From Stable to Table

Perhaps you’ve heard people speak about the true meaning of Christmas. There are so many wonderful themes and meanings surrounding this special time of year. You’ve probably scrolled through any number of memes on your social media feeds, or received cards in the mail with reflective or declarative statements as to its meaning. But if you don’t mind, I’m going to take a stab at one. I “borrowed” the title for this post, but the thought has resonated in my heart and mind for many years:

Jesus . . . born within a stable in a manger . . . a dwelling and a feeding trough . . . a place where animals live and find a table from which to eat.

Christ . . . born within your innermost being . . . a dwelling and a table . . .  the place of divine fellowship and where hunger has no place.

As you reflect on the meaning of Christmas, consider this: human flesh is holy ground. No stable of skin is more special or sacred than yours. Christmas is much more than gift giving, more than a sentimental story that we pass on through holiday traditions. It’s the unveiling, the unwrapping, of our true identity . . . Divine Love incarnated in humanity. This greatest of gifts was redeemed in Jesus. It is now revealed in you and in the face of the next person you meet. For the mystery of the gospel is this: Christ in you, the hope of glory! (Colossians 1:27)

Love Your Guts Out - Order Autographed Copy

 

You can ORDER my new book NOW and I'll autograph it for you when I receive my first shipment of books in the first week or two of October. To order CLICK HERE.

Please considering helping start an LYGO movement. Share the news with your friends by posting this on your social media pages page.

If you just can't wait and want to get your hands on a copy sooner, Amazon has a few they can ship right away. But if you want to make a bigger contribution toward Uttermost Road Ministries, buy a book directly from me on my website at the link provided here. I receive a much bigger royalty from a direct sale. Otherwise, you'll be contributing more to Jeff Bezos's bank account than anything else. I'm not anti-Amazon. I purchase through them all the time, so feel free. You can also purchase directly through the publisher, Westbow Press, which is twice the royalty than Amazon.


Ebooks are available at Westbow Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple's iBooks. I might be making ebooks and hardback copes available on my website in the near future. Stay tuned.


THE MOST IMPORTANT THING to remember is this...just get a book in your hands no matter how you get. I hope it blesses you as much as the journey blessed me!

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Finally! Love Your Guts Out will be available this Fall.

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It seems I’ve been promising you my book, Love Your Guts Out, ever since I started down the Uttermost Road. It’s been a long and transformational process, but I’ve finally reached the end of this particular road…the publication of LYGO this Fall. It might be available in October, but I’ll certainly keep you posted when I get an exact date. Thanks for your patience and support. I hope it blesses and inspires you greatly!

LYGO!

A Bend in the Road

Bighorn River

Bighorn River

I've been in Oregon for just over a month since returning from Montana and the Crow Indian Reservation. I had two goals in mind for this trip. First, I wanted to share the good news of the gospel through baptism. Second, I told myself I wasn't leaving the rez until I finished writing the manuscript for Love Your Guts Out. I'm glad to report that I had the honor of baptizing seven people and also completed the first draft. Thus, I left the rez and returned to Oregon.

Now that I'm back in the Beaver State, it's time to determine what road to travel next. What I know so far is that my latest trip was also my final one along the literal Uttermost Road, at least in the foreseeable future. I say "literal" because I'm referring to life on the road towing a fifth wheel trailer. This day hasn't come unexpectedly. Without raising missionary support, I knew from the outset three years ago that the road would only go as far as my resources could take me. But metaphorically speaking, until the day I park it for good, the message of the Uttermost Road will continue: discover and explore the limitless depths of the River within you, then pour out your life like there's no tomorrow. You won't run dry . . . never!

The Uttermost Road for me will simply take on a different look. If I had to do it all over again, I certainly would. The journey of traveling the Uttermost Road in a diesel pickup with trailer in tow has been personally transformational. The experiences and encounters along the way have been priceless and unforgettable. My hope and prayer is that the paths that I crossed opened the door a bit wider for others to also experience new life and personal transformation.

