A Christian author helping people come to Jesus, helping people understand the Bible, ministering to a lost and hurting world, and speaking truth to power.
Good morning Everyone and God bless you all! It is a beautiful day the Lord has made and we even had some furry visitors this morning that God used to inspire this post. There is a family of deer that come through the open space behind our home just about every day. Sometimes they sleep in our backyard and other times they like to snuggle up close to the fence underneath our big pine trees. As I watched them resting there so peacefully this morning, the verses about the Lord being a shelter came to mind. Jesus is our shelter of peace and we can truly rest in Him!
“He who dwells in the shelter of the
Most High
will rest in the shadow of the
Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my
refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Psalm 91:1-2
Amen! Jesus is our refuge and fortress of great rest and peace and we can trust in Him! When you believe in Jesus, you dwell in Him and He is your shelter both now and for eternity! He is our Savior and our only refuge from sin and death!
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
Look at how happy she is! She even smiled for me! Those deer are at peace. They have found refuge and they are not afraid. They use the safety of the trees as a fortress and they rest under their shadow.
When we dwell in Jesus, He protects us and takes care of us. We are His children and we are safe in His love. What a beautiful and mighty shelter, refuge, and fortress we have in Jesus!
“All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Jesus speaking in John 6:37-40
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Jesus speaking in Matthew 11:28-30
Jesus is Lord and He alone is the shelter and rest for our souls! He is welcoming you with open arms and He will forgive all your sins! Jesus loves you! Come to Him by faith and He will receive you as His own!
“Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.”
Acts 13:38
“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
“for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Photo by Ryan, Sunrise shining on the Rockies this morning
Happy New Year Everyone! Welcome to 2020! I don’t usually post this late, but I wanted to share a quick encouraging word for this first day of the new year before it’s over.
For the last few weeks leading up to today, I have been thinking a lot about moving forward. Moving forward from my past mistakes and sins. Moving forward past my regrets and shame, and truly living in the joy of His forgiveness and salvation daily! Even after following Jesus for 23 years now, my past mistakes rob my joy far too often. Once you come to Jesus you are free and forgiven and His blood covers all your sins, past, present, and future. God is not keeping a record of wrongs on us. He disciplines us when we mess up and He never leaves us. Sanctification is a lifelong process and the Lord will prune us as needed. He is the potter, we are the clay.
Dwelling on the past, especially the negative things we have done, does not do anybody any good. Once we have repented of whatever it was that we did or said that was sinful, we need to move on in the Lord. As long as we learn from our mistakes and grow, then the pain is not in vain. The Bible promises that God’s discipline will produce a harvest of righteousness in us. God can take our mistakes and turn it into something beautiful every time. Don’t beat yourself up over things that were forgiven and forgotten by God the moment you admitted your wrong and turned from it. Move forward in His grace!
These verses have been on my heart all day:
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not
perceive it?
I am making a way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland.”
Isaiah 43:18-19
God wants to do new things in all our lives! As one who suffers a chronic illness, I can say wholeheartedly that you must keep your hope strong that He still has good plans for you. Trust in Jesus! God can make a way where there is no way! Keep trusting, praying, and believing and don’t give up! Give that hurt from the past to God and rest in His forgiveness. When you come to Jesus by faith, God removes your sins from you as far as the east is from the west and remembers them no more. Live in that wonderful peace every day of your life!
We only get one shot at life, friends! Love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength, love your neighbor, and love each other! That is what Jesus wants for all of us in 2020 and beyond! May we not waste time hurting ourselves or others over the past. Forgive yourself, forgive each other, and keep moving forward!
Hello friends and family! Well, here we are, the last day of 2019! My prayer for us all is that we would enter 2020 with renewed strength and soar above our troubles in our hope in the Lord! We all know that we will face plenty of trials in 2020 just as we have in 2019 and every other year of our lives. This is a truth we face every day of our lives here on fallen planet earth. I also know without a doubt that we can overcome all our troubles through faith in Jesus! We can truly take heart because He has overcome the world just as He told us! We can rise up with great hope and soar on wings like eagles!
