Category: Creation

Without Excuse

Read Time 3 Minutes

This week was the 108th birthday of the National Park Service. I love our nation’s national parks! I made a Facebook tribute post celebrating some of my favorite memories through the years in a few of our pristine parks. Visiting these “set aside” majestic places is one of the ways that I experience God. In this blog post, I want to dive deeper into what these national parks highlight for me as I soak up gorgeous landscapes and water bodies made by our Creator.

While Yellowstone was established as the first national park in 1872, the NPS was established on August 25, 1916. There are 63 national parks as well as national historic sights, shorelines, and much more that fall under the care of the NPS. While I wish I could say that I have been to them all, I have still been fortunate to spend some time in 13 national parks and have seen the beauty from shore to shore! My favorite is Rocky Mountain National Park as my family has vacationed there for 6 generations!

National parks offer me the opportunity to play in places that make me feel the majesty of God! For that, I am thankful to the NPS for their care over these many years.

Whether those responsible over the last 100 plus years for setting aside and maintaining these awesome natural playgrounds realize it or not, they carefully preserved for all who visit a most magnificent display of the majesty of our one and only Creator God! It’s not just mountains, forests, rivers, oceans, and animals showcased, it is God Himself that is the true reward when you immerse yourself in natural settings!

While you don’t have to visit a national park to experience creation, the parks magnify exponentially the beauty of God and make it so easy for us to soak up and reflect on His goodness!

Now, diving to even greater depths with this look into the awe-inspiring beauty of national parks or any natural setting that highlights God’s creation, we not only see God’s goodness, but His word tells us that when we look at creation, we are left “without excuse” to recognize and acknowledge the omnipotent nature of God!

Romans 1: 18-21 tells us… “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

Unfortunately, those that look at the majesty of creation and make explanations for its existence leaving God out are without excuse as to accepting His existence and His sovereignty. Further, when they do not acknowledge the Creator Himself, they cannot receive the greatest gift, His Son, Jesus Christ! This is very sad since God has given us everything needed for understanding TRUTH! Creation is part of what testifies to this truth!

The “wrath of God” mentioned in the above verses is not a fun thing to think about, but it is a very important thing to understand. God is righteous and He cannot tolerate unrighteousness. It will be punished because He is just! However, God’s desire and perfect plan through His Son, Jesus, is that everyone would be saved by putting their trust in Jesus and thus be free from the coming wrath. God is love and God is good and His creation displays this for us!

Therefore, as you have opportunity to marvel at the trees, flowers, mountains, meadows, and numerous other natural wonders, don’t miss seeing the love and beauty of God! Praise His name! Let it be an invitation to run to the open loving arms of Jesus as your Lord and Savior!

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11

Know Your Roots

Read Time 4 Minutes

This is Grandma and me when I was 40 years old. Yes, I still sat on her lap!

When I was 13 years old and spending a few weeks with my Grandma, she showed me a book that was a conglomerate of stories passed down from the townspeople of North Platte, Nebraska. History came alive for me that day as I learned how my GGG grandfather came to settle in the mid 1800’s in the area known as Mason, Nebraska!

This experience began a lifelong passion for me to know my roots. I began interviewing the oldest known relatives I had on both my mom’s side and my dad’s side of the family. What I gained were many primary sources of information and stories passed down. What I felt was an excitement for history as I could place family members in every aspect of American history dating back to the French and Indian Wars of the 1750s! I also gained an overwhelming sense of who I am and why I feel certain compulsions that may have been instilled in me. I gained an idea of why I demonstrate certain characteristics and a sense of pride for what pulses through my veins.

Becoming a bit of an enthusiast for family history though has never included my getting involved in internet ancestry searches (I have not even taken the ancestry spit test, but I certainly wouldn’t mind doing so at some point). Everything I have comes straight from interviews and stories passed down verbally or in written form from direct descendants. And, WOW, do I have some stories!

So many things in life over the past 10-15 years have kept me from thinking much about family history, but a small moment recently rekindled my interest and caused me to dig into my file box of rich historical data completely related to my own genealogy.

