” that means “Hey, there’s a new sheriff in town, and he’s got teeth, and oh yea, that would be me! I’m taking over!”

The smaller horse is just “egging it on” between the other two. He doesn’t stand a chance in the pecking order because of his size. My good guess is he has an alliance with the bigger horse and wants to “stay buddies” with him. Survival of the fittest right?

Horses “talk” or at least communicate with each other,….. and with me as well. (You too if you pay close attention to their body language.)

Years ago, I was at a men’s retreat in Michigan. Before our meetings began I asked the owner if I could go walk in his back pasture. There had been an early snowfall, about 4 inches and it was really a beautiful site.

As I was just crossing over the fence, one of two horses walked over to me….. and talked. He “talked” like this. He walked over to me, turned and took a few steps away, then turned and looked back at me. (This is “horse talk” for “Hey, follow me”. He wants me to follow him so I did. We walked a short distance across the field to a tree. The horse stopped. The horse looked at me, then looked up in the tree, then looked back at me! (This is “horse talk” for “come here, let me show you something”! He wants me to come closer so he can show me something, so I did. I’m standing right next to this horse that I’ve just met, yet we are communicating with each other. Cool!

He then stretches his neck and head as far as he can into this tree,…… and you guessed it, looks back at me. I look where he’s reaching into this tree and suddenly realize what he is truly wanting from me. This tree is some kind of apple tree, the horses have reached up and eaten all the apples that they can reach. But just inches above his reach are dozens of good tasting apples. So what do I do? I pull off 8 apples and set them on the ground. He immediately begins enjoying his dessert. (don’t think he ever “told” me thank ya tho 😉 )

I holler and whistle at the other horse and say “Hey Horse, you want an apple?” That’s human talk for “Hey Horse, you want an apple”! The other horse comes a trotting over and enjoys himself a sweet snack as well.

When I get back to the owners house, he asks what I’ve been doing. Without thinking about how it would sound, I told him that I’ve been talking to his horses and they had been talking to me.

Do you ever get “that look” from someone. You know, the look they give you when they are trying to decide just how “crazy” of a person you are? Well, he gave me that look,……. with both eyes!

I then explained. “Look, I was walking in your pasture when your horse came up to me and “told” me to follow him,…. follow him to the tree,…… reach up and pick him some of the apples that he couldn’t reach.

Silence…….. He then said, “My horse told you to give him those apples huh?”

My response was, “Well, he didn’t speak in English, but yes with his body language he “talked” with me,……… and he got his apples.

I won’t ever forget what the owner said. In utter amazement he said, “I’ve owned that horse for fifteen years and he hasn’t ever “told” me anything”.

Friends, you don’t have to be the Horse Whisperer to “talk” with horses. You just have to pay attention. Two entirely different creatures, yet they are able to communicate.

Kinda like you and our Heavenly Father. That’s definitely two different creatures right there. One’s an all powerful omnipotent Being, and the other is well, little ole you. But what an amazing event this is to be able to communicate with our God. How do we communicate with Him? Lots of ways. Maybe it’s through prayer, or a song, or a scripture. Maybe it’s just by walking across a pasture, or your living room.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5,6

Maybe it’s just by paying attention. He may be wanting us to follow Him so He can show us something. Something better than an apple. Think about following Him. It makes a lot of “horse sense”!

See Ya! Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher part time Cowboy