The Grand Canyon

A little less talk and a lot more action

1 John 3:18-20


¹⁸Dear children, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions. ¹⁹It is by our actions that we know we are living in the truth, so we will be confident when we stand before the Lord, ²⁰even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.

1 Peter 4:7-11

⁷The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. ⁸Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. ⁹Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. ¹⁰Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. ¹¹If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

God has given me grace once again. What is he telling me? What is his will for me? That I let go. Be reckless in my love for Him. What would I do for the kingdom if I knew I could not fail? Do it! The Lord my God is with me, and it is up to me, up to us, to usher in the kingdom of heaven on earth. When we speak, we speak with power. No more fear. Each time fear threatens to enter my heart, see it as an opportunity to trust and draw close to the Father. What the enemy intends for evil will be used for much good. Praise the Lord for reconciliation and renewal! I lay everything at your feet, my King and my Savior!

What did he say?

"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."

"You shall not put the Lord your God to the test."

"Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."

"Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

"Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

"If you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift."

"Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way."

"If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell."

"Do not swear at all: either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes', and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."

"Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."

"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven."

"Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them."

"When you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret."

"When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen."

"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen."

"Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

"Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear."

"Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

"Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enought trouble of its own."

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged...first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

"Do not give to dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs."

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

"Do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."

"Enter through the narrow gate...small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

"Watch out for false prophets...by their fruit you will recognize them."

"Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

"Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

"Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons."

"Be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."

"What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs."

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul."

"Be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell."

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and atake up his cross and follow me."

"If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell."

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector."

"Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many."

"Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come."

"Take and eat; this is my body."

"Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."

"Do not be afraid."

"Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very of the age."


What price have I been paying by not following the commands of Christ? I am tired, lethargic, full of doubt and fear, unsure of who I am, where I am to be, what I'm supposed to be doing with this life...I don't know what I'm so afraid of. What if I follow Christ wholeheartedly? I will be changed, and for the better. But why is that so hard to accept? Because I will lose myself in the process. Is that so bad? What does that mean anyway? By losing myself, am I not actually becoming what I was always meant to be?

Hiking with Mom 

Illinois Sunset 

No more excuses

Deuteronomy 30:11-20

¹¹"This command I am giving you today is not too difficult for you to understand or perform. ¹²It is not up in heaven, so distant that you must ask, `Who will go to heaven and bring it down so we can hear and obey it?' <sup>13</sup>It is not beyond the sea, so far away that you must ask, `Who will cross the sea to bring it to us so we can hear and obey it?' ¹⁴The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart so that you can obey it.

¹⁵"Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between prosperity and disaster, between life and death. ¹⁶I have commanded you today to love the LORD your God and to keep his commands, laws, and regulations by walking in his ways. If you do this, you will live and become a great nation, and the LORD your God will bless you and the land you are about to enter and occupy. ¹⁷But if your heart turns away and you refuse to listen, and if you are drawn away to serve and worship other gods, ¹⁸then I warn you now that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live a long, good life in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.

¹⁹"Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, that you and your descendants might live! ²⁰Choose to love the LORD your God and to obey him and commit yourself to him, for he is your life. Then you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

Quotes to Consider:

In its deepest nature and meaning our universe is a community of boundless and totally competent love.
~Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy (11)

Jesus offers himself as God's doorway into the life that is truly life. Confidence in him leads us to become his apprentices in eternal living. "Those who come through me will be safe," he said. "They will go in and out and find all they need. I have come into their world that they may have life, and life to the limit."
But intelligent, effectual entry into this life is currently obstructed by clouds of well-intentioned misinformation. The "gospels" that predominate where he is most frequently invoked speak only of preparing to die or else of correcting social practices and conditions. These are both important, but neither one touches the quick of individual existence or taps the depth of the reality of Christ. Our usual "gospels" are, in effect, nothing less than a standing invitation to omit God from the course of our daily existence.
Does Jesus only enable me to "make the cut" when I die? Or to know how to protest, or howto vote or agitate and organize? It is good to know that when I die all will be well, but is there any good news for life? If I had to choose, I would rather have a car that runs than good insurance on one that doesn't. Can I not have both?

And what social or political arrangements - however important in their own right - can guide and empower me to be the person I know I ought to be? Can anyone now seriously believe that if people are only permitted or enabled to do what they want, they will then be happy or more disposed to do what is right?
~Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy (12)

The drive to signifcance that first appears as a vital need in the tiny child, and later as its clamorous desire for attention, is not egotism. Egotistical individuals see everything through themselves. They are always the dominant figures in their own field of vision.
Egotism is pathological self-obsession, a reaction to anxiety about whether one really does count. It is a form of acut self-conciousness and can be prevented and healed only by the experience of being adequately loved. It is, indeed, a desperate response to frustration of the need we all have to count for something and be held to be irreplaceable, without price.
Unlike egotism, the drive to significance is a simple extension of the creative impulse of God that gave us being. It is not filtered through self-conciousness any more than is our lunge to catch a package falling from someone's hand. It is outwardly directed to the good to be done. We were built to count, as water is made to run downhill. We are placed in a specific context to count in ways no one else does. That is our destiny.
Our hunger for significance is a signal of who we are and why we are here, and it also is the basis of humanity's enduring response to Jesus. For he always takes individual human beings as seriously as their shredded dignity demands, and he has the resources to carry through with his high estimate of them.
~Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy, (15)