TRAIL MINISTRIES

Confession leads to healing.

2011-12-14T06:42:00.000-08:00

Growing up you always hear the scripture that if we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. I can quote it like a poem I memorized in Mrs. Kennedy's 12th Grade English Class. But there's so much more happening here.

1 John 1:9 KJV
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Confession isn't a general prayer of "God forgive me for my sins" as I have done most of my life. Confession in this is specific repentance of a sin in front of an audience even if your audience is only one. Confession is a 2-part process- 1. Specified prayer for forgiveness of sin 2. Claiming the salvation and cleansing of Christ. Both steps are essential. One without the other leaves the work that God offers incomplete.

There a reason that God wants us to confess our sins out-loud. Confession brings an awareness of our sin that opens our eyes to how much we have been forgiven of and those who have been forgiven much love much.

Luke 7:47 KJV
"Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little."

Even through our sin all He's trying to do is win our hearts.

Confession is a proclamation to the spiritual realm that you are running back to Christ as well. There's no better way to defeat the works of the evil one than to proclaim out-loud that he has no place, no grip, not even a foothold in or on your heart. He cant hear your prayers when they are only prayed in your head. Confession puts the devil in his place, under the heel of Christ. And your heart back where it belongs, under the influence of Christ.

There's more to be had here...

Deuteronomy 10:16-18
"16 Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer. 17 For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. 18He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing."

Confession is a circumcising of the heart. Its an uncomfortable cutting away of the flesh to prevent disease and to allow healing to move in. That healing is Christ. There is no other way.

And so confession gives way to not only a deeper love and understanding of the Lord and His ways, but more importantly confession brings healing.

TRAIL

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Journaling doesnt have to be a big deal.

2011-12-07T12:01:00.000-08:00

Journaling can be one of the many ways to connect with God and really come to know His voice and His heart towards you. It has become something that I do everyday and has helped me to be transparent before the Lord and even with myself. I know that spending time with the Lord can be intimidating but if we are to know His heart and will for our lives we have to spend time with Him. Here's a quick list of the few things I go through as I am writing each morning.

1. Check In—Ask, “What am I feeling?” Write a few sentences of what you are feeling—
anxious, happy, sad, angry, fearful, joyful, encouraged, depressed, etc.

2. Recap Yesterday—Take a few sentences to write what happened yesterday—only the
high points not necessarily a list of "I went to the store, jogged 5 miles, went to Publix
etc.”, but instead writing what happened that was significant and how it affected your
heart and life.Also write out very briefly any instances where you overreacted. An overreaction could be when you withdrew/went silent/hid or it could be when you got really angry or felt
your stomach churning. You will begin to see a pattern which will lead you to your
core lie and open the door to more freedom and healing in that place.

3. Talk to God—For a few sentences tell God what you appreciate about Him or whatever
else comes to your heart and mind. (Be real here).

4. Confess—Write down any sins/attitudes and then surrender to Jesus and invite him into
your day and all that you are doing.

5. Invite Him to Speak to You—“Jesus I so much want to learn how to hear your voice. Do
you have anything you want to say to me? Do you have any words for me?”
a. Listen for a few minutes and write what he tells you. b. Then ask him some very specific questions and type out what you sense or what impression comes to your heart/mind.
• Jesus, would you show me how much you love me? Give me a picture, a memory, a verse, that shows me. • What do you think of my heart? • What do you think of my life?• What do you think of me as a man?

6. Refer to your Bible—Consider reading a paragraph from one of the gospels(try Luke for
starters.) Ask Father, “What do you have to say to me?”

7.Keep in Mind:—A. The temptation will be to self check— "God couldn't be saying that to me, I’m making this up." Be aware of this, and trust in faith what you are hearing is of God. B. Be sensitive to the enemy and his attempts to rob you of life in this time. Guilt, fear, condemnation, reproach, shame— you must say "NO!" . Be confident that God will not speak to you in a voice that brings guilt, condemnation, shame, reproach or dread. Refer to James 4:7 in the Message by Eugene Peterson.

