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Martyn Lloyd-Jones writes, It is the highest activity of the human soul, and therefore it is at the same time the ultimate test of a man's true spiritual condition. There is nothing that tells the truth about us as Christian people so much as our prayer life. . . . Ultimately, therefore, a man discovers the real condition of his spiritual life when he examines himself in private, when he is alone with God. . . . And have we not all known what it is to find that, somehow, we have less to say to God when we are alone than when we are in the presence of others? It should not be so; but it often is. So that it is when we have left the realm of activities and outward dealings with other people, and are alone with God, that we really know where we stand in a spiritual sense.

(Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, 2 vols. [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1979], 2:45).
MacArthur, J. (1995). Alone with God. Includes indexes. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.

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I received this video-clip today of guys in flying squirrel suites. The clip is unreal. It is the most insane thing that I have ever seen! Looks like someone has been consuming to many Monster energy drinks to me!

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The concentration of spiritual energy

. . . save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Gal. 6:14.

If you want to know the energy of God (i.e., the resurrection life of Jesus) in your mortal flesh, you must brood on the tragedy of God. Cut yourself off from prying personal interest in your own spiritual symptoms and consider bare-spirited the tragedy of God, and instantly the energy of God will be in you. "Look unto Me," pay attention to the objective Source and the subjective energy will be there. We lose power if we do not concentrate on the right thing. The effect of the Cross is salvation, sanctification, healing, etc., but we are not to preach any of these, we are to preach Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The proclaiming of Jesus will do its own work. Concentrate on God's centre in your preaching, and though your crowd may apparently pay no attention, they can never be the same again. If I talk my own talk, it is of no more importance to you than your talk is to me; but if I talk the truth of God, you will meet it again and so shall I. We have to concentrate on the great point of spiritual energy, the Cross, to keep in contact with that centre where all the power lies, and the energy will he let loose. In holiness movements and spiritual experience meetings the concentration is apt to be put not on the Cross of Christ, but on the effects of the Cross.
The feebleness of the churches is being criticized to-day, and the criticism is justified. One reason for the feebleness is that there has not been this concentration of spiritual energy; we have not brooded enough on the tragedy of Calvary or on the meaning of Redemption.

Chambers, O. (1993, c1935). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (November 26). Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.

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Living in a house with 4 little girls, I can't tell you the last movie that I have seen that didn't have the letters HSM in it or the word princess. Tonight I went the movies just to go to the movies. I did not know anything about what I was going to see or had even seen the trailer. Jeannie's uncle Mickey just said that we were going to see AUGUST RUSH.

I live on a boys ranch, so the opening scene of the movie got my attention. One movie review called it OLIVER TWIST meets FAME. It reminded me of GOOD WILL HUNTING or FINDING FORESTER. The movie is one of the best ones that I have seen in a long time (refer back to opening comments!). The movie has a great message. From what I've seen advertised, it is probably the best one out during Thanksgiving. Mickey, good call on the movie! I've already downloaded the soundtrack.

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Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor. 10:31.

The great marvel of the Incarnation slips into ordinary childhood's life; the great marvel of the Transfiguration vanishes in the devilpossessed valley; the glory of the Resurrection descends into a breakfast on the sea-shore. This is not an anticlimax, but a great revelation of God.
The tendency is to look for the marvellous in our experience; we mistake the sense of the heroic for being heroes. It is one thing to go through a crisis grandly, but another thing to go through every day glorifying God when there is no witness, no limelight, no one paying the remotest attention to us. If we do not want medieval haloes, we want something that will make people say--'What a wonderful man of prayer he is!' 'What a pious, devoted woman she is!' If you are rightly devoted to the Lord Jesus, you have reached the sublime height where no one ever thinks of noticing you, all that is noticed is that the power of God comes through you all the time.
'Oh, I have had a wonderful call from God!' It takes Almighty God Incarnate in us to do the meanest duty to the glory of God. It takes God's Spirit in us to make us so absolutely humanly His that we are utterly unnoticeable. The test of the life of a saint is not success, but faithfulness in human life as it actually is. We will set up success in Christian work as the aim; the aim is to manifest the glory of God in human life, to live the life hid with Christ in God in human conditions. Our human relationships are the actual conditions in which the ideal life of God is to be exhibited.

Chambers, O. (1993, c1935). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (November 16). Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.

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My friend, Skip, and I went back to Westcliffe, Colorado on November 1-5 to hike the Sangres. This was my third trip. it was a great time away for a personal/spiritual retreat. The weather was unbelieveable for November. Mid-60's in Westcliffe during the day. With cloudless nights, temperatures got down as low at 15 degrees. We were about 2-3 weeks late in seeing the aspens turn, but the scenery was still breath-taking. Here are a few pics.

Camping in Bull Domingo

DAY ONE: Hiked 8 miles. Elevation 11,264 ft
Hermit Lake Trail: Covered in snow the 0.5 miles down to Hermit Lake. We made our way up toward Horse Shoe Lake.
N38 05.709 W105 37.692

View below the Dam at Lake Dewesse from Bull Domingo

The Feed Store is a new 5-Star restaurant in Westcliffe. Definately worth the stop. Great food and Great Staff! Skip Had the Elk Wellington. I had the Rib Eye...major step up from the Back Packer Pantry!

DAY TWO:Hiked 6 miles Elevation 9871
North Taylor Trail: Logs bridge were iced over crossing stream. Did not make it to Lake Megan. Gorgous snow covered Aspen Trail
N38 07.088 W105 36.904

View North East to Pikes Peak

DAY THREE: MUSIC PASS TRAIL HEAD Elevation 10,292
This was the highlight of the trip.

Skip made this hike in July and could not make it to the top due to all the snow.

Skip next to Department of the Interior pin. Elevation 11,425

Music Mountain and Crestone Peak

View back east toward the Wet Mountains

View with Marbel Mountain in background above Music Pass
Elevation 11,500 ft

This was a great trip. We pretty much did half day hikes. The first day we got acclimated on Hermit Pass. The next two days were easy with great views. hiked about 19 total miles and probably drove that many in my truck up to the 4WD Trailheads. This trip puts me up to six trails that I have hiked in the Sangre de Christos. Did Goodwin Lakes trail last year and Veneble and Commanche the year before. I believe that there are over 60 trails in the Sangri de Cristo Range. Can't wait to add a few more to the list!

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"Take now thy son ." Genesis 22:2

God's command is - Take now, not presently. It is extraordinary how we debate! We know a thing is right, but we try to find excuses for not doing it at once. To climb to the height God shows can never be done presently, it must be done now. The sacrifice is gone through in will before it is performed actually.

"And Abraham rose up early in the morning and went unto the place of which God had told him" (v. 3). The wonderful simplicity of Abraham!
When God spoke, he did not confer with flesh and blood. Beware when you want to confer with flesh and blood, i.e., your own sympathies, your own insight, anything that is not based on your personal relationship to God. These are the things that compete with and hinder obedience to God.

Abraham did not choose the sacrifice. Always guard against self-chosen service for God; self-sacrifice may be a disease. If God has made your cup sweet, drink it with grace; if He has made it bitter, drink it in communion with Him. If the providential order of God for you is a hard time of difficulty, go through with it, but never choose the scene of your martyrdom. God chose the crucible for Abraham, and Abraham made no demur; he went steadily through. If you are not living in touch with Him, it is easy to pass a crude verdict on God. You must go through the crucible before you have any right to pronounce a verdict, because in the crucible you learn to know God better. God is working for His highest ends until His purpose and man's purpose become one.

My Upmost for His Highest Oswald Chambers

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