Tag Archives: Christianity

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Press On

press-on

Ever try driving forward by only looking in the rear view mirror?  Ever try living your life by only looking back at what’s already happened?

Driving across country early, early one morning, I saw a most beautiful site in my rear view mirror.  It was the sunrise.  A most glorious and bright sunrise.  It’s always cool to me to see the sun burst over the horizon.  Getting to see those first few rays followed quickly by a full sun shining is something that never grows old to me.  In this particular instance, there was darkness, then a shade of pink.  A beautiful dance followed with the clouds swirling by sharing their purples and reds.  Anticipating that first bright ray of sunshine, I drove the next couple of miles while basically looking only in my rear view mirror.

Then there it was.  A sunrise!  Good morning Lord!  I’ve been driving a few hours in the dark, kinda getting sleepy.  The light wakes me up and gets me in the mood to drive for several more hours.  But I won’t be looking in the rear view mirror anymore.  I’m looking ahead.  Looking ahead so I won’t hit anything for sure, but looking ahead so that I won’t miss anything either.  That light that’s behind me (and got my back) is shining the way forward for me now.

Philippians 3:14  GWT  I run (press on) toward the goal to win the prize that God’s heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus.

I want more out of this life.  More out of my work, my play, my marriage, my family, ….more out of  myself.  Not a greedy kind of more.  But I want more of what God has promised.  He promised abundant life.  That doesn’t mean a fancy car and lots of money.  Doesn’t necessarily mean a life free of hard times and no painful experiences.  No, God’s heavenly call means believing in Jesus.  Believing in a God who is behind you (and has got your back).  This belief and way of life gives us a true way to PRESS ON and continue our spiritual journeys.

There are many times that you and I want to look back in time and basically live in the past.  Times spent with friends and family members, times to be cherished, good times in the past.  Yep, even the “good ole days” all seem so much “gooder”, and “better” than what we are living in and with now.

But there is that promise from God that drives me forward.  His light shines the way for me.  I know lots of time in religious talk it’s said to “keep your eyes on God”.  “Turn your eyes upon Jesus”.  I get that. Stay focused on Him.  Don’t we tend to try to stay focused on Him by “looking in the rear view mirror”?  We start thinking, “God, why can’t it be like it was or used to be?”

Nope, let’s press on.  Continue on your journey my friends.  Know this.  Even in the darkest of nights, that sun is about to rise over the horizon.  Sure, it is a glorious site to see the sunrise in your rear view.  But even more is to be seen by looking ahead and seeing what this light is showing you as you go forward.  Knowing that God’s Son is behind me (and got my back) is a belief that inspires me to press on.  It’s a heavenly calling that you and I can receive even while still in this earthly human body.  A relationship between little ole you and a Most Awesome God……….and you thought a sunrise was a thing of beauty.  Who’s got your back???

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth  wilderness preacher and driving to the song “Runnin’ Down A Dream” by Tom Petty

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I’ve Got a Light in This Dark World

light

Electricity!  I’ve got lights in the log barn now.  For those of you keeping up with my log home project, I’m half way through building the nine foot walls for this cabin.  The summer heat has been relieved by daily storms and rain showers. It’s great that it’s cooler, but with the cloudy rainy days, now it’s too dark to see inside the barn. Even though it’s daylight, it’s hard to see the lines I’m carving, and more important, hard to see the lines as I cut with the chainsaw,……. even though it’s daylight, inside the barn it’s just too dark to see.  I need a light.

Much to my surprise and amazement, when I tied the light fixture above me and turned on the light I could see SO MUCH better.  I didn’t realize how I had been straining.  I didn’t realize how hard I was making it on myself.

See, every log in my house is “scribed” to fit the log below it.  I take the scriber and trace along the two logs to know exactly were they must be cut to fit.  This line that I trace is the line that I cut with the chainsaw.  When I cut inside of the lines, the logs don’t fit together.  Even bigger problems will show up.  Problems like leaks between the logs, and worse than that, structure instability with these logs that aren’t fitting together.  If I cut over and outside of the scribed lines, more problems.  Problems again with the structure and security of the logs themselves.  Rule number one for a handcrafted log home,……….. All joints and notches must fit.  For my logs to fit tight and soundly together, I must stay in line!!

Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

This scripture was my daily Bible reading for the very day that I turned on the lights where I build my barn.  Coincidence?  Direction from Above? God interacting with me? Divine Intervention?  Really and honestly I don’t know.  But here is what I DO KNOW.

Each and every day I ask God to “help me”.  (Just like plugging in the light).  With His Light, I can now see so that I can “Stay In Line” with my life.  Each day even though it’s daylight, having God’s Light shine in my life gives me a new outlook on how to live.  With His Light I’m no longer blind, but now I see!  I can live a fuller and more meaningful life by staying in line as I carve and whittle each day into what will be my life and journey here on this Earth.

What I here from folks a lot of times is that they are scared of God shining His light on them.  They know that then all the mistakes they have made will show up BIG time.  Well, buddy, Don’t ya think that God already knows about your past and all your mistakes and blunders?  He knows about all my “Boo-boos”.  That mistake on log number three, that cutting I did on the second notch…… nobody knows about those mistakes I made but me and God.  But get this.  God’s light was given to us not to show how bad we are or can be, but Jesus Himself came not to condemn but to save.