Note: If you really want to capture a great summary of all that God speaks to you in your times with Him, highlight His words to you in a different color. Then open up another file and copy and paste His highlighted words to you into that file. (i.e. Fathers Words June 2011). Then at the end of the week read over Father’s words. You will be blown away. Consider having a separate file of His words for each month so you can reference His guidance/affirmation throughout the year.

TRAIL.

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Just Believe.

2011-09-23T06:37:00.000-07:00

John 6: 28-29
Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works that God requires?" Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one that God has sent."

Wait thats it? All I have to do is believe? Theres no other requirement? Then why do we get so caught up in "the ministry" of God and trying to outreach each other's outreach as believers?

Because we have lost focus. I am the most guilty of this. I constantly feel like I have to perform and keep up with the Joneses of Christianity. Be the best speaker, most relevant church or ministry, have the best programs...etc. But what does God want? ...just for us to believe.

Believing in Christ isnt a simple decision.All God wants is our belief and through our belief He will make it evident that we believe. Its not about our works. When we truly believe we give way to God. When we truly believe we release control and give our lives to Christ. Choosing to believe in Christ brings about the works/ deeds that we are striving for. Believing in Christ oozes into and affects every aspect and choice I make; the way I think, the words I speak, the friends I do life with, the music I listen to, the movies I watch. Everything will change when I believe in Christ. If it doesnt change my life then have I truly believed in something or am I just pretending?

For me, I have tasted the greatness of life composed by Christ and I cannot go back to a life composed by myself. My prayer is that everyday my control and need to perform is overcome more and more by a passion for new depths in my personal belief in Christ and the friendship we share. Out of that friendship the world will know of a God who loves and believes in them even if unrequited.

TRAIL

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Darkness Defeated.

2011-08-08T05:05:00.000-07:00

It is so easy to get so distracted and weighed down by the things we are presently dealing with that we forget about all of the ways God has shown up in GRAND RADIANCE shining the light into our dark situations. Yes we are at war; yes life on this earth does seem like it is hopeless at times, but we have to stop and look back at the times He has come to our rescue. Help doesnt come when we can still fight off darkness without God; help comes when all hope seems gone. God will show up and blast through the darkness in His GRAND RADIANCE, like Gandalf coming over the hill at Helms Deep, He is running to our rescue destroying evil and coming to the aid of those who believe. I have seen it.

I have experienced this truth in my life over and over again. What I have to keep reminding myself is that I am not alone. As The Psalmist, David, wrote in Psalm 27: 3 "Though a host encamp against me, My heart will not fear; Though war arise against me, In spite of this I shall be confident." He's not confident that he has the strength to slay thousands. He is confident in the power and ability of God to rescue him from his enemies and from his ever present darkness. David knew the vastness of God's love and willingness to be our rescue.

We have to remind ourselves that the world always seems the darkest right before dawn and know that our Father is going to destroy the darkness.

TRAIL

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Into the River.

2011-01-20T08:33:00.000-08:00

Fly fishing has become one of my favorite times to get away with God. Usually its the old man in movies that goes fly fishing to get away from his wife and to find peace and quiet, but here I am at age 25 retreating to the river to clear my head. Theres something organic and enchanting about being able to escape it all and get into the river.

I had a friend in college named Jonathan Hull. Whenever I asked J Hull, "How are you doing?" He would always respond, "Im in the river man." He was neither a hippie or a drug addict. He was/is one of the few young men that genuinely understood that God is the best thing for our lives. He also knew that to ultimately understand what God is up to and truly see God do big things, we have to let go of control and let God guide us. Whenever he would respond to my question that way it would always make me smile because I could tell that he was truly just letting God guide him. And the key to this was JHull had given up control.

Control has always been something that I struggle with. I have always felt that if something was going to happen then I was going to have to the one who forced or controlled it to happen. This has been an essential flaw in my life. There cant be and growth in life, ministry, or relationships with me controlling their every move. There has to freedom and trust for those to blossom.

