Fall is dwindling away quickly here in Wyoming. The snow comes almost weekly, and I have a hunch that it is almost here to stay. The brief nature of fall in Wyoming also illustrates how quickly time seems to fly here. Work is enjoyable, challenging, and rewarding. One (of many) highlights from this fall has been organizing our Wednesday After School program. We pick up about 16 Elementary school and 8 Middle School students every Wednesday from school. It is a wonderful time of fellowship, exploration around the valley (on field trips), and learning about God in our weekly devotions. I am so happy that I chose to stay for another year to serve this church and community! I count it as a large blessing to be able to share the Good News of my Lord and Savior with people of all ages for my job!
Outside of work, I have been attempting to find, hunt, and harvest an elk. I can also call this new hobby "early morning hiking", as I still have yet to shoot an elk. My famous saying for the past month and a half has been "maybe tomorrow morning". The snowfall also makes me very excited for ski season and the great recreation/fellowship that skiing brings!
On another note, I just finished reading a book titled 7 Men, and the Secret of their Greatness by Eric Metaxas. This book is made up of seven concise, but gripping biographies: focusing on George Washington, William Wilberforce, Eric Liddell, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Jackie Robinson, Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II), and Charles Colson. You might wonder what these men all have in common. Personally, I think that it is the best thing to have in common. They all lived selfless lives of complete surrender to God, were devoted to being a disciple of Jesus, and had a huge impact on the people (and world) around them as a result. From William Wilberforce's leadership in the movement to abolish slavery in England to Charles Colson's worldwide Prison Ministries, God used these men's devotion for His glory. These men's surrender and devotion did not come without sacrifices, but it is obvious that what it yielded was truly "a hundred fold" of what they could have previously imagined. I will let you read the rest of the book and find out more on your own, you will not be disappointed!
Mentioning this book is motivated mainly by the encouragement that it has provided me with in the past few weeks. I find it so affirming to read about men who have "finished well", fulfilling what God says in His Word about those who choose to follow Him. Here are a few examples from scripture pointing to complete surrender, service, and eternal joy that results.
"Blessed are those who trust in the LORD, whose trust is in the LORD. They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream. It shall not fear when heat comes, and its leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42
"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." Romans 7:6
“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42
"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." Romans 7:6
This is what I hope to do in this life I have been so generously gifted with!
Enjoy some pictures from this fall
On top of a cloud blanket while hunting
Fish fun at the National Museum of Wildlife Art!
Making Pizzas!
Snake River sunrise
Looking north towards the tetons
Teton Sunset
Goodbye Preston and Deanna, have fun in Vancouver!
Snow from the office
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