Rebecca's Top Tips for Vacationing in Yellowstone

 

1) Patience is a virtue (for the animals, yes, but also for the people).

2) Be prepared for a lot of driving.

3) Early morning (before 8:00) and late afternoon were the best times to travel.

4) Make sure you have a map for the times when your phone doesn’t get a signal (and don’t buy the National Geographic $15 topographic map – it is not helpful).

5 ) Most of the places we visited had many people coming through. We wondered if hiking on less traveled trails would let us see more animals? Depending on your perspective that could be a good or bad thing. FYI: Bear Spray can be rented at the Canyon Village.

6 ) For lunches, take a picnic. There are great spots. I recommend the Virginia Cascades.

7)  Yellowstone is a great place to play the license plate game. We found almost all 50 states in the park plus most of the Canadian Provinces. (I finally saw Hawaii on our way through NE, but my family doesn’t believe me.)

8) The Prismatic Spring and Old Faithful were the most crowded places we stopped at.

9) Glamping is the way to go. We traveled 20 minutes outside of the park, stayed in a tipi and slept in a king-sized soft, comfy bed.

1 0) Planning is a must. Kirk did a great job planning our must-sees. Keep the must-sees to a minimum and be flexible.

 

Here is what we did – some of it was planned and some of it happened by accident:

Day 1) Traveled by way of Cody, WY to see the Dead Indian Pass (great history), ate lunch in Cooke City, MT, entered Yellowstone by the NE Entrance and traveled through the Lamar Valley – known for the animals seen there, ate awesome wood-fired pizza near our glamping site.

Day 2) We stopped at Beryl Spring, Artist Paint Pots, Mammoth Hot Springs, Undine and Wraith Falls, Tower Fall, shopped at Tower/Roosevelt Junction, shopped at West Yellowstone and ate at Canyon Street Grill.

Day 3) Hiked Mt. Washburn, went to the Brink of Lower Falls and Artist Point of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Mud Volcano, and Norris Geyser Basin. We grilled pork chops at our glamping site for supper.

Day 4) Went back to Artist Point for a photo op, shopped at Canyon Village, drove the Virginia Cascade, went to the Prismatic Spring, and then to Old Faithful. We ate BBQ in West Yellowstone at Firehole Bar-B-Que.

Day 5) Got up super early to go home by way of East Yellowstone and Yellowstone Lake. We traveled to Thermopolis, WY to soak in some hot springs and have fabulous stone fired pizza at P6 Station. We ended the day (1:15 a.m. in Beatrice, NE to see family and traveled the rest of the way home the next day).

Faith over Covid-19

Eighteen years ago, the church we were at studied Hebrews 11 – the Faith chapter. We were encouraged to memorize the chapter and even though I am terrible at memorizing, I did it. I am forever grateful for that exercise because it has brought me much comfort.

This morning I woke up thinking on it, my mind reciting parts of it without volition.  

Here is the Message version of Hebrews 11, it is a good read:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+11&version=MSG

We may be feeling a lack of faith right now. Unsure of the future. Hesitant to accept these new guidelines. What about our jobs? How do we pay bills? What about our health? What about others’ health? What about church? If we don’t have church, does that mean we are letting the World dictate us when God is supposed to? How am I going to handle being cooped up for ? weeks with my family? or with no family?

Please have faith. God will work. He works in you. You are God’s hands and feet. You will encourage others. Reach out to people. Not necessarily physically, but through technology or the mail. Be ready to serve when needed. Pray for those who must work – medical workers, public servants, politicians, pastors, etc. Be healthy – eat well, exercise, get rest and follow all the guidelines to keep others safe. Do all of this because if you are called to help you want to be the healthiest you can to meet these challenges. This is where faith steps in. We can’t see these invisible germs, but God can. Don’t put yourself at risk on purpose but know if you are needed - God is there too.

Faith over fear.

Faith over Covid-19.

Prayer Meeting

Tonight, I went to a prayer meeting. As I have written before, I believe prayer changes things. It changes things because it changes me. What I experienced tonight might have been an answer to a prayer, or just a special blessing, I am not sure. An older gentleman started praying. This prayer wasn’t especially special, but this prayer was prayed by a man who had experience- he had done this before, perhaps a million times. This prayer was full of wisdom. It was like a comforting blanket for my soul. It touched my heart so much it brought tears to my eyes. Oh, to be able to pray a prayer like that.

This kind of prayer comes from a depth of character and experience. It reminds me to keep trudging on. It reminds me that there is more in store than what I see with my eyes. It reminds me to keep praying….to keep on keepin’ on.

