The master is there

Home for the boys soccer game

Isaiah 64:4 (ESV)

From of old no one has heard

    or perceived by the ear,

no eye has seen a God besides you,

    who acts for those who wait for him.

Day seventeen of our Alaska Adventure after being on the road for a little over 2 weeks, we finally got to sleep in our own bed after 36 hours since we woke up! And boy, it sure was nice! We're still dealing with jet lag, but isn't it always great to get home?

Well, if it’s that nice to get to our earthly homes after a long journey, can you imagine what it's going to be like to get to our glorious eternal home? I want to share the following illustration a friend sent me. I believe it will truly bless you.

A sick man turned to his doctor one evening, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, "Doctor, I am afraid to die -- tell me what lies on the other side, will you?"

"I’m really not sure,” said the doctor.

"You don't know? You, a Christian man, don’t know what’s on the other side?"

Suddenly, there came a sound of scratching and whining at the door. As the doctor turned the handle, a dog sprang into the room and leapt on him with an eager show of gladness.

Lovingly bending down and holding the cute pup, the doctor turned to his patient and said “Have you met my dog? I do apologize; He usually comes and sits with me in my office when I work late.

After a short pause, he continued. “He’s actually never been in this room before. He didn't know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear… I know little of what is on the other side of death, my friend, but I do know one thing... I know my Master is there and that’s I all I need."

We may not know exactly what we will find in that glorious home that awaits us, but those of us who know Jesus, know He’s there! Be encouraged today! Our long journey here will end in our loving master’s arms.

Dear Lord, we thank You that at the end of life’s journey we can know that You are there at the other side waiting for us and will have Your arms opened wide to welcome us there. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Coming to the finish line.

Start of the UAA Spirit Run

Hebrews 12:12 (ESV)

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.

Day sixteen of our Alaska Adventure started with a 5K in Anchorage Alaska at a temperature of 38 degrees with my brother and sister in law. From there after cleaning up we boarded a plane and headed for home where the finish line for our Alaska Adventure waits for us.

As we look at a race it is characterized by progress. There is a starting line, and there is a finish line. The gun goes off, the runners begin to run, and they make progress, one foot after another foot, toward the goal. The Christian life is that way. In fact, the keyword in the Christian life is not the word perfection. Now, you will achieve perfection in heaven at glorification, but that's not the keyword in your Christian life now. The keyword is progression. The important question is, Are you making progress as a Christian, as a spiritual athlete, running this Christian ultramarathon that God has called us to run? Are you further along today than you were last week, last month, a year ago, three years ago? Are you making progress?

Dear Lord, help us each run the race that You have before each one of us. Help us say focused on what You have for each of us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

"Whale-sized" hole

Eagle at the Cooper Center.

Matthew 5:6  (ESV)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Day fifteen of our Alaska Adventure. Bears and Moose and Salmon oh my.  One of our favorite things was seeing the mighty Bald Eagle as thy flew through the air.

I recently saw a fishing cartoon that spoke to me and illustrated something about expectations. Pictured were two Eskimos fishing through holes in the ice. One of them had his line in a normal size hole maybe two or three feet across. But the guy sitting next to him had his line in an enormous hole, in the shape of a whale! This guy was hungry! He didn't want some dinky little fish! He was fishing for whales!

What I like about this illustration is how appetite creates expectation. What is our appetite for affecting the world around us for the Lord's sake? How much do we hunger to change things in peoples' lives through the gospel and through the ministry in Messiah? And how does that affect our expectations? He said "Blessed are those who HUNGER AND THIRST for righteousness."

How would you compare your hunger to your expectation? If your hunger is great and genuine then it's likely that God will move you to carve out a "whale-sized" hole in this icy world and expect a corresponding catch!

Dear Lord, we pray that our hunger and thirst for righteousness be the focus of each of us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Changed on the inside = changed on the outside

Family fun making Smores around the fire

Romans 12:1-2 (ESV)

1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

Day fourteen of our Alaska Adventure was a relaxing time around Scott and Elizabeth’s house and town. We were still amazed at the view of the Alaska Pipeline and all the work that went into created it.

