Hidden Path

We were hiking back into a little known trail. Not too far away there is a well known trail that is worn and used occasionally. The trail we took seems to have have no one on it for days or weeks at a time.

For a trail to be known there needs to be a sign or the trail starting at the road or parking lot. Without these no one will know it's there.

To get there you need to cross a field of knee high to waist high natural grass.
There is no path through the grass. One just has to walk straight through it. When you get to the trail it is not apparent, but if you go through a small opening a trail is there.

Hiking along the trail is not bad; not many trees or branches have fallen across the trail.

A hidden trail is tranquil, peaceful and calm. The hustle and bustle of life is left behind.

Jesus offers a peaceful and calm life. Not many will accept it as a valid way to go, but those who do find joy, restfulness and purpose.

How do you find a hidden trail? For me, it comes from hiking off trail. I come across many deer paths appearing out of nowhere and continue for a while, then disappear. While traversing these I will encounter a human trail.

God says seek Me and you will find Me if you search for Me with all your heart. We can find the trail of God with an honest and good heart.

The way I seek the Lord is through the Word of God. Ps 16:11 "You will make known to me the path of life..."

As we seek God, He shows us the path to walk on.

Let us not stumble around in darkness off trail but follow Jesus and the light he gives us to walk on the path of life before us.

A trail will take you through the woods faster than just crashing through the brush. Following God's trail for life will be much better and rewarding than going it on your own without Christ. God's path gets brighter and brighter. Prov 4:18

To walk on a hidden trail, one needs to believe it will go somewhere. When we hike in the woods, sometimes we don't care where it goes. We'll just turn around and go back the same way. But in life we don't want to take a path that leads nowhere. We don't want to spend a lot of wasted time.

As you come to know Jesus, you will find He means what He says. He can be trusted with our lives in the now, not just with our lives after death. Many trust Jesus for life after death but not life in the present. Jesus can be trusted. Follow His path. It will lead to life everlasting and a satisfying life with peace and joy. Yes, there will be heartache with those who don't choose to follow Jesus on His path of life, but everlasting life is a joyful life.

Stay on the path; don't deviate to the left or to the right. “Make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.” Hebrews 12:13

There is healing when we follow the path Jesus has for us. When we get off that path there can be all manner of troubles.

Jesus has plans for our life. Eph 2:10 The works of our life were prepared beforehand. Walk in the path of the works God has for us. We walk by faith as directed by the Spirit of God.

Sycamore Bark

We passed by a patch of ground that had much American

Sycamore bark on the ground. This bark flakes off

during the year. This was an excessive amount of

bark. I had not seen this before.

What lessons can we learn from this in the

Spirit?

Shedding of bark is like shedding our protection. Our

protection in God is our faith. Satan can't get at

us as we are hid in Christ.

Ps 91, Eph 1, Eph 6, John1

Light overcomes darkness. Let us not shed our

protection of faith and confidence.

"For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised." Hebrews 13:36

Gal 6:9 "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for

in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary."

Keep at the work of God, looking to Him to fulfill

what He has called you to do.

The purpose of bark is to protect the cambium. Life

of trees flows from the cambium area. Sap is moved in

the cambium. Water is moved from the roots up to

the leaves.

The shedding of bark also could mean that the

former purpose of faith has shifted. Some things

of faith in Christ never change, like salvation. We

are saved by grace through faith. That doesn't

change. Other things, such as a calling to do a work

for Christ, may remain for a season then change to

something else. So the flaking bark shows the tree

is putting on new bark and the old bark if

outgrown.

We outgrow or are promoted to a new work at the

direction of the Holy Spirit.

The Sycamore tree grows in girth and sheds its bark

as it grows. Many other trees' bark will expand and

the fissures of the bark widen as it grows in

girth. Sycamore can't expand its bark because the bark is brittle, so it sheds

bark as it grows.

Shedding of bark may indicate  fast growth of the

tree as the tree stem expands bark is shed so new

bark grows in its place.

Let us always be ready to grow in Christ and not

resist change.  

2nd Hawthorne Bud Photo

The above photo was taken on March 3rd 2012. The photo below is taken on February 20th 2012. The buds have expanded just a little.

Roots

Here is a photo showing root growth because of erosion.

Lightening Strike

Here is an American Sycamore that has been struck by lightening.

Leaning Bur Oak with Water Bowl?

On our hike Monday morning I noticed this leaning tree. Looking at debris around the tree I ID'ed it as a Bur Oak. It is the dominate tree of the forest and it is the only one that leans like this. As you look up the bole notice that the lean of the tree becomes more pronounced. This signifies the tree is shifting further as time progresses.

Could it be the ground is unstable. The bigger the tree gets the more precarious the tree becomes.


This photo shows a bowl that has grown on the root. It is as if the tree is trying to catch rain in the bowl to provide the tree with water.

Hawthorne Bud

Slippery Elm Buds

Slippery Elm (Ulmus fulva) buds.

American elm has smaller buds. Where I live along the Missouri river near Kansas and Missouri I don't run into Slippery elm often. At this time of year I want to search for these buds to come back and see these trees again.

Cottonwood Buds

Eastern Cottonwood buds taken 17-Feb-2012

Mourning Dove

Saw this Mourning Dove at lunch.

Catalpa Seed Pods

Flowering Dogwood Flower Buds

Winter View

Steped out of my office and got this shot before I took off from my truck. Using the trees to block the sun.

Here, my wife stops so I can take photo showing the different light at twilight/sunset.

U Turn

Found this unusual branch on an American Sycamore tree. But why would a branch grow out and then turn around? The white bark emphasizes this unusual growth.

Surtsey Island

I was reading Christian Nature and found this interesting article that can point to a young earth. The article linked here explains the process of beach formation was very quick.

Drizzle

Drizzle building up on our Crabapple tree.

Pawpaw (Asimina triloba)

Pawpaws grow in understories and along slopes and in bottom land. The leaves are 6-12” long leaves. One of the biggest leaves grown by trees in the US. They turn bright yellow in Autumn. And stay on the trees for a while. The tree normally does not attain much height. It has been said to grow up to 20 feet. I measured one at 21 feet.

The fruit is interesting and is said to be edible. Tasting somewhat like a banana.

“Picking up Pawpaws, putting them in a basket.”

Settlers used them for banana pie and banana bread. (Note some people have an allergic reaction to them.)

The buds are long brown, fuzzy and without scales.

The tree will produce suckers from roots, explaining why they occur in bunches at times. The wood is stringy, and Indians used this tree to weave fiber cloth.

The trees don't get big. This is a Pawpaw stem.

Creation in 6 24 Hour Days!

An outstanding post over at Christian Nature of the length of the days in Genesis chapter 1.

As God created the earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th, so we should rest on the 7th. If the 6 days in Genesis chapter 1 were ages and not 24 hour days then the requirement to rest one day a week would not add up.

Read her post here.

Brown-eyed Susan

Here is a photo of Brown-eyed Susan's taken in July 2011