I don’t know what you are going through right now. There is a lot of heart ache out there and I am sorry if you are going through some right now. I encourage you to go to your Heavenly Father. To continue to build that strength of character and perseverance that this gentleman has. Someday it might be you praying a prayer full of comfort and wisdom and encouraging someone else to keep on keepin’ on. Maybe you want to join us for our next prayer meeting?

James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Oh To Have The Heart Like A Child

Yesterday I had a stand-off with a 3 year old. It wasn’t pretty and there was a moment when I thought I was going to cave, but I stood firm and after what seemed like an eternity, (but maybe just a few minutes) that 3 year old gave up and did what I asked her to do. Afterwards, was she mad at me for making her do something she didn’t want to do? No. She wanted to spend time with me. Today that 3 year old came running into my classroom and gave me a hug. All memories of yesterday, gone. It also appears that she understands that I mean what I say. Oh to have a heart like a child.

What I asked of her was not hard. I didn’t ask this thing of her because I was being mean and unreasonable. I asked this of her to make life easier on all of us.

It is hard to be disciplined. As we become adults, we get a lot of free reign. How dare anyone tell us what to do? As a Christian it is important to not think too highly of ourselves and feel offended when we are corrected. That is where humility comes into play. Afterwards, there is a beauty in humility, in the surrender, in the obedience.

 Philippians 2:1-11 says

1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion,

2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,

4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.

8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,

10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

How do you know when you should stand up for yourself and stand your ground or when you should surrender? 1) Read Scripture.  2) Pray.  3) Ask a trustworthy friend.

Living On a Prayer

If you have gone to a Sunday School class for any length of time, you know that there are some answers that will always be correct to say. They are: “God,” “Jesus,” “The Holy Spirit,” “The Bible,” and “Prayer.” Prayer is my answer to everything in Sunday School, and just in life in general.

Praying is something that I have early memories doing. Those memories are not necessarily at meal time, though they involve those times too, but they are mostly the times when I was by myself playing. Being the youngest and only girl, I had a lot of time to be on my own. Talking to God was just a part of that. I have always looked to Him as being my confidant and He has continued to be throughout my life. I will always be thankful for Him being in my life, because quite honestly, anything that I have done right is because of Him. However, I would not consider myself as a “prayer warrior.” That’s what they call the people that “fight on their knees” or are praying constantly on behalf of others. As complimentary as it would be to be called that, I am not there yet.

The other morning, I woke up in the middle of a bad dream. My heart was racing, and it felt real. All I knew to do was to start praying. As I did, I could feel the weight of my thoughts just disappear. Whenever I get in a situation where it feels out of control, I start praying. It might be a few words, but it is to the Almighty God, the only Being in my whole life that I can trust. I always feel at peace with whatever it is after that. It doesn’t change the situation, but it changes me.

Here are a few things I know about prayer: Anyone can pray. You can pray at any time of the day or night. You can pray anywhere. You can speak, sing, shout, whisper, or think prayers. Prayer isn’t about getting what you want, when you want it. It is about pursuing a relationship with God, getting to know Him better. So, don’t pray expecting an answer. Pray expecting to know the Lord better, and then you might get an answer.

If you want your marriage to be better: pray. If you don’t understand your child: pray. If you have a co-worker that is giving you problems: pray. If you are at your last straw: pray. Unsure about anything: pray. Yes, you may be strong and smart. You might not need a Higher Power as quick as I do, because you are very capable, but if you do get in a jam: pray. Don’t forget to pray just to say, “Thank you.”

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  ~1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)

Gardening the Heart

The last weekend in April, my husband prepared and planted our garden all by himself. It just might be the biggest garden that we have done. (Disclaimer: We are not professional gardeners, we dabble in gardening. We don’t always know what we are doing.) Enter the month of May. Wow! It was busy. Concerts, soccer practices, soccer games, meetings, graduations, finishing school, etc. I didn’t know if I was coming or going at times. I finished up school on May 24^th and then I rolled up my sleeves and got busy in the garden.

When I walked down to the garden, I couldn’t believe the transformation. All the neat and tidy rows that Kirk planted were full of weeds. In some places it was hard to find a plant. One mound was just weeds, the plants didn’t sprout from the seeds. What a mess! It was a daunting task and I didn’t know if I had it in me to tackle it. What could I do but work on one row at a time and be grateful for one row finished? I would get finished with one section, start in a new section and watch the weeds sprout up in the last section again. It was hard to keep up. I would watch some plants not take after planting because the sun was just too hot. I saw the just-weeded-corn, so use to have weeds next to it, tip over because it lost its support. Let’s just say, I have spent a lot of time in the garden for the last month giving life support to our plants. Currently, I am satisfied with my garden, but there will always be weeds to stay up on, and now I need to watch for pests that may attack my plants, and keep the garden watered on those hot days. Just because I am satisfied where I am does not mean I can let my guard down, I need to continue to be vigilant.

