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“Yes! Backpacking!!”

Backpacking!

Have you ever been backpacking?  If you haven’t you ought to try it.  One of the great things about backpacking is that you can get into some areas that are so beautiful and there are not a lot of people.  I can’t say I am really experienced because I have only done it twice.  I am really grateful to a friend who got my boys interested.  They love it and are now sharing that love with the rest of the family.  Now I have to say that it is tough on me.  But what I can say is no matter how old you are you can learn something new.

Rain

One thing that I have never liked about tent camping is having the rain.  And when you go backpacking into the wilderness, tent camping is the only option.  When we headed to our spot it was beautiful but it was not long when things started looking suspicious.  We got to our camping spot, hurriedly set up our tents and barely made it inside before it started to thunder, lightning, and have pouring rain.

We went backpacking with friends and now we were all lined up in two-man tents.  And one of my son’s had a tarp tent, what good is that in the rain.  We ended up spending the evening and night huddled in our tents.

The next day did not look much better.  When we got up it was not raining.  So after having breakfast, we started thinking about how we could make this day fun despite the rain.  It is amazing what you can do with what you have if you put your mind to it.  We took the three two-man tents and put them together and cover the center part with my son’s tarp tent.  Then we were able to open the doors to our tents and sit around visiting and playing games.  It did let up a little so we could take a little hike.  It was such a beautiful place with lots of little lakes, flowers, and streams.

The big hike

The next day was still looking cloudy but there was some sun.  So we decided to take the risk of heading out hoping it would not pour rain.  Because at that point how would you get warm. It turned out to be a beautiful day.  Yes, we had a sprinkle here and there but nothing drastic.  We were actually thankful for the clouds.  The sun came out a few times, which made it really hot but for the most part, there was a cloud cover.  It was a long a grueling hike but the view was spectacular.

Sunscreen

It seems when there are clouds no one worries about protecting your skin from the scorching sun but WARNING.  When there are clouds it is a time when you can really get burned.  You think you don’t have a need to protect your skin but you do.  A lot of us got burned because we did not wear protection.

I really have not liked sunscreen over the years because they are so toxic but as of late I have been making my own with some more natural ingredients. Here is a general recipe that a person can try.

Natural Sunscreen

3/4 cup Coconut oil (antibacterial and antifungal, coconut oil for

skin is an excellent moisturizer)

1 T.  Bees Wax (helps soften and soothe skin.)

2 T. Zinc Oxide (zinc oxide protects against UVA and UVB light

rays and is often used as a natural, non-toxic

sunscreen to prevent burns)

2 T Shea Butter  (soothing to the skin)

12 drops of doTERRA Helichrysum essential oil (Helichrysum

keeps the skin looking young and healthy.)

You want a double boiler or I take a metal bowl put in my Bees Wax in and then put it in a pan so it is above a couple of inches of water.  As the water gets hot it melts the wax.  Then add the coconut oil and Shea butter. (It is harder to melt the wax.)  Make sure it is mixed well.  Take from the heat and add your Zinc Oxide.  If you want higher protection you can add more zinc oxide.

“Safest Baby Sunscreens For Your Baby” is a great article on some healthier options.  With all the toxic things out there we need healthier options.  To me, if it isn’t good for my baby it is not good for me.

Remember, no matter what sunscreen you use, you need to put it on several times a day as you are enjoying your day in the sun.

Nature

The most incredible thing about backpacking is the nature.  It is worth all the sore muscles and sleepless nights.  I have never been to a more incredible, beautiful place.  Pictures can’t even do it justice.

Imagine in your mind a meadow that is green with wildflowers everywhere of all different kinds.  And through the meadow, a stream is running.  Then you look up and there are incredible mountains of beauty that is not explainable.

And then there are the lakes.  The colors are unimaginable.  They are not full of pollution.  They are crisp and clean.  We filtered water out of the lake and it was so incredibly good.  There are little islands and greenery all around.  It is so beautiful it is hard to explain.

Where there are water and mountains there are also waterfalls.  Everywhere you looked you could see a falls coming down from somewhere.  Some were so far away that you could not see them well but you could hear them as they crashed over the rocks falling hundreds of feet down the mountain.