Control, in my life atleast, has been just a symptom of the real issue, fear. Fear of failure, hurt, transparency, losing control not just by other people, but ultimately by God. I was reading in my Bible the other day and I came across a scripture that has been given to me in the past, but heard so much that it became stale to me,but this time it hit home. "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear." 1 John 4:18 Another friend of mine told me once that, "Fear is the faith of evil. God is love. The two cannot co-exist. One has to take control."

Since then it has been a constant though and intentional progression to trust God more and love HIm more deeply. I am not perfect at all, but am releasing control more and more everyday and letting God perfect His love within me. Maybe that is why I love fly fishing so much. Its my way to get away from the noise and into the river.

TRAIL

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A Stream in the desert.

2010-09-10T09:25:00.000-07:00

I was reading a devotional that my girlfriend gave me called STREAMS IN THE DESERT the other day and God laid it out plain and simple. Its been a while since I have heard His voice so definitively speaking into my life. He is stripping me of my ability to do it without Him. My whole life if something has happened then I have just pulled myself up by my boot straps and gone to work. Where that is an honorable trait to have, thats not what God wants. I have never learned to really just lean on Him and His strength... to just accept the fact that He has already won. He has already conquered. He is.

Honestly, its as if Pandora's Box has been opened. The other fold to this lesson is learning not to cry out when I am going through a tough time, "God save me!" But to breathe and ask God what it is He would have me to learn.

Its kind of funny, at the age 25 that I have been complaining about feeling as if God has been just taking me in circles for three years. Every time I would find myself in need I would react in anger or complete brokenness on the verge of a mini depression almost, where I wouldnt accomplish anything for days at a time. For three years I reacted instead of responding to the call of God to come closer, to be a student, to grow in my strength in the Lord, to be Fathered.

Its as if a vail has lifted and I am learning to dance in the storm unafraid of getting dirty. There has to be an acceptance of getting dirty to really appreciate the cleanliness that comes from getting closer to God.

As far as TRAIL goes, things are blowing up; its incredible the difference I have been able to see as I learn to hold the ministry with an open hand. I am leaving Monday morning to head into the woods for a week on a scouting trip in the Chattooga River Area. We have three trips planned for the Spring of 2011.

God is really pouring out His vision and His blessings on TRAIL. Starting October 10th around 250 letters of support are hitting the mail. We are praying in and believing for $30,000 in 30 days. We are calling the $30k in 30. Its a huge step for us, but to a God that holds the infinite amount of money and support in His hand, whats $30k?

I honestly havent been so excited and so nervous about anything in my life. I have been convicted a few times because I will catch myself praying not in belief that God is going to do it but praying that I wouldnt lose heart if we dont raise all $30k. When that happens, God reminds me that there is no fear in love and that fear really is the "faith" of evil. The Board of Directors and I have prayed over this number and feel this is where God is leading so we a running after His call because He has set us free. (Psalm 119:32)

TRAIL

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Its All About the Little Moves

2010-08-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I feel like life is at a stand still and nothing that I am doing is effecting the long-term goal of my life. I see this friend and that friend doing huge great things with their life and celebrate with them and then as soon as I am alone I wonder when it will be my turn? When I get to call everyone to have them celebrate with me? This has been a recurring theme in my life in the last year or so. I dont mean to be all "woe is me" or anything just trying to be transparent.

These thoughts were running rampant in my everyday until about a month ago when I was reading in my Bible. Philippians 3:14, "Daily, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." I sat there for a moment and let it sink in....

I keep waiting for the big moment to happen where everything makes sense and my life is figured out, but thats not the way it happens. "Daily, I press..." Pressing towards a mark doesnt mean to take one big jump and make it all the way to the goal. What it resonates to me, is that I am going to have to take steps to complete a goal. There isnt a shortcut to take, an easy button to push, or magic genie that pops out and gives me three wishes.

If I am going to complete something, and do it right, I have to take it one step at a time and make sure each step helps me take the next step to achieving my purpose. Its like going climbing. Climbers dont stand at the bottom of a rock face and do some kind of awesome Matrix style super jump to the top. They strategically plan out their route making sure that they are taking the small steps to achieve their goal.