Ken was a laborer on the Alaska Pipeline back in the mid 70’s. He worked up in the icy cold for a year and came back with $30,000. That was a lot of money 45 years ago! He blew it all in a month.

He went back and in six months made another $18,000. He came home again and this time he decided to visit church.

The first Sunday he walked through the doors and sat in the back seat the pastor had two thoughts - 1) He looked just like Grizzly Adams - beard and all and 2) Here was a man that would never become a Christian.

The pastor preached the message and gave an invitation. The instant the music began Ken came rushing down the aisle. The pastor thought he was going to be crushed him! Tears came down his face as he gave his life to Jesus.

The next Sunday he came back to services and the pastor didn’t recognize him -he was dressed in a 3 piece suit and no beard! When he was asked what caused him to shave and dress up he said, "Jesus changed me on the inside and I want people to know it - so I changed the outside."

Dear Lord, we pray that the difference You have made in our life would show not only on the inside but on the outside also. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Our passport is stamped

Alaska Yukon Canada border

Philippians 3:20 (ESV)

But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Day thirteen of our Alaska Adventure we started our morning in Beaver Creek in Yukon, Canada. Since we were so close to Canada we thought it would be fun to add it to our adventure. To return to the USA we had to use our passport to cross the border.

American citizens flying to and from neighboring nations like Canada and Mexico used to get by with carrying a birth certificate or, in some cases, just a driver’s license as a travel document. Not anymore! Now we’re all required to carry a valid US passport. Without that document, you don’t get out, and you don’t get back in.

You know, a passport is an interesting little book. If you’re arriving in your home country, your passport usually enables you to bypass the long lines of visitors.

But that’s not always true when you’re away from home.  Dr. Erwin Lutzer, the pastor of Moody Church in Chicago, has often traveled in countries closed to the gospel. He has some very interesting stories of how, upon arrival in these countries, he is usually hassled and questioned extensively because the guards think he’s an agent for the CIA or, better yet, a Bible smuggler! Well, after an excruciating experience at a border crossing, he said, “You know what I love? I love the thought that when I get to heaven . . . with Jesus on my passport, there will be no hassles at the border.”

Wow, what a great thought! Over and over again in Scripture we are reminded that, although this world is our temporary home, we’re not to get too comfortable here. Our true home is in heaven where our citizenship resides. We can look forward to being welcomed into our true home, based not on our attempt at good works or our earthly accomplishments, but based on a spiritual passport stamped with the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Dear Lord, thank You that because of what You did for each of us we have our passport stamped and will be welcomed home. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Ptarmigan or Chicken

Downtown Chicken Alaska

Luke 10:20  (ESV)

Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

Day twelve of our Alaska adventure we went to Chicken Alaska. The Town of Chicken was once the mining hub for the Forty mile district. In 1886, ten years before the Klondike Gold Rush, gold was discovered on Franklin Creek and the community of Chicken was founded.

As the story goes, the miners wanted to name the town 'Ptarmigan' after the bird which is common in the area. Unfortunately, people couldn't agree on how to spell it! Finally they settled with the easier name of Chicken. The name stuck and so has the community, despite an up-and-down history of mining in the Fortymile district. Today, there is a lot more to Chicken than appears from the roadway. Guided tours take people through the Historic Town of Chicken, which is a living museum of Gold Rush and Alaskan Frontier History.

In its glory year, Chicken boasted a population of around 400. Now, it ranges from 50 in the summer to 6 in the winter. Miners still work the nearby hills, hoping to find that elusive pay streak.

As I was thinking about the trouble they had with the name Ptarmigan it made me think that no matter how difficult  or stange your name is it is very simple to have it recorded in the Lambs Book of Life. To do so remember the ABC’s

A - Admit you have Sinned

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

B - Believe On Jesus Christ

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.- John 3:16-17.

C - Confess Christ Publicly  

…that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. – Romans 10:9-10.

Today you can be saved and your name in the Lambs Book of Life. I would love to hear from you if you have any questions.