Thank you all for sticking with me this year! From friends around the world to family I grew up with, I appreciate all of your support and encouragement! Reading all of your blogs and chatting with you every day has been a blessing to me, especially in my fight with Celiac. Thank you all for your prayers and encouraging comments throughout the year! The Lord has me preaching in almost 140 countries now and my prayer is that He would increase that to every country in the world in 2020! Please pray that I would be faithful to Him and His calling on my life! I just want to please the Lord and do as He commanded.
I will continue to preach the Gospel and share God’s Word in 2020 and my fervent prayer every year is that the Lord would spread revival through the world! People desperately need God’s love and we all need a Savior! The societies of the world are suffering from a lack of knowledge of God’s Word. In an age where we have access to seemingly unlimited information through technological advances, we are at the same time living through an age of spiritual ignorance and darkness as people call good evil and evil good. A time where truth is whatever someone wants it to be regardless of what God’s Word says. No matter what human beings say, truth is not relative. God’s Truth is eternal and it is the only Truth that is sovereign over our souls and this entire universe!
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.”
John 1:1-4
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14
The most beautiful message in the world is that God loves us and came to earth to save us! You are not alone and you can know God deeply and personally by the power of the Holy Spirit! You can walk with Him and talk with Him and enjoy His comfort, peace, and love every day of your life! God has opened a Way to Him and that Way is Jesus Christ. He is the only Way to Heaven and that is a truth that all people must hear!
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 14:6
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus speaking in John 3:16
The beauty of the Gospel is forgiveness! God wants to forgive you! He wants to save you! Let 2020 be a true fresh start! There is no sin too big. God can forgive anyone and He will forgive you too!
“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Romans 3:22-24
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.”
2 Peter 3:9
When you receive Jesus by faith, you are completely forgiven and your sins will never be counted against you! You are made new by the power of the Holy Spirit that God deposits inside of you upon receiving Jesus, and you are truly a new creation! You are born again and made brand new in Christ!
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.”
2 Corinthians 5:17-19
“And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession–to the praise of his glory.”
Ephesians 1:13-14
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9
“In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
John 3:3
Not counting our sins against us! That is the great Truth of God that sets us free! Do you want that freedom? Are you tired of being in bondage to your sins? Call on the Name of the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! Every sin will be washed away by the atoning Blood of Jesus through faith in Him! That is the true fresh start we all need! Come to Jesus this New Year’s Eve! He will receive you as His own and you will be born again as a child of God who is free and forgiven forever!
“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. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:9-13
May 2020 be the year that you take hold of the eternal life God is offering! May you become a new creation experiencing the cleansing joy of God’s love and forgiveness! I would never promise that life will be without trouble, but you will have power to overcome any trial and you will walk in the newness of life that only a relationship with Jesus can bring! The old will be gone and the new will come!
Grace and peace to you all! Have a very blessed and happy new year!
If you live here in America, then you most likely heard that on Saturday night, the 7th night of Hanukkah, five people were stabbed by an intruder at the home of a Jewish Rabbi in New York. The man was wielding a machete and he attacked them out of hatred for Jewish people. I am praying for my Jewish brothers and sisters who were attacked and for the entire congregation there in Monsey. I stand with you and I stand with Israel! We both love the same God, the Creator of all things, YAHWEH (YHWH), the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Father of Jesus Christ. I pray healing over those who were attacked and I pray blessing, peace, and protection over all of you.
I cannot stand seeing this kind of anti-Semitic hatred. Nobody should be attacked because of what they believe! These attacks come straight from the evil one because he hates and persecutes all those who love YAHWEH, both Jews and Christians. We need to be in prayer as the spiritual battles intensify as the end approaches. May the Lord spread revival and bring healing and peace to people’s hearts, minds, and souls! Jesus died for all of us, both Jew and Gentile, and He is the only One who can save us from sin and death!
“May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
2 Corinthians 13:14
“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
Galatians 3:26-29
“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. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:16-17
I will always bless Israel! May the Lord pour out His Holy Spirit on Israel and all our Jewish brothers and sisters! Bless you all in the Name of Yeshua, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”
Good morning and God bless you all! Today is the last Sunday of 2019 and we are just a few days away from a new year and the start of a new decade. As we approach 2020, the Lord is urging me in the Spirit to keep my eyes fixed on Him. I have been thinking about the Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission and what that means for those of us who believe in Jesus. As we wrap up 2019 and keep moving forward into 2020, my prayer is that we would remember our first love and be faithful in fulfilling what He commanded us to do. Jesus Christ paid it all for us and we owe Him our very lives!
