Last week we talked about how giving grace to the people and situations around us can have untold benefits: benefits of peace in our own hearts, benefits of allowing people grow into the reality that God has for them.…
Seasons and Faithfulness
In the beginning of the world, God set out time. He created seasons to mark time and to prove His faithfulness through the years. “And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to…
Awe and Humility
Last week, I wrote about how the wilderness leaves us in awe – a sense of reverential fear at something bigger than ourselves. I finished by saying, “We’re not afraid of a mountain view, but it humbles us and…
A Sense of Awe and Fear
Some of the places we go in the wilderness fill our hearts with wonder. Sometimes we are struck speechless by the sheer majesty of the view before us: the thick forest, the massive mountains, the sheer cliffs, the craggy peaks,…
Generously Compensated for Failure
A number of months ago, a social media friend posted a picture of a beautiful mountain scene. He wrote, “Hiking up from the Lake Louise ski hill in October in Banff National Park I had planned to go over…
Reason to Hope
We love to see God come through for us, to feel His presence. As the psalmist put it, “Better is one day in your courts [presence] than a thousand anywhere else” (Psalm 84:10). We long to feel God and His…
God With Us
We’re celebrating Christmas in less than another week. It’s a very exciting time around here; so many piles of packages, the Christmas tree in the living room, not to mention Christmas baking, opening Christmas cards, singing Christmas carols, and reading…
Trusting God in the Wilderness
Another element of increasing our trust in God in the wilderness is the fact that there is so much outside of our control – the weather, the trail, wild animals, random hikers, and so on and so forth. There are…
The Wilderness Teaches Trust
The wilderness gives us an opportunity to learn to trust God, to trust others, and to trust ourselves. Last week, I wrote about my own crisis of trust on Mt. Agassiz. Sometimes we find the healing of former distrustful situations…
Nature Worshipers are Looking for God
Last week, I wrote of how we can meet with the same God in church or in the wilderness. The revelation may be a bit different, but it’s still the same Creator of the Universe. For centuries, the Christians have…