By: Julianna We had just thrown down our backpacks and starting strapping on our snowshoes when the weight of our situation first hit. We had decided to snowshoe up to Crater Lake that day in an attempt to reach one of the top photography spots in Colorado. The last All Trails entry informed us that as long as we had snowshoes, there should be no problem. The trail was beautiful, winding its way along the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park, cragged mountains accented by streaks of melting snow and ice accenting their peaks. The forest itself was alive with the sound of spring in the Rockies, icicles dripping, water pouring down from every rock ledge, into gurgling streams, and dashing over breathtaking waterfalls. After the first few miles, the trail became increasingly difficult, and our feet fell through the melting snow every ten feet or so, but it was nothing I hadn’t faced before. It wasn’t until we passed a few other couples about eight miles in that I realized we were up against a true challenge. Our interactions with them were short, and they looked at us with blank, dead tired faces. But their words were always encouraging, “the lake’s only a mile and a half up!” or “You should have no problem with those snowshoes and a group that size.” So we pressed on. And with every strain to lift a snowshoe, I became more determined. We were going to make it. We’d done too much work to back down now. (And, if I can only get to the lake, I can dry my socks!) Two miles after we passed our last fellow hikers, a couple who had turned around and decided to camp there for the night, we still had not reached Crater Lake. My youngest sister and I continued to trudge on, occasionally stopping to wait for my sister and our friend and offer more words of determination. “Guys, it can’t be that far! We will make it.” We did — although it took some convincing for me to even realize the hollowed out portion of the forest covered by feet of snow was a lake. It was 6:30, and the sun was just beginning to disappear behind the cathedral spires of mountain towering over us. With dry socks and jerky, everything felt better, and we determined that if we make all speed back to ensure we passed the snowshoe portion of the hike before dark, we would be safe. A few miles along the winding trail in the dusk — or even with the full moon — would hardly be a challenge, so we thought. We were just about to take off our snowshoes after the last of the deep snow when I noticed a sudden, visible change. It was no longer dusk. It was dark. Unbuckling our snowshoes, we began to shake off the ice and adjust our shoes for the most comfort possible considering their soaked state. That was the first time I realized our situation was serious. It was growing dark rapidly, with no moon in sight. Our feet were soaked to saturation point—I had been sloshing around in ¼ in of water from the melted snow that had made its way into my boots each time my snowshoes potholed into the three-to-five foot mounds of melting snow. Our phone batteries were dead. We had no flashlight. No dry socks. No gloves, hats, or winter coats. We were stuck. But I didn’t have time to contemplate the situation. As soon as we had sat down to invent a new way to jerry rig straps for our snowshoes, my youngest sister started going into shock. She had already hiked sixteen miles, trudged up hills in snowshoes, and carried a significant weight of supplies on her back. With any other girl, I would have right then given up on making it down the mountain that night. But I knew Lexi: she possesses an inner strength, perseverance, and determination unlike any other girl I know. So we prayed, and encouraged her to press on, desperate to get to our car before search and rescue came looking for us. That was when we started singing. I think it was my sister Ella’s idea. We had determined in our quick prayer and survival meeting that the only way we would survive the trek down was to stay close together. Our friend had pulled out his Nikon camera and was using the screen as a light to illuminate a few feet of the trail at a time, just enough to discern the next few footprints ahead of us. We put Lexi in the middle and Ella and I trailed at the end, tasked with making as much noise as we could to scare off any mountain lions. We started singing hymns, as loud as we could between our heavy breathing and passing off to each other warnings of treacherous rocks and trees looming in the path. We mustered our best attempt at King Alfred’s War Song (a versification of Ps. 91) and started loudly reciting Psalm 91 for good measure. For miles, we trudged on, dodging rocks and roots, reciting Scripture, and singing. Sometimes it was only Ella singing, the rest of us exerting all our energy to just keep walking. I smile now looking back at the irony of some of our songs: a three-part harmony to Joy to the World, the First Noel, and odd conglomerations of praise songs and ancient hymns. But in the moment, the irony was dimmed by what felt most natural. We were in a literal dark wilderness, quickly losing strength, and there was nothing more natural than to cry out to God, rehearse His promises, and feel His presence. It was on that mercilessly long, seven-mile trek in the dark, stumbling along trying to see just enough ahead to avoid the next rock that my determination, my own inner strength I had been proud of on our trek up, began to dissipate. We had definitely discovered we were not invincible! I was too tired at the moment to understand all that God was doing in my heart, but He was beginning to eat away Julianna’s strength and replacing it with His own. All along that lonely trek back, the final stumbling into our car right as search and rescue was pulling up, the dream-like three-hour drive home, a question was whirling in my mind. I was humbled. What I thought was determination to accomplish a goal had caused havoc: suffering for my sisters and our family friend, and even worse, trauma for my family and friends who had spent most of the night putting together a search team to find us. Only because I didn’t have the most basic common sense in hiking to turn around before it got dark. So I began to ask myself, Where is determination a God-given trait to be used for His Kingdom and where is it arrogant, self-reliance? I had seen both in my heart and was entirely sick of the latter. I think of Brother Andrew’s thirst for adventure as a young man used by God for hair-raising Bible smuggling efforts into the Soviet Union. God did not change Brother Andrew’s personality. But He did transform his heart, direct His focus toward gospel efforts, and teach him hard lessons in depending on God. And yet, gospel-directed, Christ-exalting determination is far from the self-determination the world exalts in. The tale of Ernest Shackleton’s harrowing survival in the Antarctic through inspiring self-effort appeals to this world. J.O. Fraser’s breakthrough with the unreached Lisu tribe of China through two years of only prayer does not. Both required out-of-this world determination. But Fraser’s was a determination marked by humility and persevering dependence, not self-confidence. Our hiking adventure was a lesson I won’t soon forget. Not only am I going to take a wilderness survival course before I attempt another dangerous hike, I am also slowly learning what it looks like to balance wisdom and determination. And in case you were wondering, we did get some good pictures. The original post appears on Julianna's blog, called Whole Hearted, at https://juliannawrites.blog/2020/05/13/singing-to-mountain-lions-and-other-thoughts/ .