This is what I have been dealing with for a while now with TRAIL. I felt like I was just chasing my tail around in circles. But this scripture reminded me to press on that God is with me and He is peeling back the layers. And when all the small steps have been taken it will be time. "Daily, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."

TRAIL

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Get Involved

2010-04-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

I know youre sitting at your computer right now thinking, "TRAIL is such a cool ministry. How I could help those guys out?" So let me answer this question for you.

TRAIL has many ways for you to get involved.

1. Tell everyone you know about what God is doing through TRAIL

2.Go to the College Pastor and Lead Pastor of your ...church and tell them about TRAIL and that you think they should get in touch with us OR send us their information and we will call/email them

3. Send us some contact information for young men 18- 24 years old that you think would be interested in growing deeper in their walk with the Lord

4. Pray. This is the single most important thing you could do for us.

5. Send us cookies :) Just throwing it out there

We pray that you experience God in a new way today!

For the freedom of our hearts,

Chachi Avirett
Executive Director
www.trailministries.com
chachi@trailministries.com
478-575-0114

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a moment of clarity

2010-03-17T08:46:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to share with you what God has been laying on my heart. Hes really been rockin me about tithing and giving.
A friend of mine gave me a book called the Go-Giver and I read it in about two hours. The books main focus is learning to give more than you receive. This is something that I struggle with. Often times I think that I am entitled to a great life because of all the "work" I am doing for God. However, that is the wrong approach to life.God didnt invite me to start TRAIL with Him so that I could receive, but rather give more. He has called me to TRAIL because He knows how many lives this is going to change for eternity.

He didnt place this vision and passion on our hearts so that we could be able to provide a great life for ourselves, but that through TRAIL we could provide an opportunity for our lives to be poured out and to give young men across the nation( the world one day) the chance at the life that they were created for.

So when we pray, let us pray that God will pour us out. Let us pray that we find new ways to give of ourselves, in prayer, time, life, money, and love. When we start to give more than we receive then we will see the Kingdom being expanded through TRAIL and we wont be able to stop the blessings on the ministry. God didnt bring us together to expand our lives but to expand His love and His kingdom.

Tithing isnt something that I have been doing because I needed every penny that was coming in just to make ends meet. But what I was doing was robbing God of the opportunity to provide for me. He provided my needs even when I didnt give. But He doesnt want to just make my ends meet. God delights in me( and you) and wants to dump blessings on me. I just have to trust and believe that He is greater than anything in this world.

Pray for me in these areas. And I will pray for you as well. Peace.

T.R.A.I.L.

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LOVE. UNQUESTIONED

2010-02-08T05:26:00.000-08:00

"So long as we imagine that it is we who have to look for God, we must often lose heart. But it is the other way about; He is looking for us." God's daily relentless pursuit of our heart start with a sunrise.

Here is Soren Kierkegaard’s version of the story:

Suppose there was a king who loved a humble maiden. The king was like no other king. No one dared breathe a word against him, for he had the strength to crush all opponents. And yet this mighty king was melted by love for a humble maiden. How could he declare his love for her? In an odd sort of way, his kingliness tied his hands. If he brought her to the palace and crowned her head with jewels and clothed her body in royal robes, she would surely not resist—no one dared resist him. But would she love him?

She would say she loved him, of course, but would she truly? Or would she live with him in fear, nursing a private grief for the life she had left behind? Would she be happy at his side? How could he know? If he rode to her forest cottage in his royal carriage, with an armed escort waving bright banners, that too would overwhelm her. He did not want a cringing subject. He wanted a lover, an equal. He wanted her to forget that he was a king and she a humble maiden and to let shared love cross the gulf between them. For it is only in love that the unequal can be made equal. (as quoted in Disappointment with God )

To really learn to love God, we have to learn to embrace everything that He offers us. He doesn't offer a life filled with fear and regrets. He offers a relationship filled with love and interdependence.

The hardest part for me to accept is His shameless freedom. He doesn't just take my sin and rearrange it to make it more manageable. When Jesus died on the cross, that was God violently dealing with and completely eliminating my debt of sin! My sins tell me to be ashamed and to be condemned. His blood COMMANDS me to be free!

