“He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true. For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit.
John 4:31-34 NLT
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: beauty, Bible, Christianity, faith, God, Jesus Christ, life, love, mountains, nature, personal, photography, salvation, survival
“I think Jesus is saying, Look, you guys are running around like monkeys trying to get people to clap, but people are fallen, they are separated from God, so they have no idea what is good or bad, worthy to be judged or set free, beautiful or ugly to begin with. Why not get your glory from God? Why not accept your feelings of redemption because of His pleasure in you, not the fickle and empty favor of man? And only then will you know who you are, and only then will you have true, uninhibited relationships with others.”
-Donald Miller, Searching for God Knows What
Posted in Nature Writer Quotes | Tags: Arizona, art, beauty, books, conservation, earth, enviroment, God, Jesus Christ, life, literature, nature, personal, photography, salvation, spirituality, survival, travel
At home: Preheat oven to 325° F. Lightly grease a 13×9 inch pan. Beat the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the sugar, vanilla and butter, beating to combine. Stir in the flour and salt. Set aside 1 1/2 cups of batter. Stir the coffee crystals and cream and add to the remaining batter. Spread the coffee batter into the prepared pan. Add chocolate chips to the reserved batter and spoon over the coffee batter. Run a knife through the two batters to marble them. Sprinkle the pecans over the top. Bake 20-25 minutes or until the center is firm and set. Cool before cutting into bars. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
On the trail: Unwrap and enjoy!
Makes 12 dozen
Courtesy of http://www.wildbackpacker.com
Posted in Backpacking Recipes | Tags: backpacking, chocolate, food, hiking, life, outdoor cooking, personal, recipes, survival
We are now far into this Epic that every great story points to. We have reached the moment where we, too, must find our courage and rise up to recover our hearts and fight for the hearts of others. The hour is late, and much time has been wasted. Aslan is on the move; we must rally to him at the stone table. We must find Geppetto lost at sea. We must ride hard, ride to Minas Tirith and join the last great battle for Middle Earth.
Jesus calls to you to be his intimate ally once more. There are great things to be done and great sacrifices to be made. You won’t lose heart if you know what’s really going on here, where this Story is headed and what your Lover has promised to you.
It is a world of magic and mystery, of deep darkness and flickering starlight. It is a world where terrible things happen and wonderful things too. It is a world where goodness is pitted against evil, love against hate, order against chaos, in a great struggle where often it is hard to be sure who belongs to which side because appearances are endlessly deceptive. Yet for all its confusion and wildness, it is a world where the battle goes ultimately to the good, who live happily ever after, and where in the long run everybody, good and evil alike, becomes known by his true name . . . That is the fairy tale of the Gospel with, of course, one crucial difference from all other fairy tales, which is that the claim made for it is that it is true, that it not only happened once upon a time but has kept on happening ever since and is happening still. (Telling the Truth)
This is the gospel.
This is the Story we are living in.
May you play your part well.
Posted in Ransomed Heart | Tags: beauty, books, Christianity, God, Jesus Christ, John Eldredge, literature, love, mountains, nature, personal, photography, Ransomed Heart, salvation, survival, war, Warrior
So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
-2 Corinthians 5:16-17 NLT
Posted in Daily Scriptures | Tags: beauty, Bible, Christianity, faith, God, Jesus Christ, life, love, nature, New Mexico, personal, photography, salvation, survival
Alpine Pasta
Easy, Cheesy, and Delicious
2 ounces sun-dried tomatoes
2 4.4-ounce Knorr Butter & Herb pasta packets
4 ounces salami, diced
6 green onions, chopped
5 ounces fontina cheese
In camp
Pour one cup of hot water into a bowl, add tomatoes. Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain tomatoes; chop with the salami, onions, and cheese. Add all to noodles after five minutes. Stir until pasta is done. Serves two.
Courtesy of Backpacker magazine
Posted in Backpacking Recipes | Tags: backpacking, food, health, hiking, italian, life, outdoor cooking, pasta, recipes, survival
“If it’s wild to your own heart, protect it. Preserve it. Love it. And fight for it, and dedicate yourself to it, whether it’s a mountain range, your wife, your husband, or even (god forbid) your job. It doesn’t matter if it’s wild to anyone else: if it’s what makes your heart sing, if it’s what makes your days soar like a hawk in the summertime, then focus on it. Because for sure, it’s wild, and if it’s wild, it’ll mean you’re still free. No matter where you are.”
