A Snowy Open Door

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Photo by Ryan, Front Range at sunrise, 2-6-2020 7:03 a.m.

We have been getting a lot of snow this week ever since that winter storm came in on Monday.  I have been shoveling snow all week and weekend and it is snowing again this morning.  We are also supposed to get more snow tomorrow.  We woke up to about a foot of new snow on Friday and we ended up with a snow day.  The kids have been having fun and it’s been great having a surprise 3 day weekend.  God also opened up a door for me to share a little bit of my testimony with our new neighbors from Texas.  They have lived here for over a year now and we have talked quite a bit.  I’ve been praying for an open door and it happened as we shoveled snow Friday.  Despite all the shoveling, it has been a cool weekend I’d like to share with you all.

Here are some photos from Saturday morning.  We had all the new snow from Friday and then we woke up to new snow Saturday morning too.

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You can see the high walls of snow on the side of the driveway and sidewalk from all the snow I shoveled Friday.

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After several days, it’s not much fun to shovel, but all the snow sure does look beautiful on the Rockies.

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Pike’s Peak

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The kids always have fun sledding on our little hill on the side of the house.  If you have never been sledding, I highly recommend it!  Same with snowboarding!

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Don’t worry, our son goes all out and he was okay.  That is his style.  He goes big!

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That’s our daughter pumping her fist in victory.  The kids have a great time together and it’s always fun playing in the snow.  We are very thankful for the blessing of the Rockies.

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So, about that conversation with my neighbor.  His teenage son was also with him.  We all came out to shovel at the same time and we were outside for at least an hour.  We talked about the storm and how much snow we got and we talked about the warm weather in Texas.  They are from San Antonio and my sister lives in Fort Worth now, so we have quite a bit in common.

As we talked, I let him know about my Celiac diagnosis.  He wanted to know more about it and he asked really good questions.  I told him all about the disease and I ended up telling him about the day I stopped breathing due to anaphylactic shock and I told him I was saved by a miracle and came back to life.  His son was listening intently the whole time.  I didn’t go into the whole event with the wind of the Holy Spirit and the Lord putting me back in my body, but I got to tell him that I believe in Jesus and I have since 1996.  He was amazed to learn that I didn’t receive any help from EMTs, but I survived.  He didn’t say whether he believed in Jesus or not, but he thought it was cool and was encouraged by what I said.  It was awesome to have such a deep conversation while shoveling snow and that is exactly how the Lord opens doors to preach the Gospel and share our testimonies!  Thank You Jesus!

We will be shoveling more snow today, so maybe we will have another conversation.  I just pray I can be a blessing to our new neighbors and help with any questions they might have.  We should always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks us about our faith in Jesus.  Even when we’re moving a foot of snow.

Here is a photo from 8:34 a.m. this morning.  It was snowing when I got up at 6:30 a.m. and it is still snowing right now at 11:20 a.m., Mountain Time, of course.  It was really sunny yesterday and it started to warm up, so a lot of the snow from Friday and Saturday melted, but it’s coming down pretty steady again today.  I don’t know how much more we will get, but we might end up having a snow day tomorrow too.

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God can use anything to open a door to talk about Jesus, even a snow storm.  May we always keep our eyes on Jesus and be sensitive to the urging of the Holy Spirit when the door opens.  Thank you Jesus for answering my prayer and opening the door to share my testimony!  May He use His people for His glory and May His will be done!

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.”

Romans 1:16

“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Romans 10:9

Have a blessed Sunday!

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 © 2024 Ryan Callahan. All rights reserved.

37 thoughts on “A Snowy Open Door”

    1. I have a snowblower, but it’s broken. I have to do it all by old school shovel now. Fortunately, a guy came through on an ATV with a snow plow Saturday morning and he did the middle of the sidewalk. I just had to clean up the edges of the sidewalk afterwards. Those are HOA guys that usually only do the sidewalks across the street in front of the low maintenance homes with no driveways. We have to do our own sidewalks and everything over here. Would have been nice to have that guy plow my driveway. 🙂 I would love to have an ATV with a plow! I would also love to fix my snowblower. 🙂 God bless!

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  3. Boy, you guys did get hit with some snow, but isn’t it beautiful. Pikes Peak is even more majestic with the snow cover! White snow and blue sky…. a pretty winterland neighborhood you and your family are enjoying, especially with a snow day. Hope you get another one tomorrow. Fun to see the kids sledding! Sorry, you have to shovel because of a broken snowblower, but it gave you an opportunity to share with your neighbors, how cool, Ryan. When that opportunity comes our way and we find ourselves sharing our testimony with someone like a neighbor, or even what might start out being nothing more than a friendly hello that ends up being a wonderful conversation on Jesus, maybe discussing our blessings, it feeds our soul and fills our heart with brotherly love! What a warm feeling it gives us, what a lift it gives our spirit. Praise God. We sure need more of that kind of loving fellowship in our lives. I tell you though, when it happens, you know it was Jesus opening that door and it sure feels great! God bless, Ryan. What a wonderful story you shared with us, does my heart good to hear of it! Love you guys, Ry!

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  6. Wow! The pictures are beautiful. But it seems as if it is a lot of work to shovel the snow. Try not to ovedo it on your good days. In my experience with patients with chronic illness, they tend to overwork themselves when they are feeling strong and painfree, but that is not good either.
    I am glad that you were able to share Christ with your neighbor. Any opportunity we get we must use it. Have a blessed week in the Lord.

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  9. Working the Lord’s land always does us good. It is hard work that pays off in the healthiest ways, and it is a blessing that you even got to share about your faith with your neighbor!

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  10. How encouraging, Ryan! I love that God uses whatever situation we find ourselves, as long as we are willing. And what joy for you and your neighbors to share Good News while doing a not- so- fun job. God truly makes everything we do better. Blessings to you and your sweet family! ♥

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  12. I saw you all got nailed! We got some, but not like that. I am so thankful God answered your prayer to share your faith and story! What a joy and honor!! I will be praying God will use your conversation to plant seeds and that He will give you the opportunity to watch those seeds germinate and grow. Blessings!

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    1. You would love it! I use to go snowboarding a lot more when I was younger. There is nothing like dropping in at 12,000 feet with your feet strapped to a board. Sledding can be just as exhilarating, but snowboarding takes the cake. I miss it. You definitely have to see snow at some point in your life. I recommend coming to Colorado and heading up to the mountains. Go to Winter Park ( my favorite) and you will see the most beautiful snow you’ve ever seen in your life.🏂🤙God bless!

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