Month: July 2017

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PWTE Daily Devotion

Bear Play

Grizzly bears, Grant and Roosevelt from the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana

Captivated with joy.

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.
Grizzly bears, Grant and Roosevelt from the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana

Meet Grant and Roosevelt, two Grizzly bears who make their home at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone, Montana. When I visited, they were the most active Grizzlies in the small pond created for the bears. Unfortunately, the reason Grant and Roosevelt are at the center is because their mother was connected to two fatalities in Yellowstone and had to be euthanized. Yet, they’ve adapted well to their home and put on a show for visitors as they wrestle with each other.

It looks like they would kill each other with their large teeth and claws, but neither is damaged in their romping.

“Shout out praises to the LORD, all the earth! Break out in a joyful shout and sing!” 
Psalm 98:4 New English Translation

The composer of Psalm 98 relishes God’s love and faithfulness to his people. Not only are his covenant people to shout for joy, both the people who inhabit the earth and all of creation itself is to join in this praise.

God’s salvation, which is at work in our lives, is a reason to rejoice. People will notice the community of God’s redeemed when we rejoice over his love and faithfulness to us.

There were a number of Grizzly bears frolicking in the early afternoon sun when I visited, but Grant and Roosevelt stole the show. There was a boundless energy to their play. Grant would dunk Roosevelt only to have Roosevelt return the favor. Water was splashing out of the pool. Crows were getting wet. Other bears were inadvertently trapped in their play. You couldn’t help but laugh as they played.

There is something contagious about joy. Though there are times that we might not want to be around joy-filled people, joy will eventually win the day.

Gracious God fill your church with joy, that this joy might attract others and bring them into an experience of your love and faithfulness.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Categories
PWTE Daily Devotion

In My Father’s Footsteps

Our lives are an example to others of who God is.

 You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”
1 Timothy 4:12 New Living Translation

This picture happened by accident.

If you knew my dad, you might think that I took a picture of one of his paintings and posted it in this blog. However, I took this picture in Yellowstone National Park. I then edited it to look like a painting, but that was not my intent when I started working on it.

I loved how this picture was composed and wanted to make it look like I had captured it on film instead of a digital sensor. I have a program that will make this transition for me. After making those changes to the picture I noticed that it looked something like a painting, one that my dad would have painted. After sitting with this picture for a while and making both macro and micro adjustments, I was left with this picture.

I remember how my father spent hours conceptualizing a painting. Working off of pictures that he had taken, or been given, he would transform those pictures into paintings. My father has died, but I still wish that I could sit down with him and talk about how he composed a picture, how he manipulated the light, and what his vision was for a completed picture. There is so much more that I could learn from him.

Paul knew that Timothy needed to be an example to the people he pastored. His speech, life, love, faith and purity were all to reflect Christ. Paul knew that the community which surrounded Timothy would be influenced by his life.

By his example, my father has had an impact on my photography. You and I have an impact on the people around us as we live out our Christian faith. May God empower us to reflect his Son in our speech, life, love, faith and purity.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Categories
PWTE Daily Devotion

Joy Ride!

“Following the Leader.”

You can listen to today’s devotion by clicking on this SoundCloud link.

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Hebrews 12:2

I loved this entry in the Mount Angel Fourth of July parade.  An old Avery tractor, refurbished and running in top form, pulls a wagon load of riders, driving back and forth across Taylor Street.  Everyone is wearing matching shirts and everyone is having the time of their life.  Everyone is full of joy.

The “hay ride” took me back to many joyful events as a boy.  Always the same simple scenario; a tractor pulls a whole wagon load of happy passengers, a whole trailer load of “joy riders.”  We don’t have to worry about where we are going, we don’t have to provide the power, we trust the driver up ahead on the trusty tractor, and at the end of the ride will come a wonderful party.

What a parallel for our lives as followers of Jesus!  The driver up ahead does all the real work. You and I trust Him and follow after Him.  Jesus has suffered the cross, death, and hell to open up for us a wonderful life following after Him, trusting in Him, and looking forward to a fantastic forever party in heaven with Him.  What a wonderful ride life can be, trusting in a Savior, depending on our Lord, and trusting in His grace, wisdom, and love.  Sure, there can be a few bumps along the road,  and sometimes it can be tough to get along with fellow riders, but there is no doubt that you and I can trust in the Lord, the author and perfecter of our faith.

Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for going before us.  Give us faith to trust in Your leading, Your Word, and Your love, until our ride is through… Amen.

Copyright Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado