Tag Archives: God’s Love

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Living instead of dying

My Indian Flute From a Storm Damaged Tree, to something "Alive"

My Indian Flute From a Storm Damaged Tree, to something “Alive”

For whatever reason, a powerful storm named Hurricane Katrina came through and heavily damaged my farm and timberland.  One particular tree was uprooted and destroyed.  This tree was such a big part of my life.  Now what?

This tree was once a growing beautiful cedar tree.  It could be seen by all.  Now it’s nothing but shattered pieces of wood.  Too damaged for anything but firewood.  But, but, there is a part of it that seems to be “calling out to me”.  I saw off a piece of the trunk that contains the heart wood.  Now a new journey begins.

This piece of wood is now shaped, and carved, and designed, and …….. created to be something even more special to me.  It’s not a piece of wood anymore.  It is my Native American flute.  I made it.  It now makes beautiful music with a most haunting sound.  From a dead and dying situation, now comes an instrument that brings a soothing sound when played.  This flute comes alive and causes those to hear it to “come alive” as well.

2 Corinthians 5:17  If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature:  old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Think about it!  Even as a Christian, even as we follow our Lord and Saviour, for whatever reason, powerful storms come into our lives.  Something that is such a big part of our lives is suddenly uprooted and destroyed.  A marriage gets torn apart, your job is suddenly being laid off, the health you’ve enjoyed for years now uprooted and destroyed.  Now what?

When the going gets tough the ……….     I know you just finished the saying.  The tough get going.  Yep, but that’s how us humans think every situation should be handled.  Man up!  Take charge!  Take care of it and move on!   Easier said than done, right.

Could it be that even when the storms bring their damage that God still has a plan and design for you His child?  It is hard to see (and especially understand) that He will still be there.  Just like the flute, He continues to shape, carve, and create you to be His creation.  Why would God continue to do this?  Love.  My flute is special to me because I made it.  You are special to God because He made you.  He loves you plain and simple.

When the going gets tough…….. the tough “come alive” as God shapes, carves, designs, and continues to create you to be something even more special to Him.  He takes that part that contains your Heart!

Thank you God for being there with me and my friends.

(To hear the flute being played, click on the video below)

 

 

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The birds and the bees

 

 

I told my wife, Staci, that I was going to write today and tell all I know about the birds and bees.  She said “Well, that won’t take long”.  Bam!    Grrrrr 😉

 

These are my bees

These are my bees

As most of you know, I’ve just started beekeeping.  Gonna make me some wilderness preacher honey!  Well, today I noticed this pretty little red bird perched beside one of my bee hives.  I was surprised to see her dart out in front of the hive and catch a bee in flight.  Wait a minute, these are MY bees. I have spent MY time and MY money.  This is for a good cause. I can’t have this.  No way am I going to let this bird eat MY bees.  Where’s my BB gun.  I don’t care how pretty she is, she’s going down.  My anger has taken over my walk today.

This pretty bird eats bees

This pretty bird eats bees

James 1:19-21New International Version (NIV)19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

This is a hard pill to swallow.  When we become angry about MY stuff, is it because we now are self- righteous, not seeking God’s righteousness anymore?  On the spiritual journey, the “my stuff” may be my works, my pew, my special mission project, my way of singing, my way of praying, my fill in the blank.  My, my, my, we’ve allowed something good to turn into something bad.  Even to the point that all our good things (being righteous) is getting in the way of seeking God’s righteousness.  Uh oh!

You see, this little red bird, (a tanager) will eat 8 or 10 bees a day.  The queen bee will lay up to 2,000 eggs a day.  That’s right 2,000.  I’m getting angry over letting this bird pick off 10 of my bees.  So angry that I lose sight of the 2,000 replacing them.  The same way with self-righteousness.  If you become self righteous in your spiritual walk, you lose sight of God’s true righteousness.  Angry over your 10, not seeking God’s 2,000.  …….. you get the idea.  I don’t like people becoming Pharisees, all high and mighty, all stuck on themselves and their self righteousness.  My, my, my.  That’s not what God desires.

