A Ray Of Hope

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View from my chair on the back deck

Hello and God bless you all from sunny blue sky Colorado!  It is 59 degrees today and I’ll take that in December any day!  I have been suffering terribly today, but I don’t want to focus on that.  I am in pain almost every day.  It’s okay to talk about it and sometimes I do, but today I want to share the blessing God gave me through the pain.  I pray this is a blessing and an encouragement to you all!

Every now and then I do posts like this.  I am here to preach the Gospel and a big part of that is forming friendships along the way.  I always enjoy seeing all of your pictures from around the world.  It gives me an inside glimpse at what your lives are like and it helps me understand you better.  Hopefully these posts help you get to know me better too.

So, to the blessing!  After fighting pain all morning, I decided to sit on the deck just before lunch.  The sunshine out there is phenomenal!  The backyard faces south, so the back deck becomes a very hot sun deck very quickly.  I have one little chair out there and it is amazingly therapeutic to sit there and soak in the sun after battling pain that literally put me on my knees all morning.

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We live in a big gulch, almost like a small valley, and our house sits on a sloping ridge on the northern side.  This whole area used to be a Native American hunting ground for bison, deer, and elk.  People have even found arrow heads and pottery out here.  We don’t see bison or elk around here in our time, but we have plenty of deer along with bears, mountain lions, coyotes, and all the little critters too.  Our town has a rich Wild West history, as does the entire state of Colorado.  I have lived in this beautiful state for about 34 years now, and there is no place on earth I’d rather be than right here a mile high.

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There is a steep main road that leads up the giant hill to our neighborhood at the top.  During the founding of the town in the 1800s, the road was a train track.  It was so steep for the train that they had to use a second special train to push it up the hill.  It is so calm and peaceful in our little valley.  I love watching the cars drive by while I listen to the birds play.  It is very quiet and it’s like the cars drive by in slow motion at times.  I love it when the big rigs drive down the hill.  Some of them have the older brakes that make the cool semi truck sound, and I have always liked that.

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You can see Pike’s Peak rising in the background.

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I haven’t shaved for a few days because of the pain, so here is me enjoying God’s blessings despite the pain.  My daughter always says, “Daddy, shave your scruffies.”  That always makes me laugh.  My bony face is the face of Celiac.  I only weigh around 135 pounds and I stand 6 foot 1 inch tall.  I need to gain a good 30 pounds to be back at my normal weight, but I can’t because of my damaged small intestine.  Nothing is impossible for God, so I pray and trust Him with the outcome.

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For my Chi-town homies, you will notice I’m sportin’ the Cubbies World Series shirt today.  I’m a Colorado mountain man with a bit of Chicago in me too.  I went to High School in St. Charles.  That is where we lived during the 4 years in the haunted house.  Our neighborhood was right off the Fox River.

My parents and most of my relatives live in Illinois.  I have been to Chicago many times and have been to many Cubs games.  I even met Harry Caray at Wrigley Field once.  We also went to many Blackhawks games at the old stadium (back in the 90s).  Many times we would take the Metra train into the city, which was fun.  I was at the playoff game, which became the last game they played at the stadium before they tore it down.  Listening to the National Anthem in that place was awesome!  Good memories!

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We back up to a big open space.  The picture above is the little rock park our kids grew up playing at.  We would just jump the fence and walk over to it.  They loved jumping around on the rocks and they still do.  In the summer they love riding their bikes through the open space.  There is a long system of trails throughout the whole neighborhood and they connect with the town.

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Looking west towards the Rockies.
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Zoom shot between the houses.

The photo below is where I’ve been writing most of my posts lately.  I have an office downstairs, but I like looking out the window in the kitchen.  You’ll notice I never blog without the Sword of the Spirit (to the left of my laptop).  It might be a little handheld Bible, but that is one big sharp Sword!  The kids like it when I make the “sword being unsheathed” sound effect when I pick it up.  I always tell them, “keep your Sword sharp kids.”

