Tag Archives: Christianity

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Stay Connected

leak

I’ve got a Leak!  I’ve got a hundred things to do today.  Now I’ve got a hundred and one things to do.  As I drive down my driveway, I notice water coming from out of the ground.  Uh oh,  The water is spewing from the exact spot where my water line to the house is buried. Uh oh.

A quick trip to town and I’m back with shovel, pipe repair kit and glue, the all important hacksaw, and most important………. me wearing my repairman’s hat.  I’ll fix it myself!!!!

Naturally this happens on a very cold day.  I start digging through mud and water.  Uh oh, I find the pipe.  Uh oh, it’s seriously being choked by tree roots that have grown around the pipe and the joint that hooks the two pieces together.  Uh oh, there’s the leak.  After I move all the mud and dirt away, the water now shoots straight up (and into my face)

A quick trip to the barn and I’m now back with an axe to chop away all the tree roots from around the pipe’s joint. It’s fascinating to me how slowly growing tree roots can over time cause pressure……. pressure enough to break the bonds of this pipe joint.

But it’s Dan the repair man to the rescue!!!!   I’ll just chop away those pesky roots and ……..uh oh.  I nicked a hole in the pipe with the axe. Dang it!

A quick trip to the neighbors to borrow a cutoff wrench so that I can turn off the water at the main meter.  Uh oh I better tell Staci that the water is going to be off for a while. She asks what the problem is and my reply is something like “I’m not sure, but I’m sure it won’t be off for long.”  Uh oh……

I cut the pipe and remove all tree roots from around the pipe.  Honestly, it was a wad of roots the size of a basketball all tangled and woven in a tight mass around this pipe joint.  I placed the repair kit union over the cut pipe and join the two pieces together.  I get to yell what every repairman loves to yell.  “YEEAAAA, I fixed it!”  I turn the water back on expecting to load up all the tools, wash all the mud off of me and my clothes and continue on my day of the other 100 things to do.  Uh oh…….Oh no, I must not have tightened the repair union enough because now it’s leaking like a screen door on a submarine.

A quick trip to borrow Daddy’s pipe wrenches, and I’m back kneeling down in the muddy hole that has grown to the size of a bathtub.  Uh oh, no wait…..,this time I do fix it.  It’s stopped leaking.  “I fixed it” I whispered this time instead of yelling, just so I wouldn’t jinx it.

Lamentations 3:40 (NIV) Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord.

Staying Connected……. it’s one of the most important things that we need in our lives.  All kinds of circumstance can become like those roots and choke and put pressure on our connections with God.  Uh oh.  Also the connections we have with other people can begin to “leak”.  Could be slowly over time things start “growing around the pipe”.  We don’t even realize it until well, until the “uh oh” moment.  Now we got to do some repair work.  And that’s when it gets muddy and nasty and well more “uh oh’s”

So, constantly examine your ways and test them.  By that I mean does it seems that you and your relationship to God is not as strong as it should be, or even used to be?  Uh oh, maybe there’s a leak that needs fixin’.

At the same time, what about those relationships with others in your life…… family, friends.  Over time has the connection started to leak.  Better put your repairman’s hat on.  It’s fascinating but also troubling to me how over time small things can “turn a drip, drip leak into a busted pipe” between people.  Uh oh.  Even more troubling is how those leaks and “breaks” between people cause even more leaks and breaks and broken connections between you and God.

My prayer is that you will have few “Uh Oh” moments.  But they happen.  When they do, realize it will be muddy and nasty.  Connections with other people need to be repaired.  There may be a piece of pipe or let’s say a part of your life that will not be the same because of the damage.  You yourself may even get “nicked” in the repair process.  But all in all we are all in this together.  Stay connected in some way.

I am a repairman for my connections in my own life and spiritual journey.  I have come to realize that God’s got the “glue” that works best for me to use, on myself as well as others.  If I focus on staying connected with Him, my connection with others becomes more manageable.  Always will be uh oh’s, always will be leaks.  How we repair these connections will determine if our source of Living Water becomes interrupted or can continue free flowing.

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher, plumber, professional “Uh Oher”

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

cleaning out barn

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……….

model of new cabin

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