Category: Travel

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Sifting Through the Muck

Roseate spoonbills and other wading birds sitting in a tree
Luke 22:31–32 (ESV)—“Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”

Pink flashed west of the boardwalk over the pond at Big Talbot Island State Park. I saw not the beginnings of a sunset, but my first glimpse of a roseate spoonbill—and not only one but a flock, landing in the trees across the the pond.

These wading birds use their spoon-like bill to sift through the muck in shallow, coastal waters. They search for grub such as minnows, shrimp, and even plant roots—food to nourish their bodies.

Simon Peter also had some sifting to do. He, as well as the other disciples, had to sift through their sorrow of their Rabbi’s coming death, Jesus’ arrest, and Simon Peter’s betrayal of Jesus.

And sift they did…but not well. Instead of pray as Jesus did, they slept. Instead of acting peaceful, one disciple cut off the ear of a high priest, and when Simon Peter was asked about knowing Jesus, he denied, denied, denied.

But even through the drama, Jesus said and showed the answer to sifting through the muck: prayer. Jesus prayed for the disciples that their “faith may not fail” (Luke 22:32). He also instructed the disciples to “pray that [they] might not enter into temptation” (Luke 22:40). Most important, Jesus prayed for God’s will despite his want for another answer.

Like Jesus, we need to pray for God’s will, but unlike Jesus we’re going to sin “and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 ESV). Our hope lies in Jesus’ prediction for Simon Peter that when he turns back to Jesus he’ll strengthen his brothers (Luke 22:32). Simon Peter’s failings would be turned around for good, so let us pray and take heart that we can turn back to God and that our failings can strengthen our own faith as well as others’.

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Don’t Disturb the Wildlife

Acts 16:25 (ESV)—About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

Do not disturb the wildlife, the sign read. I walked along the paved trail into Glenwood Canyon. I crossed my fingers, hoping to see at least one bighorn sheep—from a distance, of course, and preferably perched high up on a canyon wall. I certainly didn’t want to sneak up on this creature, startling it into being aggressive.

That’s what happened when Paul commanded a spirit to come out of a slave girl whose “talent” was bringing in money to her owners. He stole the girl’s owners’ means of making money, and the owners acted with aggression. They lied, telling the city magistrates that Paul and Silas were teaching things “not lawful for. . . Romans to accept or practice.” The officials then threw Paul and Silas into jail.

In the Christian life, it’s inevitable: we’re going to sneak up on bighorn sheep. Our beliefs are going to cause believers and nonbelievers alike to challenge our faith and stir up a fight.

But even when another person wants to butt heads, our best response is a peaceful attitude that causes others to listen, like Paul’s and Silas’ praying and singing of hymns while in jail. It is peacefulness such as this that stirs up belief in Christ and gives us a chance to minister further.

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Devoted to Love

Romans 12:10 (ESV)—Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Travel. It can bring out the happy, carefree us; it can bring out the hands-on-hips, ready-for-a-showdown us.

And how do I know that?

Just yesterday, my hubby and I hopped into the car for a two-hour drive to watch the eclipse. About halfway there, we stopped at a gas station for snacks at my request, much to the chagrin of my hubby, who very much wanted to get to our destination. Still, he filled the tank while I went inside for a leisurely browse of the snacks. A bit too leisurely if I correctly read my hubby’s facial expression when he came inside to collect me. Even so, I argued a bit and continued my browsing, albeit with my gaze moving faster over the selection of goodies.

Immediately, in the car, God prodded me: Apologize. He said I should have swallowed my wants (not quite as tasty as my snacks), paid for the drinks in my hand, and left the store without looking further. He finished with, “Honor one another above yourselves.”

Yep, one of those memory verses I’d tucked away, a verse about love that applies to every relationship, not just spousal ones. This characteristic of Christ allows us to be humble, to sacrifice our selfishness for the wants of another. Humility helps us to push aside our worldly feelings and love with zeal, joy, and faith. And we can sacrifice these human faults to live as Christ did because we have the peace of knowing Christ overcame the world (John 16:33).

On this day, I sinned. But I chose to turn from the darkness and walk in the light (1 John 1:7), to apologize for my behavior of not honoring another above myself. My hubby forgave me—and for good measure, we sealed the deal with a kiss.

