“A lot of people flunk out in the wilderness, because they don’t keep their eyes on the end… The test of the wilderness is the purification of your motives and your heart.” – DS The Bible talks quite a…
Awe in the Wilderness Heals
In the article I mentioned last week concerning research done by the Sierra Club, REI, and the University of Berkeley, the researchers found an interesting correlation between emotional healing and the experience of those who came out into the wilderness.…
The Wilderness Heals
I read an article a couple weeks ago about some tests conducted by the Sierra Club, REI, and University of Berkeley. The participants were those who had experienced significant trauma and were exhibiting symptoms of PTSD. The testing field was…
Recognizing God’s Works Prepares us for God’s Move
I was reading a book the other day and a line struck me out of context. The author suggested that one of the primary purposes of scripture was to prepare us to look for and recognize God, specifically, to…
May the Lord Take Joy in All He Has Made
Everything I am will praise and bless the Lord! O Lord, my God, your greatness takes my breath away, overwhelming me by your majesty, beauty, and splendor! You wrap yourself with a shimmering, glistening light. You wear sunshine like a…
God’s Extravagance in the Wilderness
In the wilderness, we see God’s great extravagance. I can walk up into the mountains and see the snowcapped peaks that most eyes will never see. That doesn’t make them any less beautiful; they are as beautiful or even…
Echo Bay: In Search of a Dream
I’ve gotten a bit serious over the past few weeks on Jesus Sees the Wilderness, so here’s a story that’s hopefully a little lighter – if also a bit longer. When the sun shines in the desert, it becomes…
Adventures… or, Perspective is the Difference
Adventures don’t have to be a negative experience. Neither does walking through the valley of the shadow. It all depends on our perspective, our attitude in the situation. (I’m not saying that the valley of the shadow of death is…
Adventures… or, Letting Go
When we go out into the wilderness, we’re setting ourselves up for an adventure – or even more than one adventure. We’re submitting ourselves to the whims of the winds, the weather, the trail, the animals that live there. We’re…
Pressing On When Failure Looms
One day many, many years ago, we were fleeing wildfires in the west and the smoke that blew in to obscure the view, wrinkle the sinuses, and create some of the most glorious sunsets I’ve ever seen. Sunsets aside, views…