Dear Lord, we thank You that You know us my name. We thank You that You have made a way for each of us to go to heaven. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

issumagijoujunnainermik

Liberty Falls

Mark 11:26 (NASB)

But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.

Day eleven of our Alaska Adventure took us to Liberty falls State Recreational Site  located near Chitina in the Copper River Valley.

Today I thought we would look at the Eskimo word issumagijoujunnainermik. When missionaries first shared the gospel with the Eskimos, they couldn't find any word in the Eskimo language for forgiveness.  So, they took a number of Eskimo words and joined them to form a new word -- Issu-magi-jou-jun-nai-ner-mik -- and it became the Eskimo word for forgiveness. The individual words are "Not-being-able-to-think-about-it-anymore."

Too often we remember the hurt, replaying it over and over again in our minds. Forgiveness is not something we do just once.  It is something we must reaffirm every day.   Whenever a hurtful memory comes up, remember the word Issu-magi-jou-jun-nai-ner-mik, and say, "I can't think about it anymore, it's in God's hands."

Rather than replay the hurt you may have acquired, replay God's mercy, His grace, His love for us  -- when He freely gave His life. That will enable us to forget it and move forward.

Dear Lord, help to stop replaying the hurts that we have had but instead replay all that You have done for us and take a minute to share it with someone around us today. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Work like an Eskimo in frigid air.

Glennallen Chapel

Philippians 4:8 (ESV)

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things..

                                   

Day ten of our Alaska Adventure we started out at church worshiping and praising God. During the day we had fun seeing around town where my brother and family have served the Lord for the last 28 years.  The highlight was seeing the Alaska pipeline.  We then closed out the day with the privilege of leading the youth group in Bible study.

In the 1970s when the Alaskan Pipeline was being constructed many Texans went to Alaska to work on the pipeline alongside the Eskimos, native Alaskans. However the Texans could only work a few hours in the frigid weather, while the Eskimos could easily work for hours on end.

Some scientists decided to do a study to find out why the Eskimos could withstand the weather, while the Texans flagged. The study concluded there were no physiological differences between the Eskimos and the Texans. Then the scientists conducted a psychological study and discovered the difference. The Eskimos experienced the cold, but clearly understood that a job needed to be done. With that mindset, they focused intently on obtaining results rather than how the weather was affecting them. The Texans, on the other hand, were so focused on the cold weather it became their overriding experience of the situation, monopolizing their attention and energy and crippling their capacity to work.

When the Apostle Paul wrote these words in Philippians 4:8, exhorting us to meditate on those things which are good etc. -- he was in prison. Yet he clearly had been training himself not to focus on his external circumstances, but on everything good, noble and praiseworthy, and especially the Lord Himself! Paul was no stranger to discomfort or the temptation it brings. But he'd learned well that his inward attitude toward difficult external circumstances could dramatically affect the way he experienced them and also his capacity to function in spite of them.

Focus on how bad things are – the trials, temptations, the circumstances that surround you – and you will be crippled by the amount of attention you give to them. Focus on the Lord, His Word, His promises, His deliverance, and everything good He is, has done, and will do, and you will work like an Eskimo in frigid air.

Dear Lord, help us not be focused on the trials and temptations that surround us. Help us instead focus upon You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

He has come to rob, kill and destroy.

Alaska Bear

John 10:10 (ESV)

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Day nine of our Alaska Adventure we did some sightseeing. We enjoyed seeing some amazing wildlife, beautiful sites and some of the residence of Alaska.

Have you ever heard about how the Eskimos kill wolves? You're not gonna believe this one!

First the Eskimo coats the blade of his knife with animal blood and allows it to freeze. He then adds and freezes more layers of blood, several coats, in fact, until the blade is completely covered with frozen blood. Next, he plants his knife in the snow, the blade facing up and goes about his business.

When a wolf finds his way to the luring aroma of fresh blood, he starts licking. Then more and more vigorously, lapping it until the sharp blade of the knife is exposed. However, by this point, so intense is his craving for the scrumptious blood, that the wolf does not notice the sharp sting of the blade on his own tongue, nor does he even realize that his ravenous craving is now being satisfied by his very own blood! By light of dawn, the Eskimo will find him lying dead in the snow.

