“When people tell me they can’t afford to join a gym, I tell them to go outside; planet Earth is a gym and we’re already members. Run, climb, sweat, and enjoy all of the natural wonder that is available to you.”
-Steve Maraboli
Posted by: jakinnan | January 17, 2013
The Natural Gym
Posted in Nature Writer Quotes | Tags: backpacking, beauty, books, earth, enviroment, exercise, health, hiking, life, literature, local, mountains, nature, personal, photography, survival, travel
Posted by: jakinnan | January 17, 2013
A Little Bit of Clarity
What exactly are you perfectly clear on these days? How about your life-why have things gone the way they have? Where was God in all that? And do you know what you ought to do next, with a deep, settled confidence that it will work out? Neither do I. Oh, I’d love to wake each morning knowing exactly who I am and where God is taking me. Zeroed in on all my relationships, undaunted in my calling. It’s awesome when I do see. But for most of us, life seems more like driving along with a dirty windshield and then turning into the sun. I can sort of make out the shapes ahead, and I think the light is green.
Wouldn’t a little bit of clarity go a long way right now?
Let’s start with why life is so dang hard. You try to lose a little weight, but it never seems to happen. You think of making a shift in your career, maybe even serving God, but you never actually get to it. Perhaps a few of you do make the jump, but it rarely pans out the way you thought. You try to recover something in your marriage, and your spouse looks at you with a glance that says, “Nice try,” or “Isn’t it a little late for that?” and the thing actually blows up into an argument in front of the kids. Yes, we have our faith. But even there-maybe especially there-it all seems to fall rather short of the promise. There’s talk of freedom and abundant life, of peace like a river and joy unspeakable, but we see precious little of it, to be honest.
John Eldredge, Waking the Dead, 5
Posted in Ransomed Heart | Tags: beauty, Bible, books, faith, God, Jesus Christ, John Eldredge, life, literature, love, mountains, nature, personal, photography, Ransomed Heart, salvation, travel
Posted by: jakinnan | January 17, 2013
01/17/2013 Scripture
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains. Pray that I will proclaim this message as clearly as I should. Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive so that you will have the right response for everyone.
-Colossians 4:2-6 NLT
Posted in Daily Scriptures | Tags: faith, Glacier, God, Jesus Christ, life, local, love, Montana, mountains, National Park, nature, personal, photography, salvation
Posted by: jakinnan | January 16, 2013
Spring Pasta Salad
It has been really cold here in Utah. Here is a recipe to help you think Spring.
Ingredients
| 3 | oz | ramen |
| 1⁄4 | c | freeze dried green peas |
| 2 | T | freeze dried sliced olives |
| 1 1⁄4 | t | lower sodium vegetable bouillon |
| 1 | t | italian herb seasoning |
| 1⁄2 | t | true lemon powder |
| 1⁄4 | t | ground black pepper |
| 1 | T | extra virgin olive oil (1 packet) |
| 2 | pkt | parmesan cheese |
| 1 1⁄4 | c | water |
Notes
Baked ramen works wonderfully in this recipe.
Dry weight of the meal is 5 ounces.
Instructions
Crumble the ramen into bite size pieces. Pack it, the vegetables and seasonings in a quart freezer bag. Tuck the oil and cheese packets in with the bag.
Add the cool water to the bag, seal tightly and let sit for 15 to 20 minutes to rehydrate. Open up the bag, stir in the oil and the cheese. Add salt to taste, if desired.
Courtesy of trailcooking.com
Posted in Backpacking Recipes | Tags: backpacking, food, health, hiking, local, pasta, recipes, spring, survival
Posted by: jakinnan | January 16, 2013
The Dreams of Mountains
“The poet dreams of the mountain
Sometimes I grow weary of the days, with all their fits and starts.
I want to climb some old gray mountains, slowly, taking
The rest of my lifetime to do it, resting often, sleeping
Under the pines or, above them, on the unclothed rocks.
I want to see how many stars are still in the sky
That we have smothered for years now, a century at least.
I want to look back at everything, forgiving it all,
And peaceful, knowing the last thing there is to know.
All that urgency! Not what the earth is about!
How silent the trees, their poetry being of themselves only.
I want to take slow steps, and think appropriate thoughts.
In ten thousand years, maybe, a piece of the mountain will fall.”
-Mary Oliver
Posted in Nature Writer Quotes | Tags: beauty, California, conservation, earth, enviroment, health, hiking, life, literature, local, love, mountains, National Park, nature, personal, photography, spirituality, travel, Yosemite
Posted by: jakinnan | January 16, 2013
A Subtle Erosion
There are few things more crucial to us than our own lives.
And there are few things we are less clear about.
