Heart Condition Part III

Heart Condition III

5/20/12

The centrifuge began to alarm indicating that the lid was ready to be opened and the specimen taken out and processed on the individual instrument.  I sat there for a few moments and wondered it I even wanted to know what the results would be but that option was taken away from me when the lab tech came back in the lab and silenced the alarm and opened the lid before I could realize what was going on.  She took out my specimen and handed it to me and immediately replaced the empty spaces with the ER specimens that she had drawn, closed the lid and pushed the run button to begin her own process.  A look of “well” was on Bonnie’s face which indicated to me to get up and get the specimen in the appropriate spot.  I walked over to the instrument and manually programmed the specimen tube into position and ordered the troponin test.   I placed the sample into the rack and placed the rack on the carousel and pressed the start button and in exactly twelve minutes I would know a definitive answer.

The troponin test was designed to indicate muscle damage specific to the heart muscle.  There are a few other lab tests that can detect heart muscle damage but these can be affected by other musculoskeletal conditions which can prove to be a false positive result.  The troponin test is specific to the heart muscle and only elevates when damage to the heart muscle occurs, while there are other medical conditions which place the heart muscle in distress and will cause the heart muscle to release enzymes that reflect damage, the troponin is mainly used to indicate heart attacks in progress or recent cardiac events.  It is a great test to see what is going on with the heart. 

Once the specimen had been placed on the rack and sampled Bonnie asked me again if I was feeling ok and I could still honestly say yes and that I had no pain in my body at that time, and I looked at the clock and realized it had been over an hour since my last pain occurrence.  In my eyes this was a good sign and that I had been over exaggerating things.  The lab tech came over and looked at the specimen incubation well and then went on with her business by placing another specimen onto the instrument.  The time was ticking down till the answer of my sample would e printing off.  I walked over to the front of the laboratory to get a better look at the clock on the wall and to pray that my result would be normal.  Small talk abounded with everyone in the lab at the time and a lighthearted tone was being kept until my results would print out.  A simple calculation of the time on the clock said it about ready for the moment of truth to be revealed so I took the scenic route to the instrument and anxiously awaited for the printout.

I could physically look at the seconds tick down on the monitor until the final measurement would take place.  A few seconds of calculations would then ensue and a numerical answer would then be displayed on the monitor screen before the information was transferred to the printer.  The moment had arrived and the final measurement was being completed and then a few seconds later a number popped on the screen.  Bonnie was standing right next to me as was the lab tech, she did not want this moment to pass without someone official looking at the result so there could be no mistake in the answer, I have no idea why they would not have trusted me with the result.

As I looked at the number I sigh of relief overcame my body and a chill ran up and down my spine.  I gave a hard “HA” to everyone around and then waited for the printout to be completed.  It was a high normal result.  Yes, a high normal result which means that it was within normal limits but it was on the high end of that range and could have meant I was having problems, or going to have problems or I had already had problems but we were not going to dwell on the details of that issue then, I was just happy that the result was within the normal limits.  But everyone around the instrument knew that I was not in the clear but really could not be sure since I had never had a previous troponin level tested before, so this result could actually be a normal result for me, but deep down inside I knew something was not right.

I took my printout and told the tech thanks for letting me run the tests and that I would se her on Monday afternoon.  All of my entourage began to say goodbye and head for the back door of the lab.  Bonnie did not say too much to me but I could hear her voice ringing through my head that this is not over and that she was determined to find out what really was going on inside my chest.  We walked down the hallway and Bonnie asked me again how I was feeling.  I told her that I was relieved that the test was normal and that I felt like a weight had been lifted from my mind but I knew that I did not feel the best.  The girls were ready to get home so we did not dwell in the hospital very much longer; however, one of the girls had to go to the bathroom so we stopped at the bathrooms next to the emergency room waiting area.  A few more minutes of standing around the bathrooms did not provide any new exciting pains in my body so I thought maybe things were going to settle down for a while.  After all was said and done we had spent about forty five minutes in the hospital and even I was ready to get home and get to bed.

We all moved towards the emergency room glass door which would lead us to the automatic glass doors to the outside of the hospital.  I opened the door and let the girls and Bonnie lead the way and after they went through I proceeded to go out of the hospital.  The cool night air met my lungs and a slight tug hit my chest but it was nothing to write home about and quickly went away.  I knew that other physical conditions could cause a high normal troponin level and I was beginning to run through those conditions in my mind while I was walking towards the van.  Bonnie could see that I was thinking about something and asked me what was going on in my head, I told her about the list of things in my head which really did not comfort her in the least and to be honest me either since all of the conditions on the list usually followed some type of heart malfunction conditions.

One thing about working in the medical profession for an extended amount of time is that you get to learn a lot about the human body and which tests are more definitive than others.  A troponin is only elevated when there are definitely reasons for its elevation.  I knew this and since I wanted Bonnie to be involved in my profession I explained many tests to her and what they meant if they were elevated or lowered in the human body.  So, there was no escaping my predicament and it was only a matter of time before she demanded that I go in and see the doctor.  The medical profession rewards had served me greatly up until this point and I could not abandon the words that I had spoken to many others in the past concerning similar conditions, including my mother which I convinced to come in the hospital when she was having chest pains but that is another story for future divulgence.

As I approached the back of the van the girls had already raced to see who got to the van first so I used the electronic unlocking key thingy and unlocked the van, went around to the passenger side to help the girls into their seats and close both passenger side doors.  I walked around to the driver’s side I reached the driver’s side and stood at the door for a moment and gave a big sigh.  I could feel my stress level lower a bit more but underneath it all I knew I was not out of the woods, and my body continued to remind me of this since its completely relaxed state was nowhere to be found.  I opened the door and climbed into the seat, I was really surprised that Bonnie let me drive but I did not question the issue and began to start the engine.  I turned the key and put my seat belt in its proper place.  I put the van in reverse and started the procession of driving home.

The short drive home was uneventful with only small talk from the adults and the normal joyful jabbering from the girls in the back seats.  Not many people were out on the streets which was not an unusual scene for this time of night.  Earlier when we had arrived back in Delta the streets were a bit more active with cars and pedestrians.  In fact the only major building that had occupants was the local theatre which was showing the late movie still.  We turned onto the street in which we lived and eventually pulled into the driveway.  I put the gear into park and turned off the engine.  The girls were already unfastened and ready for the sliding door to be opened.  As I opened my door the words I dreaded the most came from Bonnie’s mouth which went something like this, as soon as the girls are in bed we need to have a talk about what we are going to do next and my reply to her really did not set well with her even though I meant it as a joke.  My response was something like this, about what?  The fight was on.

DLB

Part IV to follow….