Let’s take a look at the Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission in God’s Word:
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Matthew 22:36-40
“Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20
No matter what gifts God gave you when you accepted Jesus, it is God’s will for all of us to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, and to make disciples of all nations. We must obey Him and share the Good News of Jesus Christ with the world! All believers have power in the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses to the ends of the earth! It’s not just those of us with the gift of evangelism. You may have a different gift, but you still have the Holy Spirit and we are to testify that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Time is running out on this world and we don’t know how much time we have left. May He fill us with love and compassion for the lost as He empowers us to preach the Gospel to the world!
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Jesus speaking in Acts 1:8
The Gospel as preached by The Apostle Paul:
“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
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9
Do not be ashamed of Jesus! Stand up boldly in 2020 and preach the truth in love. Jesus will always be with us to the very end! There are sure to be more attacks on God, His Word, and those who love Him, and we must stand firm and keep moving forward. Stay in the Word, keep your armor on, and give the battles to the Lord! He is coming soon!
“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
1 Peter 3:15
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus preaching the Gospel in John 3:16
“Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Jesus speaking in Matthew 9:37-38
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah 6:8
Photo by Ryan, Sunrise this morning
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
1 John 5:1-5
May our hearts and minds be fixed on Jesus and may we always love Him first and obey Him! He alone can save our souls and we must share that beautiful truth with the world! If you are a believer who has been sitting on the bench in 2019, it’s time to get in the game in 2020! May the Lord send more workers into the harvest field and spread revival through the world! May our hearts be strengthened and encouraged and may we always say, “Here I am Lord, send me!”
Photo by Ryan, Christmas Eve service at our church
Merry Christmas everyone! May our hearts be blessed and filled with joy as we celebrate our Savior this Christmas day! Jesus is worthy to be praised! Let us adore Him!
We had a great time of worship at the Christmas Eve service at our new church yesterday. It was the first time we were able to visit and it was a beautiful time of fellowship singing songs like “Oh Holy Night.” The pastor shared the Gospel using Isaiah 9 and he gave people a chance to accept Jesus by faith, which was awesome. The Holy Spirit was definitely poured out among us and Jesus was glorified!
It has been a very joyful Christmas and it was fun watching the kids open their presents this morning. We have been listening to carols and praise songs all day and I praise God for the joy of the Holy Spirit as we celebrate Jesus! This is one of my favorite songs from the new Reach Records Christmas album called “The Gift.” It is a very encouraging and upbeat hip-hop version of a classic praise song and it had me dancing with my hands up today! I pray it is a blessing to you all as well!
Jesus loves you! Let that truth sink deep into your heart today! Jesus was born because God is love, and God has poured out His love on us all by offering us eternal life through faith in Jesus! If you have never accepted that most precious gift, I pray with all my heart that you come to know your Savior who loves you and you receive the salvation of your soul this very day! No matter where you are in the world, God is offering you this gift! It is up to you to receive it by faith.
“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
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Jesus speaking in John 3:16
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 6:23
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8-9
That is the glory of Christmas! Jesus will forgive your sins and give you eternal life! What a mighty gift of God’s amazing grace! Hallelujah!
“For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will
be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God,
Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6
Grace and peace to you all! Have a beautiful and blessed Christmas!
Hello everyone and God bless you all! Christmas is almost here! Many of you are traveling to see family or have family visiting and I pray all of you have a blessed and joyful time together. In celebration of Jesus, I would like to share a quick passage of Scripture with you regarding how His birth was so gloriously announced to the world. It always encourages my heart to read about this miraculous event, and I pray it encourages you as well.
Here is the historical account of the birth of Jesus Christ and the angelic miracle that followed as recorded in the Book of Luke:
“In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to his own town to register.
So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace to men on whom
his favor rests.”