Sin entices and seduces us in precisely the same way. Satan lures us to the place where he plans to ravage us with some sort of destructive fleshly pleasure -- gossip, rage, sexual sin, etc. Once we give in to it's lustful pleasures, our craving for it increases. When we continue to allow ourselves to indulge, it grips us all the more. And before we know it -- it completely consumes us. Our friendships are damaged. Our marriages are broken. Our testimony, spoiled. Satan has come only to rob, kill and destroy.

Let's begin recognizing our enemy's tactics upon us! There is no more time to give in to his destructive ways! We must strive to walk in holiness and righteousness for the glory of God's Kingdom!

Dear Lord, help us not give in to the lures of sin. Help us be strong and stand against the things that want to tear us down and destroy us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

The message sounds

Brother Scott announcing the weather on KCAM

Romans 13:11 (ESV)

Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.

Day eight of our Alaska Adventure found us driving from the North Pole to Glennallen.  Once we got to Glennallen we got to tour KCAM where my brother has been serving our Lord for over 28 years.

I have read several stories about President Ronald Reagan that made me appreciate him as a person and as a leader. But one amusing story really caught my attention and made me smile. When he was a young man, President Reagan worked at a radio station and sometimes played records of sermons. His shift at the station was a one-man operation and so, on occasion, President Reagan would set the record playing and then sneak out for a cup of coffee. One day he got a call while he was at the coffee shop from the station's owner, ordering him back to the station, and then ... he received his termination notice. He'd returned to the station finding the record skipping at a particular point in the sermon;

"Go to Hell, go to Hell, go to Hell, go to..."

There are probably several messages we could draw from this funny little sequence, but what spoke to me most was this, that in recent years we've heard the message repeated over and over again like a broken record, "The end is near, the end is near, the end is near, the end... and, "The Lord's return is at the door...";

Yet, the fact is that we are very near to the Lord's return and there are many signs of His soon coming. So if the message sounds repetitive perhaps it's because the Lord's return is much nearer now than when we first believed -- even at the very door. And the whole point of thinking about and dwelling upon Jesus's return is that we want to be ready, keeping close accounts with Him, living holy and fruitful lives...spotless, blameless, at His coming. Our bridal love for Him will keep us looking up and listening for the cry; "Behold, the bridegroom cometh!"

Dear Lord, help us be ready for the day that You come back. Help us be working for that day sharing Your love with everyone around us. In The Name of Jesus, Amen.

Climb to the top

Mount McKinley

Matthew 14:23 (ESV)

And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.

Day Seven of our Alaska adventure we drove past some of the most beautiful mountains. As we drove past Denali we saw Mount McKinley standing majestically in all its splendor.

It reminded me how at times Jesus separated himself from the multitudes -- and there are times when we need to separate ourselves from our lives and ministry, and spend some time with our Lord.

I love how Jesus climbed a mountain. It made me think of an interesting analogy. Picture the shape of a mountain. It starts out wide at the bottom -- the higher we climb, the narrower it becomes -- and the more we must stay close to the center. As we go even higher yet, there's less room to move to the left or the right -- and there's less and less ground that can be compromised -- the more focused we need to be and the less we can afford to be distracted. The higher we go, the less room we have to fool around!

Whatever you may be dealing with, you may just need to separate yourself and climb up to spend time with the Lord -- get centered on Him and focused on what He's calling you to.

God wants us to learn to climb to the top and focus all of our lives on His will! Let's take out some time this weekend to try it!

Dear Lord, thank You for the reminders that You give us as we look at Your great creation.  Help us climb that mountain to You so that we can be centered on You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Sacrifice

Iditarod dog sled team

Philippians 3:14 (ESV)

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Day Six of our Alaska Adventure we went to the Iditarod museum and had the opportunity to ride on a sled pulled by dogs. It was such a great experience watching how the dogs worked together and enjoyed pulling the sled. 