There has never been any kind of love deeper than the love of God for me. He allowed His Son to die so I could live. His passion for my heart and life can never be questioned.

T.R.A.I.L.

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Morning Reflections

2010-01-26T11:24:00.000-08:00

I hadn't made the time to really spend some intimate time with the Lord in a while. I would pray and talk to Him, but all surface level stuff, no new ground being broken. I was doing just enough to get by. I felt as if I was just drifting with no certain direction, no certain purpose, and with certainly no joy. Anyone who talked to me knew it as well. I was as irritable as a hungry baby. The only explanation I could come up with was that my feelings and attitude were a direct reflection of the amount of time I spent with the Lord. We can do all the things we want in the physical realm, but until we invite the Lord (spiritual realm) to lead us, we won't get anywhere.

So, this week I decided to get up and spend an hour every morning praying and drinking coffee with the Lord. It's not like it has been the easiest thing to do, by any means, but the difference it has made in my life is incredible! I am a different person completely.

I know this is an extremely elementary idea and learned principle to a growing and alive Christian's walk, but making God a priority and allowing Him to have control and take the lead on every day has been a life changing experience. Before, I would do my quiet time whenever I could "get to it", but I never would get to it.

God is a leader who doesn't just want the power. He already has it. He wants us to be amazing at everything we do, but we cant do it without him. I went to a camp in Colorado this summer and on one of the walls was a quote by one of their guides who was killed in a tragic rafting accident, but it is the perfect example of the life that God offers to us when we surrender ourselves and each day to Him.

"I want to be wild and good, irrational but at the same time rational, rebellious but helpful, dangerous but an ally. i don't want to be tamed by society. I just want to be free to choose GOOD over evil, CHRIST over paganism, LOVE over lust, HEALTH over indulgence, SACRIFICE instead of self-centeredness, STRONG instead of weak in all areas. I want to be a man because I want to be, because I am and I love it! I am conforming though, to just the beautiful way God made me." - Josh Lantz

T.R.A.I.L.

The Surge of a Storm Counted as a Joy

2010-01-13T11:32:00.000-08:00

When storms come my immediate reaction is to go outside and see them. I love to see their power the way they just come in almost as if they just exploded into existence that very second out of nowhere. I love to watch them surge and control the part of the world they are shadowing. My favorite memories of hiking are the ones where a storm hit unexpectedly and made us shift our plans in some way.

I would really love to be able to say that I react the same way when storms rage in my personal life. I definitely don't run outside and celebrate their existence. Usually, I get discouraged, freeze in panic or fear, or become numb and do nothing acting as if its not there...

... But what does the Word tell me to do?
James 1:2-4
"Consider it pure Joy, my brothers whenever you face trials(storms) or many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

I need to learn to dancing in the rain and know that I serve a God who is bigger than anything that I face. I don't face the storms alone. My Father, Lord, Savior, Lover, and Friend is with me always. He is growing me and stretching my faith.

When we face storms and trials its nice to know that our Father knows that we have what it takes to make it through them. Be encouraged and take heart in this.

T.R.A.I.L.

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Bridging the Gap

2010-01-11T10:42:00.000-08:00

Its amazing to me how much God is all over this ministry. And how He constantly is making sure that I know that I am NOT in control.

About a month ago I was kind of discouraged after looking at our budget and realizing how much we really needed God to come through. I had extinguished all of my options and done everything that I could think of just short of begging people for money. I didnt know what was going to happen all I knew was that there was nothing more that i could do.

Literally within the hour of coming to the realization that we needed God to come through, I start getting calls and emails from the most random and almost forgotten friends that want to give and become a part of what God is doing with T.R.A.I.L.. Needless to say, I was blown away by the way God knew exactly what we needed down to the penny.

God is doing big things and has so much more in store for us in this new year. I just wanted everyone to know that the gap between our original vision for T.R.A.I.L. is being bridged but not because of anything that we are doing. Without God nothing is possible and nothing will be accomplished.

T.R.A.I.L.

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Sunset Over a Frozen Lake.

