Tag Archives: nature

Posted on

Dog sledding (Press on)

These amazing athletic dogs gave us a thrilling ride

These amazing athletic dogs gave us a thrilling ride

I got to tell you, I wasn’t expecting this!!!!  (WATCH THE VIDEO AT THE END) These dogs!!!!…… these dogs live to pull and press on!

We signed up for an afternoon dog sled ride.  The owner/driver gave us a detailed explanation of the history of dog sledding. They basically can go (and haul) places that horses and heavy machines can’t.  He showed us examples of the dog teams pulling medical supplies to the far away northern towns of Alaska and Canada.  What impressed me was a picture of a dog team pulling timber(yes, downed trees!!) across frozen lakes.  You’ve heard the country saying, “That dog can hunt”.  Well, these dogs can PULL! 

Our guide, Caleb, was talking to us (Staci, our daughter Jamie, and me,….. the human cargo) about dogsledding.  Occasionally I could hear him say another word or two as he was talking to us.  Oh, I get it. He’s also giving commands to the dogs as he talks to us.  Cool!  I didn’t ever hear him say “Mush” like what you hear in the movies.  Hey, I did hear him say “Gee” and “Haw”.  It reminded me of my long ago days in the garden with our mule named Amos Moses. For real, back then we would tell the mule to “Gee”/pull right”.  Or you could tell the mule to plow to the left by yelling “Haw” meaning to pull left.  Caleb explained to me that those commands mean the same to his dog team as when I used them with our garden plowing mule. It’s obvious that his dogs listen a whole lot better than my mule did years ago. 😉

We are moving at a fast clip.  I can see up ahead a fork in the trail.  It splits right and left, no straight forward.  I’m anticipating the dog’s owner to YELL “GEE OR HAW”  He doesn’t.  He’s carrying on a normal conversation with me.  In the middle of our conversation he says, “gee”.  Caleb doesn’t yell or shout, just says his commands.  Dogs immediately turn right.  You’d have to be there.  But it was an amazing sight seeing these dogs pulling with all there might, communicating with their human leader, and they were lovin’ every minute of it!!!

We stopped for a short break.  I was fascinated listening to Caleb tell about how his dogs work.  It’s obvious Caleb loves his dogs and loves working with them as well.  It made my day when he answered my following question.  “What do you do when the dog doesn’t listen and obey?”

(time out) See, a long time ago, I saw a documentary on dog sledding.  It wasn’t a pretty site.  When the dogs disobeyed, the driver would get angry and beat the dogs.  I didn’t like that.  Poor dog didn’t know what was going on.  But Caleb loves his dogs.  He said this to me.  “When one of my dogs is not listening or obeying my commands, it means I have got to spend more time training this particular dog.  All dogs have bad days.  They can get distracted.  But I continue with proper training so these dogs will eventually “get back in line” and pull their own weight as well as what I’m needing them to pull.  These are MY dogs.  They will do what I ask of them.

I can connect with these dogs who are loved and are BEING what God created them to be.

I can connect with these dogs who are loved and are BEING what God created them to be.

His “extra training” with individual dogs may not be fun for the dog at the time.  If you and I saw them being trained we might even think that it’s punishment.  But Caleb loves his dogs.  He trains them in a way that they realize it’s wrong when they disobey and not follow the leader.

But to see these dogs joyfully pulling their weight and their load for the day (us), it brought a smile and a laugh from my innermost soul.   See, what was amazing to me was these dogs were BEING WHAT GOD HAD CREATED THEM TO BE.  They were listening to their owner, Caleb.  Not only listening but obeying his every command. Right, left…..gee, haw…… They would stop when told.  And the most exhilarating was this.  When he gave the command to go……..they gone!  If you weren’t buckled in or holding on, you’d physically get thrown off the sled.  Get at ’em dogs.  You make me come alive!!!!   This ride is FUN!  Better hold on!!

I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.  Philippians 3:14

I hurt deep inside when people think that my Lord and Saviour must beat me when I do wrong.  They must have grown up “watching a different documentary” on the subject.  My God is a loving God.  When I do wrong,  I’m in for a little extra “training” with my Lord.  Honestly, I guess at times it may look like “punishment” from the outside.  But I know for a fact that you and I get distracted, get selfish, or “have a bad day” if you want to call it that.  But God is my Master.  He knows better than me the directions to take.  I love Him.  Even love this training I’m in.  Even love those “extra training” sessions that God uses to get me “back in line”.

What about you?  Do you picture your god with a whip and stick waiting to beat you any and every chance he gets?  Or do you picture your God as a loving Master who does and will “correct” you so that you get “back in line” for your own good as well as His.  For your own glory as well as His.  Seriously it probably depends on how strong a relationship you have with your Master/Owner.  I would encourage you to “get back in line”. Stay in line, listen for the commands, obey…………….. and hang on.  You are in for the ride of your life.

