My family likes to hike together, especially when we’re in the Eastern Sierras. There are so many hikes to choose from each year. This year we decided to take an oldie but goodie – the Sherwin Lake trail, which ends up at Sherwin Lake (go figure, right?). It’s about six miles round trip.
On this particular hike, we decided to simply enjoy the hike, not conquer it. This meant allowing someone other than myself to set the pace at which we’d ascend the hill. This strategy allowed us all to enjoy the beautiful scenery on the way up, when we got there and on the way down. What a wonderfully relaxing day it was too!
Life is not about conquering, but about being and becoming. It’s not a race to see who can get to the top, but about enjoying it with those we love. We can get so caught up in conquering our days that we forget who we’re walking with, Jesus. We can get so focused on getting to the top of the heap that we don’t enjoy the one we love, Jesus.
You can conquer life without becoming like Jesus. But as you become like Jesus, you will conquer life. Let Him, not you or others, set the pace for the day. As you do, each day can be very enjoyable and fulfilling.
Se“T” Free Nowww

One of the things we like to do as a family is to play Frisbee golf. What makes it an extreme sport is to play at the rustic cabin we stay at in the summer. You see, there are no baskets for the Frisbees to be shot into. We start at the cabin and then head out from there. The next “hole” could be a tree stump, a bush, a fallen tree, or wherever the winner of the last hole decides.
What makes this choice “interesting” is that the person choosing the next hole chooses it from their perspective. But what tree are we throwing to when they all look alike? The other three family members can be standing right next to them and not know where they’re throwing. The simple instruction “the tree straight ahead” is not the same to all four players. It isn’t until all of us stand in the exact same spot as the person choosing does “the tree straight ahead” mean the same to the entire family.
Who’s perspective are you living by – yours or Jesus’? If you want the peace, security and love Jesus offers, you must see life from His perspective. Understand, though, you can be standing 6 inches from Him and still not see what He’s seeing for your life. You must stand in His shoes to get His perspective, which is found by standing in the Word of God while listening to Spirit of God. The Spirit helps us to understand what we’re reading in the Word. Make sure when you’re reading God’s word today that you’re asking for His help. If not, you could be aiming at the wrong tree and lose that hole!
Set Free Now“W”w

I don’t know about you, but I can’t believe it’s the end of August already! Where did the rest of 2014 go? If that’s you, you’re in the blur zone.
And when it comes to this blur zone, the Lord has been trying to pound something into my head. It’s a thought that I seem to hear everywhere I go – “activity does not equal accomplishment.” This age old saying can be updated to say, “Busyness doesn’t mean you’re doing anything.”
Samson was a judge for the nation of Israel (Judges 13-16). And time and time again Sampson would bring victory for Israel over her occupying power – the Philistines. Yet, what he was doing wasn’t very productive. The Bible relates one simple fact about Samson’s life. He did more in one day than he did in his entire life (Judges 16:28-30) On the last day of his life, Samson asked God to give him the strength so he could push on the pillars of Dagon’s Temple and bring down the house – literally. In his twenty years of leading Israel, one act outweighed all the rest of his life.
The difference was about what Samson was busy doing. He did a lot of things, but didn’t accomplish much. He is the poster boy for “Busyness doesn’t mean you’re doing anything.” He was busy doing stuff that didn’t amount too much. Yet keep in mind that The Book says we can do everything we do for God’s glory. All the tasks of life can have lasting value – if we do them for and in the power of Jesus.
As you look over your daily list of things to do, are you accomplishing something or merely doing something? Every act can draw us closer to Jesus. Let’s be busy about being more Christ-like in our behavior than just living in the blur zone.
S“E”t Free Nowww

We can let life pull us in so many directions by making us think that everything needs our attention…right now. And when we think we have to be in two places at one time – not physically, but for sure mentally – we become fatigued mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually.
It’s time to downsize those expectations and simplify your life. We can learn how from ol’ King Shlomo (Solomon). He tried “everything under the sun” and yet he drew one conclusion from it all – fear and follow God alone. Life really is that simple. It’s not about getting everything done that ends up on our plates, but a series of opportunities to choose to walk with and become more like Jesus in the midst of those demands.
Simplify your life today. “Lord, help me to do what You want done to today, regardless whether or not it’s on my plate.” The Psalmist said the same thing on the cross pictured above. Jesus does have a purpose for you life. And when we surrender to it and Him, He will fulfill it. Therein in lies the key, surrender. His loves us more than words can ever express. It’s time to purposefully slow down and listen to Him. Our way brings fatigue. His way brings fulfillment.
Stay focus on the main purposes Jesus has for your life: becoming more like Him in all your actions and sharing His love with those around you. Have a great time today listening to Jesus.
“S”et Free Nowww

Middle Eastern shepherds would bring their flocks together into one pen while one or two kept watch. This allowed the others to catch some valuable shuteye. This is the image behind Jesus’ words, “My sheep hear My voice and follow Me.” In the morning, each shepherd would call his sheep and they’d follow him.
Luke records that the shepherds were out in the fields watching over their sheep. They were working when all of a sudden an angel appears with blinding light saying, “Chill guys. I’ve got great news for you and everyone on this planet. Today God has fulfilled His promise. He sent the Savior, the Messiah to you. Rejoice. He’s in a cave lying in a cow’s feeding trough in Bethlehem. Get up and go see Him!”
They followed the advice of the angel and saw everything as the angel had told them. They encountered the living God and simply bubbled over with joy and peace to the point they couldn’t stop talking about what they saw.
Today, will you encounter the Living God? This is why Jesus came to the earth. He wants us to have a personal experience with Him every moment of the day, no matter where our day takes us. Keep in mind that these shepherds were at work, not at the synagogue! Jesus wants to put His fingerprints all over day. Will you let Him? Will you look for them? Go ahead. Have an encounter with your God today!
“S”et Free Nowww