Shaky Faith

Posted on by Gary Fultz

It’s raining said the farmer as he spit into the wind…(An old saying on the farm). Yes, it’s a perception saying.

I took the above picture in the wind on my regular camera settings for still shots. Not very clear is it? In fact I spent part of the afternoon taking high speed pictures and captured some excellent mediocre shots. My subject matter was all over the place, often in the same picture.

black eyed susan eml
I think they all moved slightly

This brings me to some questions we must all ask ourselves if we claim to be people of faith. “Does the subject of your faith change? When you feel like your faith is on shaky ground is it because your faith is really on your circumstances? recent events? other people? your faith community? The cataclysmic event that just happened in your life?Rocks Cry eml I took a picture of a rock in our yard. It doesn’t move in the wind. Awhile back I wrote on it but that’s another time (The rocks cry out one of my first blogs way back).

Here is the deal. When others see us, watch us and take a look at our faith. what people see is a blurred confusing image if the subject of our faith is not Jesus Christ. He is our Rock and our salvation. We are to fix our eyes on Jesus the author and perfecter of our faith and put to the side everything that gets in the way Hebrews 12:2 

When Our Faith is all on Jesus, others can still see Jesus through our storm. 

I put together some pictures taken in high winds from this afternoon. They may not be perfect but each one was in a protected niche from most of the wind. God is our shelter, rock, provide, protector,and I could go on…You get the picture. (Click for slide show)

 

I imagine God shelters us in ways we do not even see or understand. Consider a few lines from the old hymn “He hideth My Soul”

A wonderful Saviour is Jesus my Lord
A wonderful Saviour to me
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
Where rivers of pleasure I see
He hideth my soul in the cleft of the rock
That shadows a dry, thirsty land
He hideth my life in the depths of his love
And covers me there with his hand (repeat)
 
A wonderful Saviour is Jesus my Lord
He taketh my burden a-way
He holdeth me up and I shall not be moved
He giveth me strength as my day 
One more thought: I put my camera on a tripod for getting clear pictures whenever I can. People who watch our lives to see if Jesus is real (and they do) often have enough things shaking their world as it is. Hey, who among us sees clearly? Let’s not present a moving target of faith for shaky people trying to get the picture.
When Our Faith is all on Jesus, others can still see Jesus through their storm. 

Gary

Check out the video of the haven of rest quartet G.W posted in the comments section. “He Hideth My Soul”

Reaching For Good Enough

Posted on by Gary Fultz

As a person, I’m probably smarter than you may think I am, and, quite a bit less smart than I think I am. I prove the last part of that statement daily and a couple times a year the first part seems proven (to me).

Take today for example, I refinished an ash table top that we use for a picnic table on the screen porch. The table sits outside all year. Grand kids use that table to play on with toys and sometimes my tools they think are toys. It was really beat up and looked like it was sulking and looking forlorn out there. Here is where I step it up and refinish right? Happy Table right??Black Ash Table eml

I stripped off the old finish, sanded and sanded this table. Sawdust everywhere. I set sanding and finishing records for an old black ash table top. I made it look nice, and it does from a distance. I got the old scars out and put in my own. Argh!..not again! Everywhere. Take a lookBlack Ash Table scars eml

Sander marks from using too course of sandpaper (rookie mistake) and then being in a hurry to put some finish on. Hey, it’s only a picnic table that sits outside so it’s good enough right?

Aren’t you glad God does not treat us this way? Yet some think He does. Do you think Gods version of renewing our minds (Romans 12:2) is to reach for “Good Enough?”

Oh He lets us experience all of life’s poundings and we have the scars to prove it. However, God does not abandon us, give us a rough clean up and only make us look nice from a distance. God goes for the heart of the matter. Clean inside first. Our outside might look tough until the inside is so changed it starts showing through (2 Corinthians 4:16)

God is not finished with us yet so let Him do His work. When he is done, eternity will know it. For now the world will be satisfied with seeing a “Love” construction zone in us.

We should be allowing God to produce in us what the whole world wants. 

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

Finally: If God can put a flower garden and the horizon into a dew droplet (see header picture) He can put Love in your heart and a bunch of other good things!  