Heart Condition Part II

Heart Condition Part II

5/20/12

After all of the doors were closed and the girls were safely locked into their car seats, I slowly started the van and turned around to look behind for any vehicles that would impede our leaving and according to Bonnie a grimace crossed my face as I quickly turned back around to the forward position.  I felt the same pain once again and I no longer could deny that something was really going on in my chest but I did not yet agree to do anything about it.  I slowly turned around again, to prove a point, and saw no vehicles and began to pull out of the parking space.  I put the van in drive and proceeded to leave the parking lot.  Not much activity inside my body occurred for the first part of the trip home with the exception that I would sweat a bit and then it would go away so my mind once again ran through all of the medical options of sweating and chest pain which I totally ignored the heart issues and continued to pursue the cold or flu issues.

Bonnie continually looked at me until we had left the lights of Junction then she could not really get a glimpse of my face so she resumed her lines of questioning.  I was not short of breath nor any of my arms hurting so and really no pressure in my chest to speak of, just the recurrent and intermittent pain.  After a few moments of answering or trying to dodge from answering her questions I reluctantly agreed to go to the lab and perform a Troponin test on myself; just as another dull pain shot through my chest.  As we neared Delta we approached the turnoff to go to our house and Bonnie turned her head towards me and gave me that “don’t you dare do it” look which I pretended to not notice but I could not ignore the heat seeking darts that were coming from her eyes towards my direction so I ignored the turnoff and continued driving into town.

With Bonnie being satisfied, or getting her way as I looked at it, her questions decreased and focused on getting home as soon as possible.  I knew that her mind was thinking of many things about what was happening because even though I did not say anything to her I was really beginning to believe that something major was happening.  The arrival into Delta brought her attention back to my face and what my conditions were showing her.  This was one time that I wish Delta still had the dark and dimmed lit lights so that my facial conditions could not be seen, but never the less she saw what she wanted.  I turned onto the street that would lead us to the hospital and she broke the silence with the question of “how are you feeling?”  At this point I could honestly tell her, and I did, that I was not hurting and that I was feeling ok.

As I turned onto the hospital street I had a thought cross my mind, maybe the hospital is busy and my presence would just be a hindrance and I would not have to go into the lab for the test.  Bonnie must have been reading my mind because even before I could finish my thought she interrupted my thinking by saying something of the sort of don’t think that if it is busy we are leaving.  So much for that concept, but I verbally told her that I was going to follow through with the deed no matter what.  As we pulled into the hospital parking lot I noticed that there not many cars present but an ambulance had recently pulled up into the lot as I noticed that their back doors were still open.  I quickly dismissed an accident or any other trauma situation fully knowing that there would be no getting out of this situation.

I parked the van at the end of the parking lot and turned off the engine.  I was dreading this moment since every other time I had gotten out of the van that evening I had pains shoot through my chest.  I slowly took the keys out of the ignition and the girls immediately jumped up and opened the door.  They were excited about having the opportunity of seeing the lab tech that was working that evening far much more of my “excitement” about having my blood drawn.  At this point the girls knew I was not feeling well but had no clue of the possible gravity of the situation.  I opened the door and took a deep breath at the same time and was pleasantly surprised when my feet touched the ground that no pains were present inside my chest or any other areas of my body.  I turned and shut the door and began to walk towards the back of the van when I heard the other two doors close.  It was judgment time I thought quietly.

The walk into the hospital emergency entrance, which was the only entrance open at that time of night, was a long one kind of like walking down a long empty tunnel in which a person knew what was behind door number one at the end of the tunnel.  Bonnie asked again if I was ok and I could honestly tell her that I was not hurting which really was surprising to me.  I could feel my blood flowing and my heart racing in anticipation of an exact result of a pretty definitive blood test.  The emergency room doors opened and we by-passed the other sliding glass doors and I reached to pull the glass door that allowed access to the emergency room waiting area.  No pains were present when I accomplished this task and I held it open while everyone else filed into the area.  I walked in behind them and my confidence continued to grow since I had completed a few tasks that did not provide pain, maybe I was out of the woods.

As we were walking down to the back hallway to go into the back entrance of the lab we ran into a few of my colleagues and we greeted each other cordially and then the inevitable question of why would I be here on my night off came up and Bonnie glared at me to see what type of response I would have to them.  Luckily the one of the girls piped up and said I was not feeling well and that I was going to do a test so I hoped on board and said that I did not know what was going on and that I was going to check a couple of things.  Not much else was said about me since all of the attention was now on the two blond headed munchkins which was a blessing of determent in my mind.  We all said goodbye and they went down the hall and we began to enter the lab.  The girls were first to enter the lab and immediately located the tech working and to wonder what she was doing for excitement at that moment.  The girls had always been fascinated with the lab and the instruments that perform all of the testing.

The lab tech on duty asked me what I was doing there and since there was no way of getting around this question I had to explain the truth to her.  She agreed about the test and immediately took the side of Bonnie and began to squawk at me for not coming in sooner.  I knew that she would take sides in the matter so I stood there and took my punishment from another person, which looking back was totally deserved since I should have known to come in earlier to find out what was occurring.

I walked up to the drawing area of the lab and began to locate all of the materials needed for drawing my blood.  I eventually gathered all of the supplies needed and then protested internally once again as I sat down in the drawing chair.  Bonnie had migrated up to the area probably to make sure I was actually drawing myself and to witness the needle poke personally, she does know how my mind operates which can be a good thing or bad thing depending upon what I was trying to avoid.  She stood there and asked if she could help in any way and I said no that I have done this many times to myself and that it would only take a few seconds.

I tore open an alcohol pad and took the square out and began to scrub the area in which I was going to stick the needle.  While allowing the area to dry I attached the butterfly assembly to the small syringe and placed it next to my arm.  I then took the cotton ball and patted the area clean and then placed the cotton ball next to my arm as well.  Bonnie all the while stood there and did not say too much until I was ready to stick the needle into my arm when she asked if she could help.  I refused and slipped the sheath off of the needle and slowly and methodically placed the needle into the prepared area.  A small amount of blood appeared at the edge of the needle and tubing which was a sign that I had a blood return and ready to drain my blood into the syringe.

As I began to pull back on the syringe Bonnie made a statement that she was glad that I was getting this done so that we can get an idea of what was occurring with my pain.  Her thoughts and concerns were noble and just in which I had no defense against her actions.  I continued to pull back on the syringe plunger until the syringe was filled with the appropriate amount of blood.  I pulled the needle out of my arm and laid the syringe and tubing next to my arm just as a spot of blood began to appear on the top of my skin, no big deal since this occurs when a person actually draws themselves correctly.  I placed a cotton ball on my arm and folded my arm upwards and then began to reach for the syringe assembly to place the blood into the appropriate specimen tube for testing.

As I placed the needle into the specimen tube Bonnie thanked me for doing this and I looked at her and sarcastically replied “sure, no problem”.  The blood was flowing into the specimen tube as I removed the cotton ball from my arm and placed a band aid on the injection site.  I then took an alcohol pad and wiped clean the excess of blood that came out after the needle was out of my arm.  The next question that Bonnie asked is if it hurt more when I drew my own blood and I promptly said that it does not hurt much either way, but since we had to do this procedure on ourselves in school it was common place for me to do it without any troubles.