-Rick Bass
Posted in Nature Writer Quotes | Tags: art, beauty, books, conservation, earth, enviroment, life, literature, local, mountains, nature, photography, spirituality, survival, travel
We should expect to encounter Jesus anytime, anywhere, everywhere. The song of a child, a song on the radio—Jesus is infinitely creative. Just let him be himself with you.
Jesus is everywhere.
But let me give you a grace that will help you see him:
He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.” (Matthew 13:52)
This is such a beautiful, gracious, and stabilizing verse. It is immensely kind; it is also immensely cunning. So very like Jesus.
Think of it—Jesus was shaking some of his listeners’ most cherished assumptions, while inviting them into very new ways of understanding God. The veil was coming down—forever.
Don’t let someone else’s remarkable encounter with Jesus diminish the beauty of what you know of him. Hold fast to the treasures you have.
But, at the same time, you haven’t experienced all there is with God. There is more. Much more. Those new possibilities are often opened to us through hearing the ways Jesus is working in other people’s lives. Put down both the ashes and the stones. Let’s discover more of Jesus, together.
-John Eldredge, Beautiful Outlaw, 210-212
Posted in Ransomed Heart | Tags: beauty, Bible, books, Christianity, God, Jesus Christ, John Eldredge, literature, love, mountains, nature, photography, Ransomed Heart, salvation, utah
“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
-John 14:15-17 NLT
Posted in Daily Scriptures | Tags: beauty, Canada, Christianity, faith, God, Jesus Christ, life, love, mountains, nature, personal, photography, salvation, travel
1.) Myth: You can hide from lightning.
Busted: No place is 100-percent safe in the backcountry, but some spots are better than others.
>> Top priority: Get low relative to nearby terrain.
>> Uniform forests are safest. Avoid open meadows, lakes, caves, rock overhangs, peaks, or ridges.
>> Best option: Go inside a building or hard-topped car.
2.) Myth: Under clear skies, you’re safe from a strike.
Busted: “Bolts from the blue” can travel and strike as far as 25 miles from storm clouds.
>> Check regional forecasts. Be alert for storms within 100 miles of your route; watch the direction they’re trending.
>> You’re within strike range if you can hear thunder. Look for shelter when (or before) thunder and lightning are 30 seconds apart.
>> Stay under cover until 30 minutes have passed since the last thunderclap.
3.) Myth: Once a person’s struck, he’s dead—and you’ll be electrocuted if you touch him.
Busted: About 90 percent of strike victims survive. After being hit, they can’t shock you—but will likely benefit from first aid.
>> Administer CPR. Almost all lightning fatalities are due to cardiac arrest. Immediate CPR may restart the heart and save a victim’s life.
>> Treat wounds. Look for and address head injuries and fractures. Burn first aid: cool with water, apply antibacterial ointment, and bandage.
>> Immediately evacuate any strike victim to a hospital.
4.) Myth: Crouching on a sleeping pad will insulate you from a direct strike.
Busted: Nothing in the backcountry insulates against a strike or ground current (the most common cause of lightning injury). Reduce exposure to both by assuming a tucked, tight crouch.
>> Stay low. Short objects are less likely strike targets.
>> Keep your arms and feet close. Spreading them increases the severity of injuries and burns if you’re struck.
>> Don’t lie down. Minimize contact with the ground; keep your body’s footprint as small as possible.
What Your Should Know
• Get off peaks early; descend by 2 p.m. in storm season.
• Avoid exposed campsites; tents provide no electrical shelter.
• Stay 50 feet from others.
• Move off lakes and away from tall shoreline trees.
• Flee meadows; even in low terrain the tallest objects attract • strikes.
• Avoid lone tall trees.
• Anticipate nighttime storms; plan a route to safer terrain.
• Safer: ditches and dips.
Interesting Facts
• An average bolt is five miles long, one inch thick, and has • enough energy to power a headlamp for 139,500 years.
• Doh! Guys get struck 4 times as much as gals.
• 5 Seconds it takes for the sound of thunder to travel one mile
Deadliest Wilderness Sports
Whatcha doing when lightning strikes?
Fishing – 25%
Camping – 24%
Swimming -18%
Hiking – 7%
Courtesy of Backpacker magazine
hiking2christ 