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By: Chris V Nowadays, finding good, solid, Christian friends can be hard. It's tough not to want to go straight to the first person who seems interested in being your friend! (Trust me- I've been there.) But did you know that it's super important to choose good friends? Choosing the right friends during the middle school, high school, and college years is a crucial part of your life that can affect your lifestyle and relationship with God. Why Should I Find Solid Christian Friends? Sometimes, we wonder why it's important to become friends with solid Christian believers. First Corinthians 15:33 tells us "Do not be deceived: Bad company ruins good morals". Think of this example: have you ever stood on a platform? Have you ever been pulled down from a platform? If you have, you'll know it's a lot easier to be pulled down from the platform by a person than to pull a person up onto a platform! It works the same way with your friends: it's a lot easier to be pulled into some of the habits, whether good or bad, your friends have rather than pulling them into your habits. For example, if you have a friend who parties a lot, chances are you'll get stuck in the same habit (and possibly a lot of trouble!). On the other hand, when you find a Christian friend, there's more of a chance that you'll be going to church, reading your Bible, and fellowshipping with other believers more often. What is a Good Friend? When you think of a good friend, what do you think of? Maybe you think of someone who sticks by your side no matter what, or someone who you stay up late talking to while sharing secrets and snacks. But when we look at the Bible, what is a good friend? According to Proverbs 27:9 says "Oil and perfume make the heart glad, and the sweetness of the friend comes from earnest council". We are also told in Proverbs 27:6 that "Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy". A good friend will be honest with you for your good, even if it might hurt a little. Also, we see in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 to "...encourage one another and build one another up...". Not only will a good friend point out things that may be harmful to your Christian walk, but they will also encourage you! Finally, in Proverbs 17:17, we're told that "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity". This verse shows that a good friend will stick with you through everything out of love. These are just a few of the examples of what the Bible says a good friend is; check out your Bible to find more! (I recommend starting with the friendship of David and Jonathan, which can be found in 1 Samuel 18:1-5 and 1 Samuel 20.) The True Friend You may know my best friend in my life, and he may even be your best friend too: Jesus! John 15:15 tells us "No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you". Our fully God and fully human Friend laid down His life for us so we could have salvation from sin, which is one of the greatest things you can do for a friend (John 15:13). But that's not the end of the story! Jesus also rose from the dead, conquering death and and showing that God has power over death. (You can read the full story in Matthew 26-28, Mark 14-16, Luke 22-24, and John 18-21.) If you haven't yet, I hope you'll get know Jesus through salvation!
To learn more about knowing Jesus, check out what Unlocked, a teen outreach of the Keys for Kids Ministries, has to say here. We'd love to hear from you! Do you have a good friend? What are some of their qualities? Tell us in the comments below! Image found at: https://pxhere.com/en/photo/915271 By: Chris V My mom and I pulled up in front of Goodwill, ready to go clothes shopping. I had yet again had another growth spurt and needed bigger clothes. (Yep, my parents told me I grew like a weed too!) I had walked in planning on maybe getting a few nice shirts and jeans, and walked out with almost nothing. Why? Almost everything I had tried on was low-cut, overly tight, and revealing when I had been searching for something cute yet still modest. You may be wondering, "What's so important about modesty, especially in a culture that screams "Flaunt what you got!"? Why should I even care about it?" Check out the three points below: 1. Modesty GLORIFIES God First Corinthians 6:19 tells us "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body". The Bible also commands women to "...adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire, but with what is proper for women who profess godliness..." (1 Timothy 2:9-10). As Christians, we want to glorify and honor God in every area of our lives. When we dress modestly, we honor God with our bodies by following His commands and covering essential areas. 2. Modesty honors your Parents Do your parents have any rules on what you can and can't wear? Do your parents sometimes tell you you can't wear certain outfits because the outfit isn't modest? You may be tempted to wear the outfit anyways, especially if it's popular. (Side note: Even if something's popular, it doesn't mean it's okay.) The Bible tells us in Ephesians 6:1 says "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right". When you dress modestly and follow your parents clothing rules, you honor them, and ultimately, honor God. 3. Modesty Blesses your brothers in Christ Our Christian brothers try hard to keep their minds pure in order to keep commands in the Bible. We don't make it easy on them when we wear that low-cut tank top and shorts that barely count as pants! When we chose modesty over today's popular but revealing clothing, we help our brother in Christ to keep their minds pure and clear of lust. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Psalm 51:10- "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me". ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Is Modesty Worth It? Dressing modestly doesn't mean you can't wear cute and fashionable clothes! There's tons of ways to still look cute and feminine while still being modest in your clothing choices. (Check out Rebekah Baird at @hellomodesty on Instagram for modest clothing ideas!) However, there are also some clothing choices that are thin, clingy, and revealing. As Christians, we should want every aspect of our lives to point to Christ, even our clothing choices. Is modesty worth it? I would say yes! We are models of Christ to the world (Matthew 5:16) who want to strive to reflect an accurate picture of Christ. How can we do that when we dress in immodest and seductive clothes?
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