Sorry, Gloriadelia readers, I’ve been BUSY with summer. Bike riding, chillaxing, family reunioning. But blogging? Noooooooo…..
Well, click on “Pike’s Peak” over to the right in the tag cloud to read about last summer’s vacation, and the lessons learned.
Just like the mountains of Colorado, those posts are worth revisiting. 
“Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:37
I sighed inside when we left Colorado the other day. Ahead of us we had miles of flat, boring midwest I thought; nothing as lovely as Pikes Peak.
But as we drove past the beautiful terraced fields of Iowa I had to snap a picture. So pretty…
…the repetitive rows, upon rows, spanning the horizon.
That’s how I want to be, I thought — regular like those rows; dependable. The Bible assures consistent yields for those who are, and not much of a harvest for those who aren’t… 
“Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.” Proverbs 12:24
“The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.” Proverbs 13:4
”The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty” Proverb 21:5
I want to be diligent to read my Bible everyday, pray “on..all occasions”. (Ephesians 6:18), regularly, consistently, dependably, like the field rows, so I can yield good fruit ~~
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Galatians 5:22
Want more consistency and fruit in your life? Pray the Harvest Prayer with me:
Oh, Father, You are the Lord of the Harvest. You’re also a God of order. Please change my heart. Make me a consistent person who is diligent to read the Bible and draw near to You. I want a fruity life. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
Do you know the “Lord of the Harvest”? Click here for an introduction.
“…walk in the footsteps of the faith…” Romans 4:12
We’re here vacationing at Pikes Peak in Colorado. We’ve climbed up, down, and all around the mounain and I have met the most encouraging hikers along the way.
Take this lovely hiker, for instance. Just four months ago, she had double knee replacement surgery. Now look at her! We met her on “the Crag Trail” hiking several miles up steep, rocky paths. I learned from her to endure.
“Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Timothy 2:3
“Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.” Hebrews 12:7
After they’d summited the trail, they ‘d call out cheers and words of encouragement to the hikers huffing and puffing behind them. “You can do it!” “Awesome!” “Great Job” I learned from them that an encouraging word can make all the difference.
“But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.“ Hebrews 3:13
"The Incline" on a sunny day. A grueling hike, 1 mile long, straight up the side of the mountain along an old cograilway track.
“ Therefore encourage one another and build each other up…” 1 Thessalonians 5:11
And then there’s these hikers. A 60-something couple from Georgia. 
They hike 14ers (14,000+ mountains) for a hobby, carrying huge packs on their backs. The Mrs. Hiker had fallen on other hikes and broken both her knees, and endured other injuries, but, still, they keep on hiking, proving that age is just a state of mind.
“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” Isaiah 46:4
Taylor (L) and son, Andy at the Barr Campground, Pikes Peak
And, I can’t forget these hikers. My son and his friend who taught me to always be prepared…
My son, Andy (L) and friend Taylor at the top of the Crag Trail, Pikes Peak
… and to laugh along the trail.
“A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 17:22
My shadow on a boulder on the Barr Trail, Pikes Peak
Hope these hikers encouraged you as much as they did me. Happy Trails!
Andy and hiking buddy, Taylor, celebrating Andy's 15th birthday on top of Pikes Peak at sunrise with Sponge Bob party hats, Little Debbie cakes, candles that wouldn't light due to lack of oxygen and strong winds, and freeze dried Neopolitan ice cream
“A joyful heart makes a cheerful face…” Proverbs 15:13
L-R: Taylor (16), my husband, Dave (47), and our son, Andy (15)
So, the boys made it to the top of Pikes Peak in the dark! Here’s them starting out so seriously.
The lack of oxygen must have gotten to them by the time they reached 14,110 ft., as clearly evidenced in the Sponge Bob Party hats picture!
Well, in honor of our son Andy’s 15th birthday, here’s a selection of verses from Proverbs 15~~
“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (:1)
“The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” (:3)
“The tongue that brings healing is a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” (:4)
“The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so the hearts of fools.” (:7)
“A mocker resents correction; he will not consult the wise.” (:12)
my son, Andy (15)
Walking in the Dark…
“ Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.” Isaiah 50:10b
My husband, Dave, and I, and son Andy (that’s him in the picture) and Andy’s friend Taylor are all in Colorado to climb Pikes Peak — AGAIN! (see earlier Pikes Peak posts) Second time this summer.
our Bed and Breakfast
In fact, I’m typing this at the base of the mountain in the kitchen of a cozy Bed and Breakfast. And tonight I’ll be sleeping in my cozy Bed and Breakfast bed
– but not the boys.
They’ll be climbing Pike’s Peak in the dark, starting at midnight! They’ll only have headlamps to guide them.
Midnight At the start of the midnight Pike's Peak Climb. l-r: my son's friend, Taylor; husband, Dave; son, Andy
Why this craziness?!
Because they want to celebrate my son, Andy’s birthday on the summit at sunrise, of course.
Tomorrow he’ll be 15.
We all have mountains to climb, don’t we?
Not always by choice.
And when the trail is dark, it’s nice to have a few promises on hand to light the way…
Sunrise above the clouds on Pikes Peak, July 2009, photo credit: the Shumperts. The Shumperts are a 60-something souple we met at Pike's Peak who climb 14-ers for a hobby. They took this at sunrise after camping just below the summit.