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”
Luke 2:1-20
Amen! The birth of Jesus Christ is good news of great joy for all people! Such good news in fact that angels announced and celebrated His birth on earth! And why is His birth such good news? Because Jesus is the Savior of the world! He is Christ the Lord!
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12
Jesus is mankind’s only Savior and that is why we come together to celebrate Him at Christmas. Without Jesus there would be no hope. We glorify and praise God just as the shepherds did and we are filled with the same great joy from knowing our Savior is with us! We celebrate His birthday and praise God just as the angels did and we say, “Glory to God in the highest!” He is worthy to be praised!
We tell the world about Jesus because it is good news of great joy for all of us! Sin does not have to be your master and death does not have to be the end! We have a Savior and He came to save our souls and set us free, and that is the greatest news of all!
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Photo by Ryan, Just before sunrise around 7 a.m. this morning
Good morning everyone and happy Saturday to you all! Most mornings I am up around 5 a.m. and today was no exception. It is so calm and still this morning and the Rocky Mountain air is sweetly crisp and cool. We are at high altitude here in Colorado, so we have incredible views of the sky. The air is thin and clear and we are so high up that the wonders of the heavens play out in stunning detail. Our home sits at 6,115 feet and the back faces south, so we see the setting and rising of the sun and moon perfectly. The stars are incredible at night too. This morning, I was chillin’ on our back deck and I took some photos of the moon as the sun was coming up. As I looked at the moon just hanging there in space, a verse came to mind and it amazed me that people don’t believe in God even after seeing such an amazing part of His creation.
You can see the moon in the clear blue early morning sky. Since we are above a mile high, I can zoom in on the moon so close you can see the craters. Check out these photos. How can anybody say God doesn’t exist while looking at this? Every day we see the wonders of God and they declare His glory! They prove that He exists and we are without excuse.
Who do you think made that? Who do you think holds it in the sky and keeps it from crashing down on us? You know Who. The moon is telling you. It is God, the Creator of the universe, the One and Only whose Name is I AM! He created the moon and His fingerprints are all over it.
“The heavens declare the
glory of God;
the skies proclaim the
work of his hands.
Day after day they pour
forth speech;
night after night they
display knowledge.
There is no speech or
language
where there voice is not
heard.”
Psalm 19:1-3
Those are the verses that came to my mind while I was taking the moon shots. Every single day the heavens declare and the skies proclaim that God exists and He is glorious! They show the work and knowledge of our Creator! The same God Who made this planet we live on and all that we see above us in the skies is the same God Who made you and me! If God didn’t exist, then that moon wouldn’t be in the sky and we wouldn’t even be here to see it anyway. God is in control and that is a truth that will never change.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.”
John 1:1-5
All things were made by God in the beginning. The Word is Jesus Christ and everything was made through Him. Jesus is God in human flesh. He is the light that shines in the darkness of this world. That is the glory of Christmas! God came to earth to dwell among us, so that He could save us!
“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14
We see His glory every time we look at creation. Every time we see ourselves in the mirror and see all the billions of people in the world. Do you see Him? He is everywhere!
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
Romans 1:20
Check out these photos of a plane taking off from DIA. We live between DIA and Buckley Air Force base to the north and Fort Carson, the Air Force Academy, and NORAD to the south, so we see commercial and military flights every day. Sometimes the fighter jets fly so low they shake the house. This flight looks like it’s taking folks to warmer temps for Christmas.
Quick story I haven’t talked about on my blog yet. On July 4, 2012 (just a couple months after I stopped breathing and came back to life) we had an F-22 Raptor fly right into the open space behind our house. Many of you know we live in a big gulch, like a small valley, above our town, and pilots love flying over this area. We have lived here for 13 years now and we have seen pilots doing stunts, fighter jets and choppers practicing maneuvers, and even the occasional hot air balloon. The open space behind our backyard is actually a perfect wide open area several hundred yards long, so it probably looks very similar to an air craft carrier to a fighter pilot.
I heard a jet flying really low that day, so I stepped outside on the back deck. As I walked outside, a fighter jet flew right over the top of the houses at the east end of the open space, then the pilot just stopped and hovered about 15 feet above the ground right behind our house. I didn’t even know F-22s could come to a stop and hover like that before I saw it happen! It was so quiet as it just floated there too! I was on the back deck standing there in awe yelling at my wife to come outside. I didn’t know it at the time, but she was in the kitchen watching it from the window.