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Gaining Understanding

A photo of a sign with a moose with its ears laid back against its head. The caption says, Upset moose, you're in danger now!
Matthew 13:11–12 (ESV)—And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. For to the one who has, more will be given, and he will have an abundance, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

While walking along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, I spied a sign. My husband and I laughed at the picture of moose, its ears pushed back, like our cat’s ears do when he’s upset. The caption read, “Upset moose. You’re in danger now!” The sign also had information on what to do if the moose looks angry.

The cautionary sign puts information in front of people like me who aren’t super outdoorsy yet want to remain cautious in the outdoors. The visual opened my mind to the dangers of the Alaskan outdoors and readied me for a walk in nature.

Like the Anchorage park service, Jesus saw the value in readying people’s hearts. Jesus spoke in parables, visual images, to prepare people for his insights into God’s Kingdom. By using parables, Jesus gave everyone, not only the disciples, a chance to understand—to hear and to see—God’s Kingdom.

Jesus also knew that not everyone wanted to learn more about the Kingdom. For these people, their hardened hearts prevented them from hearing the truth in the parables. They became lost in the wilderness of their ideas, not wanting to hear Jesus’ message.

For anyone who wants a glimpse of God’s Kingdom, understanding the Scriptures requires an open mind that is receptive to learning and willing to engage in information provided through trusted sources. Gaining understanding helps us to make decisions in the worldly wilderness.

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Powerful Hands

I stared over the edge of the rock wall beyond which lay ten feet of rock and patches of snow ice, followed by a precipitous drop into the Grand Canyon. Gazing at my ice-cleat-clad feet, I gulped even though the cleat’s grip made slipping almost impossible.

“Come on, Amy,” the tour guide encouraged. “Kneel behind the wall and reach up like you need help!” After my husband and I kneeled and posed as if we dangled over the edge, the tour guide encouraged me to stand on the wall. “Amy, grab your husband’s hand.”

I stood and grasped my husband’s hand, saving him from a fictitious tumble sure to break a bone or two. If this situation were reality, and I had to use my hands to pull my husband from the cliff’s ledge, would I be able to do it? Maybe, because the hands are powerful and not only in clasping, pushing, and pulling but also in praising, praying, working, as well as other things.

On the basis of my search of Bible Gateway for the word “hand”—a search pulling up 1,591 results—I know, one, that God’s hands are powerful (obviously!) and, two, that human hands are powerful too, but in a different way. Human hands can fail without God to guide them.

Human Hands

The Beautiful

  • Nehemiah 8:6: Human hands praise God.
  • Deuteronomy 2:7: Human hands work.
  • Deuteronomy 1:25: Human hands share.
  • 1 Corinthians 16:21: Human hands encourage.
  • 1 Timothy 2:8: Human hands pray.

The Ugly

  • Genesis 27:17: Human hands deceive.
  • Matthew 17:12: Human hands bring suffering.
  • Matthew 26:45: Human hands betray.
  • Jonah 3:8; Number 22:29: Human hands commit violent acts.

God’s Hands: Always Beautiful

  • Zechariah 4:8–10: God uses human hands to fulfill prophesy.
  • Acts 6:6; 2 Kings 4:34: God uses human hands to heal.
  • Judges 7:20: God uses human hands to fulfill his plan.
  • Ephesians 4:17: God uses human hands to inspire faith and belief.

  • Numbers 20:11: God uses human hands to provide.

  • 1 Peter 5:6: God’s hand provides a place of refuge.
  • Hebrews 8:9: God’s hand leads us.
  • Matthew 14:31: God’s hand saves us from our doubts.

  • Matthew 8:2–3: God’s hands heal.

Human hands alone, without God, are so powerful and capable. Capable of deceit as well as kindness. Able to share as well as kill. Fit for hard work as well as destruction.

With God, our hands are a powerful tool to work as if working for the Lord, to encourage one another, to share with others, to do God’s work.

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Walking in Obedience

The Old Town of Zurich along the river
Exodus 23:20 (ESV)—“Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.”

Stepping out of the bustling mall in the Zürich Hauptbahnhof, I clutched my guide book, finger marking the page for the start of a self-guided tour. Chock-full of information, the book led me through the Altstadt (Old Town), into churches whose decor left me in awe, through courtyards surrounded by charming buildings, to the shore of Lake Zürich. The book laid out a history of the area, a step-by-step path for me to walk in the present.