Before I got up from the chair I quickly labeled my tube with my name and then proceeded to get up and go over to the centrifuge and placed it into one of the slots for spinning.  I found an adequate balance tube and placed it into its slot and closed the lid and pressed the start button.  In ten minutes the spinning would be completed and I then could put my specimen on the instrument to run.  All during this time I had no evidence of pain in my chest and I was still feeling well.  The lab tech had completed her work and came over, along with her two followers, to me to find out more details of the evening.  All of us sat around and talked about things and passed the time until the phone rang.  She answered it was then was off to the ER for some other tests.  I could not help but wonder what my results were going to be as I stared at the centrifuge in silence.  The centrifuge timer now read zero and the RPMs began to slow on a controlled basis, the time had come and my tension began to rise inside me.

DLB

Part III coming next….

Heart Condition Part I

Heart Condition Part I

5/18/12

Knowing one’s past family history helps people to figure out certain patterns when something goes wrong.  The same holds true for the inner man and the condition of the heart; not the physical heart but the spiritual heart which defines our existence as a human being.  The physical heart does provide a similar function as the spiritual heart and modern medicine can take care of most physical conditions but the spiritual heart needs to be restored on a spiritual level which requires an unseen battle that is just as violent as the physical and a physician who knows every detail of that spiritual heart well enough to restore it back to the connection it needs.

I bring into play a story in the Bible of when Daniel was praying and it took a while for an answer to arrive.  The angel said to Daniel that he immediately left with his answer but had to face the enemy in some strong opposition settings which even required the help of another archangel.  This is strictly a spiritual battle between two kingdoms and even though this is a widely recognized story in the Bible, it pertains to our lives on the same level that it played out in Daniel’s life.  Our enemy believes that we have the same potential as any person spoken about in the Bible and it is imperative that we understand this principle and apply it to our spiritual lives.

The concept of heart issues really never entered into my thinking until I had already enveloped my life in the studies of the human body.  I had heard many people say that some of their relatives died from a heart attack and had some of my friends’ parents and grandparents die of this condition, but it really never struck a chord within my life.  Even though I really did not know my physical medical history I continued to place these thoughts in to the back of my thinking.  Plus, being a kid and a teenager I was invincible and nothing could touch me for I had my whole life ahead of me.  All of us have heard that statement before and while most of us fulfill that statement there are those that do not have that opportunity.

Now that I have addressed both the spiritual and the physical sides of the block it is time to reveal my story of how God changed my heart on both sides of that block.  The road took many twists and turns but I am here today ready to state to you that God is still twisting and turning that road with one minor detail added, I am actually allowing Him to do this and there is no fight within me, which is proving to be an easier road to bear.  The message begins with a short introduction from my teenage years and then will progress to the present day.  Some of this message will be funny so laugh when you come across these things, but this entire message plays into the restoration of the spiritual heart and the process of realization, repentance, which begin the restoration of said spiritual and physical heart.

Now we had known for a long time that my cholesterol and triglycerides were high but back in the early 80s there was not much that we could do to lower them except for diet and exercise.  I dieted, kind of and exercised as much as I could which really did nothing to lower my levels, so at that time my other options were to continue the plan and see what happens, which was nothing I felt fine and my levels remained high.  No heart catheter procedures were invented yet and no cholesterol lowering drugs had been thought about yet so my options were limited.  Genetics are a wonderful thing and they are a great source of death explanations once the person’s history has been told; up until about twenty years ago there were really no options to combat the pre-existing genetic status.  Not much was done for my condition while I was growing up since not much was known about things at that time in medical history.  Most people who had heart issues were placed on home rest for the remaining portions of their lives and open heart surgeries were just beginning to become commonly performed but other than that not much else was available.  It was not anyone’s fault and I do not blame anyone or anything for any ignored situation, procedure, etc because there was no established procedure then, so everything was cool in my book and I continued my life as normal.

Future and military physicals always showed a high cholesterol and triglyceride levels and diet and exercise was stressed again and quarterly monitoring was necessary for the military side of things.  The military doctors, and myself, were not too terribly concerned with my health since I did not show any signs or symptoms of major conditions that warranted any further tests so once again I was let loose on my own accord to do as I pleased.  Looking back at this time I have to admit that God could have taken my life at any given moment during this time period.  I feel blessed to have the opportunity to have gone through many of the things I have witnessed, heard and spoken about and would not trade them for anything and I thank God every day that He has allowed me to live long enough that when I did need the immediate care it was readily available.

Football season means a great deal in my life. I watched it all while I was growing up and played it in high school and basically have enjoyed every aspect of the game up until this moment in my life.  The area in which I grew up in football was God and many people that live in these areas would be the first ones to admit that they even live their lives vicariously through their local team.  This is a common theme in the south and I was right in the heart of it.  What does this have to do with my heart attack?  Plenty and it was the continuation of my denial process which my pride overtook my reasoning and almost caused me to die.

Everyone who has been associated with high school football knows that once a year the football team has a homecoming game.  All the hoopla, parades, dresses, mums, etc glitter the school for an entire week that all leads up to the big game on Friday night or Saturday afternoon.  Well, this was the setting for my brush with digger as we made our way up to Grand Junction to watch a local team’s homecoming game.  As we began to approach the city limits it began to rain, now the end of September and early October in Colorado usually sees its share of rain so it was not too exciting to experience, but this rain was heavy and it continued to pour for some time which slowed our travel down to the stadium.

The closer we got to the city the more my family and myself began to reconsider the idea of sitting in a heavy rain storm watching a game, so we all did he smart thing and decided to go eat at a restaurant and go to the book store instead of attending the game.  As we were being seated, Bonnie looked at me and asked if I was feeling ok and my quick response was ok, which was a lie since I had not felt that great for a couple of days now.  My achiness had began after we had moved my oldest daughter from the upstairs room to the downstairs room in which I had convinced myself that I had pulled a muscle in my chest; my denial part one.  If you cannot carry out the garbage without having to change hands every five or six steps because of the pulling in your chest that is an example of denial.

I had no idea that I looked as bad as I felt but I tried my best to hide it as much as possible.  I even went to the bathroom in the restaurant and looked in the mirror and convinced myself that I looked fine and that Bonnie was just looking at me from a weird angle, but I still had a nagging voice in my head to do something about the situation.  So, I did I had a great dinner and even better time with my girls while at the restaurant.  We continued to watch the rain come down as we ate and made the final decision to skip the game and head over to the bookstore for a nice cup of coffee and to read a while.  The girls were excited because this meant that they would get to buy a few more books to read at home.

As we were leaving the restaurant I felt a sudden and sharp pain in the center of my chest, this was a different type of pain it felt deep and not surface like he previous day.  It caught me by surprise and by the time I realized what was going on it was gone and I returned back to my normal stride, but I quickly found out that Bonnie had noticed me slumped over for that brief moment and immediately started grilling me with questions.  So, I did the normal guy thing, ignored the question and played the pain down.  After a few moments of griping at me Bonnie eased her verbiage and got into the van.  As I raised my leg up to get into the van another sharp pain ran through the center of my chest but immediately left as I brought the rest of my body into the van.  I continued my pre-van start up procedures while not looking at the pair of eyes staring at me from the front passenger seat.  I felt better and proceeded to start the van and leave the restaurant parking lot.