The pilot must have had some kind of emergency to have to perform such a top gun move like that in a residential neighborhood. I could see him clearly through the cockpit and he was messing with his instrument panel, then he looked over at me. We have a walkout basement, so our deck is up high and I was eye level with him. As we made eye contact, I pumped my fists in the air enthusiastically to show him how rad it was to see him.
After that, he turned his jet towards our home, rose above the pine tree on the east side of our backyard and continued right above our back deck barely clearing the gutters on the edge of the roof. He was so close I could have bounced a ball off the bottom of the jet! It was incredibly quiet as he just coasted through the air. The metal was a very unique gray color that looked technologically advanced, and I could see the words and markings on the side. When he was about 30 feet above our house, he throttled up and shot into the sky. It was so awesome!
And no, I didn’t get a single picture! I was hurting really bad back then as I had just been diagnosed with Celiac on January 6th, 2012 and I had gone through anaphylactic shock and survived by a miracle on April 28th, 2012. I didn’t even think about getting a camera. I was in pain and I was just mesmerized by the whole event. It was an amazing gift from God to see that jet on July 4th that year. I had suffered so much and had years of suffering ahead of me and I felt really blessed to have yet another amazing experience in my life.
I actually sent an email to Buckley Air Force Base explaining what had happened. I also thanked them for such an awesome private air show on July 4th. All the fireworks shows had been cancelled that year due to hot drought conditions, so it was awesome to see an American fighter pilot do that on the 4th. I’m glad he was okay and he didn’t crash! It’s amazing how precisely close they can get with those jets! I never did hear back from Buckley, which I understand. Our military usually keeps a tight lid on things, especially when a fighter pilot makes emergency maneuvers right among a bunch of homes. At least they have record of my email. It was definitely one of the coolest experiences of my life!
By the way, Lockheed Martin made the F-22 Raptor and they have a facility just west of here in Littleton where I grew up. My Dad actually worked for them when I was a kid. They were called Martin Marietta back then. I didn’t even know what he did. All I knew is that he had a security clearance and worked at a building tucked away in the foothills that was guarded by soldiers with M16 rifles. Many people who grow up here have parents who work for government contractors or are in the military. My Dad would joke with us and say, “I can tell you what I do, but then I’d have to kill ya.” I still laugh at that and I still don’t really know what my Dad did. We just know he trained people.
Pike’s Peak
It’s been a cool Saturday morning and this has been a bit of a different post for me. I just wanted to share my thoughts as God spoke to me through His creation, and hopefully you enjoyed our encounter with the fighter jet as well. I pray you all are blessed and encouraged today and the Lord would fill you with joy! No matter where you are in the world, His creation speaks to you. The glory displayed in the skies proves to us that there really is a God in Heaven who loves us, and God proved His love for us by coming to earth as a baby boy to save the world.
“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
Photo by Ryan Callahan (12-20-19), Daniels Park, Douglas County, CO
Today was the first day of Christmas break for our kids, so I took them up to Daniels Park this morning. Many of you may recognize this area from the main photo at the top of my blog homepage. I have also posted many Scripture pins with photos from this area. All of my past photos from the park have been from the summer, but I have always wanted winter photos, so I was pumped going out there today. It was a perfect crisp blue sky morning and it is such a peaceful place to take in the full beauty of the Rocky Mountain front range.
Daniels Park is located in Sedalia (next to Castle Rock) just 21 miles south of Denver. We are about 26 miles southeast of Denver, so the park is only about a 15 to 20 minute drive from our home. The area is rich in Wild West history and it is actually a 1,000 acre protected historic preserve complete with a roaming bison herd. Kit Carson is said to have stayed in this area and cooked his last meal here before his death in 1868. It is also home to the Tall Bull Memorial Grounds cultural area, which is 70 acres of private Native American land.