Gary

Wandering Into Highlight

Posted on by Gary Fultz

Notice, be alert and unravel little mysteries. When the sun goes down look for the reds, yellows, purples and other miscellaneous colors wafted on the clouds. Look for the highlights.  When a small child yells out a command on a solemn occasion. What’s with that? When all 7 teenage boys commit their life to follow Jesus because their Sunday school teacher asks them if they would, find out the whole story. Some stories may be told for a life time. Some a short meaningful wisp. No matter what, the sun always sets.

fire Haze sunset
Wild fires hazed the sky, colored and magnified the setting sun view from our front lawn.

16 year old Alexa was getting baptized a couple weeks ago along with 20+ others as a public announcement to follow Jesus. A solemn occasion. A six year old boy yelled out “Alexa, tell me a joke!”  A very funny moment for those who knew little johnny (we will call him) lives in a smart house (can virtual Alexa tell a joke??)

Times are a changing are they not?

 

CP Sunn eml
A hot summer evening watching colors and rays appear, change and disappear.

I had coffee and an amazing conversation with a friend Sunday afternoon. Somewhere between fishing, family and church stories he mentioned that all seven of his teen boys  in Sunday school class had prayed with him to follow Jesus. I pushed him a little to know how that happened. After his normal disclaimer (it was all God and not me) the story of seven boys studying the scriptures about the basics for the past year. Things like redemption, sanctification and their biblical threads on through the ministry and purpose of Jesus death and resurrection. These boys were ready to pray. What a highlight!

 

Sun Tonight 9 10 18eml
Another Sunset from our yard. Every night is different, every sunset unique

Just a thought:  Life’s truths are like puzzle pieces still in the box. Sometimes I am the six year old just reacting and unaware of what’s going on. Other times I am like my friend helping those around me (maybe too selectively) put some puzzle pieces together and introduce them to Jesus.

   My hope is that on my final sunset, there will be some highlights, even in my wanderings, but highlights non the less.

 Gary

 

 

 

Nature: Gods Living Room

Posted on by Gary Fultz

We were camped for one night on an island on big kekekabic lake in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area wilderness. The scenery was beyond what words can ascribe to natures raw beauty. High cliffs and rock areas as large as a small town lined the edges. 100 yards out from the north island side found 180 feet deep of crystal-clear-lake trout fishing water.

The next morning the winds came up as we packed up camp to travel another 7 lakes with portages in-between. The four of us gathered on the island edge to study the fast whitecapped waves between us and the closest shoreline where we planned to go. The stretch of water we needed to cross was in a wind tunnel. We couldn’t see them well so everything looked ok from our island. “I think we can make it” said our young and somewhat experienced canoeist. “It looks doable” said my teen age grandson. We looked at my newly retired neighbor to see what he thought. “I am going with the opinion of the one who has led groups up here over 70 times” said my neighbor looking at me.

Doesn’t look windy at all. Very fast angry deceptive waves out there

I looked at the treetops swaying wildly in the wind and felt the crosswind gusts. we were protected on our side of the island. I have been in this position before and chose wrong. “We have a little less than a mile of wind tunnel that we are crossing by the time we are to the next portage. Each canoe has about a 50% chance of making it without tipping in those waves. Maybe.” I said. “The water is cold enough, so you have about 10 minutes to rescue yourself before your muscles do not work anymore. If one canoe tips the other canoe will want to rescue them. It’s almost impossible to rescue in these waves, then you have 4 people in the water too far from shore to make it. As long as we stay on the island, we have a zero percent chance of tipping. That’s” my opinion ” I said. My Neighbor spoke up, “I’m trusting the experienced opinion”; the young guys nodded yes.

End of a long windy day after high winds and 7 portages.

After a late afternoon meal, the wind died down and the waves were much lower, slower and less angry. The waves were still white-capped when we shoved off. The portage was straight across from us, but the waves were still to big to be side swiped in a canoe. The plan was to go at an angle into the waves until midway across the highest section of waves. When a lull in the wind gusts died down, we would turn the canoe around to angle across the wind tunnel and ride the waves toward the portage.

Even with less wind and smaller waves, we all felt the adrenaline of the rough water and building courage of navigating properly. Thankfully the big waves had turned into big rollers that propelled our canoes forward rather than washing over the end of the canoe. After we made it to the portage, each guy made it known then and later around the fire how grateful we didn’t try to tackle waves three times higher than what canoes could safely handle. “How did you know the waves were so big? They didn’t look big to me. I don’t think I could handle any bigger waves than the smaller ones after the wind died down,” said our better experienced young man. I told him a couple other stories about myself tipping canoes in those kinds of waves and lived to tell.