2010-01-08T11:57:00.000-08:00

A buddy and I went running the other day at Fort Yargo, a state park near my house. It was a crisp 34 degrees when we arrived at the park. The run was more of a mental battle than it was a physical one. I couldnt get my mind of the fact that it was almost freezing outside and I am going for a run.

We head out on a trail that is meant for mountain bikes. The trail is pretty steep at the beginning, but not too bad. We run on and God begins to prick my heart, "I have some beauty in store for you yet'" He says to me. My mind begins to roll. I start to fantasize and look for what He has for me as we run along. I see the frozen creek and I thank Him for it and its beauty. We keep running and I see patches of ground where water used to stand, now frozen solid; and I thank Him for the different seasons of life, but still haven't really seen anything really "wowing".

And as we were coming to the end of our run, back at the top where we started, I was consumed with the thought, "Is this it? God, that's all You had to show me?" I was kinda let down and disappointed, but as we got to the very top of the trail almost to the truck God speaks to me, "Look back. Look back over your shoulder at the lake." I look and right as we are coming off the trail the sun is setting over the lake behind us. I cant even describe to you how beautiful it was. The lake sits in between two huge foothills. Its almost as if we had escaped to the mountains for a moment in time, and no one else was around for miles. I was in awe. God began to speak to me again, "Chachi, you are My son. I am always here, always romancing your heart."

God desires intimacy with us. His desire is to be so real and so evident that we cannot question His intentionality. Dont get consumed with forcing God to show Himself. He doesnt work on our time. When He shows up, it will be unforgettable and you wont be disappointed.

T.R.A.I.L.

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ANCIENT PATHS AND LEADERSHIP

2009-12-19T13:02:00.000-08:00

I have been studying up on bears and their power and their mannerisms. Bears are so territorial. They will shred anything that tries to take over their property or that tries to hurt their cub. They allow their cubs to go off on their own and play and explore, but they watch and make sure the cubs are close still. All it takes is one cry for help and the parent is there devouring whatever it was threatening their cub. And when learning how to cross treacherous and potentially life threatening areas the cubs follow the older bears and literally step in the exact same places their leaders step. The strides of the older bears are much wider than the stride of the younger cubs. So it takes stretching and they don't always hit the steps right the first time. They have to learn the importance of following the wisdom and steps of the older bears, but its not until they are considered an older bear in the that they learn how to walk exactly right.

And as I sit here and study these ancient, majestic creatures I cant help but see the correlations between bears and our relationship with the Lord. We have a Father that is so jealous of His property or HIs cubs, us. And He will do anything to protect His cubs. He lets us go out and try and fend for ourselves. But no matter how far we stray He is right there when we need Him, devouring whatever is coming against us.

And just as the younger cubs have to learn to follow and walk in the same ways as the bears before them, we as young Christians go through treacherous times in our lives. But if we look to the older Christians that have been before us we can learn to find the safe path. No, we don't get it right the first, second or fiftieth time, but when we do get it right we realize that it has now become our responsibility to show younger Christians how to cross the treacherous paths safely.

T.R.A.I.L.

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Life of More

2009-12-16T21:05:00.000-08:00

Langston Hughes once wrote," Hold fast to dreams for if dreams die life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly. Hold fast to dreams for when dreams go life is a barren field frozen with snow." In each one of us there is a dream, a dream for more. This is not greed, but a yearning of desire that is set in us at birth. It is an unquenchable disassociation with the exceptance that this is as good as life gets. From somewhere deep inside there is a voice that is crying out, "There is more. Life isnt supposed to be this way."
What happened? When we graduate college, we believe that we can change the world, that we can reset order and right-living to the earth. But as we grow older and life lets us down, he/ she breaks our heart, best friends move away, we dont get the promotion we thought we deserved, or we go unnoticed by everyone around us and the voice crying out for more is slowly silenced into nothing more than a whisper that cannot be heard above the noise and rattle of the life that is not enough or constantly disappointing us. But every once in a while, when we are lying in bed at night or find ourselves day dreaming the "voice of more" has its way and controls our minds for just long enough to peak our interest in the life of more.
Hold fast to these moments. Hold fast to the fleeting dreams of being able to restore order and right-living to the earth.Those dreams and desires were not put there to give you hope in something that could never be achieved. A man without desire and without passion for the life of more is a man that has no hope. He is a shell of a man. Jesus calls to live life to the full. Letting the disappointments and letdowns of life control whether or not you pursue your dream is not living life to the full; it is limping through life. Disappointment is an attack of the evil one to steal your hope, joy, and destroy your dreams and hope for a life of more. Dont go down like that.