This journey we are taking is hardly down the yellow brick road. Then again, that’s not a bad analogy at all. We may set out in the light, with hope and joy, but eventually, our path always seems to lead us through dark woods, shrouded with a low-lying mist. Where is this abundant life that Christ supposedly promised? Where is God when we need him most? What is to become of us?
The cumulative effect of days upon years that we do not really understand is a subtleerosion. We come to doubt our place, we come to question God’s intentions toward us, and we lose track of the most important things in life.
We’re not fully convinced that God’s offer to us is life. We have forgotten that the heart is central. And we had no idea that we were born into a world at war.
-John Eldredge, Waking the Dead, 1-2
Posted in Ransomed Heart | Tags: faith, God, Jesus Christ, John Eldredge, life, literature, local, love, mountains, nature, personal, photography, Ransomed Heart, salvation, travel
Posted by: jakinnan | January 16, 2013
01/16/2013 Scripture
Again I say, don’t get involved in foolish, ignorant arguments that only start fights. A servant of the Lord must not quarrel but must be kind to everyone, be able to teach, and be patient with difficult people. Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.
-2 Timothy 2:23-26 NLT
Posted in Daily Scriptures | Tags: faith, God, Jesus Christ, life, love, National Park, nature, photography, salvation, utah, Zion
Posted by: jakinnan | January 15, 2013
The Health Bowl
Ingredients
| 3⁄4 | c | instant rice |
| 1⁄4 | c | cooked and dehydrated lentils |
| 1⁄4 | c | diced almonds |
| 1⁄4 | c | dried cranberries |
| 1 | T | diced dried carrots |
| 1 | t | lower sodium vegetable bouillon |
| 1⁄4 | t | tumeric powder |
| 1 | pn | kosher salt |
| 1 1⁄4 | c | water |
Notes
This is a large recipe, so you may find that it serves 2 smaller appetites better.
On the rice you can use white or brown, depending on how you prefer it. Cooked and dehydrated Basmati rice is very nice to use as well.
Instructions
At home:
Pack all the ingredients in a sandwich or quart freezer bag (depending on method used). Seal tightly.
In camp:
FBC method:
Add near boiling water to the bag, stir well and seal tightly. Put in a FBC cozy for 15 minutes. Fluff up.
Insulated mug method:
Add the dry ingredients and boiling water to your insulated mug. Stir well, cover tightly and let sit for 15 minutes. Fluff up.
One pot method:
Bring the water to a boil. Add in the dry ingredients and take off the stove. Cover tightly and let sit for 10 minutes. Fluff up.
In cool temperatures use a pot cozy to keep warm.
Courtesy of trailcooking.com
Posted in Backpacking Recipes | Tags: backpacking, food, health, hiking, life, outdoor cooking, personal, recipes, survival
Posted by: jakinnan | January 15, 2013
The Songs of Trees
“A few minutes ago every tree was excited, bowing to the roaring storm, waving, swirling, tossing their branches in glorious enthusiasm like worship. But though to the outer ear these trees are now silent, their songs never cease.”
-John Muir
Posted in Nature Writer Quotes | Tags: beauty, California, conservation, earth, enviroment, John Muir, life, literature, local, love, mountains, National Park, nature, personal, photography, poetry, spirituality, travel, Yosemite
Posted by: jakinnan | January 15, 2013
A Heart Can Be Pure
According to the Scriptures, the heart can be troubled, wounded, pierced, grieved, even broken. How well we all know that. Thankfully, it can also be cheerful, glad, merry, joyful, rejoicing. The heart can be whole or divided-as in that phrase we often use, “Well, part of me wants to, but the other part of me doesn’t.” It can be wise or foolish. It can be steadfast, true, upright, stout, valiant. (All of these descriptions can be found by perusing the listings for the word heart in any concordance.) It can also be frightened, faint, cowardly, melt like wax. The heart can be wandering, forgetful, dull, stubborn, proud, hardened. Wicked and perverse. I think we know that as well.
Much to our surprise, according to Jesus, a heart can also be pure, as in, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matt. 5:8). And even noble, as in his story about the sower: “But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop” (Luke 8:15). The Bible sees the heart as the source of all creativity, courage, and conviction. It is the source of our faith, our hope, and of course, our love. It is the “wellspring of life” within us (Prov. 4:23), the very essence of our existence, the center of our being, the fount of our life.
There is no escaping the centrality of the heart. God knows that; it’s why he made it the central theme of the Bible, just as he placed the physical heart in the center of the human body. The heart is central; to find our lives, we must make it central again.
-John Eldredge, Waking the Dead, 40-41
Picture Credit: Craig Pierzchanlski
Posted in Ransomed Heart | Tags: beauty, faith, God, Jesus Christ, John Eldredge, life, literature, local, love, nature, personal, photography, Ransomed Heart, salvation
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