The drive from the restaurant to the bookstore only took a few minutes.  The girls were bouncing up and down, not literally but inside their bodies, with the knowledge that soon they would be at one of their favorite places.  I do not believe that Bonnie took her eyes off of me during that entire drive to the bookstore and I continued to watch the road and not look to the right, which played into my hands since all of the turns I had to make going to the bookstore, were to the left.  I parked the van in an appropriate spot and off came the seatbelts from the back of the van and the side door flung open.  I sat in my seat for a second and wondered if I would begin to hurt again as I moved to get out.  Bonnie asked the inevitable question of “was I hurting” and I could honestly say to her that I was not at that moment.  But that would soon change as I got out of the van.

As soon as my feet hit the ground I felt a sharp grab from the center of my chest which I have to admit the pain almost made me sick.  But I shook it off and began to walk towards the bookstore, totally ignoring the question that Bonnie had just asked me.  I did not say much while walking into the building for this time the pain really did not let up like in the past.  My mind was trying to find any excuse to not recognize my pain and doing everything to justify the pain as related to moving furniture a couple of days before.  None of the classic symptoms of a heart attack was playing out including no pain in my neck, jaw or arms so once again I ignored the issue.

I have to admit that the bookstore is probably my favorite store to be in and I could probably spend an entire day in one just soaking up the atmosphere of the place.  When I enter into a bookstore my radar usually homes in on the History section of the store which is my favorite section.  But this visit was a tad different in the fact that I never made it past the open chair at the front of the store in which when I saw this chair I plopped down into it just as another sharp pain entered my center section.  I sat down and just stared into space, not really doing anything much, still trying to think some denial parts through.  After making sure the girls were in the children’s section of the store Bonnie came over to me and said that I looked terrible and said that we should leave and go to the hospital which I immediately said no to that idea but believed that going home would be a good idea.  This is when another pain hit me and I realized that I was beginning to sweat a bit, which I found sickening since it was in October in Colorado and this did not happen to me at this time of the year.

I agreed to go to the house but remained in the chair until Bonnie returned with two upset girls wondering why we had to leave so soon after we had arrived.  I slowly got up from the chair and began to walk out of the store but by now the pain had eased and I was feeling ok.  The rush of the cold and wet air with the opening of the doors sent a small pain through my chest when I took that first breath and another thought occurred to me, I had some type of chest cold that was making me ill.  The walk to the van was pretty much uneventful with the exception of the girls still questioning our departure.  It began to rain a bit as we got into the van but nothing like it was doing while we were driving up to Junction and in the restaurant.

Part II to follow….

DLB

The Labeling of Labels

The Labeling of Labels

5/12/12

As we look at people we see that we come in all shapes and sizes.  Our accents in our voices define a rough geographical characteristic while allows us to have identification of a homeland on this earth.  The color of our skin is just that, a color and it does not define anything else about our lives, or that is the way we should be looking at things.  Yet in our own grotesque ways humans love to place labels on each other to help us identify ourselves on every level possible in which we fail to see, or do not care to see, the lasting effects that it has on our society.  God does not compare us to these standards so why do we allow our own kind to do the opposite, maybe there is a reason and we are ignoring the truth behind it.

Have you noticed how many labels are placed upon people these days?  It has been common for decades for people to have names for themselves but recently these labels have become so intense and divisive that they are beginning to bring out an anger in people which is allowing some to revert back into the segregated categories of past times.  Labels are not meant to be used as a means of identification of a person nor should they be used in a demeaning manner when a person expresses her / his feelings or positions.  I attribute this new epidemic on personal beliefs to the issue of debating and how we have been “called” to debate every issue that is currently being presented in the current media.

My personal feelings concerning debates are probably felt by some people and some would not agree with me since they truly believe in debating issues rather than talking or discussing issues with others.  In a debate the parties involved have prepared their defenses by lining similar people to support their positions while the subject is being addressed on both sides of the so called aisle.  This type of grouping is a fine approach in private debate sessions but to automatically or deliberately bring a person onto a setting as a guest and berate them with questions that are known to ignite anger or objectionable sentiment towards another group of individuals is pathetically wrong and should not be addressed in any manner.  If people really care about getting their message across to others and not trying to boost their ratings or credibility then they would have legitimate questions for these people that do not agree with them and actually have the desire to sit and listen to their answers so that both sides can find common ground to work on getting these subjects fixed.  And to be honest if a group of debaters bring other people into this setting that do not agree with them and then place a label on these people when they give their answers then the people who invited these people invoking segregation upon people with different views than theirs.

I have watched over the years with the growth of the cable news media trends that each side of the aisle take on issues that they deem important.  It is fascinating, funny, and sad to spend hours upon hours watching the ideologies that are thrown towards each commentator to try and issue a proclamation against their ideas and demonize them in front of millions and millions of people.  It is now a common practice to use these labels against people and to charge them with an overall creed that will follow them or discredit them for an unknown amount of time in the future.  I do not know about you but this scenario seems eerily familiar about some instances in human history that caused some serious damage to the human race by inciting violent behavior to try and clear ones name or proving themselves that these labels are correct.

Placing a label on a person automatically sets up that person in a defensive position.  Their defensive mechanisms rise to the surface and their inner emotions usually take over, especially when their group has already been identified with a label due to a past situation where words have been used in order to credit the person with a specific label.  What is accomplished by placing a label on a person, power?  Being the first to make a statement about another individual or group? So what!!  What does it actually accomplish but by dividing people even further than what they are currently.

So if you label a person why stop with just one label why not give them another one or two more or how about ten more?  All it shows is that whoever has a label on them whether admitted or given has either been hijacked into an isolation state or has voluntarily isolated themselves into a certain realm of discontent with another person or another group of people.  And since these isolated and like-minded people tend to congregate together now have the opportunity to add further labels upon others and see it as a contest to deem these labeled people unworthy of any credibility.  Remember it is a human trait to increase and go forward with ideas when the opportunity arises.

The labeled groups can now be subject to individual or group planning sessions in order to persuade the interested public in directions to decide if they are for or against the current positions.  Let’s stop and think about this scene for a moment, isn’t this a type of bullying?  Poking fun at or pushing some people around because they are different or that they might not believe in the same things that they do?  Isn’t there a huge campaign going on now, and rightly so, about how to teach our children not to be bullies in school and also to report bullies to the school authorities? So, why is this practice acceptable in the adult world and especially on international media occasions?

How difficult would it be to recognize a person or to acknowledge a person by their name or by their appearance?  Names have been used in past societies as well as general appearances along with every other type of identifying human marker.  Labels are even placed upon people that coincide with the jobs that they have, I myself have fallen into labeling people in this way or thinking about these people in certain instances.  We as humans find it easy to mark a person as a method of identification and most times to elevate our own social or ethnic status towards the labeled group.