BWCA camping eml

Nature in the raw is truly ruggedly beautiful. Beyond description. We found a campsite out of the wind. Grateful.House rock eml God’s handiwork is so awesome and overwhelming that how could we not experience God by experiencing nature? It’s a common misconception voiced around the campfire. Nature settings are like being in God’s 3D art gallery.

God’s clues are so many! One can experience peace in the gurgling brook and the morning sunrise. One’s smallness is real also in the mysterious aura felt around the evening fire as the wolves moan, the frogs croak and a large animal walks in the water. There are (quite sure) a zillion stars out there to be viewed from ones tent site. I love natures clues.

Natures sense of peace is between the storms. God’s peace is in the midst of the storm. 

forest fire damage eml
This forest fire died here. It was a big one. I’m glad I was not there as I probably would have “become one with nature”

Visit the wilderness enough and one will experience all that happens in nature. A beautiful sunrise in the east may lure you into the middle of a big lake while the western skies may prepare the storm of the century. I have a hundred stories where “mother” nature does not care about us. But, God cares.

 Nature is not tame and from all indications neither is God. Evening in the BWCA email

If you want to meet God, in nature or right where you are now, just ask. God will meet us anywhere. He is God and calls the shots. Consider what He has promised in scripture.

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Hebrews 11:6

“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13

There’s so much more if you care to look it up!

I love getting into nature. I still see it as God’s living room (my thing I guess) and I meet him there but only because I have a relationship with my creator. It’s my most important relationship. We talk and I listen as well. There is much to see, hear and understand. Peace comes from God and not nature, but what a great back drop for allowing God to work on this scruffy specimen of a follower of Jesus. What a great place to fellowship and dine, in God’s living room.

BWCA by the fire eml

Gary

When We See. Really See

Posted on by Gary Fultz

 

Let me ramble a bit about some wilderness wanderings with my family last week. The sites and sounds were awesome! So much of our trip is a parallel to a life with God, pictures and all. Let’s talk about what we see. really see.

Most of us have our wilderness wanderings of the soul as well. One is in the seeing beyond ourselves.

otter 3
3 otter swam by in the wee hours of daylight. It seems they were created to fish and play

Let’s face it. Most of our seeing is positioning ourselves to see. Awareness is another ingredient to seeing. Capturing a photo is another step in seeing. Framing that photo is then important to explain what we saw. Maybe, God shows off sometimes. Just for us?? He loves us you know. Maybe we see (really see) that and know that He is God, Creator of all things. He has framed our world, all the molecules in the universe and beyond. He has framed you.

BWCA sunset Camp cp eml
The rain stopped, the sun came out and set as night came. See the wolf? The sun prevails.
Liz Walleye eml
Our Grand daughters senior dream vacation (A wilderness canoe trip). She will outfish most.  

It’s entirely possible to have a dream vacation and only have an adventure, see a nice sunset, catch some fish, do some exploring and that’s about it if it works out.

There’s a better way. What if we position ourselves to see God’s handiwork in marvelous ways? What if we don’t? What if we spend some alone time with God expressing our wonder at the sights and sounds?

fog eml
Early one morning I waited until I could see through the fog. kind of.

What do you see? Is life just rambling in the fog between storms? Are you positioned to see God’s handiwork all around? How about in your life? God is in the business of opening our eyes you know. I only know about this because He has done it in my life and coutless others throughout time. Like the man born blind and healed by Jesus in the Bible, he knows. He sees John 9:25
He answered, “Whether He is a sinner I do not know. There is one thing I do know: I was blind, but now I see!”

I strongly reccomend some wilderness wanderings. Find someplace to have a long chat with your creator. Check out going to the BWCAW sometime. Watch out for bear! (really).

Gary

 

Mom

Posted on by Gary Fultz

veggies-eml.jpgI know you are gone, along with so many others. Bye for now our parting words. I understand I’ll see you at the gate when time is over. Meanwhile, the moms who are here…We are celebrating life and doing something special today for all moms out there. I am also doing something special for the women of my life…Here is to you dear. Our kids even turned out exceptionally well. kabobs em

Just a little something I cooked up if that’s ok. Thank you Lord for the women you put into my life. Help her (my wife) recover from losing her mom this spring. We miss her..Amen

Gary. 