In doing so, it made me pause and ponder…why do so many of us find such a yearning to know our roots…to search for “who we are” by investigating and studying our lineage? I think it’s because genealogy is God designed! We are not a random number. We are not a mistake! We are divinely planned, and God gave us our special heritage!

“For You created my innermost parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.” Psalm 139: 13-14

God gave us our special story! This story gives us a sense of who we are and a sense of belonging. It gives us real stories from the past, and it gives us lessons to be learned from our own ancestors and from the grandparents we may have been blessed to personally know.

The Bible even shows us the value of genealogy. God’s Word is woven together by Jesus’s own genealogy designed by God! Matthew chapter 1 begins the New Testament with the Genealogy of Jesus Christ. This immediately demonstrates for us the divine connection between the Old and the New Testaments. It gives us a real historical record that can be verified. It affirms prophecy proclaimed in the Old Testament. It gives us real people’s stories from Jesus’s lineage. We can go back to the Old Testament and read about these real people and learn from their experiences. I believe God made genealogy an important aspect of His creation!

However, the most exciting part of my article today is even more important and even more special than our personal God-given biological genealogy. The most thrilling news is that when you ask Jesus into your heart to be your Lord and Savior, you are adopted into His family! You are immediately woven into His heritage. You are immediately an heir of the One True King! How wonderful that when you are a Christian, you have an even greater identity…one that is heavenly and eternal! Family history gets exponentially more exciting when you become a child of God!

“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.” Galations 3:29

While I believe that it can be very enriching to know our roots, you may or may not have this ability to know your earthly heritage. Even when you do know your own family story, it is only a temporary one. No matter what the status is of your biological genealogy, the Good News is that we can all become children of God and become heirs with Christ! Through a spiritual adoption, we can call God, our Father! When you ask Jesus into your heart, you are freed from any earthly disappointments, heartaches, or bondage you may feel! The moment you ask Jesus to be your Savior, you receive a new identity in Christ and that makes for EVERLASTING ROOTS!!

“For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies together with our spirit that we are God’s children, and if children, also heirs—heirs of God and coheirs with Christ—seeing that we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” Romans 8: 15-17

THAT IS AN AWESOME HERITAGE TO CLAIM!!!

The Greatest Provision

“And the Lord will guide you continually
    and satisfy your desire in scorched places
    and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
    like a spring of water,
    whose waters do not fail.” Isaiah 58:11

It’s been a little over 7 months since I have written a blog post. There are several reasons for this gap in writing, one being that God blessed me with a thriving personal training business over the last couple of years as our country slowly made its way back to “normal” from the Covid Pandemic.

Another factor is that my husband, Michael, and I were seeking God for His will in making a move back to Texas. Over the three plus years that we had been serving in Washington, it began to stir on our hearts to be back in a region of the US where we could be closer to our three adult children and other family members. There was also the fact that Michael was working two jobs, and he had a desire to have one full-time job in ministry again.

As most Christians know well, when you begin seeking God’s will and praying for change, it pretty much never happens when and how you think it might…and that is a GOOD THING! While it’s not always easy, it takes patience and full trust in God for His perfect provision! When you wait and you trust and you don’t act on your own out of impatience, then the result is flawless because you are right where God wants you to be! And right where God wants you to be does not mean without difficulties and challenges. That’s part of the joy of being in His will…you get to be lifted up in His strength, supplied with His peace, and see His faithfulness in all circumstances!

When studying the Bible, we learn immediately that God is the perfect provider as He created the perfect environment for Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve failed in their trust of God, just as we all do at times since that very first disobedience. A few chapters over from the Creation story, we learn again that we CAN and SHOULD trust God as our provider in Genesis 22:14:

“And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said: “It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.”

It is in this dramatic story about Abraham and Isaac that we learn God’s name – YHWH Yireh translated Jehovah-Jireh meaning “The-LORD-Will-Provide”.

One of the blessings of living a number of years on this earth is that you get to see God display His faithfulness over and over again to where you begin to never doubt that HE WILL provide. Too bad we spend so much time worrying! Oh, if only it didn’t take so long for us to realize that God does not think and act like we do! His time table is not ours. He does not have responsive actions to circumstances because He already has His perfect plans laid out! Praise God! We just have to trust!