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Trusting in Jesus is how I live my life.  It is a life lived by faith one step at a time and I praise God for all He has done for me and my family.  Through all the suffering, He has always proven Himself to be faithful and loving.  The Lord really comforted me out in the sun today.  There is nothing like a good 30 minutes of high altitude Rocky Mountain sun to do the body good!  Thank You Lord!

“Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

“We live by faith, not by sight.”

2 Corinthians 5:7

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.  Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Hebrews 12:2-3

I am choosing to fix my eyes on Jesus.  He is the One that carries me through the pain and He will see me through to the very end!  May His will be done!

Grace and peace to you all!

 

Author: Ryan Callahan

Hello, and welcome to my site! I am an independent Christian author (One Man's Very Strange Supernatural Life), blogger, and evangelist for Jesus. My main goal with this blog is to help people come to know Jesus, help people understand the Bible, and to minister to a lost and hurting world. This site is about hope, new beginnings, grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love! I'm glad you are here, God bless you! Copyright © 2023 Ryan Callahan. All rights reserved.

46 thoughts on “A Ray Of Hope”

  1. We were once neighbors–I grew up in Winfield, not far from St. Charles. I also remain a big Cubs fan. Although I’ve never lived in Colorado, I’ve visited it three times and enjoyed each visit. God bless. J.

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  2. Beautiful, beautiful post, brother. Gorgeous views. High country, baby!! Am quite jealous. These kinds of personal posts are terrific – at least in my book. The photos are truly a nice travelogue to me (really, I don’t get out much). I feel like I know you even better, Ryan. You need not fear me. You are a dear brother in the Lord. Your words honoring God and your faith are an inspiration. *WE ARE CHURCH* This little WordPress community continues to pray for your health, dear brother. *WE ARE CHURCH*

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  3. Even in your pain, your show how you live for God, Ryan. He did certainly give you a beautiful, warm day to bask in!! Glorious Colorado…I miss it, and all of you. Praying your pain is taken away, Ryan. :Please, God, let it be in your will”. Amen.

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  5. Ryan, thanks for the personal info and great photos! Keep on truckin’, brother! Speaking of baseball, I’ve been a Padres fan for 50 years and there’s been only a small handful of seasons to celebrate in those 50 years. Most everyone in these parts is a Yankees fan but I go against the grain in several things. 🙂

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  9. The last five years has taught me one thing. Really more than one thing, but the one thing that gets me thru is that I am not suffering pain alone. Even thru tears, I know He is with me. I am sure you know this too. An important message you are imparting to your readers is that you can live a faith filled life even when your body is troubled. A faith fill life does not mean a tribulation free life. That thought is so confusing to the unbelievers and it is one they need to understand. Prayers your way.

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  12. You keep on keeping on brother Your Story’s not over. Thanks for being a living walking testimony for Jesus.

    I love your blog and you have an amazing family. God bless All of you. Lord please encourage my brother, may He find your goodness through the pain.

    Jeremy Camp – the Story’s Not Over

    One more Micah Tyler – Different

    Here is some more encouragement for those dark days. May Our Lord shine His Light on you

    Also one more for the times we just don’t Understand His Will but need to trust in Him.

    Hillary Scott -Thy Will

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    1. That’s cool sir! I’ve been to both. My Mom and sister loved shopping in Geneva and Batavia. My Mom worked at a landscaping nursery and she used to go to DeKalb to get flowers and landscaping stuff sometimes. We lived right off Hwy 31 (heading towards Aurora) right across from St. Charles North High School (which was just being built back then). Our neighborhood had a private boat basin off the Fox River. We would go canoeing in the summer and I played hockey on it in the winter. Would have been a great place to live had we not lived in that haunted house. God bless!

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  19. Praying for your healing, that rivers of living water, would flow from heaven, flowing through crown of your head to soles of your feet, healing your intestine, making your body whole with no lasting effects in Jesus name. Amen!

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  20. Pingback: A Ray Of Hope | Sharing My GOD Given Gift this Holiday Season. Bringing Inspiration,Hope,and Comfort, to Millions Worldwide.Enjoy ORIGINAL WFH Photography -MERRY CHRISTMAS!

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