Uncle Art is Mom’s youngest brother. Together with Aunt Elsie, they continue to influence and bless many people on their journey to heaven.

I wanted the gold, and I sought it,

I scrabbled and mucked like a slave.

Was it scurvy or famine I fought it,

I hurled my youth into a grave.

I wanted the gold, and I got it,

Came out with a fortune last Fall.

Yet somehow life’s not what I thought it,

And somehow the gold isn’t all.

The painting in my uncle’s home, real gold nuggets are glued to the gold miner’s pan.

Hank Loewen has been a mentor and hero for over 40 years. Even at 89 or 90 years old, Hank is still pressing in to know God better and to serve faithfully. Daily he reads and ponders the meanings of the Scriptures.

Mark and Hank, about 1995, at the Elko BC ranch.

Hank took our daughters for a ride at their Alberta ranch in about 2005.

I spent New Year’s Eve with Hank and his youngest son Mark. They live together on 80 acres near Sylvan Lake, Alberta. It is easy to have spiritual conversations in their home. They have spent their lives pondering the nuances of the Bible stories, discerning meanings about how life works and how to live meaningful lives.

Mark surprised me by leading the three of us in singing hymns late on New Year’s Eve after a time of prayer and a long evening of stories and mutual encouragement. The following day he had one of the most precise words of prophecy for me that I have experienced in some time. It resonated deeply. I left their place very encouraged.

I was driving back into the Rockies from the Alberta side.

We can get all the way across the country with only 200 feet of vision. We always know what to do next. The Lord gives us the wisdom to navigate the twists, turns, and bumps as they come.

An abundance of extraordinarily
delightful surprises await us daily
if we cast all our cares onto Jesus
and choose to trustingly live in the moment.

Have a great week,

Rick and Deanna.

I traveled to Lethbridge, Silvan Lake, Hinton, and Kamloops to visit a few of our partners. Several of our key mentors and friends that were between 50 and 60 when we first went to Brazil are now in their 80s and 90s.

Mt Robson is the highest mountain in the Canadian Rockies.

It was -19 C (-2.2 f) when I drove high up in the mountains through Jasper. Wild elk were foraging for food.

Anxiety and worry are somehow linked to our trust in God’s care for us.

Jesus said meditating on how God cares for birds and flowers helps cure anxiety because, if we go deep enough and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we get grounded in God’s infinite far-beyond-the-limits-of-our-comprehension care and faithfulness.

“Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. . . . Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field . . .” (Matt. 6:26-30).

Sorting out Stress

Acute Stress

Acute stress is good for people. Some people run toward those situations to experience it. Think about extreme sports or bear hunting with a bow.

When you are cresting a mountaintop on an icy highway with a 2-wheel-drive car, acute stress kicks in. All your senses go on high alert. It is easy and natural to focus completely on the beauty and amazement of the current moment.

Chronic Stress

Chronic stress, on the other hand, is bad for your health. Chronic stress is that cloud of concerns that follows you around and over which you have no power. Think about the news, other people’s problems, social media speculations, and forecasts about the future. It will eventually manifest in bad health, affairs, addictions, etc. We were not created to live with chronic stress.

A Suggestion:

Step 1: Make a List

Think about the things that make you anxious. Write them on a piece of paper so you can see them. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you make a complete and honest list.

* Will I have enough savings for retirement?
* Will I have nice enough clothes for the wedding?
* Will our government leaders destroy our country?
* Do the people in my church practice their Christianity as well as I do?
* What would happen if I got sick?
* Am I getting as much as I deserve at work?
* What is my responsibility to correct behavioral and doctrinal issues in our church?
* Is there secret knowledge available to help me escape evil?
* Do I have secret addictions that I feel powerless to resolve?
* Is my friend true?
* Why does one group of close friends now avoid me?
* Does God care for me when bad things happen?
* Etc.
* Etc.