 

Being Intentional

Posted on by Gary Fultz

Born with Spina-Bifida. 37 years, 35 surgeries and thousands of stares and comments. Life and significance can feel like a lone tiny battered island. 

In my quiet time with God I recently (intentionally) asked the Lord for wisdom and a way to show our handicapped daughter how much God loves her and how much her first father loves her. Later in the day I came across this very special blog by a very special lady. please visit and read.    https://writenow.wordpress.com/2019/03/04/beauty-from-slag/

Go back, click on the link first before continuing please!!  

I was able to show our daughter the picture from Shirley’s blog of what some consider to be trash (slag) but mixed with glass in liquid form creates immense beauty. We had some small talk about how it was made and how beautiful it was. I also read the short blog to her. I then said to my daughter “This is you dear daughter. You have often seen yourself as slag, trash, and people have said and done mean things to you; but God has created an immensely beautiful person in you no matter what has happened to your body. 

Realization of this truth was like slowly filling a clear glass picture of water but not shutting the tap off. First there were tears, then sobs and a heaving chest full of sobs came as her picture overflowed. A new radiance of spirit that most of us will never experience quietly came as the tap slowed and stopped. Dad & Tania CP eml

Before showing and reading to my daughter as she rested in bed, I intentionally thanked God for his answer to prayer and intentionally asked for wisdom in presenting this spectacular picture of slag mixed with glass on Shirley’s blog. I see her this way. I know and see the beauty that others may miss. See picture here

slag glass cross section
the beautiful colors of slag glass are endless

I wonder how many people I walk by every day who do not know that God can take the slag of their life, melt it down and mix with His ineffable power.  Only God can do such grandiose kind of work words cannot express in each of us. Thanks G.W for that great read.  https://collinsgw.combecoming/2019/03/06/ineffable-power/

My daughter and I talked about the word “ineffable” in her life. Joyous tears again.

The kind of intentionality it takes to turn the trash slag into beautiful glass slag in people’s lives is huge, costly and time consuming on our part. Ask my daughter, it’s worth it. Ask God, it’s worth it. Ask Me and I will tell you that watching someone slowly realize the ineffable power of God masked by a broken body has more grandeur than any wonder the world could contain. 

Please comment, thanks for reading.

Gary

The two links posted are pure gold. Thanks Shirley and G.W for your intentionality in making them so worthwhile.

Once upon a sculpting

Posted on by Gary Fultz

 

A storm makes a mess. We can allow God to Sculpt us in the strongest storms of life

Wind snow sculpture close up eml
Snow sculpture edge close up     Dictionary:To carve, model, chisel, sculpture, fashion, form, shape, cast, cut, hew.     Everything is being sculpted outside our house right now. Wind, gusts of wind, bigger and longer gusts of wind, and then hold your breath I think the creaking house is moving in these monstrous gusts of wind. Wind snow blow cp eml

Lately it seems like every couple of days we are having 50 hour storms. Piles of snow. As I type and look out the window, high winds are sculpting the landscape. Nature plays for keeps. So does God.

Wind snow blow 4 eml
Not a tweety bird in sight, sometimes nothing is in sight

There are probably a lot of overlapping  lessons  here. Possible titles: Storms of life anyone? In the Storm? After the Storm? When Harsh Winds Blow? Help Me Find My Car? Winter Camping Anyone? Can’t Find My Igloo? This is Fun! Where have all the bluebirds gone?

Wind snow blow 2 eml
Disclaimer on photo quality: The only thing holding still is my camera on a tripod taking pictures of moving things from inside the house through the windows.

I know, in my head, that God uses all things to Sculpt us. The One who designs one of a kind in everything from each snowflake in the storm to you and I. When I say this I think of the abused, the quadriplegic, the cancer ALS and other disease fighters, the inner and outer scarred and broken, the forgotten in special homes and you and I. We all have, or will, fit the bill sometime in our life before the dates separated by a dash are sculpted into granite. Life can be just cruel and harsh.

In This Sculpting by God, We can Trust. He has a plan that takes all the accidents, splats and storm damages of life to sculpt us into the likeness of his son for eternity. I do not say this lightly. I have lots of life’s scars and only some are visible. You probably do as well.