Every year in Alaska, a 1000-mile dogsled race, run for prize money and prestige, commemorates an original "race" run to save lives. Back in January of 1926, six-year-old Richard Stanley showed symptoms of diphtheria, signaling the possibility of an outbreak in the small town of Nome. When the boy passed away a day later, Dr. Curtis Welch began immunizing children and adults with an experimental but effective anti-diphtheria serum. But it wasn't long before Dr. Welch's supply ran out, and the nearest serum was in Nenana, Alaska--1000 miles of frozen wilderness away. Amazingly, a group of trappers and prospectors volunteered to cover the distance with their dog teams!

Operating in relays from trading post to trapping station and beyond, one sled started out from Nome while another, carrying the serum, started from Nenana. Oblivious to frostbite, fatigue, and exhaustion, the teamsters mushed relentlessly until, after 144 hours in minus 50-degree winds, the serum was delivered to Nome. As a result, only one other life was lost to the potential epidemic. Their sacrifice had given an entire town the gift of life. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus all of humanity can be saved. 

Dear Lord, help us to continue to press on to the goal that is before us. We pray for strength to continue along even when things get tough. In the Name, of Jesus, Amen. 

On the right track.

Alaska Railroad

Psalm 25:4 (ESV)

Make me to know your ways, O Lord;

    teach me your paths.

Day five of our Alaska Adventure we took a ride on the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Seward and after a day of sightseeing in Seward back to Anchorage. It was a beautiful day as we followed the tracks through the Alaska wilderness. 

We need to let the Lord direct our paths and shew us the way in our life. When we are following those "paths" that it talks about and seeking the Lord to guide us, we tend to be more joyful Christians. On the other hand, relying on the Lord to "teach" us His paths is what I think we all have trouble with though.

It is like following train tracks. The Conductor knows what's up ahead but we may not and as humans that great unknown scares us. At least it scares me. Of course if we get off and start taking making our own path, we get derailed and lose our way and focus in our Christian lives. We need to rely on the Lord daily in order to be where we need to be.

Remember the story about The Little Engine That Could? When trying to go uphill, he kept saying, "I think I can!", "I think I can!". That's all well and good but as Christians, we should say, "I know God can!", "I know God can!". Through our faith we can use God's strength as we go through the tracks of life.

Dear Lord, we thank You that with you we can make it. Help us to trust You as You lead us down the tracks of life.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

What are your expectations?

Brother Scott showing off the Salmon

Matthew 5:6 (ESV)

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

Day four on our Alaska Adventure we got to go to the river and catch fresh salmon on the fish wheel. We never saw so many Salmon.

I recently saw a fishing cartoon that illustrated something about expectations. Pictured were two Eskimos fishing through holes in the ice. One of them had his line in a normal size hole maybe two or three feet across. But the guy sitting next to him had his line in an enormous hole, in the shape of a whale! This guy was hungry! He didn't want some dinky little fish! He was fishing for whales!

What I like about this illustration is how appetite creates expectation. What is our appetite for affecting the world around us for the Lord's sake? How much do we hunger to change things in peoples' lives through the gospel and through the ministry in Messiah? And how does that affect our expectations? He said "Blessed are those who HUNGER AND THIRST for righteousness."

How would you compare your hunger to your expectation? If your hunger is great and genuine then it's likely that God will move you to carve out a "whale-sized" hole in this icy world and expect a corresponding catch!

Dear Lord, thank You for the lesson we can learn from a cartoon. We pray that our hunger for the things of You would be “Whale” size. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

A goal is more than a dream.

Glacier tour

Philippians 3:14 (ESV)

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Day three of our Alaska Adventure we went to Valdez to participate in a glacier cruise. It was an exciting time seeing the massive glaciers, whales, seals and other wild life.

A life without a goal is like the captain of a ship without a map and a compass. His ship will just drift aimlessly from day to day hoping to arrive somewhere. The apostle Paul set for himself a goal! He pressed forward in search for his goal -- he pressed toward the mark of the high calling in Messiah! He had a clear direction of where he was going and he was focused on the Lord! How much more should we!