Just like a garden, so is our heart. The heart is the place where lies or truths are planted. As a Christian, it is important for me to plant God’s Truths in my heart. I could do a great study on a section of Scripture, I could go to a great conference that floods my heart with good seeds, I could hear a great sermon full of Truth that I can plant in my heart, or I can do an awesome service project where I am helping others and seeing God at work. All those things make me busy tending the garden of my heart. Those times, those “mountain top” experiences make me feel so good. I feel like I am accomplished, and my heart’s garden is looking good. Unfortunately, during these times I can get proud of the work of my garden. I become wise in my own eyes because of everything I have learned. I feel like, “I’ve got this Christian thing down.”  Then life happens. I can’t stay at the conference forever, the study ends, I get busy. I let my guard down, because missing my time with the Lord “once in a while” can’t be all bad, right? That pride is a lie and it can cause sin to enter my life. I may believe lies like, “You don’t need to do this,” “No one will notice,” “Whatever makes you happy,” “Life is short,” “It is your life -do what you want”. When I stop tending my heart’s garden, weeds of lies will grow. Can you relate? Can you think of other lies we believe?

Those weeds can grow quickly in an untended garden. You walk through the garden of your heart and you cannot believe how full of weeds it is and how hard the work is to get the weeds out. That is why a little Spiritual discipline is very important. You may not “feel” like working in the garden, but a little work now can lessen the big work you might have to do later.

What is growing in your heart’s garden?

** I highlighted the word “feel” because feelings aren’t necessarily truths. We need to use any “I feel” very carefully.

God bless you as you take some time to walk through your heart’s garden.

Getting the Uglies Out

When I was a teenager, I was pretty great at noticing when guys were attractive or not. Thankfully, I also noticed when their actions were not kind as well. I started to see that guys who were initially very attractive, but not kind, became less attractive. Guys who might have been less attractive, but kind, became more attractive.

A few years back, while my kids were small, we had playdates with a friend whose children were the same ages as mine. Of course, while the kids played, the moms would talk. Those were some of my most favorite times. When my friend's children would become mean to each other, she would tell them that they were acting “ugly.” The first time I heard her use it left an impression on me and I have used it at times with my own children.

During a sermon several weeks ago, my husband said, “Have you ever said something that you regretted?” Throughout the congregation of people there was a collective groan. My internal groan probably was the loudest. I have regretted many things that I have said, but I do know that I am not alone. Maybe knowing that fact, we all should show a little more grace when others say things that should not have been said.

Several years ago, my husband and I went through a parenting class called, “Parenting is Heart Work.” I loved it. It made complete sense to me to instead of working on my children’s actions to work on the motives of their heart. Of course, that would take work, and it is not easy work. Through that work, it came apparent to me that not only do my kids need to work on their hearts, so do I. That conclusion did not feel good.

Luke 6:45-46 says, “The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.” The Bible is a double-edged sword, and it has judged the thoughts and attitude of my heart with that verse. (Hebrews 4:12). When we speak without thought, then what is going to come out of our mouths will be what is in our hearts. What is in our hearts will be the things we are meditating on. For instance, if the only thing that comes of our mouths are complaints, then we may be meditating on the wrong things.  

How do we decide if what we say is good and productive? We need to measure our thoughts next to the Bible. If the complaint is about something immoral or not biblical, then we may have reason to use our words for the benefit of others. (Even then, we have to have a good knowledge of the Bible to deem if something is unbiblical.)  If it is not, then we need to take a long look at our own hearts. That is not easy work, but it is good work. It is humbling work and we need to know that we are not alone.

Working on Christian living is not easy, but when I stand alone in the presence of God, He is not going to measure me by other people. I will be measured by what is in my heart. That is work that I want to do and that I can do now, with Jesus’ help.

Philippians 2:12-16 says, Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.

My hope for you and for me is that we work very diligently at getting the uglies out of our hearts, so that we can focus on what is really, truly important…. reaching the world for Christ. Trust that God will work it all out, He sees the big picture. We only see a part of the picture.

God bless you as you work out your salvation with fear and trembling so you can shine like a star.