It was the home to all kinds of creatures, large and small.  It is an incredible place for the creatures to live in.  Way out away from city life.  It is serene and peaceful.  To me, that is where they belong, instead of back at my house destroying my yard and coming into my house.  The mice were everywhere but it did not bother me because that is where they belong.  I am not sure the name of all the creatures but it was wonderful to watch them, chipmunks, ground squirrels, frogs, etc.  We did not see any really big animals like deer or bear, which is fine, especially the bear.

Thinking

This trip in nature started me thinking what an incredible God we serve.  I also started thinking about what spiritual lessons I could find from our adventure.

There were the rolling hills filled with beautiful greenery along with a multitude of different flowers scattered throughout.  You could have picked them and had a variety that would have made a beautiful bouquet.  This reminded me of how beautiful heaven will be but also the results of sin.  We could have picked those flowers and made a beautiful bouquet but the beauty would have lasted a short time because as soon as we picked them they would start to die.  It is the same with us as soon as we come into this world we start to slowly die because of sin.  But even though we may die physically if we have surrendered our lives to Jesus when He comes in the clouds, He will raise us up and take us home with Him and we will live eternally.  And then there will be no more death!  Praise the Lord!

Sunscreen

Whenever you are out in the sun it is always good to protect yourself with sunscreen, even when it is cloudy.  When the clouds are out you think your safe but really you are not.  A lot of the sunscreens are so toxic with chemicals that you wonder if they are safe to even use.

What sunscreen made me think of is how we need to protect ourselves from sin.  Sin can “burn” us and when we least expect it like we get sunburned when it is cloudy.  What is the best protection?  Can there be things out there that are “toxic”?  There are things out there that are toxic.  We can think that it will protect us spiritually but can it really.  Does it have some real truth mix with a little error?  It is like the sunscreen,  it can have a lot of good stuff to protect us from sin but then there are a few chemicals that can be toxic to us that really defeats the purpose of protection.  So what is the best spiritual protection?  Can we rely on men/women?  God uses men/women to share the protection of truth with us but how do we know it is not “toxic”?

The only safeguard is the Word of God.  We need to put on the whole armor of God as it says in Ephesians 6:11-17.  We also need to be as the Bereans and “search the scriptures daily,” to see if what we are being told or taught lines up with scripture.  See Acts 17:10-11.  And then “if they speak not according to this Word” we can know there is no light in them. See Isaiah 8:20.  We need to be sure we are using the nontoxic spiritual “sunscreen” to protect ourselves, God’s Word.

Rocks

We went for a climb up the mountain.  We climbed up the mountain an elevation of 2,000 feet.  Most of the way up it was big boulders and areas of smaller rocks.  We had to be careful when there were the smaller rocks because they could loosen and start to roll down the hill.  There were two things that could happen, if someone was below us those rocks could hit them and cause some real damage or we could slip and start sliding down the mountain.  There were a couple of things that we tried to do.  We wanted to stay on the big boulders as much as possible and if we did have to go through an area where there was no choice but the smaller rocks we did not want someone following us.  The best place for them to be was walking beside you.

This made me realize how important it is to stay on the Big Rock, Jesus Christ.  As we “hike” along in this life, there are so many loose “rocks”.  If we choose to get off the Solid Rock there are two things that can happen.  First, we can fall into sin and secondly if someone is following us we can lead them off the Sold Rock.  And they can get damaged by sin or even lose their eternal life.  We need to stay on the Solid Rock.

Rain

The rain reminds me of the trials we go through as Christians.  Just like we brought our tents together and covered the cap with a tarp tent, we as Christians need to draw together under the “Tarp Tent” Jesus and help each other through the difficult times.  It is so much better than trying to travel alone.  Travel together, pray together and study God’s Word together.

Dear Father,

Thank You for nature and what we can learn through it.  I thank You for being the Solid Rock that we can rely on.  Thank You also that when we do get off on the loose rocks You are there to pull us back onto the Solid Rock, all we have to do is reach out our hand.  I also thank You for Your patience and love.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Put the spiritual “sunscreen” on today, stay on the Solid Rock, Jesus, and stay in fellowship with fellow believers.

Love you all!

Have you ever been camping, backpacking or just hiking?  What adventure do you have to share?  I would love to hear it.  Please share below.