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher, dog sledder,  o’er the fields we go,laughing all the way

Posted on

Music for the Soul

music

What sounds have you heard that instantly go straight from your ears to your heart and soul?  While taking an early morning hike the other day, I noticed it was unusually quiet.  Staci was tagging along on this hike.  She was in it for the exercise.  I was in it for the…… well, the chance to be outdoors.  As we both were walking we realized that it was so quiet, you could hear everything.

See, we got an early start.  We both experienced seeing the sun come up.  We were early enough that the frost was still shiny and glistening on the ground.  As we were taking in the moment of a Mississippi morning, it dawned on me how quiet it was.  Even Staci noticed the quiet.  She noticed it so much that she even stopped talking, which for her is well, uncommon.  😉

When you notice how quiet everything is, that’s when you hear all the sounds.  Listen with me as I recall hearing woodpeckers, a dog barking far way, small sparrows chirping as we walk through the grass.  The bluebirds were doing their mating calls. The sounds of things in the distance are amplified by the cold weather.  I hear a deer snort.  I immediately tell Staci, “Look, there’s a deer ahead in the path!”  I had not even seen it, but I had heard it.  Sure enough as if on cue, two deer stepped out ahead of us and trotted on into the woods.

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord  Psalm 150:6  OK, OK, I know the bird is singing to claim it’s territory.  The dog is barking at an animal.  The coyote is howling at the moon.  My human companion has started talking again.  😉  But even in their everyday activities all these creatures that have breath are giving Glory to God just by BEING!  Praise Him!

“Addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,” 
Ephesians 5:19 

So, what if only the top three birds were the only ones allowed to sing?  You wouldn’t get to hear a turkey, owl, hawk, crane, or woodpecker.  All these creatures make a beautiful noise in their own way.

What if you only get to hear the top three humans sing.  and just who would that be?  Elvis? Lady Gaga? “Fill in the Blank”?   It probably wouldn’t include me and you on the list.  But what’s stopping you.  When things get quiet enough, (meaning all distractions are put aside),  that’s when your sound can be made and heard.  Sing from the heart.  Make a joyful noise.  You don’t even have to sing one of the top three Praise songs of all time.  It just might be a Tom Petty song like “Runnin’ Down a Dream”.  But you are singing in the shower, or on the way to work and it’s as natural as a bird singing everyday on the trail behind my house.  Do it because you have breath.  Do it because it’s you.  Do it because deep down it’s now for God’s Glory.

See Ya!   Dan Ainsworth  wilderness preacher/ songwriter

Posted on

The Dark Side

 

bat

Working in my log barn, I moved a plank from the wall and noticed a small furry fluffy thing.  It was asleep(hibernating).  When I placed it into the sunlight it quickly warmed up and turned into this nasty little creature.  (Nice teeth you have there fellow.)

bat teeth

He’s been hiding in my log barn all this time.  I’ve been putting my snacks right there all this time.  Been sitting right there.  I sure won’t be doing that anymore.  Look, I’m really not afraid of bats.  They are pretty neat at what they do, flying at night catching and eating insects, (that’s what those teeth are for).  But I don’t think I want one sittin’ by me when I’m eating my snacks.  I also don’t think I need a bat hiding in my house or barn.  Let him find a home in a hollow tree or cave.  Now I’m aware that there may be others hiding in my barn.

Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the LORD, And whose deeds are done in a dark place, And they say, “Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?” Isaiah 29:15

It got me thinking about what else may be hiding in my barn.  Then that’s when I got to thinking about what may be “hiding” in my own life and spiritual journey.  I wouldn’t have seen it was a bat until I brought him out into the light.  The same goes for some of our plans and deeds.  Surely you don’t plan on anything evil or bad.  But it’s the dark side so who is going to know or see?

Maybe it’s best to bring our plans and deeds out into the light.  God’s light.  Then we can see what it truly is, (and if there are teeth to look out for).  Too, too, many times we Christians (yes, me too) have gotten into situations where we later said “I didn’t know it was going to turn out like this…….  I didn’t think no one would know…….. It seemed like a good idea at the time……”

How can you use God’s Light?  It’s when we lean on God’s direction and guidance.  That’s what I mean by God’s light.  Just that simple, small, but POWERFUL prayer, “Lord help me” can be uttered before any situation or circumstance.   Then you are following in His light rather than in the darkness.  What’s in the darkness  can cause hurt and pain.  Let God’s light shine in your life.  Let your own light shine in this world!!

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher, “Batman”