Tag Archives: quiet time with God

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Beyond the Horizon

oceanmeditate

As a man of the mountains, I must admit that there is something about the ocean that draws us in.  The vastness, the beauty, the mystery, all give a glory to the sight before me.  The rhythm of the waves add a calming effect as well.  The sand goes forever.  Early mornings give an opportunity to explore (new sea shells) and have a quiet time.

How, why, when, ….. lots of questions pop into my mind during this quiet time alone with God.  As calming as the waves and the view, there is a part of me that gets troubled. The part of me is also the part of you that says, “How can my difficulties be solved, why do bad things happen to good people (me and you), when will you God come and restore calm to a trying, difficult time.

Seems like the world is on purpose trying to create chaos.  Everyone, I mean everyone is out to prove their way of thinking is right, and what makes it worse, if you disagree then you are WRONG,WRONG,WRONG!!  Politics.  Whew, Let’s don’t even go there.  Let’s go back to the sea.

oceanstorm

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.  Habakkuk 2:14

Habakkuk?…..That’s in the Bible?….Yep, a minor prophet that doesn’t get much attention.  But he has got a lot in common with me and you.  See, he talks with God, even asks Him why do bad things happen.  In Habakkuk’s eyes, God is a Holy, Loving, Righteous, and Good God.  With all of God’s mighty power, Habakkuk wonders aloud why God would allow things to happen as they do.

What is so amazing to me about Habakkuk?  He never gets to fully realize God’s plan.  He definitely doesn’t understand about all the hate and hurt in the world, and yet,….. and yet, he fully trusts His God to remain in charge.  In charge of this whole world.  In charge of him.

I think I’ll join in that way of thinking.  While I will never understand why things are the way they are, I will continue to “talk with” and even question my God as to why. I will live like Habakkuk lived.  See, he had a lot of doubts about the ways of the world.  Even had doubts about how he himself lived.  He talked with God about these doubts.  BUT, he never let these doubts rob him of a true living relationship with his God.  May your journey (even though filled with doubts) be one of mystery and awe.

With all the doubts surrounding him, Habakkuk never doubted God!  Bam!  Now that’s how to live there.

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher, part time Beach Bum

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Have You Taken a Road Less Traveled?

Road Less Traveled

My order is ready, at a town two hours away.  I make the decision to go get it myself.  The best decision I make today…….. is to travel on the road less taken.  The back roads, the dirt roads,……. away from the hustle and bustle.  I met someone who I haven’t talked with in a long while,…..  Myself.

It would have been so easy to hit the four lane, the expressway, and follow the crowd.  I’m sure I could have made the trip in under two hours, (instead of the three and a half).  There was the possibility of sending someone else to get it for me.  Matter of fact, why didn’t I just have it shipped to my home address.  Nope, I’m going to make this decision.  This trip will become part of my journey on Earth today.  And like the poem says, taking the less traveled road has made all the difference.

Here are some of the things that happened to me.  My radio hasn’t been that loud since,….. well, I didn’t know it would play that loud.  With the windows rolled down, (who needs air conditioning), I had the music blasting.  Country songs, a couple of praise songs, and then… Tom Petty’s “Runnin’ down a Dream”.  Yep, it’s sing along, karaoke time.

Stopped at a country store, got a Root Beer.  Thought about, well, for a while there I thought about nothing.  Until an old rock and roll song came on…… highway to the Danger Zone!

It dawned on me that my phone hadn’t rang in a while.  I check it.  Sure enough, there is no service here!  I would later realize that I’m surviving without my phone.  What is amazing to me is that in this modern world how we have become slaves to our phones.  They are mobile devices which means that we must let them follow us everywhere.  Then we religiously check them to see if any messages have come in, to see if facebook has done anything that I need to know that very instant.  I do the unthinkable…… I cut mine off.

That’s when I saw this kid on a bicycle.  He must have been about 12 years old.  As I’m driving past a large graveled driveway, I see him.  There is a mud hole about the size of my truck in this driveway.  I see him.  “Don’t do it” I yelled.  I actually did yell out loud.  (I’m the guy in movie theaters that yells “don’t go in there” to the screen during a scary movie).  As I’m yelling, the kid plows his bike into that big ole mud hole.  It probably wasn’t but a few inches deep.  But his reaction was priceless.  In his mind, he must have jumped the Grand Canyon, or won the Olympic gold, because he raised his hands up in the air in victory.  I laughed from the bottom of my heart.  I just witnessed the glorious victory of a twelve year old kid on his bike winning some gigantious event!!!!!!  And now I’m jealous.

