#renewingofyourmind – True Vine Living

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. – Colossians 3:2

Read Time 3 Minutes

“We’re basically a bunch of backpackers. We are all just travelers. We are all just on a journey, and we’re heading for our Home.” – Kim Jones, July 1999

“Kim was only 23 years old when she went home to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on September 15, 1999, as a result of the shooting at Wedgwood Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas, U.S.A. ” – www.thelightstillshines.org

I often feel like a sojourner here on earth…never quite at home, always a little out of place. Sometimes when that feeling makes me uncomfortable and a little lost or alone, I remember that those who know the Lord really are just foreigners while living on this earth. This is not my forever home. This is not where I really belong. Peter even refers to Christians as sojourners and exiles (strangers and temporary residents) in 1 Peter 2. My true citizenship is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20), and I am just on a journey through this temporary life that God has blessed me with whether I am on a mountaintop or in a valley. Remembering this truth and promise from God redirects my focus and brings comfort. It brings the ability to put things of this world in perspective.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. – 1 Peter 4:12

“…but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself.” – Philippians 3:20-21

While backpacking through this life, we can choose to make the most of each step we take just like we might do on an afternoon hike in God’s creation. We can equip ourselves properly for the journey. We can fill our backpack with sustenance (prayer, the Word of God, fellowship on the trail). We can enjoy the beauty (blessings) along the way. We can renew our mind each day. We can choose to be a friendly face with a kind word to another hiker. We can be a light on the path for others.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” – Romans 12:2

“In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:16

In 2016, I prepared for the most extensive and strenuous hike I had ever taken. I prepared to hike Longs Peak at 14,255 feet. Most of the hike would take me above treeline in pretty harsh elements (cold and wind). My sweet husband wrote out a couple of Bible verses for me to put in my hiking shoes so that it would be a reminder that God is with me and my path is prepared by Him.

Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.- Psalm 119:105

Yahweh my Lord is my strength;
He makes my feet like those of a deer
and enables me to walk on mountain heights! – Habakkuk 3:19

This was certainly a special gesture and did remind me to keep my focus on God, and that it is He that lights my path for a hike and for this journey every day while I am alive on earth. Keep looking up!

Take a Hike

Choose today to take a short hike somewhere soon. Renew your mind and talk with God. This is good for the body and the soul. And don’t forget to pack a snack that will keep you fueled. The following recipe is one of my favorite nutritious snacks that is full of protein and sweet goodness just perfect for a day hike.

Honey Nutters

1 cup of natural peanut butter (I use Adams up here in the PNW) 2/3 cup of local honey 1/2 cup of organic instant nonfat dry milk powder 16 organic graham crackers crushed to make fine crumbs wheat grem

Combine first 4 ingredients (You may want to use your hands to get it well blended). Pour wheat germ into a separate bowl. Scoop out a teaspoonful of the mixture and make it into a little ball. Roll each ball in the wheat germ to coat evenly. Refrigerate.

Enjoy a healthy snack, enjoy a beautiful day, and enjoy communing with our Lord as you take a hike!

“Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.” Martin Luther

Read Time 3 Minutes

“Why it is she that has got all of Narnia under her thumb. It’s she that makes it always winter. Always winter and never Christmas; think of that!” These words were spoken by Tumnus the faun in C.S Lewis’s novel, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. He was referring to the spell that was cast over Narnia by the White Witch.

The Confluence of The Big Thompson River and The Fall River- Estes Park, CO

Lately, it feels like our country…our world has been cast under a spell called the Corona-virus! A spell that has harmed people directly with sickness, taken lives, and affected everyone world-wide with shut downs, lock downs, and economic peril! However, we are not under a spell! This is not Narnia! While we are shut in and shut out, the natural things of this world are waking up around us! Everyday, more is in bloom. Birds are chattering all about. At the confluence of two rivers, you will find such a dancing of waters coming together flooding the banks from the melting snow! It is not winter anymore, it is spring!

Let this bring us joy, whether we are able to take a short walk with our dog, or perhaps only look out our window, or possibly just step outside and hear the birds for a few minutes. Let this beautiful spring remind us that there is still order. Things are actually under control. God knows what is going on. He’s got this. He works all things together for the good of those that love Him (Romans 8:28). For those that know Christ, he is working in each of us right now to draw us more deeply to Him. Hopefully, the circumstances will draw others to Him for the first time as everyone is pondering their needs and their futures during this time. The God who takes care of the birds and makes the flowers bloom will take care of us too (Luke 12:22-31)! It may not be what we think we need, so we must rest in the sovereignty of the One who created the heavens and the earth and whose ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). Let us rest in the refreshment and the tranquility that comes from being renewed each morning by Christ’s love for us. Let the spring that is awakening around us remind us of His love that renews our minds, our spirits, and our strength. Let it wash over us with an endless peace to carry us through each day!

This is not Narnia…always winter and never Christmas. For in our world, even when things can appear to be gloom and doom, we have Christmas EVERY day! We celebrate Christmas because Jesus was born. He is our greatest gift…the gift that keeps giving, the gift that fills us, the gift that never stops giving, and the gift that is eternal. We don’t have to have Christmas just once a year. If we ask Jesus to live in our hearts and be our Lord and Savior, we have him 24/7…365 days a year, and for eternity. As spring is blooming all around us, we are nearing the time of year that we celebrate Jesus’s death and resurrection. He died and rose again so that we may have a new life in Him and so that we can live forever with Him in Heaven. With that kind of certainty, we can face the temporary uncertain days with a renewed confidence!

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Let’s take notice of the new life budding around us each day in this tumultuous world, and let it serve as a reminder that our Creator has all things under control. Let our spirit be renewed with the abundance of the beauty around us!

Tag: #renewingofyourmind

Backpacking Through Life

Take a Hike