Wind snow sculpture eml
A larger view of some small snow sculptures in my yard. As I type they are changing, bigger, tougher, prettier and the winds are much harder. I’m not going out there!

God is bigger than any storm and does more than patch up storm damage. He is so powerful that he can take the storm damaged life and make it part of your christ-like-eternal-DNA masterpiece

Trust God, Trust God, Trust God not only with your life but with your storms! (Proverbs 3:5-6). Walk with Him daily. He will direct your paths

Gary 

I took the above pictures an hour ago (below, just now). The winds outside are getting seriously worse. I’m going to see if I still have a boat behind the shed (or a shed for that matter), make some coffee and watch the storm. Yep wind gust coming

Wind gust coming eml
Picture taken through the patio door and through the screen porch…not going out there!

Moonset Morning at Ten Below Zero

Posted on by Gary Fultz

moonset morning at ten below zero eml
I  stepped outside and took a 10 second time exposure. Long enough to get cold in my sleepwear. 

I watched the moon set before the sun would light the morning.  I pondered and identified with the Psalmist.

“You, God are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you in a dry and parched land where there is no water. ” Psalm 63: 1

I thought of the all the sailors who have been adrift in life boats after losing their vessel in storm or war; often muttering “water water everywhere but not a drop to drink.”

I think often of the happiest people I have ever seen in a third world country and they have nothing.

I think of the change of one’s whole being when they finally understand how much Jesus loves them; enough to die for them. It’s like coming home from vacation and all your plants look dead and they spring to life with water. Only we get “Living Water.”

I ponder how this passion for God in our dry and thirsty land affects my speech, word choices and topics of conversation today and through the week. Will I use alternate swear words? slang? Will I confront or come alongside when differences arise? will I wash the dishes when my wife looks tired even though I have had an 11 hour work day? Will I say a kind word to a harried cashier? Will I live intentionally? Generously?

It’s now daylight. Will I live as a child of light? A delightful sunday morning. I read on. “I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you“ Psalm 63: 4-5 (even if I don’t know the song?)

Gary

Sacred Moments

Posted on by Gary Fultz

To many this would be sacrilege. but to those who have realised they just escaped hell, sacred.

 I came a stranger, a visitor and casual observer. I left immersed in wonder.  

 The place was packed. The air as electric with excitement as a tied championship game in final seconds. Yelling, clapping and (very) loud cheering sounds from young and old alike. God winning. Testimony and story from several teens, twenties and some elderly as they declared hardships and victories before being dunked in an icy water filled cattle tank. Tears and much shaking of heads as memories of who they were “before Christ”. Gods power was evident, powerful, overflowing and permeating. All were participants in this sacred gathering.

Thirty-five quick stories and baptisms before moving on to thirty-two child dedications. The electricity was still there. Clapping, yelling and various carrying on continued as parents gave their kids to God and pleaded with the people to help them raise their kids to Love God. Not a dry eye in the place as a mom gave her child to God. “Before Christ”, Strung out on drugs at life’s bottom she had given away her young child for adoption.  Now in her new life in Christ, she was now giving her child to God. A child she may never see again on earth. She desperately wanted to at least see her child in heaven someday.

[Side notes: extremely organized, the youth band was great but their drummer is an alien with six arms I think. How could over 70 events happen with people talking and take only 2 hours? Wow, they didn’t come for the cake afterwards! I still feel compelled to pray once in awhile for the barren mom with purple and pink hair. So this is where my grandkids are being raised…wow]

There was nothing ordinary about this afternoon church service.  God wasn’t just “talked about”, God permeated the room and the people with his presence. A sacred excitement. We were there with His Spirit. I could picture Jesus in the eyes of the little kids standing on chairs clapping with glee. The year was 2018. I shall not forget this sacred moment.

Ask God for a sacred moment in your life and church (and by faith carry ear plugs)

Gary

PS: a bit of irony on the backstory. This meeting was held in a nice church building given to this ministry. Seems the church grew old and disbanded from lack of people and funds. This ministry grew out of that church a few years back but was attracting young people that made the church people uncomfortable. Now that ministry is a come-as-you-are church and the old church building given to them is just big enough for the youth ministry. God wins.