Morning Reflections

I hadn't made the time to really spend some intimate time with the Lord in a while. I would pray and talk to Him, but all surface level stuff, no new ground being broken. I was doing just enough to get by. I felt as if I was just drifting with no certain direction, no certain purpose, and with certainly no joy. Anyone who talked to me knew it as well. I was as irritable as a hungry baby. The only explanation I could come up with was that my feelings and attitude were a direct reflection of the amount of time I spent with the Lord. We can do all the things we want in the physical realm, but until we invite the Lord (spiritual realm) to lead us, we won't get anywhere.

So, this week I decided to get up and spend an hour every morning praying and drinking coffee with the Lord. It's not like it has been the easiest thing to do, by any means, but the difference it has made in my life is incredible! I am a different person completely.

I know this is an extremely elementary idea and learned principle to a growing and alive Christian's walk, but making God a priority and allowing Him to have control and take the lead on every day has been a life changing experience. Before, I would do my quiet time whenever I could "get to it", but I never would get to it.

God is a leader who doesn't just want the power. He already has it. He wants us to be amazing at everything we do, but we cant do it without him. I went to a camp in Colorado this summer and on one of the walls was a quote by one of their guides who was killed in a tragic rafting accident, but it is the perfect example of the life that God offers to us when we surrender ourselves and each day to Him.

"I want to be wild and good, irrational but at the same time rational, rebellious but helpful, dangerous but an ally. i don't want to be tamed by society. I just want to be free to choose GOOD over evil, CHRIST over paganism, LOVE over lust, HEALTH over indulgence, SACRIFICE instead of self-centeredness, STRONG instead of weak in all areas. I want to be a man because I want to be, because I am and I love it! I am conforming though, to just the beautiful way God made me." - Josh Lantz

T.R.A.I.L.

The Surge of a Storm Counted as a Joy

When storms come my immediate reaction is to go outside and see them. I love to see their power the way they just come in almost as if they just exploded into existence that very second out of nowhere. I love to watch them surge and control the part of the world they are shadowing. My favorite memories of hiking are the ones where a storm hit unexpectedly and made us shift our plans in some way.

I would really love to be able to say that I react the same way when storms rage in my personal life. I definitely don't run outside and celebrate their existence. Usually, I get discouraged, freeze in panic or fear, or become numb and do nothing acting as if its not there...

... But what does the Word tell me to do?
James 1:2-4
"Consider it pure Joy, my brothers whenever you face trials(storms) or many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

I need to learn to dancing in the rain and know that I serve a God who is bigger than anything that I face. I don't face the storms alone. My Father, Lord, Savior, Lover, and Friend is with me always. He is growing me and stretching my faith.


When we face storms and trials its nice to know that our Father knows that we have what it takes to make it through them. Be encouraged and take heart in this.

T.R.A.I.L.

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Bridging the Gap

Its amazing to me how much God is all over this ministry. And how He constantly is making sure that I know that I am NOT in control.

About a month ago I was kind of discouraged after looking at our budget and realizing how much we really needed God to come through. I had extinguished all of my options and done everything that I could think of just short of begging people for money. I didnt know what was going to happen all I knew was that there was nothing more that i could do.

Literally within the hour of coming to the realization that we needed God to come through, I start getting calls and emails from the most random and almost forgotten friends that want to give and become a part of what God is doing with T.R.A.I.L.. Needless to say, I was blown away by the way God knew exactly what we needed down to the penny.

God is doing big things and has so much more in store for us in this new year. I just wanted everyone to know that the gap between our original vision for T.R.A.I.L. is being bridged but not because of anything that we are doing. Without God nothing is possible and nothing will be accomplished.

T.R.A.I.L.

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