How far are we going to allow this type of activity to occur?  What is going to have to happen for us to realize what we are actually doing to people by the words or phrases that we use to insult or degrade these people?  I know that humans will have to use some type of identifier in order to get an idea of what people look like, but we do not have to use it in a derogatory way in order to describe them.  Let us try and get rid of the “R” and the “D” labels and the other labels such as Catholic, Anglican, or Protestant in a manner to identify these people as a positional stance and an object of ridicule.  Why don’t we try and discuss our differences with people and not representatives or try to answer other people’s questions in a manner of respect for the question and that person instead of in the confines of an old Roman gladiator setting?

Yes, the Church is just as guilty in this type of division as the secular crowd.  The names and labels that we have placed upon our fellow believers have been horrendous, uncalled for and has provoked violence against these groups.  You look at Church history and it is filled with tribulation after tribulations against people who believe differently than the ruling religious order. 

Just a quick example of this and it is a popular one which deals with King Henry VIII.  We all know that Henry established the Anglican Church in order to marry one of his wives after the Catholic Church would not grant him a divorce; and many of us know that he had some of his wives beheaded for activities against him and the church.  But these activities stretched beyond the limitations of church and state and became a personal insult to the King if they did not render full concession of total submission to the King which included a complete and forced recantation of their life-long spiritual beliefs.  Are we going to get to this point? The Bible says that in some time down the road that these conditions will be present in our world, but why do we wish to lose our privileges now?

Another example is of an organism called a bacterium.  It does not recognize white from black or short from tall, all it does is invade the areas that it is exposed to and will reproduce in this environment accordingly.  The bacterium becomes a colony of bacteria and then splits off and has the potential of infecting a larger area or even the entire body.  Bacteria do not recognize any differences in these people so why do we have to be less advanced than a bacterium?  In reality this concept plays out through our words towards others in the way that many groups (bacteria) that are placed into our societal settings are unleashed and become infective in other groups which in turn continue the spreading of the bacteria to other groups.  Now returning to the Church…

It is time for the Church to realize its mistakes and to begin unifying ourselves in a forward direction that Christ has commissioned us to do.  It is not who has the correct message since all of us will have differences in doctrinal dissertations but these petty differences should not hinder the entire church from completing its mission that was set before us.  No longer can we accept our Christian brothers as inferior to our personal and pious denominational beliefs, we must work together to win the world for Christ and to reverse the destructive verbal paths that are enslaving our communities.

Is it possible to mesh our denominational boundaries together in order to turn the world for Christ?  It better be or this boundary system will ultimately be responsible for the lackluster and dormant response to Christ’s command to preach the Kingdom to the world.  A divided church cannot stand; yes I know that is not exactly what the Word of God states but the concept is the same and it should be recognized as such.

God is looking for people to do such a mission, to bring the church together and to complete the work that is before them.  People who do not care about the denominational divisions that continue to rule the church but care enough about the people of this world to proclaim the gospel of Christ to a dying world.  Not by labeling these people or placing a tag around their neck that holds a sign that identifies them and isolates them from other people but to love them and to talk with them about their alternatives to the current paths that they have chosen.  It is time that they know that Jesus died for them and that God loves them enough to send His son to accomplish this task for us.  It is also time that these people have the opportunity to understand that they have the authority to stand up against these spiritual attacks against their lives and how to defend themselves when these attacks occur. 

The “best in show”  and the “back of the bus” boundaries that the Church has created has run its course and it is time that this doctrinal foundation be replaced by a Godly foundation that can be used as a real example to the world and actually be functional in our own lives.  And as long as these labels remain in the secular and in Church societies nothing good will ever come about within the human race.  This type of activity will only breed hate and discontent which in turn will produce a new generation of people that have no respect for the human or their principles, beliefs, or activities that they may possess.  Instead of being in the back of the bus why don’t we all sit behind the driver’s seat of buses and return them to the neighborhoods to which they were built for.

Yes, all of us no matter what the situation will be will have differences in opinions, that is a fact that none of us can ignore or get around, but this fact does not need to define a person or label them in order to elevate our own pedestal.  We need to respect the individual once again enough to have decent conversations with them and not be afraid to say or do anything that would allow them to place a label on another person.  Look at it in this fashion, if we are labeling other people then we are actually labeling ourselves as well, which totally defeats our so called intentions towards others.

We can try Gods way by restoring our integrity and honor towards other humans.  It is a great process and is so fulfilling which will take away so many troubles within our lives.  It will unite society once again so that real issues can be worked on and appropriately fixed.  We always say to others not to judge us, but remember that if we do not restore our lives and spirits back to God then one day in the future we will be judged by the one being that can honestly judge our lives, and will probably place His own label upon our lives.  God loves each and every one of us and He loves he Church just as much but it is His desire for us to put away our harmful acts against each other and work together to save humanity for its certain destruction.

DLB

Do the Shoes Still Fit?

Do the Shoes Still Fit?

5/11/12

The invention of shoes has been an incredible instrument in the mobility of the human race.  The shoe has been the object of many projects over the centuries to improve many aspects of the label.  Without a shoe man would have a great deal of difficulty of getting around from one place to another whether it was across the street or across the country.  It is also common knowledge that our feet take us where our hearts desire to go and sometimes the shoes that we wear allow us to make that journey quicker than without shoes, but what does God say about shoes and how they affect our travel?  If we allow God to cover our feet with His Word so that we may be protected with every step we take in our lives.

The invention of the shoe actually changed the course of man and our history.  The shoe’s development has allowed humans to greatly increase their ability to maneuver around the world which has provided many opportunities for us to increase our communities in every imaginable way.  The shoe has also bound us in some ways by allowing the same advancing initiatives to harm the human foot a quick example is that of the binding of the Chinese woman’s foot so that her feet stay small even though the remaining portions of her body continue to grow normally.  Overall the show has provided the human with great results and should be known as a modern feat for humanity.  Let us look at some individual uses for the shoe both the good things and the bad things and how this issue relates to our walk with God.

One of the first examples that “pops” into my mind is that of the soldier.  A soldier’ boot is one of the most important articles of their battle gear in which many non military people may not realize.  Not only is the boot needed for walking, hiking, climbing and running it also provides an extra area for storing needed items when times of need arise.  You would be amazed of how many things that you could store in the side of your boot everything from candy bars to small knives and a bunch of things in between. 

When I was in the military and in boot camp I distinctly remember the “dressing” day when we received our fatigues.  As we progressed down the line not much details were paid to the fatigue uniforms per say hardly any of us received the actual size of clothing that we wore at that time since it would be known that we would lose weight and build muscle so our bodies would automatically change in size.  However, when it came to the boots that was a different story they were very detailed in the measurements of our feet.  I found that odd at first but soon realized why when we placed those things on our feet.  It took just a few seconds to realize that our new boots were not tennis shoes and that it was very important that the size was accurate.  As I think back to that time and all of the marching that we did if the size of our boots were not measured properly then our feet would have been a total mess and we would be ineffective as a soldier basically rendering us useless; and to think that those were actual good marching conditions with very little rough terrain usage, which would come into play later in my military career.