“…The LORD my God illumines my darkness.” Psalm 18:28b NASB
“Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105 KJV
“And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom {will become} like midday.
“And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.” Isaiah 58:10-11, NASB
My son, Andy, with his head lamp glowing, halfway to the summit.
The mountain climber’s prayer:
Oh, Lord, you keep my lamp burning; You illumine my darkness.(Ps. 18) Your Word shows me the safest places for my feet, and places to avoid putting my feet. (Ps. 119)
Help me to think of others, try to meet their needs, even when I feel gloomy and dried up. (Is. 58) You promised to brighten my gloom, and meet my needs even ”scorched places” when I do. And you said I’d “ be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. (Is. 58) That’s what I want my heart to be, a garden full of light and beauty!
In Jesus’ name, Amen!
As we hiked along Pikes Peak (me slowly, my husband, Dave, at a stiffer pace) I stopped and snapped many pictures of all the pretty little daisies, columbines, lillies, and who-knows-whats blooming along the trail. Eye candy for the slow and appreciative hiker.
You know, many wildflowers have to survive awhile without water. They do it by clever means of water retention. One way is by narrowing and closing off cells to keep the water from evaporating.
How’s your water retention? When you get a drink from the well (the Bible) do you hold onto its wisdom? There are several clever means of water retention for the Christian. One is by memorizing what you read, the other is by doing what it says.
Both will help you survive a dry spell.
Here’s a few sips you might wanna hang onto:
“For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.” Isaiah 55:1-11, KJV
”Thy word have I hid in mine heart (memorized), that I might not sin against thee.” Psalm 119:11
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice (obeys) is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. Matthew 7:24-25 NIV
Click on the Bible memorization link to the right for a handy list of verses to memorize. Explore the site for helpful memorizing tips and lots of other inspirational stuff.
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters…” Isaiah 55:1
“Thirsty?”, I asked on of the teen boys hiking with my husband and I in Red Rock Canyon in Colorado Springs the other day. We’d been climbing boulders and rock formations for hours. Colorado Springs was melting in an unusual heat wave that afternoon with temps soaring to 101.
He should have been VERY thirsy, but, “Nope.”, was his reply.
Nope?! hmmmm…. I remembered what I’d read that when a body is in the habit of not drinking water very often, it loses it’s ability to feel thirst. And by the time the poor-drinking-habited person feels thirsty? tsk, tsk, tsk — they’re way dehydrated.
How’s your drinking habits? Spiritually, that is. Do you drink often from the well of the Word? Or are you dehydrated? Drinking often develops your desire to drink. The more you read the Bible the more you’ll want to.
Pray and ask God to develop your thirst….
“..like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” 1 Peter 2:2
“…Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’ The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.
Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.’ ‘Sir,’ the woman said, ‘you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?’
Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’ “ John 4: 6-10, :13-16
Do you know Jesus? Click here to be introduced: Jesus
My family and I climbed Pikes Peak last week. It’s a funny thing about climbing mountains in that there’s so much UP. Up, and up, and up; one foot in front of the other.
And then, after you catch your breath at the summit– dowwwwwwwwwn you go. Down, down, down, down. One foot in front of the other.
And if you aren’t careful on the steeper parts, CRASH!!! You can easily fall on the rocks. 
A hard fact (no pun intended) that I discovered first hand.
Climbing down, just under the summit, I tripped and slammed down onto some sharp rocks. It really hurt. You know those lumps that the Bugs Bunny characters get on their heads? That’s what my hip looked like for days.
The Bible talks a lot about falling and stumbling, as in HOW NOT TO, and WHO will be there to catch you if you do.
So, here’s some verses I hope you fall in love with:
“…though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.” Psalm 37:24
“Let me fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is very great…” 1 Chronicles 21:13
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
My son's buddy, Taylor, walking past an awesome rock formation on the Crag Trail, Pike's Peak
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall
into the heart of the sea… Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:1-2, 10
And if you fall, Jesus has strong arms to catch you…
“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Deuteronomy 33:27
“Falling, falling, falling…Down I go. Again I stumble, hurt my pride, and bruise my soul. But just as quick as down I trip, His arms reach out. He grabs my heart and sets my feet on a safer route.” ~Gloris Young
“O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed!
“When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur…
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!”
“Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” Psalm 145:3
Right click here, open link in new tab or window to hear Rich Mullins sing “Step by Step” while you read.
Climbing to the top takes time. It’s a step-by-step effort. So it is with spiritual growth; one foot in front of the other.
“Wisdom is built layer by layer. Like a varnished table, its depth comes from dozens of thin coverings. After each coat has been meticulously applied, the table becomes almost translucent. The depth looks haunting, giving you the illusion that you could reach through and touch the grain of the wood. That kind of transparency and sheen doesn’t come with one thick pour but rather through layer upon layer of applied coats.
Wisdom is built in the same way. So is solid character that will stand the tests of time. You can’t get a shot or take a pill for it. You grow into it day by day, step by
step, word by word. It comes only through consistency, and it yields its deepest gems only to those not in a hurry for a quick fix.” ~Pastor Wayne Cordiero, The Divine Mentor, p. 118.
Daily reading the Bible…
daily prayer… daily…step by step.
“Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting at my doorway.” Proverbs 8:34
“Give us today our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11
For a daily Bible reading plan: http://www.enewhope.org/bible/
