To Boston and Beyond (Colorado Update)

One of the things I really wanted to do while being in Colorado was get out to the mountains and run on some trails.  I decided to go to the Mesa trail after reading a tweet by Ryan Hall an American Olympian.  The only regret I have is not taking more pictures, but the run itself was one of the greatest experiences I’ve ever had.  Mesa trail is a winding 6.2 mile course through the foothills of Boulder.  It’s a famous trail and you can find out more about it HERE.  I really wasn’t sure what to expect on the run, having only been serious about running for a few weeks.  I can tell you that I will be a trail junkie for the rest of my life, looking for new and exciting places to run.  As we ran (a friend from work and me) I felt like a giddy little kid running through the woods with his buddy’s on a summer day.  The scenery was beautiful and diverse.  Pine forrest, flatirons, water, mountains and open spaces that seemed to stretch for eternity were our playground for a day.  I;m still not over the excitement of bounding over rocks, ducking trees and hopping streams all while running up the side of these foothills.  Here’s a couple post-run pictures back at the start of the trail.

To Boston and Beyond (Quickie)

I know I know, the new header I’ve put up is not that glamorous or eye catching (quite frankly it’s pretty ugly), but these are really my shoes and feet, and it’s symbolic in an un-artistic sort of way.

I started a six week training program today to run a 5k .  It will be my first 5k since high school which was (gulp)… a decade ago.  The program was taken from www.runnersworld.com which you should check out if you like running at all.  Lot’s of good tips, work out programs, current racing news, product reviews and the list goes on.

To Boston and Beyond

Last year I began a journey of attempting to qualify for the Boston Marathon. To make a long story short, I was derailed. Today I’m pleased to announce that I’m back on track and running strong. For the next two years, this blog will be dedicated to the journey of a normal guy and all of the wonderful people in his life, trying to make this dream a reality. The process always ends up being as much fun as the end result and I hope you find that true while reading along with me.

A Financial Doxology (somewhat)

I do not claim to know everything about finances, not even close.  However, I have encountered God in enough different ways in the realm of finance, to feel I have some things to say that can be beneficial.  This post is somewhat intended to give insight, but mostly to give glory to God.

I have expeerienced the Lord’s supernatural provision.  You tend to experience His supernatural provision when you don’t have anything at all to your name.  It seems like a rough lifestyle to have to depend on the Lord completely for every meal and every dollar you have (it is), but it’s also one of the most adventerous, fun positions to find yourself in if it’s led by the Lord.

I have experienced the Lord honoring the principles He has set forth in the bible about finances.  Give and it will be given unto you, sow and you shall reap and testing the Lord by giving a tenth of your fruit faithfully, are all promises I’ve seen Him make good on.

Practicle Principles:  The Lord is also very clear about good stewardship and the book of Proverbs is full of practicle bits of wisdom on how to be a financially savvy and independant person.  Plus God is a good Father.  He wants to teach us how to use money wisely so that our needs are met and so we can bless His people also.

I will say this again, I believe this season of Economic turmoil in America is a great chance for the church to prepare and shift her understanding.  I don’t believe the economy will completely crash and it will make a comeback to where we can settle in to comfort and complacency again if we want to.  But this time should shake us into learning God’s ways in the realm of finance so we can be ready.  Let’s begin with learning His practicle guidance on finance, and end with trusting Him for supernatural provision. Let us resolving to be those who will not worry about finance, but instead setting our hearts on the Kingdom, knowing all these things are taken care of.  

Praise be to Him who alone has all power and glory and riches, Amen.

Don’t let the religeous spirit hijack martyrdom

I might be the only one, but with all the suicide bombers we hear about nowadays and Islamic Jihad, it makes it hard for me to think about Martyrdom. I believe this is a plan straight from hell because it will be necessary, to be ready to give our lives for our faith in the days to come. Meaning we must think on these things and prepare. Committing suicide while taking the lives of other people is not martyrdom, it’s murder. Martyrdom happens when the powers of hell are enraged against you for moving in the power of Faith, Love and Hope, bringing healing and destroying the works of darkness like Jesus did. Martyrdom happens when you take a stand for righteousness and you won’t back down when the powers that be ask for your silence. It’s ok to set your heart to have the faith to lay down your life if need be in that hour. This is not being overzealous or religious, this is wisdom.

