Keeping toasty warm this weekend at the natural hot springs in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. Established in 1888, it is one of the hottest springs in the world at 104 degrees, with 3.5 million gallons of water flowing through it each day. Simply fabulous!
Then the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the LORD; For He is coming to judge the earth. 1 Chronicals 16:33
We weren’t made to be praised. We were made to praise. Instead of only getting excited about football, soccer, music, etc, let’s allow ourselves to be swept up into the glory of God. Let’s praise Him for how good He is to us this Thanksgiving weekend. And then let’s continue. Happy Thanksgiving!
For the Angular photo challenge, this was taken at Grey Rock Trail, one of the most hiked trails in the United States.
I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Acts 2:19-21 (NIV)
This photo reminds me of an apocalyptic movie so I went with an end-of-the-world scripture. I am always fascinated that as atheistic as Hollywood is, they churn out movie after movie depicting biblical-sized epics about the end of the world. And audiences eat them up. But I don’t consider that entertainment. There’s enough hardship and trauma in life as it is. When I go to the movies I want to see love or laughter. I do like a good Bruce Willis action flick though 🙂
Whatever difficult road you are walking down today, perhaps to an unknown or frightening looking destination, I pray that the Lord would touch your heart with His peace. Stay on the path, keep following Him. It is utterly amazing what unexpected miracles He can perform when you least expect it. He came through with an enormous one for me last week, when I thought all hope was lost. So…
Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27:14 (NIV)
Submitted for the Photography 101 Challenge: Landscape
Yet He often withdrew to deserted places and prayed.
Luke 5:16
Many demands are heaped upon us. This world can become strident, persistent, and demanding. Our souls grow weary and worn from overuse. It’s okay to withdraw from the crowd to seek relief, peace, and times of refreshing in quiet and prayer.
“Mystery” Photo 101 challenge.
Offer prayers unceasing to him, bless him from morning to night. Fields of golden grain in the land, cresting the mountains in wild exuberance, cornucopias of praise, praises springing from the city like grass from the earth. May he never be forgotten, his fame shine on like sunshine.
Psalm 72:16-17 (MSG)
Submitted for the Minimalist Photo Challenge.
Descending in small airplane with the beautiful Boulder, Colorado, Rocky Mountain Flatirons in the west.
The Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Luke 3:22
The pretty filaments of Fall have replaced the flowers. And so we go on…
Inverted was interesting, so I’m including that, too:
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.
Ecclesiastes 3 1-2 KJV
I fell in love with photography because I see God’s face in nature as I peek through my lens. I’d like to create a photo book of all the beautiful sights I’ve captured of His creation. I think this photo would be a good cover for that book, so I’m submitting it for the Cover Art photo challenge.
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature,
and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.Hebrews 1-3 (ESV)
“But like your daddy said, the same sun that melts the wax can harden clay. And the same rain that drowns the rat will grow the hay. And the mighty wind that knocks us down if we lean into it will drive our fears away.”
…Amy Grant
The marvelous Rio Grande Trail that runs from Aspen to Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Robin Williams died of an apparent suicide today. Life is hard. Sometimes life is very hard. Some of us have struggles that never let up and pound relentlessly against our minds and hearts for years, decades, even lifetimes. Many of us get to the dangerous point where we can’t take it anymore.
I pray for the desperate, that somewhere, even in the lost crannies at the back of their minds, they would keep a sliver of hope alive that a powerful and loving God exists. Then, perhaps, when that pinnacle of crisis comes, when the darkness is so overpowering that they have no strength left to fight it, that they would turn to Him in agony and cry for help.
In our most desperate hour is when He proves Himself the mightiest to save. When we have nowhere else to turn, and all is dark, confused and horrible around us, if we’ll turn for just a moment and sob our terrible helplessness to Him, He will come running to save us from ourselves. In that most difficult moment of humility He lifts us out of the sheer darkness of our lives and sets us in a new place. He rescues us from our hell and, miracle of miracles, seats us in a place full of hope, joy, and peace.
Don’t let your heart become so hard that you can’t believe in the Almighty at all. If you do, you may not allow yourself to find Him or even think to look for Him when that critical crisis slams into your life with a frightening force you didn’t expect. Give yourself a bit of hope. As Jerry McGuire said, “We live in a cynical world.” If we let it, cynicism will dry up our hearts and sap every last vestige of our hope.
My photo shows a beautiful path. He has a great path for all of us as well. One of great beauty, with green grasses, blue skies, overwhelming love. And with a clear path, a straight path. That path is not always easy but it can be full of that rescuing love every day of your life. This is truly a spiritual mystery. I cannot logically explain it, I cannot prove it by scientific methods, but it happened and Jesus radically saved my life 20 years ago. His saving love is available to all of us, when we most need it.
May Robin rest in peace. And may his family be comforted by God’s sweet peace.
“It is in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for.” Eph 1:13 (MSG)
Gleaning the Nuggets 