Most of us have heard of the fairy tale called “Cinderella” and how the glass slippers played an important role in that story.  In this case a prince’s heart was at stake and all stops were taken so that he could find the one person to whom the shoe fit.  I remember reading that story when I was a kid and having many simple thoughts about the story including all of the various dresses and uniforms that probably would be worn by the people invited but I never gave it much thought of how specific a shoe would be in finding the true love of the prince.  A shoe would be the perfect way since it would be fit perfectly on the one who wore it.  Others could lie about the clothes they wore or the jewelry or any other artifact but they could not lie about the shoe, it was specific in nature and designed for that one person.

The importance of the shoe fitting a person’s foot is important since our feet are the items that actually get us to the places that we are wanting to go and our feet are the only portion of our bodies that come in contact with the ground on a continual basis while we are moving or standing, with the exception of the occasional human trait of stumbling and falling and in this case other parts of our bodies tend to make contact with the ground.  We would be a hurting unit if we had to continually walk around on different surfaces without shoes.  Some of us stand on our feet all day and we are tired at the day’s end, just imagine what we would feel like if we completed this barefoot.

Not many of us are prepared to walk around our neighborhood, town or city streets without any shoes on our feet.  There are many people out in the area who do not care about anyone else or anything else but themselves and will drop or throw things onto the sidewalks or streets without thinking twice about their actions.  But we have decided to walk along those same sidewalks and streets and subject ourselves to these items that might do us harm.  Even if a pair of shoes does not fit properly we can still run the risk of harming our feet by these objects and it is important for us to understand this concept on a continual basis. 

This concept also applies to our spiritual lives as well, the shoes that we have on our spiritual feet must be the correct fitting and the properly made ones for our feet.  We as humans have a tendency to neglect our feet by the shoes that we wear and it is logical to say that we do the exact same thing with our spiritual feet.  Our spiritual feet is just as important as our physical feet since they have the same capacities as our physical feet.

The size and make of our spiritual shoes needs to come from one designer and his name is God.  Only God can design a proper spiritual shoe to fit our specific needs.  God knows where our spirits will be travelling to and what dangers lye in front of us.  He also knows that His shoes will protect us from the dangers that cross our paths.  Our Godly spiritual shoes also direct us in God’s paths and covers our feet when attacked from the ground or designated swipes at our feet.  Even in the spiritual realm mobility is a key factor in our daily walk with God and it is a must to have the ability to move when necessary, not retreating but sometimes God does want us to turn a bit and change directions.

Always remember that our spiritual feet travel where our spiritual heart desires to go, so it is imperative to have the proper shoes on when we accomplish this mission.  We do not always know what will confront us along our journey and even though our eyes may be focused on the road an ambush could be seconds away.

On this note I must stress the importance of NOT voluntarily taking off the God’s spiritual shoes.  The shoes are part of the entire armor that God provides us and yes it is called armor as in a defensive and offensive protective device used in time of battle.  There is a battle going on for your spirit and it is literally a life and death battle with you being the sole target.  When we voluntarily take off these shoes, or any part of the armor, we have made the statement to Satan that we are available and vulnerable for anything he desires to throw at us and I guarantee that one of the first things that he will do is swing a chain and wrap it around our ankles and then pull on it, effectively knocking our spirit off its feet and onto its back; and what is sad is that we do not realize what has happened until after we have hit the ground.

There may be times that god’s spiritual shoes may become uncomfortable and even out right rugged, but they are perfectly made for us and there is a reason or will be a reason for that sort of fit sometime in our lives.  It is at this time that we need not only to recognize these details about our spiritual shoes but also how to maneuver in them so when that time does approach we will be just as comfortable in them as if nothing was occurring on our daily walk in the park.

There are parts of the world that are not as blessed as we and in some areas of the world even shoes are a luxury item.  I have recently written a message about my trip to Haiti and how a boy with one shoe changed a large portion of my life.  There are millions of people that do not have shoes to wear on their feet to make their daily activities easier.  These people are not aliens from another world nor do they have other types of mobility organs to help them move around, they are humans and are built just like us folks who live in the western world.  AS most of us have seen through commercials their feet look horrible and are battered and cracked yet they continue in their ways and really do not complain much about it but they continue to lack and at the same time continue to damage their bodies.

The same types of people exist in the spiritual realm as well, their spiritual feet are barren and do not have the protection needed to prevent spiritual attacks against their lives.  In many cases they are not even aware of their spiritual condition and some know about their condition but do not wish to have anything else to do with the spiritual side because of past events in their lives.  This is where we need to come in and show God to them or re-introduce God into their lives.  It is our responsibility to show them of the attacks that are being launched towards them and the toll it is taking upon them, which I can guarantee they already know this to be occurring.

It has been asked by many people in the world throughout history and now if god is relevant for our daily lives and if so in what capacity.  Many would argue that they are doing nicely on their own and since they believe that they are strolling along well, they do not need God or His ways.  I argue the fact that this sense of false belief is a deadly one.  It is a set up and it is only a matter of time before a hit is placed in your direction that will have meaning and you will have nothing to adequately defend your spirit when this occurs.  Why have your spirit damaged when it can be protected against incidents such as this.  It is not an “if” this might happen it is a “when” this will happen, a guarantee, for sure thing, however you wish to put it, it will arrive.

It is important for us to wear shoes that are feet compatible and will allow us to maneuver adequately on a continual basis.  The same goes for our spiritual lives as well.  God provides us with a wonderful pair of spiritual shoes that will supply every need that we may ever face in this area.  He offers this protection and guidance for nothing, the price has already been paid which was a high price but God deems you so worthy of this price.  Is your feet protected by a pair of worldly shoes that do not understand the importance of spiritual attacks or are your feet protected by spiritual shoes that God has provided you because He knows your ways and the direction that you are taking and can foresee the imminent dangers.  Return back to God and allow Him to restore you into His service and protection, it is a jungle out there and many traps have been set for your demise.  Follow God and He will show you exactly where to place your feet, one step at a time.

DLB

The Song of the Rock

The Song of the Rock

5/10/12

Have you ever wondered about the capacity that a rock has or ever thought about the job of a rock?  God makes it very clear that everything that is created has a purpose so, what is the job of a rock?  The main job of a rock is to just sit there until it is called upon by God to complete a Godly mission, in which case the rock has been failed by humans into a position that it is not comfortable.  Let’s look at all sides of the issue and then determine whether or not God can use a rock to get His point across.

Sine I have not heard any rocks singing out to God lately I can pretty much be assured that we the human race have not gone astray from God enough that the rocks have begun to cry out towards heaven, but we have chosen this path and it will be interesting to hear if the paths begin to sing.  It has been said by God that if humans do not rejoice in the appropriate times that the rocks would immediately cry-out to God.  This message is going to be a hypothetical one but hopefully it will allow you to consider the possibilities of nature when it comes to God and it also should trigger thoughts of our responsibilities as humans in our actions towards God.