Step 2: Sort Your List

1. Pray about which items God wants you to work on.
   1. For example, if you have offended someone, could you plan to ask forgiveness to do your part? The Bible is clear about each of us taking responsibility if we know someone is offended at us (Matt. 5:23-24). Sometimes things cannot be resolved, like if someone got seriously hurt because of a careless moment. We can still ask forgiveness for our part and ask if there is anything we can do to make things as right as possible. It may start a healing conversation. Remember, their response is not our responsibility (Rom. 12:18).
   2. Maybe you feel convicted of overspending. What might be helpful? Could you get counsel about stewardship?
   3. Etc.
   4. Break down each actionable item with as many small steps as possible. Buy a book. Talk to someone who is doing what you want to learn.
   5. Do at least one small step daily, and you will gain a sense of empowerment. Your chronic stress becomes actionable and dissipates as it turns into acute stress as you work with the Holy Spirit on your issues.
2. Give the rest of the list to Jesus.
   1. Do not pick up the list you gave to Jesus when you leave your prayer place.
   2. Your brain wants to help you by worrying about all your stuff when you relax. Tell your brain, “Thank you, but I have given that concern to God, and He is taking care of it for me. I don’t need to worry about that anymore.”
3. Pay attention to what you feed your soul.
   1. Newscasters are trained to get emotional reactions.
   2. What social and news media attracts you?
   3. How does it make you feel?
   4. At the end of the day, does your media intake increase your sense of God’s faithfulness?
   5. Psalm 1 says that if we feed our souls the right diet, we will become like Trees of Life to our people.
   6. Part of your diet may include frequent alone time where you can watch and think about birds, flowers, and God’s care.
   7. Feed your spirit on God’s Word and prayer. If you have trained your brain for years to worry, it may take a while to retrain it. Be actively patient. Your brain wants to help you and can learn new habits if you persist. Ask God for help.
4. Ask the Holy Spirit to increase your capacity to appreciate Him each moment. Ask God to show you secrets about how amazingly He cares for creation. Ask for an increased capacity to love and appreciate your nuclear family, your extended family, your church family, your work colleagues, and the strangers you meet. These are your people. Ask God to empower you daily to see them and to bless the ones He wants to bless.
5. Prayerfully review your progress on a regular basis. You may want to set aside one hour weekly for this precise purpose.
6. Tell someone about your progress. When you tell someone, your story will become more real to you. If you do not tell anyone, your story will start to fade, but when we tell people, our stories become who we are, and others will be blessed because they are struggling too.
7. Take regular times to enjoy God, enjoy life, enjoy your people . . . God longs for you to enjoy Him in your spectacular setting.

“So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt. 6:34).

My Addiction Story

The Bible is full of narrative lessons. “Here is what so and so did, and this is how it worked out for him.” I see our testimonies as narrative lessons. They are not doctrines or formulas, but this is how it worked out for me in this situation.

In the late 70s / early 80s, I smoked two packs of cigarettes a day for seven years. When I moved to a remote location, Eagle Plains hotel in the Northern Yukon. For three years I lived with 11 other people 20 km South of the Arctic Circle. We discussed everything over endless coffees and meals through the cold, dark winters. One day my friends told me Christians couldn’t smoke. “How do you know? You’re not a Christian.” They looked at me smugly and said, “It’s just one of the many things we know.”

I had a few problems with this. I was addicted to smoking and could not quit. I liked smoking. And almost everyone I knew smoked. It was often extremely cold outside. One winter, it did not get above -30 for three months. This meant the doors and windows stayed shut. A thickly smoke-filled room was synonymous with celebrations and fellowship. When the occasional person quit smoking, they detested what everyone else liked. They were so obnoxious they became anti-social.

On the other hand, I did not like being addicted to an expensive, unhealthy habit. I tried and tried to quit. Unsuccessfully. It started to rob my joy. I would throw my cigarettes away, only to beg them off my friends during the day. Finally, they asked me not to try quitting anymore. I asked the Holy Spirit for help.

Then I read Matt 6:25-33. Jesus’ counsel is straightforward. Worry is disobedience.

I thought about my situation.

A. I could smoke and worry – possibly two sins.
B. I could smoke and not worry – possibly one sin.

I opted for less sin as the best way forward. I told the Lord I did not want to smoke but needed His help because I was addicted. When God did choose to deliver me from smoking, I asked that I would not be an obnoxious person like others I knew that quit. At that time I thought that if God would deliver me from smoking, that would compare to David killing Goliath. Nothing would be impossible with God’s empowerment.