As far as the light now being on while I’m building my log home,  It (the light) is saving me.  It’s saving me from myself.  It keeps me from carving and cutting too far out or too far in.  It keeps me in line.

Do you have God’s light shining in your life?  “Well, turn on the switch, plug in the cord.”  How do you do that?  Ask Him.  Say Lord, “help me”.  It’s an everyday activity.  Pray to God…… and listen for His still small voice.  Read a scripture every day.  There are lots of apps that will give you a daily “plug in” from God on your computer or phone.  Then each day as you live in His Light you will experience things that couldn’t be seen before.  Hmmm……. are you experiencing coincidences……direction from God…… Divine Intervention???  Again, I wouldn’t know.  But what you will know is that you will see things in a different light than before.  Gives a new meaning to the phrase “was blind, but now I see.  Thank you Lord!

I’m proud that you’ve “plugged in”.  See Ya!!

Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher, part time chainsaw log home builder (using the light)

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Just Another Bump in the Road

bump in the road

I know, it’s just another bump in the road.  When it happens to others, no big deal.  But it’s happening to you and it’s causing a major delay in your life.

I’ve driven my truck now for five years and never had a flat.  Until now.  I’m a few miles from home when I realize I must have hit something in the road.  Also there was a jarring motion as I slowed down.  What made me realize that I was having a flat was when I got out of the truck, I could here the unmistakable sound of air leaking out of my front left tire.  hhhhssssssss.  Uh oh.  I’m a pretty good detective.  I’ve reached the conclusion that I’ve got a flat.  WRONG!!!!!  Keep reading.

Well, a flat, so get to work, fix it.  Solve your own problem and move on.  I know it’s terribly hot.  I’ll get greasy and dirty.  It’s only a few miles from home.  I have a spare and I have a jack.  I will fix my own problem.

The jack for this truck was new to me.  After a short time though, I had taken the flat tire off, pulled the spare from under the truck and put it on and now I’m ready to go.  Let’s continue on my journey right?  WRONG!!!!!  Keep reading.

I’ll admit there was a sense of satisfaction as I let the jack down.  I had completed the act of changing a tire.  Ya always have to be prepared for situations like that.  I did it.  Now back on the road……….  Uh oh, I notice the left rear tire.  It’s now flat as a pancake.  Two flats at the same time!  Do you think I’m going to let this ruin my day.  WRONG!!…… no, you’re right…..keep reading.

I had to do the unthinkable.  I had to do what none of us like to do.  Obviously I did what I could by using the spare on the first flat, but now I’m staring at a second flat tire.  So as painful as it is I do what for some reason I (and you) dread doing.  I call for help.

In this instance I called Staci.  I let her know where I am located, my situation, and my dire need for some assistance.  I’m up a creek without a paddle.  It’s worse, I’m down the road with two flats and one spare.  You do the math.  “I need help”.  There, I said it.

This may seem just a small run of bad luck to you, but it has ruined my day.  I’ve rolled around under the truck, got hot and sweaty.  Never fails that there is an ant bed where I’m working.  Staci wants to know what I did wrong ’cause how else would I get two flats.  Well, that didn’t sit well with me in the frame of mind I was in.  So I barked at her!  When I got to the flat tire fixer guy, he wanted to spend more time talking than fixin’, so I blew a gasket waiting on him as he fixed the tire.  Three hours later, I finally am back on the road again.  All is back to normal……..except for that frame of mind I’m in.

Confession time here for me…….. I have let the monsters of frustration take over.  I have allowed small inconveniences and a bump in the road to take over my frame of mind…… and it’s not good.  Not good for me,  and not good for those around me.  I have become my own worst enemy.

James 1:2-5 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Should I be joyful that I have a flat?  In that case maybe I should go further and have a celebration because I’ve got two flats.  Woohoo,….. double flats, let’s party!!!!!!

No what the scripture is saying to me (and you,  you know how you are when you hit bumps in the road, so chill). ….. What God is telling us is to count it joy when we face our trials.  Count it all joy means to stay away from THAT frame of mind.  As I look back, I’m thankful that Staci took time out to come get me.  I’m glad the tire repair guy can fix my flat.  I’m happy that it’s been five years since I’ve even thought about a flat tire.

I’ll never be joyful about a flat, or any “bump in the road“, and neither will you.  That’s not what the scripture is saying.  But “count it all joy” will keep my mind from getting in the ill and whiney mood.  Count it all joy will not necessarily change my situation, but it can change my mind.  Change my mind from a frustrated pile of mush to a positive faith growing brain allowing my faith to help produce steadfastness.

Funny how we let the small things in our journey “ruin” our day.  Funny how we tend to see the negatives and how we focus on them.  Funny how our own mind can turn from being happy and even joyful to well, being our own worst enemy.  Funny how, well really none of this is funny.  It is a serious step that we must take.  Steadfast (I looked up the definition) means steadily directed, fixed in direction.  What direction is that?  Onward and upward.

Count it all joy that a flat tire, a bad day, a hurt finger, a “whatever you are going through right now”,  can cause you in some small way to grow your faith.  Being in an ill mood can sure put a damper on my and your spiritual growth.  Being in the right frame of mind changes everything, especially how you handle the “bumps”.

See Ya!   Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher,  part time flat tire fixer guy