Inspiration Thursday

And They're Off!

The start of any race is exciting.  Although there may be a favorite, no one really knows what may happen during the course of the race.  In the image above this race looks like a sprint.  Actually it's 300m hurdles.  Yes, hurdles.  While these young men are full of energy now, in just one minute, they will be exhausted.  Several will be excited about their achievement, while some will be disappointed and one or two may even show the scars of tangling with the last couple of hurdles because the energy and stamina just wasn't there to clear the last couple of obstacles.
Kids have a habit of  approaching life like a sprint.  They're in a hurry to get to the next level.  They want to walk, then they want to go to school, then they want to drive, then they want to get out of school, then they want to work...and finally, they want to retire and slow down.  Unlike the 300m hurdles, youngsters can't see the obstacles that life will throw at them.  There will be times when they can see a trying time coming and there will be times when they get blindsided by life.  Life's just that way.  Through it all, we need an anchor for our soul.  We need something that we can depend on regardless of what life throws at us.  We need something that we can depend on through good, bad, ugly, sorrow, joy, sickness, health, victory and defeat.  There is only one source of strength to carry us through the life and guarantee us the victory at the end of the race.  That source is Jesus Christ.  Trusting Christ as our Lord and Savior does not make us immune to difficulty.  In fact we can be guaranteed that trials will come our way.  What we can know is that Christ is our advocate in every situation and that we will have victory over death.  There is a better life, but the only way to experience that abundant life is to place our trust and faith in Christ and Him alone.  We must recognize that we are sinful by nature and that we are in need of a Savior.  We must acknowledge that Christ is that Savior, based on His life, death, burial, and Resurrection.  He was and is the Son of God.  Finally we must repent of our sinful life and invite Christ into our heart and ask His forgiveness and to save us.  He will forgive and save.  At that point we have victory over death and a new home in a place prepared for us by Christ Himself.  One day I'm going to "Wake Up In Glory".  How about you?   Have a blessed day.

Skywatch Friday

North to Alaska

 

 An amateur photographer/hobbyist once asked a professional shooter what was the secret to making his photographs more interesting.  The seemingly abrupt answer was, "Put  yourself in front of more interesting subjects."  That may sound like a cop out, but there is great truth in those words.  While God can paint an amazing sky anywhere in the world, it is most beautiful when surrounded by amazing landscape.  I can photograph some beautiful sunrises and sunsets in my hometown, but they pale in comparrison to the landscape of Alaska.  My wife and I took a cruise to Alaska last week and I have to say, I can understand why someone would want to move there.  Southeast Alaska, which includes Juneau and Anchorage actually has a rather mild climate, not unlike Seattle.  In fact, Ketchekan is in a rain forest.  That's right, they get over 72 inches of rain per year.  While Juneau has the Mendenhall glacier and Glacier Bay is in the area, you have to go further north before that 72 inches of rainfall actually turn into ice and snow.  If you are thinking about a once-in-a-lifetime vacation, I would recommend an Alaska cruise.  You will wake up each morning to an amazing landscape.  For the children of the Lord, there will come a day when we will wake up in Glory!   Have a blessed week-end.