Suppose that rocks had some or all of the senses that humans are blessed with and what if the rocks could use these senses in times of dire need.  Scientists have deemed that rocks do serve a purpose on land or on the floors of oceans but other than that they really have not come up with any suitable life sustaining function for rocks.  So I guess Jesus really was stretching it a bit when He proclaimed to the religious leaders that if the people were not doing what they were supposed to be doing, that the rocks would begin their praises.  I believe it is a statement that was directed towards the leaders so that they might open their eyes to the authority of Christ, and to provide a specific tone to the followers of Christ to continue to seek after Him.

Now let’s be honest with each other it would be quite scary to be walking by a rock and it begun to sing or to speak towards God.  It would be comparable to a burning bush scenario and it would really be unnerving to our reality.  But I have come to recognize and I have said this many times before, that God does have a sense of humor and His ways are not our ways and sometimes He must use these conditions to get our attention.  So, I am not going to put it past God to allow this to happen and just look at this from a rock’s point of view for a bit.

Rocks can come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, colors, consistency and texture.  As far as we know rocks have nothing comparable to the human sense and there is no way that we can communicate with them on any level and most of us would agree that if we see a person consistently talking to a rock and seeking advice from a stone, certain phrases could be used about this person.  But let us assume for a bi that rocks do have the human senses and have the capability to ascertain what we are doing and can comprehend their surroundings.

In front of my house there is a rectangular rock bed that serves as a divider from the street to the sidewalk.  It is nothing fancy but it serves its purpose and just sits there all day and all night; that we know of.  What all would a rock see during the course of a day.  I know at my house it would see cars passing by on the street in front of the area.  Probably a bicycle or two passing bye on the sidewalk behind the bed.  We have many kids in the area so I know some of them would probably pick some up and toss a rock or two down the path.

Here is something to think about, what if a rock could hear who or what was approaching in its direction, does it actually send out some type of signal to warn the oncoming object of its place in the bed?  Same goes if the rock could feel the rain, snow or sunshine on a daily basis, and we all know that if we pick up a rock in the summer it is going to burn our fingers.  Pretty far-fetched concept huh, but it is something to think about especially since Christ used it in a verbal statement to other humans. I do know that Jesus was making a point to these leaders and it was a very direct point towards their beliefs.

I believe Jesus’ pointed message to the priests was a simple one, one that the priests should have known that what the people were doing was appropriate and that they, the people, knew exactly what they were supposed to be doing.  And that if the people did not realize the concept of that moment then the rocks would have the common sense to begin to sing praises to Christ as he entered the city.  Yes it was a bold statement to the priests but it was also a tough love statement as well.  Jesus did love the priests for they did represent His blood beliefs, but what they failed to see what Jesus was doing in order to allow their own lives to be complete and to make the scriptures alive once again.

Jesus knew that very shortly there would be a time that the people that were welcoming Him into the city would pose the opposite response towards Him when crunch time came around.  Even though the people and the leaders of the Jewish faith failed to see the real restoration message Jesus was preaching, He continued on His journey with a full heart knowing that soon His physical presence on earth would pass away.

We are presently facing a similar situation in our own world where denial of God and His ways are ever becoming forgotten.  I will venture to say that we are accepting the role of the Jewish Temple priests in Jesus’ time by announcing our own way of believing through the laws and rejecting the reality of what His presence meant.  Laws can be interpreted in various ways or even made so large that it is impossible to follow, even if one wanted to follow that specific law.  It is easy to blindly follow another one’s laws if only a small verbal analysis of the law is presented to questioning subjects and we all know that once a law or standard is accepted then it becomes a part of that society whether we like it or not, and to try and take that standard away would equal in a bloody confrontation that would have disastrous results.

As we watch our world become anti-God and anti-freedom, how many values will we give up in order to pacify those who wish to destroy everything that the modern world desires to achieve?  How further down the moral pathway will humans have to travel before we wake up and realize that our actions are hurting our relationship not only amongst ourselves but even more importantly with God.  Why have we allowed ourselves to become complacent with reality and define our lives by what the entertainment society portrays to us on a nightly basis?  Why have we taken God out of our lives and have made the choice to set Him on a pedestal so that we may mock Him and His ways?  How arrogant have we become to accuse people that have conservative ideals as being racist or hateful and then compare them to serial killers.

These examples are all part of our enemy’s plan to deceive us into believing that God does not exist and that He does not care about us in any way.  It also plays into our enemy’s hands in a way that foretells our future in a humanistic way and that we do not even need God and that His ways are degrading to human themselves.  It is also a means to further separate us from God and to begin the disillusionment process that is needed in order to make the final decision to follow a governmental system that completely sides with Satan.

Yes, it will be a choice and that choice can be made now or later.  And when we make that choice there will be no more fences to sit upon and enjoy and the consequences of our choice will have everlasting effects upon our lives.  You know that the worldly concepts are consistently churning through the societies of the world, and anyone who watches the news or reads a newspaper can see what is happening.  It is not going to get any better, the world has made the decision to turn but there is still time for personal choices to go against the world.

Chose God and restore yourself to His blessings.  He loves you with a kind of love that cannot be comparable to any other love that we can know.  Stand up for the God given morals and values and never let them go.  Do not give in to the defeatists or the downtrodden.  Chose God and you will be different and guaranteed to be popular among the people in the community J  So, continue to silence the rocks and allow them to continue to perform their current duties, which is to sit there and be quiet.

DLB

Crossing Mountains

Crossing Mountains

5/9/12

Mountains, humans have used this word to describe an array of meanings, situations, and even the actual hills in some cases.  The word mountain is a very descriptive word that allows the mind to recognize the toughness that must be accomplished before this part of the journey is completed.  Whether a person illustrates a mountain with a trial or just observing the scenery a mountain can make or break a person along their path in life.  It has been proven time and time again that unless God is in control of your life, mountains cannot be seen for what they truly are, building blocks which strengthen your life upon completion of their passage.

Delta, Colorado the place where I call home and have called it my place of residence for almost twenty years now; it is a small town on the western side of Colorado neatly situated in a valley which has mountains on three sides.  Most days are filled with clear skies which allow a person, if they wished, to look at these mountain ranges for hours upon end.  One of my favorite things to do is to just take a drive into the mountains and just look at all of the things they have to offer for scenery.

I am amazed at how many scenes that a mountain range can provide a person on a minute by minute assessment.  Almost every morning the Grand Mesa provides me with a different view as I walk between the buildings where I work.  The mountain itself does not change at all but when the sun hits the side of the mountain it provides a new image for me to look at.  This scenario can occur more than one time on any given morning, and to be honest I sometimes make an excuse to cross the parking lot unnecessarily just to see what image I can see next.  It is a beautiful site to my eyes and it continues to allow my mind to wonder of the greatness of God.