“The land that is now Daniels Park is bisected by a ridge known as Riley Hill, which runs roughly north-south to reach Wildcat Point at an elevation of 6,600 feet. Long before Daniels Park was established, the area’s prominence and clear views made it a popular rendezvous point and route for traveler’s. In the late 1850s or early 1860s, what is now Daniels Park road along the ridge was already the path of one of Colorado’s first Territorial Roads. In 1868 noted trapper, scout, and army officer Christopher “Kit” Carson traveled south from Denver over Riley Hill and supposedly made his last campfire at Wildcat Point; he died soon thereafter at Fort Lyon.”
-ColoradoEncyclopedia.org
“In the 1970s, a Cheyenne Indian named Richard Tall Bull started to push for a place where Denver’s Native American community could come together for ceremonies and celebrations. He picked a seventy-acre site at the northern edge of Daniels Park, and in 1977 Denver agreed to grant exclusive use of the land–called the Tall Bull Memorial Grounds–to a consortium of local Indian groups later known as the Tall Bull Memorial Council. For most of the year the Tall Bull Memorial Grounds is open only to Native Americans, but on Labor Day weekend the Tall Bull Memorial Council hosts a powwow that is open to the public.”
-ColoradoEncyclopedia.org
“The picnic area is located on Riley Hill, which was rumored to be a lookout for robbers plotting to rob stagecoaches in the days of the Wild West. Kit Carson cooked one of his last meals on Riley Hill before he died in the area in 1868.”
-Nina Snyder, TripSavvy.com
The area I took all these photos from today is Riley Hill right next to the picnic area. I also got a great shot of Denver from the part of Daniels Park road that goes through the Tall Bull Memorial Grounds. I actually went to a powwow there when I was a kid in the 80s. I met a young Native boy my age. I was about 8 or 9 at the time. Upon meeting me, he promptly grabbed me and wrestled me to the ground. We wrestled for a bit in the hard dirt and rough sticks, then we stopped and we both started laughing. After that, he threw his arm around my shoulder and gave me a hug and we were friends. We ate together and laughed and hung out the rest of the powwow and it ended with us sitting quietly at the edge of the cliff enjoying the view.
As you see, this area is rich in history for both Colorado and my family. Enjoy the photos!
“For the LORD is the great
God,
the great King above all
gods.
In his hand are the depths
of the earth,
and the mountain peaks
belong to him.”
Psalm 95:3-4
Looking north towards Long’s Peak.Long’s Peak in the center. You can also see the bison herd at the bottom of the photo.Long’s Peak up close. I climbed that 14,259 foot mountain and stood on the summit in the summer of 1998.
Our kids were loving it out there. You can see the long ridge we were on called Riley Hill and the road that runs along it that was once a Territorial Road in the 1800s. The entrance to the Tall Bull Memorial Grounds is just a bit north up that road. Here is the zoom shot I took of Denver when we drove up there.
Denver, CO. If you look close, you can see the gold dome of the state capitol.
The Mile High city is beautiful, but we could see the inversion layer (also known as the brown cloud) over it today. Most days are much clearer. Sometimes air coming over the Rockies traps the air over Denver. It’s only like that over the city at times. The mountain air is always crisp and fresh here in Colorado. It’s cool being far enough away from the city where we have plenty of wide open spaces, but being close enough to enjoy city life too. The neighborhood where I grew up is just a few miles southwest of Denver in Littleton.
When we went back to the picnic area, we were blessed to see a hawk soaring along the ridge line. It really is beautiful to witness God’s majesty in His creation! We can truly see His glory from what He has made!
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
Romans 1:20
Looking south at the summit of Pike’s Peak.
The rails were not there last time we visited and we were able to climb down on the rocks. Guess they don’t allow that anymore. Probably best for people’s safety anyway.
Hope you enjoyed our little trip to Daniels Park! Always remember, Jesus loves you and He was born to set us free from sin and death! That is what Christmas is all about! God is offering everyone in the whole world eternal life and that is the greatest gift any of us could ever receive!
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Good morning (or evening) everyone and God bless you all! This afternoon will mark the beginning of our two week Christmas break. My wife and kids will be out of school until January 7th, 2020. That is actually 18 straight days off and we have really been looking forward to it! In keeping with the season, I would like to talk about perfection and forgiveness today. More specifically, talking about the truth that none of us are perfect and we all need forgiveness.