At Mount Sinai, God prepared a path for the people of Israel to follow in the present. He gave them not only the Ten Commandments but also rules for righteous living.

In return for their obedience, he promised to send an angel to protect them and bring them to the place he had prepared for them. He’d drive away their enemies and grow their population, one step at a time to protect the land from desolation and wild animals.

Like Israel’s path, our path comes from God if we choose to walk in obedience. God will help us to grow, one step at a time, on our path for today, our path for tomorrow, our path leading to our place in heaven.

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Spotlight of Hope

View of the Grand Canyon with a blanket of clouds and a spotlight of sunshine on the rocks in the distance
Deuteronomy 30:6 (ESV)—And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.

On the day I visited the Grand Canyon, clouds softened the rays of the sun, except for one brilliant spotlight of sunshine far in the distance. This spotlight offered the hope of warmth on this breezy thirty-some degree day, where the shadows on the rocks made the canyon look like a painting, the layers of red and beige sandstone in stark contrast to one another and the sheer cliff face dotted with patches of snow and shrubs.

In Deuteronomy 30, Moses reminded the Hebrews of this spotlight of hope. He said that if they’d turn their lives over to God, fully and completely, they’d experience a stark contrast from curses to blessings and they’d no longer be scattered like shrubs throughout the lands. God would turn the spotlight on them, gathering them together and circumcising their hearts.

God’s promise reaches us today. If we turn our lives to him, working toward our eternal reward, he’ll shine his spotlight on us, gathering us in Christian community and circumcising our hearts to restore our spirits.

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Arizona Adventure!

From the famed red rocks to ruins to lava fields, Arizona bursts at the seams with amazing sights. Enjoy these photos from my latest adventure!

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Optimistic Yet Cautious Steps

Colossians 3:2 (ESV)—Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

Snow covered the ground and icy slush threatened my footing. Not ideal conditions for standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon. But I had confidence in my steps because, one year after purchase, I finally slipped my feet into my ice cleats. And, wow, do they work—I ventured closer to the rim optimistic yet cautious, my mind set on a closer view and not on various slip-and-fall scenarios.

Putting on the new self is like slipping into ice cleats. The Holy Spirit gives us a newfound confidence in our identity in Christ, a traction that allows us to take optimistic yet cautious steps in the direction God intends—cautious yet optimistic because, as 1 Peter 5:8 tells us, we need to “be sober-minded” and “watchful” because “[our] adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” The devil lurks with icy obstacles that threaten our footing and make us stumble toward the rim.

We can combat the devil by setting our minds on “things that are above.” This gives us the confidence to navigate the ice and snow and establishes within us a relationship with the Holy Spirit and the knowledge we need to step with confidence toward our eternal reward.

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Jesus Upholds: A Journey in 2023

A dirt trail with trees on both sides, turning to the right
Hebrews 1:3 (ESV)—He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

Happy New Year, Everyone! Life is a journey, for sure, and this year I embarked not only on adventures on the West Coast and in Cincinnati, St. Louis, Birmingham, and Gulf Shores but also on a path of newness toward God. Looking back at 2023, I see God’s path unwinding like a switchback up a mountain.

Not so long ago, I prided myself on my independence. I lived life with an attitude of “I can go it alone.” My tune changed with an anxiety attack, one I believe God used to gain my attention to his lessons. I learned not only self-care such as meditation and yoga but also community care from my loved ones. God’s outcomes have filled my life with happiness, and these are only a few:

I shared my experiences through devotionals published on various websites.

I reached out to my family more often and shared some of my experiences.

I made an effort to expand my community through volunteering and organizing social activities.

I learned more about myself and the fruit of the Spirit I need to apply to myself.

I began memorizing Bible verses.


With each of these events, I see the connection between the trials and the joy and Jesus upholding my life. God used my reaching out in my troubles as an invitation for another to reach out to me in their troubles. I learned God’s Word to write devotionals and blog posts and subsequently used his Word to calm myself. I treated myself with the fruit of the Spirit and feel happier despite my trials.

Although my journey sometimes feels as if I’m trudging up a steep trail and I can’t see past the trees to the next turn, I know if I stay on his path, I’m traveling toward his glory. I invite you to review your 2023 and list ways God has touched your life. May you start 2024 with your mind on his glory!