Some hope

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6-8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul

John Muir

Coronavirus March 25th 2020



It's been on everyone's mind. Our national economy has been shut off. Hundreds of thousands of private businesses have been shut down. Grocery stores are barren and there is no TP. 

Yes that's right. 65K cases in a country of 327 million people has caused everything to come to a full stop. This may be the worse flu anyone has had, but does that warrant everything that has happened?

I can't comment how dangerous this is, I don't want to be the one standing on the street corner claiming this is a conspiracy theory. I'm very concerned for the safety of myself and my family. Both close and extended. I'm just not 100% convinced that we are handling this correctly. What happens if this doesn't turn out to be the  apocalyptic virus everyone thinks it is... what happens in the future when a worse virus comes out to play. Will we under-react so we don't make the same mistakes we're probably making this time around?

I just don't have any answers. I just know that my faith is in God, I'll live my life to the fullest, I'll wash my hands, and I've never liked that many people anyway. 🤪

And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul

John Muir

Bonus for today

No matter how crazy the day is, remember someone out there is off-roading their motorhome! 

And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul

John Muir

Let’s focus less on anxiety and more on peace.

In Philippians 4:6-7, the Apostle Paul challenges us to be anxious for nothing. Instead, we are to pray and give thanks. It's easy to express our thanks to God on the heels of a victory or after receiving a miraculous breakthrough. But we will see that we are called to do this in the midst of our struggles, as well.

At the time when Paul wrote this to the Philippian Church, he was in prison and facing a very uncertain future. Yet, he looked beyond his immediate situation and did not dwell on bad, potential outcomes. His letter reflects his deep joy and attitude of rejoicing. 

Just two verses before calling us to vocalize our gratefulness, he commands us to always rejoice. By telling us to "always" rejoice, this implies ongoing or habitual rejoicing. Then, to drive home his point, he immediately repeats the command, "Again I say rejoice." He shows us that even in the middle of our pain, we can choose joy and praise God. 

I don't believe Paul is asking us to drum up insincere gratitude. I think he is challenging us to give thanks where we should, even in the midst of whatever current struggle we are going through. 

I have found that there is always something to celebrate. Even during some of the most difficult trials I have faced, there have also been things I'm thankful for. And meditating on those and voicing my gratitude to God helps transform my perspective and recalibrate my mind. 

An overload of negative or stressful thoughts can create a general sense of impending doom. But when I choose to state my gratefulness to God instead of focusing on a negative feeling, I often experience the weight begin to lift. 

"What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice."

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭1:18‬ ‭KJV‬‬

"Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe."

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:4-7‬ ‭KJV‬‬

And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul

John Muir

Eighteen freaking years! Omg how is that even possible. Happy birthday Franken-Daughter everyone go over and say happy b-day to this quarantine! Lol see what I did there? We’ve had to cancel a lot of plans this week, but our spirits are up and a fest is still planned... even if it’s just the family. 😷

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I was thinking about social distancing and how churches are going online streaming. Could this be the new norm? Be interesting to have church with two way communication every Sunday, some might learn a little more than they have. 😉 Enough about that, had a chance after three days of rain to get outside take a little walk in the desert and stare at the clouds. I’ve been practicing for social distancing all my life, so a solo walk is just my style.

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FIRST keep peace with yourself; then you will be able to bring peace to others. A peaceful man does more good than a learned man. Whereas a passionate man turns even good to evil and is quick to believe evil, the peaceful man, being good himself, turns all things to good. Some people live at peace with themselves and with their fellow men, but others are never at peace with themselves nor do they bring it to anyone else. These latter are a burden to everyone, but they are more of a burden to themselves. A few, finally, live at peace with themselves and try to restore it to others. Now, all our peace in this miserable life is found in humbly enduring suffering rather than in being free from it. He who knows best how to suffer will enjoy the greater peace, because he is the conqueror of himself, the master of the world, a friend of Christ, and an heir of heaven.

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Romans 5:1–11 (NIV): Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! 10 For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! 11 Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

On a recommendation from my daughter tonight.

Psalm 91:1–16 (NIV): Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.

Will no physical harm befall a follower of Christ? I’m not sure, but I know for a fact that no spiritual harm will happen! I’m  If I lose my life to an illness, my surviving family would be devastated. I would be in the presence of the lord. Please don’t morn on my behalf, I will see you soon!

It’s that awkward time where I can’t decide if I have allergies from spring, or I’m dying of Coronavirus. I’ll just kick back have a glass of whiskey and worry about which is which later. The panic we are experiencing right now is insane to the point I can’t even. Can we all take a minute and chill.