I miss those days when I used to ride my bike through the mud holes.  The days of stopping at a country store for a snack and drink.  I miss those times, especially now in this world we face and live in.  But wait a minute.  It’s my decision.  I can choose how I live in this crazy world.  I can follow the crowd on the interstate, or literally and spiritually, I can take the back road.

(Jesus said), “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to LIFE, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:14

That scripture sounds like a “country dirt road” to me, doesn’t it to you?  I mean spiritually we can follow the “interstate” and let life pass us by, or we can make the deliberate decision to take the narrow road.  Follow Christ’s teachings.  Live the Christian way of life.  It’s a narrow road, but it makes me come alive.

As I make my way back home from this trip, it dawns on me.  There is a HUGE mud hole about 5 miles from my home!  I’m not twelve years old anymore, but a part of me has and will never grow older than that.  I don’t have a bicycle, but I do have a Toyota Tundra pick up.  It going to be a thrill to hit that mud and plow right through.  I can taste the victory now.  There’s room in my truck for all of you to join in.  Better yet, get in line.  Join me!  We’ll make a convoy!  A blasting radio is a must!

Safe travels on your journeys.  My prayer is that you spiritually take and follow the narrow (back country) road.

See Ya!  Dan Ainsworth wilderness preacher, part time stunt driver!!

 

 

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Too Much of a Good Thing

corn

Corn needs rain to grow.  It’s so important for my corn that I pray for this rain.  But not seven inches in two days!  Who prayed for that!

Growing up on the farm a generation ago, it always seemed to me that we were at the mercy of God and nature.  I remember many times before eating a meal we would give thanks.  Everybody always did the “God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food”.  But also our family would pray for rain.  There was an elderly lady in our church who refused to pray for rain.  Never would do it. Didn’t matter how dry it was, or if the peas were dying, or the hay dryin’ up to nothing.  She wouldn’t pray for rain.  She believed that God knew what He was doing, so He would send rain and sunshine when He saw fit.

Well, when I “see fit” to wanting and needing something, I ask God for this in prayer.  I mean ask ye shall receive, right?  “Well Lord, my corn needs water.  Can you send me a rain to help me grow this crop?  Thank You.  Amen.” ……………… and then it floods seven inches.  Hhmmm.

Back at the dinner table, we also prayed for sunshine.  Then we thanked Him whether the sun shined or not.  That was the confusing part.  We asked for something and would then turn around and thank Him for what we got, or didn’t get.  Honestly we gave thanks no matter what type of weather we were going through.  Being even more honest than that,……….. when the tornado hit one of our barns and carried it away, we gave thanks.  The winds carried the barn piece by piece over several miles.  We never did find where most of the tin and boards were carried. (Probably still flying around somewhere)

Now we didn’t give thanks for the tornado.  We gave thanks that He was with us during this time.  The confusing part back then is making more sense to me nowadays.  We asked for things, stuff, rain, sunshine, and that our favorite football team would win. (they needed prayin’ for)  We prayed for little everyday things.  We prayed for great big events that were happening in our lives.  We prayed for the sick, for the military, for our leaders of the country.  No matter what the situation good or bad, we prayed.

1 Thessalonians 5: 17-18  pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

God’s will is for us to have a loving, living relationship with Him.  A great way to grow this relationship is by praying………all the time……… And giving thanks………for everything.  This Christian walk with God would make a good Western movie. The good, the bad, and the ugly…….  He’s there with me in all circumstances. He knows what’s best for me AND YOU!  He knows already what I need. But His will is for me to talk TO Him, and to listen TO Him. That’s why I pray.  So, can you pray too much hoping for too much of a blessing?  I don’t think so. Hmmm…..  I’ll talk to God about that. But I’ll also listen to Him.

Here’s a picture of my corn growing at the mercy of my Lord. Thank you Lord!

corn today