The Savage Five

Walking in the woods revives my soul in so many ways.  The smell of the decomposing earth lends to my experience as I walk and observe a variety of trees and ephimeral plants.  I can only imagine the joy that was had by Adam as he walked and talked with the Lord in the garden. As they walked I am sure Adam would ask the Lord what was special about each plant.  The process of learning requires that we ask questions of the Lord.  Like a curious child, we too must take advantage of the knowledge of the Lord to gain understanding as we trudge  through the forest of life. Stumbling upon fungi in the forest has always been one of my  favorite events.  Recently, my family and I were delighted to find a vast community of little darlings while playing frisbee golf.    My mind reeled as I wondered what kind and why there were so many popping up in this location. If it weren't for these little darlings and a variety of other decomposers and insects the forest would not be able

On the path there lies a cast away seed casing that was once housed in a strong fortress of it's burr encasement. The European Chestnut is a deciduous tree that produces edible seeds.  These seeds are packed with energy and huge potential for life.  While the seed is undergoing it's development, it is tightly packed in an outer covering that prevents animals from accessing   it's energy until it falls to the ground. After this seed falls to the ground and begins to dry out, the protective burr husk, shrinks back and exposing the seed and making it accessible to passerby's. Soon after the chestnut has exposed it's life bringing flesh, someone comes along and retrieves the seed and all that remains is it's empty burred husk. Jesus spoke to great crowds of people using parables so that some of them would have deep understanding of the truths of the kingdom of God. In Matthew 13 Jesus begins to tell of the sower that went out to sow. "A sower went

"It's my joy to love, its my joy to obey,  you can have all my heart, you can have all my praise..." I hear these words  from Sarah Edward's song, Its My Joy to Love , resounding in my mind this morning and often when I am walking through my life and I hear the Lord asking me,  Is it really? Is it really your joy to obey me Karen? In order to obey the Lord we must first submit to His lordship over our hearts, giving up our will and our way for Him and committing to the work of the gospel. Too many times I see people say that they love God yet they live their lives to primarily bring pleasure to themselves and so in essence their primary god is themselves. Christ died for us and He asks that we die to ourselves in order that we can live in Him. Practically speaking this dying begins by making decisions that are contrary to our own desires.  We are called to be a part of a body of believers and to serve one another in love but all too often we are part of a

As I am heading down the tail end of my run I look up and see the familiar tunnel that I must pass through in order to get to the other side. The measurements are evident from the outside so that whoever tries to travel through knows there are limitations in order to access the other side. The sign conveys a warning that there may be resistance if you pass through the tunnel. As Jesus is finishing the sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7 he sheds light on the struggle to walk as a Christian when what the world offers is the path of least resistance. "Enter by the narrow gate.   For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction,  and those who enter by it are many.   For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life,  and those who find it are few." There you have it!  The way is hard that leads to life!  It is a life that will press in on you into areas you never wanted to go but must go in order to get to the other side o

On the path of my morning run their is a grove of Hawthorn trees where a family of Cardinals flutters and sings.  Last week on two consecutive days in the same location I came across feathers from the cardinal. I love the loud boisterous song that the Cardinal sings for all to hear.  They sing with all their might and strength, declaring the new day and rising of the sun. The males are  breathtakingly beautiful red birds who are very territorial and will position themselves at the pinnacle of their territory, declaring for all to hear, their presence. They sing as if they are praising the One who created them, filling their lungs to the brim in order that they can be heard by all. We should sing each and every day the praises of the One who is blessed forever.  We were created to bless the Lord all the days of our lives.  Despite what circumstances we may be facing we must remind ourselves daily through God's word of the importance of singing our song to Him and not being s

I was running this morning and as I rounded a corner I was scared witless by a dog running toward me barking.  I could not see where he was coming from but his bark made it sound as if he was hot on my trail ready to bite my heals.   Out of my mouth flew an explitive as a quick jolt of adrenaline surged through my body. As I ran onward,  I meditated on the passage in Luke  that ends with  ...out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.   The word I spoke and the WORD said it all.   My heart is full of stinky foul dog excrement!   As I continued to run the end of Psalm 19 began to play on my playlist... Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart  be acceptable in your sight,  O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.   The Psalm starts by saying; The heavens declare the glory of God,  and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.  Day to day pours out speech,  and night to night reveals knowledge.   There is no speech , nor

As I walk down the path I see a tall stately tree that has a thinning, sparse crown in its canopy leaves. From a distance I can see that this tree has a vine that has grown all the way up its trunk. These vines grow rapidly and quickly taking over the tree and growing into the canopy eventually suffocating the tree. Even trees that are planted near a stream, where they are well watered, are susceptible to these vine's swift ascent to the top branches where they, as parasites, rob energy and nutrients from the tree by blocking the light of the sun and girdling the thin branches, preventing the life giving flow through the tree's vascular system and ultimately penetrating through the tree cambium. We too are susceptible to encroaching vines that suffocate a life that is lead and walking in the Spirit. Unruly thought patterns are like parasitic plants that rapidly grow into  and rob the believer's inner sanctuary, causing unrest and ultimately preventing us from seeing

We have been set free from the law of sin and death by the atoning power of Christ's blood.   This freedom is for a purpose.  Not our purpose ultimately but for our good and God's glory. We are prone to make life all about ourselves.  We bend to our own will time and time again but God has called us and set us apart for the purpose of proclaiming the fame of His name. This free gift of faith through God's grace gives us the boldness we need to proclaim Him.  The church is a major player in His-story in that ... through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.  This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.  Ephesians 3:10-12 Our faith in Him,  provided by Him, is for Him! The God of Creation, the Maker of all things decided to use the least likely people to proclaim H

As we walk in love toward everyone we encounter, we are walking in the Spirit of God.  Staying in step with Him aligns our hearts to be further worked upon and sanctified so that we can be used to assist in one another's growth and maturity in Christ. Ephesians 5 dares to call us to be imitators of God Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.   And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. He goes on to exhort the Ephesians to thankful speech, juxtaposing it with the out workings of the  flesh: sexual immorality all impurity covetousness idolator filthy or foolish talk crude joking These are "out of place" for the child of God.  We will forfeit our inheritance if we become partners ( a joint partaker )  with those that do these things because who we keep company with encourages us in our outward expression of the Spirit. We are deceived if we think that bad company does not corr

Titus 3:1-2 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities,  to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,  to speak evil of no one, to avoid quarreling,  to be gentle, and to show perfect courtesy toward all people. Obedience precedes the fruit of kindness.  If we are unsubmitted to those in authority we are more than likely thinking too highly of ourselves which is a stance of pride. While firmly fixed in our pride it would be impossible to speak evil of no one, avoid quarreling, act gently and to show perfect courtesy. When our hearts take a stance of pride, saying I am autonomous, I do not need to submit to those whom God has placed over me, then the fruit of the flesh will be evident. When we speak evil of others it is ultimately because we think more highly of ourselves. Paul warns us through his privilege and authority that God has given him in Romans 12:3, Don't think you are better than you really are.   Be honest in your evaluation of y