How many times have we took a trip and when we began to look at the route to our destination saw that we would have to cross a mountain pass or two.  I know I have looked for an alternative route just to try and avoid going through mountains, or even two lane roads that would be curvy.  This actually happened to us this last March when we took a short trip to Arizona.  Before we left to return to Colorado I had been looking at other routes to follow home, there were a few options but I had no idea what the roads were like or how long it would take going one of these other routes.  I knew that the scenery would be different and would see some parts of Arizona that I had never seen before, but instead of taking the adventurous new route I stuck with the common path; however, we did venture off the normal route a bit but it was a route that I had been on before.  Was it the wrong way, no but I guess the route overtook the unknown.

Even in modern day travel scenarios we humans like to take the safe passage.  All of us who have travelled through the mountains know that the vehicles that we are riding in or on have to make adjustments to climb the upward slope of the mountain.  Even on small hills we can feel the engine change its speed to accommodate the changing conditions.  We have to admit that even the slightest change in an engine gets our blood pressure up and we begin to think the worst is going to happen.  This reaction is once again a normal pattern of thinking but like before it should not rule our decisions to complete the task.

To many of us the word mountain has a totally different meaning, one that actually could bring tears of sorrow or even great inner pain to our lives, and when a person has to deal with a mountain in their lives it can prove to be one of the most difficult periods of time.  As we look at the mountains from a distance we begin to try and build a strategy for their mastery and as we get closer to them our nerves begin to take control and doubts enter into our thought patterns.  This is a normal process to be concerned about what lies ahead but it should gain access to our critical thinking since we have not yet arrived to the obstacle.  These imminent mountain challenges can appear at the most inopportune times in our lives, but whenever they appear, they must be approached and conquered.

Sometimes when approaching these mountains we humans try and find a way around our obstacle by sending out our own scouts or to change direction to obtain a different or better view of the mountain, and there is nothing wrong with that but there comes a time after all options of going around the mountain have been exhausted and we contend that the mountain must be crossed.  It is at this moment that we seek perfect council and take the suggested path. Yes it will be rugged and rough but we must trust that our guide knows the best way to complete this task.

You ever wonder what it was like to cross the plains in a covered wagon, what about crossing mountains in the same mode of transportation?  The pioneers accomplished this feat many times over a period of decades, it was long and hard and some of them did not make the entire trip.  Some went part of the way and turned back defeated others went further but stopped at the base of the mountain and set up their living conditions there.  Yet others decided to go further than the rest and accepted the challenge, ignored all of the rumors and horror stories and ventured across the mountain passes.  I am not saying that the people that stopped short of the other side of the mountains wimped out by any means, they were brave to even think about travelling out this far by the current means of travel, but I have read of many of these people regretting the fact that they did not complete the trek; some even tried a second time with varying results among them.

Now we know that there are many opportunities for God to step in and move our mountains for us, this is not a new concept to anyone of us; however, it is God’s privilege to move these mountains or to allow us to cross them and no matter which method is chosen we must continue to keep our eyes on Him for guidance.  Many of us once we see that our mountain has been removed or we find out that its crossing is not that difficult we tend to turn our eyes away from Him and begin to cross the path on our own terms once again.  This is where we make most of our mistakes during this rugged portion of the journey.

The best way for this message to relate to personal human travels is by way of the pioneer so I am going to stick with this scene as I progress through the mountain trip.  We are now faced with the task of climbing our mountain and these mountain trips can sneak up on or or we can see them coming.

Most of us would enjoy the day hiking along a trail in the mountains.  Others would enjoy it so much that they might take two days to complete the hike, yet anyone who has taken a hike knows that by the end of the day you are tired and your muscles are sore and will ache in the morning.  This is a common symptom that your body has been used in certain ways that it is not accustomed to on a routine basis.  Hiking along a twisted, up and down, small narrow path is quite trying on our physical bodies but after the hike is completed and we recognize that the trail has ended, we feel like we have accomplished an impossible feat.  We feel good and our bodies are rewarded by the challenge.

How about our spirits going through mountains, ever think about those types of mountain passages?  We do face these passages on a continual basis, for if we didn’t Satan wouldn’t be doing his job.  Ever wonder why a family member that you have not talked with in over ten years just suddenly calls and begins to talk as if they were the closet person you grew up with?  How many thoughts cross your mind when this occurs, and were they all good thoughts?  This situation poses as a mountain to our minds and our spirits, for we all know that our family holds our darkest secrets and that each of them has their own rendition of the facts.

All of us have had loved ones that have given us bad news concerning other family members.  How many of us have had girlfriends or boyfriends break up with us?  How many have received bad news from a friend that they are moving away?  These are all examples of our spirits having to cross spiritual mountains, in which we are tested to see how we have prepared our spiritual defenses against our enemy.  Our enemy attacks us in many ways even through our physical form and it is imperative that we recognize these mountains and refer to our foundation for help across these mountains.

As mentioned earlier, not all of the mountain crossings will we come out unscathed.  Many times while hiking we fall and bruise things that we did not know we had, our spirits become bruised as well while we are completing the spiritual mountain.  We must never forget that we are humans and that we will make mistakes in our lives but these mistakes should not become the centerpiece of our journey in which they become a hindrance in our forward progression.  Yes, others will plot these ugly events against us put it is all part of a plan to end your journey and for you to not fulfill what God has deemed His will for your life.

God does place mountains in our way to get our attention.  Remember the Israelites in wandering around in the desert and how they continued to complain about the conditions that they were in; what did God do?  He placed a huge mountain in front of them and as the old song goes, he told their leader to take another lap around that mountain.  Mountains can teach us things about ourselves and hopefully allow us to see the real us and to get re-acquainted with God so that He can lead our lives to the fullest.

Once we have reached the peak of the mountain crossing the rejoicing cannot begin, we still have to return back to the original level that we came from a valley if you wish.  The path down the mountain is just as dangerous if not more so than climbing up the mountain.  Even in these times God is still in control of your path and needs to be consulted while going down the mountain.  We have a tendency to relax and let our guard down because we believe that the hard part is behind us and that smooth sailing is ahead.  This is a perfect time for an ambush, both a physical fall and tumble down the hill and a spiritual blind-sided attack from Satan.  Even if it seems like the road is improving, we must keep our spiritual guards up to thwart off these attacks.

The final stage of the mountain crossing is back on the normal surface of travel.  It is usually a time of relief and peacefulness.  Many of us will begin our journey once again after a short rest others will continue on the road like nothing has happened but all of us will carry the signs of a rough trip upon us and mend our wounds as best we can, brush ourselves off and shake the dirt off our feet.  We have completed this mountainous trek and we are ready to face the next challenge. 

Even though we may not have been unhurt through the mountains we need to remember to thank God for His blessings and that we made it safely through the tough times.  Build an altar in our minds, hearts and spirit so that we never forget the dangers that God has protected us from.  Then it is time to begin the restoration process so that we can be prepared for the next mountain range that will be just around the corner.

DLB