I think I need to smell some pine trees!

I really think that in the midst of a change of life, it might just be good to go out and do something you like doing, and see if it still works to change your attitude! In my case it would be to go smell some pine trees, take a walk in a forest and just wonder what ever happened to the rest of the world! I think that is the reason for a Sabbath, no working, it seems that the problem has been around for thousands of years, human beings have been so obsessed with existing, making sure they leave some kind of significant mark on the world or just survive,that they have forgot to appreciate the world or it's beauty! We are always so apt to feel guilty for not having done something significant, that we punish ourselves, by doing too much of the mundane. If life is important, than we should stop and appreciate it! It is one of the reasons peak bagging got old, it is great to get to the top of the mountain, but often, the race to see how fast you go up, and come down, setting a record, kind of misses the point of seeing and experiencing the mountain. Exercise in it's self will clear the mind, but what you see, smell, touch, these reconnect you with your soul, refresh your spirit, make your mind think in new ways! So, when you start to get stale, when the only thing in your heart and your mind make you want to scream, stop, remember what makes you happy, and just do it! Whatever day you do a Sabbath, do it, don't feel guilty, don't count the productive things you could have done, just remember, it is not about work, if you exercise when you Sabbath, the exercise should not be (for your good), it is should be because it takes you where you want to be, it should ultimately relax and help re-create you, re-center yourself, to appreciate... God, the world, and the people around you! Here are some pictures to take your mind off of things that you see everyday!

Share the Season- Discovering peace #1

Peace and Anxiety do not go together, they can't exist in the same place and yet when we are anxious we should turn to peace but how do we discover peace and cling to it in the middle of turmoil? Rediscovering Christmas Peace was the topic of Jeff Vines sermon Sunday and spoke directly to me. In this time of high anxiety for me and my family it is hard to grasp peace, the season has become one of stress all by itself, let alone without the added stress of employment, finance, turmoil and self involved examination of one's self! 
Here is a bit of Christmas peace, Luke 2:14  "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!", it is not as you might expect that I took comfort from the part about peace, but the phrase "with whom he is pleased!". Yes, with sin in the world, with it seeming that God is really mad at us, wants us to tow the line or be destroyed, that is not the case at all, he is pleased with us and is in the process of bringing as many as will come to peace and fellowship, not destruction! Isaiah 43:1 "But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name ; you are Mine!". In Luke just as he was announcing the birth of Jesus he told the shepherds in the field, "Do not be afraid", for as Jeff pointed out, most of the time when people see such a display of God's glory, they expect judgement, we seem to be fearful all the time! Christians love Christmas, it is the day we designate in the year to celebrate the birth of Jesus, and we don't really care at this point if the exact date is not right, it is not about evergreen trees, or presents, it is about the birth of God's message of Love, Peace, Fellowship, his Olive branch, the making of Peace with mankind that he wants to exist between Him and Us. God taking on flesh and blood to identify, redeem and be able to touch us and know our fears, hopes, dreams! Anxiety draws our attentions in many directions, it keeps us in the perpetual state of not knowing what to choose, fearing the unknown. Shed anxiety by trusting in the peace of knowing who you believe in and what you believe in. Here are three keys for discovering Christmas Peace.

1. I will remind myself that I belong  to God!
2. I will remind myself that my response to anxiety reveals who I really am and what I really believe.
3. I will remind myself that that God is always with me.

I am not the brilliant one, those points are straight from Jeff Vines message! But this part is from me, the message I get here is Relax, God is with me, I belong to Him, and when I am not checking in with him and letting him be in charge, I get anxious! Whatever I am going through, by my own stupid efforts or the malfeasance of the government or the fool in the car ahead of me, God is using it to make me better, it works so much easier if I just relax and let the maker shape me! When he finds the hard parts in me, they have to be broken up, or reshaped, to take the dust and granite and mud that I am and turn it into the masterpiece that he desires!

Remember the seasons of your life, be glad for what has happened, give thanks for the bad things that have not happened, love those around you, never use anyone for your own purposes but seek the higher good of everyone you meet. Remember when you are on the side of a mountain, or skipping down a slope, you are not alone! Have a Merry and Blessed Christmas Season!

Whimsical Friday

This is a lighthearted post that touches something I love, yes, it is true, Cats! But cat loving can put you at odds with the world, and don't get me wrong, I am not a dog or chinchilla or fish hater and all pets have their merits and demerits but they all do one thing, they become companions, helpers and friends! Whoops, that is three! We can become deeply attached to them, and it really makes no sense at all, but find me a pet hater, well this person is...I feel sorry for them! Now I can't value a pet above a human, nor deify them, that is wrong. But here is something of a mystery to me, it seems to me a bit odd, but science claims to explain a great many mysteries, why the PBS Nova series has been claiming to explain the way the cosmos works! Yet it can't come to really explain exactly how a cat purrs, Yes, I had heard this but a really very short search of the Internet and some really prestigious research work has come to at least three explanations as to how a cat purr is created. We are unraveling the human genome, we purport to explain the universe, and yet no one has conquered this small mystery or why it is that cat's that roar don't purr, hmmpff. Thank you Lord for confounding the wisdom of the wise and giving us the happiness that comes when we hear a cat's contented purring. Remember this, no one has had the police called because of a cat purr...some interesting Cat facts are linked here. And for Diesel truck fanatics, check out the link to find what the cat has in common with your beloved engine! That is all for a Friday. Thanks for reading, and for checking out the Ads, they are helping with the rent!

We have a mystery!

Sunrise on Whitney!



Sunrise on the way to Mt. Whitney!

When you hit the trail at 4:00 am or was it 3:30?, and you walk in predawn darkness with nothing but the sights and sounds you can perceive with a headlamp and the closeness of companions as you head up, up, up, the only thing that is really on your mind, is your pace, will altitude take you out and will it be this dark when you return? Then as the day progresses and the nights starts disintegrating into day you pick up your little camera, and what your eye perceives, you hope it catches! It was there in the dark, and the flash spoils it, so you turn off the flash, fiddle with gloved thumbs and catch something to take home. You can't take the experience back, but when you reach out and capture a moment of God's gesture of beauty it brings back the moment, the emotion, the knowing life is important; it can save you later on! I trained for months, I was in the best physical shape of my life and Christ helped me that day to do something some people can never accomplish. Am I a mountain climber?, in the broadest sense yes, because I have been on the top of mountains, not in the narrow sense though, no ropes, chalks or desire to tackle sheer walls and I do not enjoy precipice's or dangling my legs over the edge, but I do enjoy the view! Hiking through mountains, over mountains and the smell of  pine forest is a joy for me, which challenges and draws me closer to my maker, it inspires confidence and reminds you of your vulnerability. It is something you can do solo and enjoy but it seems to be enjoyed even more when shared with others, because you just can't convey to those who were not with you, the same thing, even though I am sure that each person has a different perception, a different message with each passing step. It is important to know, that when I am alone on a walk, I am not really alone, I have a companion who sticks close, he never outpaces me, and when I tire, he sits with me and waits while I recover, and when my feet bleed, and yes, they have bled, he understands my pain and keeps me going. So while friends may fail you, he never will. Show me the path home, I am very weary, I am not sure if I will make it to the next rise, bring me through the pass over the trail summit and then to the peak as you have done before!

Whitney trail summit!

Whitney summit!