Two weeks later, while reading the Bible and smoking in the hotel room where I lived, I realized I did not have to smoke any more. I finished that cigarette. Over the next few weeks, I continued to carry a package of smokes, and I may have smoked one or two more, but the addiction was broken. I still like the smell of cigarettes. And God has increased my capacity from victory to victory, and there are always bigger challenges ahead.

We had a week where the temperature dropped to -20 with the wind chill factor. After the storm passed, the birds all came out cheerful as ever.

Where did they hide in the storms? How did their little bodies not get frozen solid? And what did they eat? They couldn’t fly in the high winds.

“I am looking forward to our next adventure together in Brazil. We’re going to have a good year.”

• We have only a few years to live out our adventures. We want to experience all the fun possible.
  • We pursue friendships.
  • We pursue good jobs and money.
  • We pursue good food and pleasure.
  • We pursue extreme sports and life on the edge.
• Finally, we come to the end of ourselves and give our life to Jesus.
• We think the fun is over, but everything we tried did not turn out as we hoped.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him (ESV, John 12:24-26).

Suggestions for Walking With God

Genesis 2:4-25 is a poem with chiasmus, with an important concept inserted near the end.

A – God observed the chaotic state of the world (vv. 4-6).
     B – God made man (vv. 7-8).
          C – God created an abundant, verdant environment (vv. 9-24).
               D – God gave man work to do (v. 15).
                    E – God gave instructions and explained consequences (vv. 16-17).
               D – God watched the man work (vv.18-19).
          C – God discovered that something is lacking in creation (v. 20).
     B – God created a woman (vv. 21-22).
“Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24).
A – All of creation is in harmony (vv. 23-25).

Right near the end of this magnificent poetic creation story is a verse that doesn’t really fit the flow of the story. There were no children yet, but one line speaks about children.

Children eventually leave the authority of their parents to enter into a mature personal relationship with God.

How do we walk and mature in God on this earth?

Level 1. Start with yourself

Your goal, according to Jesus’ first sermon in Matthew 5-7, is to learn to live an untriggered life. This means we are to learn to control our anger, pride, need to be right, etc. We do not have control over the responses of others, but we can learn to control our responses. We can grow in spiritual maturity. When people around us act in ways that do not make sense or are painful we learn how to respond as spiritually bigger people, with humility, generosity, nonjudgment, and a desire to help others grow in God if they are ready. We learn how to follow the Holy Spirit along the narrow trail with slippery slopes past the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, so we can rest under the Tree of Life.

Level 2. Your Nuclear Family

Our second level of influence and our personalized training center is our immediate family. Our children and those who live with us are our disciples who watch how we go through life, how we interact with the world, and how the world interacts with us.

Level 3. Your Extended Family

Many (most?) extended families have people who are cut off. Families always include crazy uncles or dysfunctional people. Others likely think we are those people, but we remain family. These are our people! We were all created in the image of God. Everything people do make sense to them at the time. Family members have connections with each other that far exceed connections with strangers. Cut-off only works if everyone agrees that “We don’t talk to each other.” But if only one side agrees, the others may respect that for a while but still send an occasional birthday gift or a short non-emotionally-charged email about a good memory together. Things change. People change. Surprising results come from sincere prayer and a lifelong quest to mature as people who walk with God, no matter what the cost.

Level 4. Your Church Family, Friends, Neighbors, Strangers, People at Work and School…

We continually practice how powerfully and consistently we can exude the fruit of the Spirit with people who think differently than we do.

We spend time in the secret place with God each morning, in that place where Jesus is King.

We leave the garden after our morning time with God to expand His Kingdom in a chaotic world, leaving pockets of peace and well-being in our wake with the mantra “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). 

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23a).

Your thoughts?

Olivia and Zack’s wedding was the perfect combination of a solemn celebration completely saturated with joy and joyful expectations!

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Deanna, Bella (married to Tim who is standing next to his new brother), Anni, Via, Zack, Tim, Emma, Rick.