 

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“Mommy, Wait, Mommy Wait!!”

Wait!

Remember back when you were a kid?  For some of us that is a lot farther back than others.  Remember how you would be almost running along to try and keep up with your mom, whose legs may have been two to three times longer than your own?  At times it may have seemed that mom was oblivious that we were even behind her.  But the reality is, she always knew we were there.  You probably remember the times where she would tell you to quit doing something and she hadn’t even turned her head to look at you.  It was like she had eyes on the back of her head.  I don’t know about you but there were times that I would say, “Mommy, wait, Mommy, wait.”  There was this fear that she would leave me behind.  But, of course, it was unfounded fear because my mom would never have left me behind.

Moms

We live in a world where there are moms that are not really moms but I am not going to address them here.  But what I am going to talk about is how moms should be and most of them are.

Being a mom myself, I realize the heart of a mom.  Once you are a mom life is never the same.  Everything about you is different, body shape, vitality, sleep, worry, love, etc.  When you have little ones and all the care it takes the thought is when they get older I will get some relief.  This is far from the truth but I guess it helps you get through the earlier years.  Even when we were young we wanted to get older because we thought life would get better.  Our perceptions are so wrong.

Then my children started getting older.  Worry set in even more.  They start to make some of their own choices, which are not always what we want for them as a parent.  Moms have to pray a lot.  And, unfortunately, we worry.  It seems to be our job to worry but God does not want us to worry.  He wants us to give our children to Him and pray daily, hourly, moment-by-moment for them.  Praying moms have been what has brought many a son or daughter back to Jesus.  Even if our children are compliant, compliance doesn’t bring salvation.  Compliance that is from a heart of love for God and a connection with Him is what brings about salvation.  We need to pray daily that our children gain that connection with Him that will bring about salvation.

Nature

I was away from home for a weekend and where I was staying they had a large beautiful yard.  Each of the three mornings I was there I would look out the window in the morning and see this family of quail.  The momma quail was running around eating and behind her was her brood.  There was a lot of them.  But the amazing part is that no matter where momma went they were following her.  She was going so fast they had to run to keep up.  It was so cute.  I imagined them saying with their little peeps, “Mommy, wait, Mommy, wait!”

The other thing that I realized, as I pondered what was happening, is the father quail.  He was the keeper of the gate, the watchtower, and the protector from the evils that surrounded them.  He was keeping the predators away.  The mother was not worried about the outside “world.”  She was fully concentrated on her children.  God shows his plan for the family, even through nature.  There has been many a worried mom because they don’t have the protection of a spiritual father.  They could be a single mom, living with a husband who is not a Christian, or living with a husband that is a “Christian” but has not taken up his duty as the spiritual protector and leader.  This can mean more worry for a mom and prayer becomes even more valuable.

God’s plan

I think God’s plan was for a mother to be able to be home with her children.  She was supposed to be the first teacher that they had.  She was to guide their minds toward God and teach them His ways.  But unfortunately, many mothers have to work.  Whether a single mom or a family that cannot financially make it on one income, it is the reality of the age in which we live.  Many children spend more time in daycare than with their parents.  Or once the children are legally old enough they are home alone.  This is a very sad fact.

The plan for the husband and father is to be the spiritual protector from all the things of this world that can trickle into our lives.  I had a father that did this and it was such a blessing.  Many fathers today are not the protector.  They either don’t have the backbone to stand up and do their duty, they have lack of knowledge to know how, or they love the things they love and don’t want to give up what they want to protect their families.

The things of this world can be so attractive.  And the thought may be, “Oh this is not so bad.”  What I like to call it is a creeping compromise.  A good example for me is the television.  How many people, back when television first started, would have accepted what is on television today?  I believe they would have thrown it out in a second.  But that is not how the devil works.  He starts things out as mostly good and maybe a little bad but it is so little people don’t pick up on it.  The things of today, that would not have been acceptable then, are accepted by the majority now.  That is how creeping compromise works.  We have to examine our lives to be sure that creeping compromise has not entered there.

Unfortunately,  we do not live in a perfect world and fathers and/or mothers may not be doing their part.  As a mother, you can do your part all you want and the Lord will help you but if the father is not doing his part it can destroy the family.  It doesn’t mean God is not working or He is giving up but He also gives freedom of choice.  And when compromise happens it is very difficult to gain back the ground you lost.