Practicle Preperation

I’m just beginning to delve into the book of Revelation again for several reasons.  One of the clear themes throughout this book is the need for the people of God to trust Him for supernatural provision, protection and guidence at the end of the age.  I want to give you a starting point for how you can take your daily life circumstances as an opportunity to prepare for this period in history.

1.  There is coming a time when natural disasters and spiritual opposition will make things like drinking water virtually impossible to find.  Use your current circumstances like lack of finances or resources as a training ground to learn to trust in His guidance, supernatural provision and protection.

Easily Forgotten

If you could tell me the single most important thing about being a Christian, what would it be?  If your anything like me, you might be thinking of about 20 things right now that are good to do or very important.  The single most important thing is God Himself.  There’s nothing wrong with any of the other answers we might have come up with, and most of them are good to pursue.  The problem is Jesus Himself gets lost in the busyness of life and ministry.  We need to bear fruit, we need to do the “works” of the Kingdom, but Seeing Him, knowing His nature, hearing Him, being with Him…  There’s nothing better or more necessary.

The Update

After some prodding by a good friend, I’ve finally begun to update this blog!  Some of the changes…

Obviously I’ve switched themes and created my own header!

The Vision for this blog which is called “A voice in the wilderness” is…  To publish writing that will help the lost and the church find their identity in Christ and to equip them for the works of the ministry and the end of the age.  I am committed to posting at least once a week with small insights that hopefully will encourage you on your journey and even lead you to Jesus who is just awesome!  I haven’t figured out how to add a widget yet that you can click on to get the RSS feed to this blog, but WAY at the bottom in the middle is a little rss feed you can click on to get it.  If anyone knows how to add the RSS button for people, let me know.

The second BIG update is a new blog that I have a link to over on the right side of this page.  The blog is called “Iowa’s Take” and I’m going to use this space for a totally different purpose.  I haven’t done anything with it yet, but mash on the link over there and see for yourself what it’s going to be about.  If you are interested in contributing to this site in any way, leave a comment and let me know what’s up.

Are they for real?

When it comes to different religions that claim to move in supernatural power, i’ve found myself thinking about them in the wrong way.  When it comes to muslims, new age, unity and different factions that have supernatural leanings, I find myself closing my eyes, wishing them away and pretending their just a fictitious bunch that don’t matter.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.

The reality is that there are many groups who move in power that origionates in the second heaven and is powered by the demonic side of the ledger.  The other reality is that the supernatural power of God and the demonic will play a major role in the end time events that will unfold on the planet.  This was never an issue in the bible.  Supernatural power was believed in and used by Christians and pagans alike.  Moses had a confrontation with the magicians of Pharoah, Danial had a confrontation with wise men and Elijah false prophets.

I can’t close my eyes and wish these things away, I need to allow the Lord to show me how to operate in true supernatural power that comes from Him and leads to Life.

The Necessity of Planning

” He who fails to plan, plans to fail,” the old proverb goes.  Planning is one of the main differences between success and failure, victory and defeat.  The odd reality of planning is that a plan never happens exactly the way it’s supposed to.  Any great war general will tell you that success depends on rigorous training and planning.  They would also tell you that once a real war begins 90% of your plans get thrown out the window, because you can never truly anticipate all of the variables of war.  This I believe to be true of life in general.  So why plan, and why practice?

1.  Planning and practice help to sharpen the skills you will need, when you encounter the real life situation you were planning for.

2.  Contrary to what many believe, planning actual paves the way for creativity and spontenaity.  If you plan well and practice hard, you will be in much better position to respond when things don’t go the way you expected.

3.  The majority of life is preperation for short events.  If your not using tme to plan and practice wisely, you will rarely be able to take advantage of opportunities that come your way.

4.  The part of your plan that does work out the way you thought, might be the difference between success and failure.