When the waiting and wondering gets hard; however, it helps me to remember some of the big moments in life when God provided for me in dramatic ways during dramatic trials!

One of those times in my life was when I had a major life threatening medical emergency. I sustained a major injury that began as a bruise to my right kidney much like some football players get during games. In my injury, a vein in my bruise ruptured and created major internal bleeding! Two weeks, two different hospitals, two operations, and two units of a blood transfusion later, I began a long road of recovery to gaining my strength back. When I think back to that time, it is the joy of God’s provisions that trump all other thoughts!

I remember a moment in the first hospital when I was so weak that I told God that I couldn’t even think to pray. His gently voice told me in the quiet of my heart, “It’s okay, Robin. There are so many praying for you right now. Just sleep.” I felt the prayers of many then, and I slept. I remember all the nurses and doctors and how much they truly cared for me and were so kind to me. I knew God provided all those special people to help me. And then, I remember when I was told that I would need a blood transfusion, family and friends were willing to get tested to see if they could give me blood. I ended up receiving a unit from my mother and a unit from my sister. When the transfusion was over, I truly felt revived and like I finally had life in me again!

When the waiting and wondering gets hard, it helps me to remember that God’s provisions have nothing to do with material things (although He does bless some of us in that way). I have had the privilege to visit Haiti, the western hemisphere’s poorest country, twice on short mission trips. The biggest thing I brought back with me from those trips was that Christian Haitians have something that the vast majority of American Christians do not. They wear carefree joyous smiles on their faces because rather than being concerned about what they don’t have, they soak up the best thing that God provides them…Himself!

When the waiting and wondering gets hard, and I am trying to grasp and understand my present circumstances, it helps me to remember how God has promised the provision of my future and forever home with Him! It helps me to remember that my citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20-21). This life is a journey to grow and know Him better, to bear His fruits, and to be a light to others, with the promise that one day there will be no more sorrow and only forever joy (Revelation 21:4-7)! Praise God!

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe…” Hebrews 12:28

Recently, as I said above, Michael and I were seeking God’s will and His provision for our next steps in life. It is a blessing to be a part of how He has rolled out His plan for us over this past year! He provided on His time table in His perfection! We are now living in Floresville, Texas in full-time ministry, and within driving distance of many friends and family! Are there challenges? Yes, but we are excited to see how God provides all of our needs and how He blesses us, our children, our church family, and our community beyond all the we can imagine!

“ Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

As we begin December, this time of the year is a reminder that THE GREATEST PROVISON of all is JESUS, God’s Son, who came in the form of a baby to be Immanuel, God with us! To be our Savior! To be our reason for all we do!

May your CHRISTmas be blessed with the abundance of His provisions for your life!

The Waterfall Experience

Read Time 5 Minutes

“Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands,  and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around His chest.  The hairs of His head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, His feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters.” Revelation 1:12-15

My husband, Michael, is a pastor. Recently, he shared a message on this scripture in Revelation. The passage paints a picture of the majesty of our Savior, Jesus, as He was revealed to John on the island of Patmos in the Book of Revelation. In this description of our resplendent Savior, the part that sinks into my heart the most is “His voice was like the roar of many waters”. One Biblical translation describes His voice as “the sound of cascading waters”!

Have you ever sat beside a rushing roaring river before letting the loud and rhythmic sound drown out all your stress? Have you ever refreshed yourself by a gushing waterfall letting the spray rejuvenate your mind and body? Close your eyes for a minute and let your senses paint that picture in your head. There is just something about moving water that is both calming and invigorating! Now take that picture in your head…the power of the mighty flow of the water along with its tranquil and relaxing effects and picture it as Jesus’s voice speaking truth into your life! Picture His arms wrapped around you. He is speaking strength and peace into your life and will hold you up in His promises of perfect care!

While physically visiting a waterfall can be a wonderful refreshment and definitely a tangible reminder of God’s creation and love for us, you can experience that waterfall experience daily when you hear God’s voice!

I hear God’s voice in a variety of ways. It can be powerful and majestic like the waterfall when I am out in nature and enjoying His creation. His voice tells me He is mighty and in control! I have nothing to fear, and He wants to shower me with the riches of His beauty. I also hear Him when I am praying. Comforting thoughts and reminders of His goodness come to me as I talk quietly with Him. I hear His voice when I read His word. It reminds me of His promises and that He will never leave me! There are also times that He gives me clear answers by opening doors and making a path clear!