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If you are a hunter, you may already know why some of our founding fathers wanted the national symbol to be the turkey rather than the eagle. As beautiful as they are, eagles are scavengers. The founding fathers were men still taming a wilderness, and they knew this. They weren’t easily impressed, but they were impressed with the turkey. If you have ever hunted turkeys, you were probably impressed too. They are unbelievably fast creatures, capable of running twenty-five miles per hour and flying at speeds up to fifty-five miles per hour. They are also smart and constantly on the alert. Hunters like to say a deer thinks every hunter is a tree stump but a turkey thinks every tree stump is a hunter. They can be hard to find, harder to kill, and then, just to be ornery, turkeys make themselves hard to clean after they’re dead. There are as many as fifty-five hundred feathers on an adult turkey. This is the wild turkey, though. The domesticated turkey is another story. They are idiots, perhaps the dumbest animals alive. Domesticated turkeys will eat themselves to death unless someone stops them. If thunder frightens them, they will often bunch up in one corner of their pen and suffocate each other. Interesting, isn’t it? In the wild, turkeys are amazing. When domesticated, turkeys are so stupid they have to be kept from accidentally killing themselves a dozen different ways. Ladies and gentlemen, let’s admit it: most of us are tragically over-domesticated. We have hardly any connection to the wild or our wilder selves. Words like adventure, exploit, and quest no longer apply to us. It is why we are soft, whiney, and bored... We need to bark at the moon, to blow something up, push ourselves into a zone we don’t control. We need to go in pursuit. We need a quest. I think this is why there is such a focus on the outdoor industry right now. Everyone feels a little disconnected from the physical world. I suggest everyone go outside this week, with the panic that’s taking over, find someplace away from others, take a lunch, read a book, just get away for a short time, maybe that will calm our collective hearts.

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There is a plague of loneliness among men. In truth, the phrase that comes to mind is this: the friendless man.
But friends are the best reflection of a man’s happiness, priorities, and health.
Most men have simply lost touch with the men who mean the most to them. They find themselves awash in a sea of casual relationships. They do work with other men, and they can usually scare up a group of guys to go yell and scream at the sports bar. Yet when asked who they would turn to if they were about to have an affair or if their marriage was coming apart or if they were out of town and needed someone to get their son out of jail, most are at a loss to come up with a name...
What most of us do not have is a band of brothers, a tribe, a posse, a group of guys who know us and are fun to be with but who have no problem challenging us if we need it.
Men, we cannot ascend to our best selves or our God-given purposes if we walk alone or if all we have in common with other men is entertainment or pleasure. Men need friends with whom they share a common spirit, a mutual devotion to each other’s best, and a sacrificial commitment to protect, encourage, and defend.
Hear me well, gentlemen: we will never become the men we are called to be unless we learn the art of friendship and intentionally cultivate deep, meaningful, rowdy relationships with other men.
This is one of the most important things for a man to know.

“One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18:24‬ ‭NIV‬‬


“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭4:9-10‬ ‭NIV‬‬


Man’s purpose in this world is so unique, that it is meant to be one of such service and sacrifice, that he cannot fulfill his role successfully without doing so to the glory of God. There are many reasons for this.
First, a man cannot fulfill his purpose if he is living for applause, approval, and affirmation in this world. Instead, he contents himself with knowing he is fulfilling his purpose in this world and pleasing the God who made him. His reward comes when he is able to say, as we heard the Scottish Olympian and missionary Eric Liddell say in Chariots of Fire, “When I run, I feel his pleasure.”
Second, a man is meant to carry such responsibility that, if he’s not careful, he will descend into exhaustion and resentment without the inner resources that come from living in connection with God. We cannot do what we are assigned to do without strength and energy beyond our own.
Third, men are meant to tend the lives of others in such a way that they must have insight that comes from beyond them. It comes from his Word. It comes from living to the glory of God.
I keep it simple. I can’t live up to God’s standards without God’s resources. I become the man I am made to be by living to the glory of God.
This gives us Mansfield’s Manly Maxim #4: Manly men live to the glory of God.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬


“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Just got back from a three day adventure into Death Valley with my love and “adventure partner” @lovin_my_fam_ Just heard that term while listening to the @kchilites podcast with @thejeepcalledyeti and @thewildyolo Love it! Great description for someone who you love to experience life with! —————— Friday was a beautiful day, mid eighties sunny just perfect, however the wind kicked up late Friday and blew for 30hrs! We ended up with half the desert in our tent with us! Saturday we squatted on the couch in my parents RV! We know when to say when! Sunday was another beautiful day and went out and explored the desert as we made our way home. Even with the bad weather Saturday we had great food, great company, and loved spending the time together.

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