As a Christian, you are going to get “picked off 8 or 10 ” times a day.  It may not be from a pretty little red bird.  It may be from friends, church folks, family, or the world in general.  But friend, when God’s there with His righteousness (of 2000),  stay focused on His Love. And share it!  Stay focused on His blessings.  And share them.  Stay focused on all that He’s doing and being in your life.  And share it.  When you get “picked off” but it’s from what God has put in your heart, well there’s lots more from where that came from.

God created the birds and the bees. (for us to enjoy I might add)  Don’t miss out on God’s abundance and  His righteousness, by limiting yourself because of your self-righteousness.  Who died and made you King?

Your self-righteousness, (I’ve got this God,… it’s for something good,…. and I’m good enough to do it myself,….  that’s why I call it mine), will limit you from God’s righteousness.

Allowing God’s righteousness to pass through you, ( His love, His forgiveness, His peace that passes all understanding),  will give you true righteousness from God, not from yourself.  He died, so that He could be your loving King.   This is God’s desire.

See Ya!  Dan   wilderness preacher

 

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Don’t tell my wife, but I “borrowed” her ATV

 
Didn't go as planned.

Didn’t go as planned.

Hey!  It was just a small outing in between rainy days.  The trail, looked inviting even though there was a “small amount” of mud and slush on the trail.  Funny, but at the time the mud holes only looked a few inches deep with muddy water.  Later, I would realize that there was two more feet of gooky, slimy, mud underneath those couple inches of water.

Oh boy, Now I’ve got to call Staci.  I guess I’ll have to talk her into helping me pull her ATV out with the tractor.  That’s not going to be fun.  It wouldn’t be fun for you either.  First you have to admit to yourself you made a mistake.  That’s hard enough!  But then you’ve got to admit to others (especially the wife) that your decision making skills have been reduced to the abilities of a drunk cowboy. (You may not remember him, This cowboy had been drinking and ran nude through the cactus patch.  As he was being treated at the ER for his injuries, the police asked him why he did this.  He responded, “It seemed like a good idea at the time”.

I’ve got a better idea!  I’ll call my huntin’ buddy.  He brought his 4 wheeler right on over and pulled me out.  That’s what friends are for.  He didn’t laugh at my predicament, well not for too long.  He didn’t make me feel stupid.  Well, he did throw a few zingers about my inferior brand 4 wheeler.  But he also reminded me of when I had pulled him out of a wet field about a year ago.  Hey, I had forgotten about that.  Well, that’s what friends are for.

He pulls me free of the mud.  We both go our own ways.  My way takes me back to the house.   Staci’s 4 wheeler is covered with crappy smelling mud.  So am I.  I’ll just have to go ahead and confess to her of my foolishness and promise to clean up, both me and the 4 wheeler.  I’m dreading the interrogation.  I’m definitely not looking forward to whatever her response will be.  Will I feel stupid?  She may just laugh at me.  Could be a scolding.   Probably though, she’ll just roll her eyes like all the times before.

I tell her of the whole adventure.  Actually, the mud hole has grown as I tell the story.  The version she hears is that the mud hole was over 8 ft deep.  I almost drownded, (that’s worse than drowning), not from my bad decision making, but from saving her ATV from total destruction.  She should feel lucky to be married to me.   That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Her response?   She gave me this reply.  “Yea, yea, whatever.  You probably got stuck riding the trail down at the mud hole. The one that only looks a few inches deep.”  Then she remarked, “remember that time I stuck your lawnmower in the mud?”

Why I had forgotten about that!  Now we’re even I guess.  No, I think what she made me realize is that all of us make dumb decisions.  We’re dumb as that drunk cowboy on occasion.  But we are all in this together.  In that brief moment, she somehow lifted my spirits.That’s what friends are for.

Galatians 6 New International Version (NIV) 2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  We must all remember that on our spiritual journey we are there to help one another.  It may be to pull your friend out of a bog.  It may be to lift someone’s spirit.  True friends will pick and joke with each other about our situations.  But deep down there is that Christian Love.  No matter my inadequate decision making, a fellow Christian is there to carry the load.  That’s what friends are for.  Be that friend!!

(Time out)  I must take this time to tell the whole world how lucky of a man I am.  Why?  Because I am married to my best friend.  Through good and bad, paved paths and mud, Staci has been beside me.  I wanted to share a picture of her that brings back memories.  Why this picture?  Well, that’s what friends are for 😉

Staci Bogged down My Mower!!!

Staci Bogged down My Mower!!!