When you know Jesus as your Savior, you have the ability to hear His voice in different ways. When you know Him personally, that voice like the “roar of many waters” flows through you always and can provide rejuvenating refreshment daily. Sometimes, we just need to be reminded to listen and tap into all His goodness!

“The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
The God of glory thunders;
The Lord is over many waters.
 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
The voice of the Lord is full of majesty.” Psalm 29:3-4

“My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand. ” John 10: 27-28

What do God, waterfalls, and exercise have in common?

Rejuvenation! Healing! And, when kept in the right perspective and truth, Wellness! Acknowledging that God is our ultimate Healer, we can then fully partake in waterfalls and exercise as resources He gives us that aid in achieving a state of wellness!

In keeping with the purpose of my blog to connect faith and fitness, I believe that God and our relationship with Him must come first. When we are connected to the “True Vine” and have peace and wellness in our soul, then we are much better equipped to successfully engage in activities that help our physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

With that said, there is much scientific evidence to support that both waterfalls and exercise reduce stress, lower anxiety, and promote health. When talking health and science, it is important to realize and accept that God and science are not separate. Our Creator is the master scientist! It is not randomness that created the healing effects of waterfalls. It is not a coincidence that our bodies thrive on appropriate physical activity. God is the creator of the science behind all the functions of nature. He knew what He was doing when he designed natural resources and their usefulness to us including our health. He perfectly designed all the intricate workings of our bodies and has always known what parts of nature would offer health benefits and what physical activities would aid us in being fit.

“For it was You who created my inward parts;
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You
because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.
Your works are wonderful,
and I know this very well.” Psalm 139: 13-14

Taken from the collective research of multiple sources, there is scientific evidence supporting that being near waterfalls and other frothing water sources produces positive health benefits. Some of these benefits mirror the benefits of exercise and its effects on the body.

When you are in the presence of a waterfall, by a rushing river, or watching ocean waves roll in, there is a reason you feel refreshment. When water molecules collide, they release negative ions into the air. When you are breathing in air that has a higher ratio of negative versus positive ions, your bloodstream receives some healthy benefits. High levels of negative ions boost energy and aid in positive mood, and have even been found to suppress serotonin levels. Thus being near splashing water can help ward off depression and reduce anxiety. These effects also support the general findings from research that people who spend time in nature are often happier than those who don’t. Therefore, there should be much motivation to make plans to spend time in His creation and bask near a beautiful waterfall, river, or ocean setting!

For some, it is not as easy to get out into nature frequently and enjoy the benefits regularly. Location and availability make a difference too. More thought and planning may have to go into making a trip. However, most individuals can partake in some form of exercise regularly. The benefits of exercise are widely known in our society. It has also become common knowledge that fitness activities help more than just the physical side of building strength and improving balance and flexibility.

Much like the waterfall effect, regular exercise helps you emotionally and mentally by boosting your energy and altering your chemical balance to give a positive mood and better outlook on life! Exercise is also known to reduce stress and anxiety and aid in helping to make improvements in depression. The benefits of exercise can grow when individuals take a break from “screen time”…much like when you are out in nature!

Both waterfall exposure and exercise can help people sleep better too! It is clear that the advantages of both being near water and taking part in fitness offer a multitude of healthy rewards towards being well!

For a real supercharge, plan hikes to involve ocean, river, and waterfall experiences. Make sure to linger by the water and soak up the positive effects! Spend time praising God, the Master creator and scientist, who has made it all perfectly possible!

“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains,
The world, and those who live in it.
 For He has founded it upon the seas
And established it upon the rivers.”
Psalm 24: 1-2

The Fun Side of God

“Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

Read Time 5 Minutes

Ready, Set, Go, And STOP! At the beginning of this year, I wrote a blog post called, “2021…Ready, Set, Go”. Shortly after, I stopped writing. I started off the year inspired to live a victorious 2021 through Christ who strengthens me no matter what the year held. Now it is September. How am I doing?