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The importance of slowing down

2009-12-15T12:06:00.001-08:00

We are a non-profit ministry seeking to reconcile the hearts of men,
by seeking the face of God through nature.

Our desire is to partner with other ministries and offer men an
opportunity get away from the hustle and busyness of their lives and
connect with God in the beauty of His creation. Our trips aren't only
for the personal growth of every individual that comes with us, but
also for the growth and connection of the brotherhood of men within
each ministry.
We live in such a fast-paced society where we have forgotten the
importance of slowing down to take it all in. Even in our relationship
with the Lord, we have forgotten that quiet times/ solitude with our
Father is essential to our hearts growth and development and essential
to having His guidance and direction. God longs to Father us. The
relationship God desires to have with us is so much more intricate,
unconditional, pure, open, Adventurous, caring, shared, sacrificial,
intimate, free and perfect than any other relationship that we have
ever experienced that we don't even know how to acknowledge it, much
less accept it. Our Father wants to walk life with us and wants to
mentor us through the ups and downs.

"Marked Trail"

2009-12-06T14:21:00.000-08:00

" One of the most haunting experiences I have ever had as a man took place on an early summer day in Alaska. My family and I were sea kayaking with humpback whales in the Icy Strait, and were stopper on the shore of Chichagof Island for lunch. Our guide asked us if we wanted to go for a hike into the interior of the island, to a clearing where grizzlies were known to feed. we were all over that invitation. After a twenty mile walk through a spruce forest, we came to what appeared to be a broad, open meadow about four hundred yards across. Being middy, and hot, there were no bears to be seen. ' Their sleeping now, through the afternoon. They'll be back tonight,' he said. 'C'mere I want to show you something.'

The meadow was actually more of a bog, a low-lying jungle of brushy groundcover about two feet high, barely supported underneath by another foot of soaked moss and peat. A very difficult place to walk. Our guide led us to a trail of what seemed to be massive footprints, with a stride of about two feet between them, pressed down into the bog and making a path through it. 'Its a marked trail,' he said. A path created by the footprints of the bears. 'This one is probably centuries old. For as long as the bears have been on this island, they've taken this path. The cubs follow the elders putting their feet exactly where the older bears walk. That's how they learn to cross this place.'" - John Eldredge, The Way of the Wild Heart

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CREATED FOR RELATIONSHIP

2009-11-13T12:09:00.000-08:00

"In order to 'see God,' we need to get past the walls we have created to contain God- but which in reality keep us out. Only then can we notice the open door to God's surprise."

-John Lionberger

The belief, that God is in Heaven and we are down here fightin' it out on our own, is false. God created man for intimacy and fellowship and thats what He wants.

We here at T.R.A.I.L. believe that life is not meant to be lived indoors. Rather, life is about getting out and into the beauty of God's creation. Conservationist and founder of the Sierra Club, John Muir (1838- 1914) once said, "Wilderness is a necessity.... There must be places for human beings to satisfy their souls." So that is exactly what we aim to do. Our main goal is to create an environment that allows men to have their heart renewed and get away from their jobs, school, and schedule in order to connect with God, to get away from the distractions and business of life and JUST BE.

T.R.A.I.L. is an acronym for True Relationships and Adventurous Intimacy with the Lord.

God wants to celebrate with us on the mountain tops and stand with us in the muck and mire. He is the Creator of the universe. If you created something as beautiful as earth and it was just you to enjoy it, wouldnt you create someone to enjoy and explore it with? Thats where we as humans come into the picture.

T.R.A.I.L.

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