Dear Father,

The world in which we live is so worrisome.  I know we need to leave all our worries with You.  But Lord it is so hard.  We ask for Your love and grace to come and work in and through us.  Forgive us for compromises that we have made.  I pray that each mother and father will take up their duty with Your help and courage.  Give us strength and endurance to run the race that is set before us.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Make a stand today to be the father and mother that God has intended for you to be.

Love you all.

I would love to hear your nature lesson.

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“How Safe Are You?”

Safety

I don’t know about you but it seems that safety doesn’t always enter my mind.  Every time I leave my driveway for work I send up a little prayer for safety but I am not always mindful of the safety I receive.  It seems like we just expect that nothing is going to happen.  This is where we need to change our thinking.  We should be grateful for every day that goes by where we have made it through the day safely.  God is protecting us each day and we don’t seem to realize but we take it for granted.  We just automatically think we are always going to be safe.

Seconds later

As I was on my way to work one morning I was reminded of the safety that God provides.  When I come to the stop sign that comes out of our road onto the highway it can be hard each morning to get out on the road because the traffic is so heavy.  Looking to my left there is a curve down a ways.  When you just see someone coming around that curve you can still pull out but you better be getting up and going quickly.  If you wait until you see no car coming you would “never” get out.

This particular morning a pickup truck was just coming around the corner and I was going to go.  I don’t even know how to explain it except the Lord.  I was going to go and then I thought to myself, “no your not going to go”, and I didn’t.  Like maybe 2 seconds later a car was just about to pass in front of me.

There was a snow bank to my left and there had been a car that I could not see.  Talk about give me the chills.  If I would have gone there would have been a major accident.  The speed for that road changes from 60 to 55 just before my road but more than likely people are still going 60.  It would not have been a pretty sight.  I realized that thought that came to my mind was the Lord’s prompting and I was so glad that I listened.

Listening

I have found through my life that if I listen to that still small voice more often, that it would save me from so many things.  What amazes me is that God cares about every aspect of our lives.  We tend not to think about the little things that He helps us with throughout the day.  Those promptings that come that we listen to and things turn out good.  We may receive promptings that we don’t listen to and then we blame God for something bad happening to us.  Don’t get me wrong I know that bad does happen to us that we have not brought on ourselves but we would save ourselves a lot if we would listen to His voice.

Am I at fault?

I do believe the devil does a lot of things to try and discourage us.  God doesn’t do those bad things but He has allowed them.  But when bad things happen to us I believe it is good for us to search our hearts and lives to see if we have contributed.  I think there is a lot of things we bring on ourselves and then we blame God and if we had been in line with His Word it could have been prevented.  If we search our hearts and there is anything that we need to confess or give up and we make changes our lives would be so much better through the trials.  Whether we have done anything wrong intentionally or not God shows us through trial those areas of our lives that need changing and refining.

We can blame God and go on in misery or we can use the opportunity to allow the heat of trial to refine our character so that we come out as gold.  As we do this the devil will be defeated.  Jesus already defeated him but we have to accept that defeat by allowing the Lord to refine us through trial.

Let’s get off the blame game

We sometimes blame others for what we are going through as well.  “Well if so and so hadn’t done this or that I wouldn’t be upset, things would be better.”  God has allowed it into your life for a purpose.  Just the attitude of blame shows that there is growth that needs to happen in our lives.

If anyone had a right to blame others and God Himself it was Jesus.  Read about His life.  It was not a bed of roses.  He could have blamed God for allowing the devil to tempt Him and using people to bring pain and sorrow to Him.  He could have blamed each of us for even having to die and give up aspects of His life that He will never gain back.  But He did not.  He knew this was within God’s plan for us to be saved.  And even though we are the blame He did not and has not blamed us but only loved us.  His love is what changes us if we allow it.

Dear Father,

Help us to listen to Your still small voice.  Help us to use everything that comes into our lives as an opportunity to trust You and to grow in You.

In Jesus Name,

Amen

Praise God for the safety that He supplies for you today.  Listen to that still small voice and allow the trials to refine your character.

Love you all.

Do you have a story about a time you know you receive protection?  Share your story below, I would love to hear it.