At times I feel fatigued with life and the world around me. I stopped writing for a variety of reasons including the drain of everything surrounding the pandemic, our country, and the world. I really began to feel that I wasn’t living the victorious way that I had hoped. Recently, I realized that victories can be small and can be daily! Just overcoming obstacles on a given day by grabbing God’s hand and ending the day at peace is a victory. Waking in the morning after a hard day before and feeling God’s new mercies available to me is a victory!

Then, just a couple of weeks ago, right in the middle of a continuing pandemic, I had the opportunity to visit Juneau, Alaska. Yes, I had a chance for recreation and refreshment in the form of a visit to “The Last Frontier” State! In the midst of chaotic times and a very weary country (Covid-19 issues, divisiveness through media and politics, controversies, and confusion), I played! And, God reminded me that in addition to Him being All-powerful, Almighty, and many other perfect characteristics, He has a fun side! This is the multifaceted side of God that creates, that wants to delight us, and that wants to shower gifts on us! He certainly did all of that for me in Alaska!

He is a fun Father! As a parent, I wanted to create delightful experiences for my daughter as she grew up. It was a joy to watch her have fun in every new adventure or every new activity that I provided for her pleasure and growth. Just think how much more God wants to shower us with amusement and happy experiences as our Heavenly Father. He loves us and loves to give us good gifts! He is the ultimate Creator. Creating is fun, and God wants us to enjoy his majestic creations. It was evident to me that God must have been having great gratification being the Creator when I saw the amazing environment of Alaska. When I spied for the first time a sparkling blue glacier calving, I thought to myself, God must have had fun creating the scene that I was viewing! I also felt that He must be feeling great joy that I was happily immersed in His beautiful creation, for I am His daughter, a daughter of the one true King!

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17

My experience went beyond just being awakened to God’s fun side. It also reminded me of what a personal God He is to each one of us. He showed me that the fun He was allowing me to experience was a very personal gift from Him to me. Each daily adventure seemed to be perfectly timed. I encountered sunshine, rain, misty low clouds, and mild temperatures…all which seemed unmistakably to work well with each activity. Also, as cruise ships disembarked many tourists to flood the area, I somehow began or ended my excursions around the cruise ship crowds without any awareness of their schedule. Thus, I had a very quiet and peaceful time as well as private moments in Alaska.

On top of all of that, I received answered prayer! My favorite part of God’s creation is His animals. I prayed that I would have animal encounters and I especially wanted to see a bear. Oh!!! He must have been having such a wonderful time watching me play! God provided multiple humpback whale sightings. One such sighting was in a very secluded moment when I had just stepped out of the car to take in the views of Auke Bay. I first heard the distinctive sound of blow and then turned to look. There were 2 humpbacks feeding very near the shore…I believe, a mother and her calf! He also allowed me to see four mountain goats feeding and resting on the steep mountainside while on a boat tour. On that boat ride while I was taking a picture of the mountain goats, a Pacific white-sided Dolphin leaped 2 times right by the side of the boat! The glistening two-toned creature is still vivid in my mind. Seals were added to my list of animal sightings as I witnessed them lounging on the sea ice.

And finally, on the last morning in Alaska, I saw my bear! Not in the wild on a hike, but very boldly strolling down the sidewalk in front of gift shops! He seemed to be doing his own souvenir shopping and then turned a corner and climbed over a fence before disappearing. Once again, there were very few people around. I know God was delighting in my delight in that moment as he answered my prayer!

My reflection on this Alaskan adventure includes more than the reminder that God is fun. More importantly than that is the fact that the same God who created mountains, glaciers, waterfalls, and amazing animals is not only personal, He lives in me! My heart is His home. In that reality, I can face everyday in victory…in confidence, and even in joyful playfulness!

Also, as I watched the antics of the animals, it struck me that they were so relaxed in a potentially dangerous and harsh environment around them. They were not worried about what the next day would bring. The seals were totally at ease as the glacier calved giving them a ride on the sea ice. Their behavior seemed to amplify the fun of life as they bobbed in the wavy water as though they were in the lazy river at a water park.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?” Matthew 6:25-26

So… Ready, Set, Go! Take some time to recreate! Have some fun! God is in control!

“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17