By setting a goal, we are making a decision to act. We are providing ourselves a map and depending on the Lord to be our compass -- to provide the direction He wants us to go! A goal is more than a dream -- it's a dream acted upon. It's not saying "oh, I wish I could" -- it's declaring what we want to do for the Lord-- it's a declaration of faith!

Let's make our lives interesting -- let's set for ourselves a goal! Let's make a clear declaration of faith, saying "This is what I am going to do for the Lord and then press forward!" I can't wait to see where the Lord will take us!

Dear Lord, give us the strength and courage to keep pressing on to the goal that You have before each of us.  Help to stay excited for what You have in store.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Its all about focus

Trans Alaska Pipeline

Philippians 4:8 (ESV)

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

 Day two of our Alaska Adventure the first thing we noticed is that is colder here then back home. As we boarded our plane to head North the Temperature was 92 degrees. As we were welcomed to Anchorage the temperature was 46. Now is a good time to focus on the adventure that is before us.

In the 1970s when the Alaskan Pipeline was being constructed many Texans went to Alaska to work on the pipeline alongside the Eskimos, native Alaskans. However the Texans could only work a few hours in the frigid weather, while the Eskimos could easily work for hours on end.

Some scientists decided to do a study to find out why the Eskimos could withstand the weather, while the Texans flagged. The study concluded there were no physiological differences between the Eskimos and the Texans. Then the scientists conducted a psychological study and discovered the difference. The Eskimos experienced the cold, but clearly understood that a job needed to be done. With that mindset, they focused intently on obtaining results rather than how the weather was affecting them. The Texans, on the other hand, were so focused on the cold weather it became their overriding experience of the situation, monopolizing their attention and energy and crippling their capacity to work.

When the Apostle Paul penned these words in Philippians 4:8, exhorting us to meditate on those things which are good etc. -- he was in prison. Yet he clearly had been training himself not to focus on his external circumstances, but on everything good, noble and praiseworthy, and especially the Lord Himself! Paul was no stranger to discomfort or the temptation it brings. But he'd learned well that his inward attitude toward difficult external circumstances could dramatically affect the way he experienced them and also his capacity to function in spite of them.

Focus on how bad things are – the trials, temptations, the circumstances that surround you – and you will be crippled by the amount of attention you give to them. Focus on the Lord, His Word, His promises, His deliverance, and everything good He is, has done, and will do, and you will work like an Eskimo in frigid air.

Dear Lord, help us focus on the positive things today. Help us not dwell on the negative to only be pulled down by them but instead keep our focus on what is important. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Alaska Adventure - Be still

At the airport waiting to take off

Psalm 46:10 (ESV)

Be still, and know that I am God.

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth!

Today is the day we start our Alaska Adventure. The next 16 days the devotions will be themed around things we see and do as we visit my brother and family in Alaska.

Leonardo da Vinci, who excelled at many things -- as a painter, sculptor, poet, architect, engineer, city planner, scientist, inventor, anatomist, military genius, and philosopher said a wise thing:

"Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer, since to remain constantly at work will cause you to lose power of judgment...Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller, and more of it can be taken in at a glance, and lack of harmony or proportion is more readily seen."

Have you found this to be the truth? We have! Any time we step back from a situation or project and take some time away, we undoubtedly gain new perspective and insight about it. Now, I know not all of us can take a week-long vacation at a luxurious resort to take time away from our difficulties, but we can, and must take a retreat with the Lord (which by the way, can be much more restful)! The Word says He makes me to lie down and green pastures -- It doesn't say He'd like us to, if we could try to take some time from our busy schedules -- it says He makes us!

It's time to take a rest from all the things that make us weary today -- ministry work included. Let's take some time out with the Lord and get quiet before Him. He has so many things He wants to reveal, if we would only give Him a chance to show us! He's has so many ways He wants to refresh us and refill our empty places, if we would only be obedient to His call!

Dear Lord, help us each take the time to relax  and refresh ourselves. Help us to be obedient to You. In The Name of Jesus, Amen.