In front of me now are several possible roads to travel. My immediate need is to find work and get some income flowing again. This might come by way of a ministry position or employment in the general workforce. I'm open to relocating most anywhere, though my preference is somewhere in the western half of the country . . . you know . . . within a few hour's drive of a trout stream!

I want to thank every one of you for following my journey. Your support has been very encouraging and most appreciated. Though I'm signing off for now as a road warrior, I won't be signing off from the Uttermost Road website. It will undergo a revision and take on a new look, and I plan to continue blogging and return to recording and expanding the video teaching library.

Please stay tuned. I'll be posting updates as details unfold. I'd love to hear from you. If you have comments, or perhaps suggestions about revising the blog, video teachings, employment opportunities and ideas, send them my way. 

LYGO!

Your brother forever

Uncertainty: The Fertile Ground For Peace

San Bernardino, California

"Unpredictable" and "fluid" are suitable adjectives that describe the nature of the Uttermost Road. I had anticipated uncertain road conditions long before I actually set sail for the first time, some two and a half years ago. Even the decision-making process of taking this path was riddled with unknowns. Many still remain unsolved.

This past fall, a big bend in the road led me to southern California. Except for two brief trips to Oregon via Southwest Airlines, I've been living in S Cal with my trailer parked at the foot of the San Bernardino Mountains. The journey to this part of the country, and then to live here for several months, wasn't in my original "plan" when I set out along the Uttermost Road. Now that I find myself in The Golden State, several questions as to my purpose for being here have yet to be mined and brought to the surface of my understanding. But had I not followed this road with all its uncertainties, I would never have experienced the blessings I've received or crossed paths with the people I now call my friends.

Amazing . . . snow in the mountains of Southern California. It helps to be at an elevation of 5000'

Perhaps its more freeing to be carried along by the currents of the Wind than to remain tethered to self-made plans and "hell-bent" on pursuing a predetermined course. I'm beginning to believe that the ground of uncertainty is incredibly fertile soil for peace and abundant life to grow and flourish. Imagine that!

Jesus essentially said two things in this regard:

  • Peace I give to you, but not the world's kind of peace. It's My peace. (John 14:27).
  • I've come that you might have life and experience it abundantly (John 10:10).

Each bend in the road is a vivid reminder of life's uncertainties. For me, every curve I maneuver in my truck with trailer in tow is an object lesson about my inability to see around corners and predict the future. However, I'm learning to live with this reality . . . the fact that I'm not in control . . . and to do so with a new measure of peace in the midst of unknowing, in the middle of what might otherwise cause stress and anxiety.

Overlooking San Bernardino from Rim of the World Highway

The apostle Paul exhorts his readers in Philippians 4:6 not to be "anxious" about anything. Easier said than done, brother. Nevertheless, it's great advice. In fact, the only way I know how to deal with anxiety or to embrace uncertainty without fear, is to receive the embrace of the One who is prepared for every possibility. This One has already traveled down every conceivable avenue I might choose to trek . . . and waits there for me.

The Message Bible describes Philippians 4:6-7 in the following way:

"Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." (Philippians 4:6-7)

I'm intrigued by the imagery here in The Message . . . "shape your worries into prayers." Exactly! And I like to think of prayer, not as mere verbal appeal to a higher power who needs to be persuaded, but simply as being present to the One who is always present to me and in me. I appreciate how Eugene Peterson powerfully states it in verse seven . . . "when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life."

Christ displaces worry . . . yes!

Displacement = replacement

Think about it, it only takes one small flame to displace or remove the weight of uncertainty in an otherwise darkened room.

"The light keeps shining in the dark, and darkness has never put it out." (CEV)

When you feel overwhelmed by anxiety, be reminded that peace is within you because the Prince of Peace is within you. When waves of uncertainty lap up against you, be reminded that the One who calms the storm abides in you. When it feels like darkness has surrounded you, be reminded that the Light who has come into the world has come into you!

Fear not . . . so LYGO!