Before I get started, I would like to ask for prayer. The last couple of days have been rough and then our son got sick last night, so please pray for our health. We had a very hard Christmas and New Year last year and I don’t want a repeat of that. I haven’t written in a couple days because honestly I have been frustrated and dismayed about our family’s health and finances. I am giving it to God as I always do. I know He has good plans for us. I am just very tired from all the suffering and loss and I have been crying out to God for mercy. Sometimes all we can do is just rest in Jesus.
I am writing this today because I promised I would always be honest and real about my walk with Jesus. I just want to make it clear that I don’t act like I’m perfect, not in person or on this blog. I make mistakes like everybody else. I desperately need God’s grace and mercy every day! I accepted Jesus in 1996 because I realized I needed forgiveness for my sin, not because I thought I was perfect. A repentant heart says, “have mercy on me, a sinner!” A repentant heart accepts God’s Truth that all of us have sinned and fall short of God’s glory and we desperately need a Savior!
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”
Romans 3:23-24
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'”
Luke 18:13
I am just doing my best to follow God and fulfill His calling on my life. The preaching of His Word that God does through me here is preaching I need to hear too. I am not out here acting like I’m perfect. I’m a sinner saved by grace too and I know how much grace and mercy has been poured out on me! The Lord called me to publish my testimony and start this blog to preach the Gospel to the world, so I obeyed Him and did it and I’m doing it now. He gave me the gift of evangelism. It’s not something I gave myself as if I could boast about it. I am just doing what He called me to do with the gifts He gave me. I am just a servant of the Most High God. Just an evangelist scribe doing his duty, nothing more.
I am not ashamed of Jesus Christ. I love Him, worship Him, and serve Him because He rescued me and my family from darkness and set us free, and He is worthy to be praised! I have laid down my life to Him because He alone is worthy of that devotion!
“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. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Romans 1:16-17
Christmas is all about celebrating Jesus Christ and Jesus is all about forgiveness and love. He was born to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, so we can stand forgiven and righteous before God! This Christmas, remember how much you have been forgiven by the Blood of Jesus, and offer that same forgiveness to each other. Love each other and forgive the mistakes and shortcomings and move forward together in peace. Don’t keep a record of wrongs on each other. Give it to God and ask Him to make His love increase and overflow in your hearts!
“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”
Colossians 3:12-14
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8
Sometimes we say and do things we regret. Recently, I said some things I regret and I had to ask for forgiveness. Don’t think that just because you are a Christian you are perfect now and you can’t sin. You can most definitely still sin and when we do, we must repent and carry on with Jesus. Nobody will be perfect until we see Him face to face in our new glorified bodies. However, we do have the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us and those who believe in Jesus have overcome the world! We must forgive each other as Jesus has forgiven us!
“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 3:12-14
Am I perfect in being patient and kind? No. Am I perfect in not being rude and not being easily angered? No. I am not perfect. Nobody is perfect. I make mistakes and sometimes I say things that are hurtful to those I love, and I admit my mistakes and repent and ask for forgiveness when I stumble like that. Likewise, we must forgive and not hold those mistakes over each other’s heads! We must press on in Jesus!
We all desperately need Jesus more than we realize! Salvation is immediate upon your confession of faith in Jesus Christ and you are sealed by the Holy Spirit who is given to you the moment you believe (Ephesians 1:13-14). The sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit inside of you convicting you of sin and leading you in all truth is a lifelong process that will continue until your last breath (John 16:5-15). You are not perfect just because you believe in Jesus. Believe me, if you have the Holy Spirit, then you will feel the Lord’s conviction on your heart if you say or do something sinful or hurtful to someone. My advice is to follow the Spirit’s lead and repent and make it right immediately!
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”
Galatians 5:22-26
God wants us to love each other and forgive each other like He loves and forgives us! Let us forget what is behind and press on in Jesus! Let us strain with all our hearts toward what is ahead and be found loving and forgiving each other! None of us are perfect and we all need His forgiveness. May we submit to the Lord and the mighty work of His Holy Spirit inside of us. May we become more and more like Jesus every day and may His will be done!
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
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