Where Your Treasure Is

Posted on December 2, 2013 by Todd D. Nystrom

Matthew 6:19-21 – Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, ²⁰ but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

The long abandoned Theresa Mine rusts away in Victor, Colorado.

At its peak in 1902 the gold mining town of Victor Colorado boasted 17,500 residents.¹ By 2012 that number had dropped to 396. Today the dormant, rusting skeletons of many old mines like this one dot the landscape around the town of Victor, now a shadow, one might say ghost, of its former self.

Where are you storing up your treasures?

Read more about my “God is Revealed…“ category of posts

¹ Population for 1902 is according to this mural I photographed on a building in downtown Victor.

Joy and Peace

Posted on December 1, 2013 by Todd D. Nystrom

Romans 15:13 – May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

What better way to find joy and peace than a beautiful fall afternoon spent out in God’s amazing creation? Sharon Woods, Great Parks of Hamilton County, Sharonville, Ohio.

As we enter into the Advent season it is important to remember why we celebrate Christmas. The advertisements on television would have us believe it is all about the “things,” the diamond ring, the new <insert expensive brand name car>, the latest video game, or electronic gadget. Despite the beautiful images of happy, smiling people we see on our screens, these are not the things that fill us with joy and peace. These are not the things that will ever give us hope. They may produce temporary happiness, perhaps, but ultimately they only lead to a desire for more “things.”

As today’s Bible verse tells us, true joy and peace come “in believing.” Believing, that is, in the one for whom we celebrate Christmas, and that is Christ the Lord! It is God who fills us with that joy and peace; it is by the power of his Holy Spirit that we will abound in hope. And, it is only through Christ his Son, that babe born in a stable over 2000 years ago, that we can find this promised hope, joy, and peace.

While the beautiful fall colors may be gone, and temperatures may be a bit colder, winter is still a great time to get outside. Take some time to get away from the hustle and bustle this Christmas season and get out into God’s creation. If you do, perhaps the silence will give you a chance to reflect on why it is we celebrate Christmas.

Autumn colors will fade and the leaves will fall, the “things” we get for Christmas will lose their luster and soon be forgotten, but the love of Christ will endure forever!

Read more about my “God is Revealed…“ category of posts

The Way

Posted on November 29, 2013 by Todd D. Nystrom

John 14:5-6 – ⁵ Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Fallen leaves pave the way along a pathway shrouded in autumn colors. Tunnel Ridge Road, Red River Gorge, Slade, Kentucky.

When you are hiking it is important to have a good map so you can find your way and avoid getting lost. Having a destination and well planned route, and knowing that you are on the right path is a great comfort when you are out in the wilderness.

In the wilderness that is life it is also important to have a good map. God has provided us with that map, the Bible, which tells us not only our destination, but the route to get there, as well. As Christians we take comfort knowing that our destination is eternal life with our Father in heaven. And, in today’s passage Jesus tells us that he is the only route, “the way,” to get to that destination.

Read more about my “God is Revealed…“ category of posts

With Thanksgiving!

Posted on November 28, 2013 by Todd D. Nystrom

Philippians 4:4-7 – Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. ⁵ Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; ⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Rays from the setting sun bursting through scattered clouds. Parking lot of North Cincinnati Community Church, Mason, Ohio.

This photograph was taken on an ordinary day (June 4^th, 2010) in an ordinary place (a church parking lot) in an ordinary town (Mason) in southwestern Ohio. While this was not taken in some amazing wilderness location, and it may not be the most perfectly composed or exposed photograph I have ever taken, it has always been one that strikes my heart. I think the reason it does so is because it serves to remind me that every day is precious and that God is present with me always, even in the most ordinary times and places of my life.

On this day in America we celebrate Thanksgiving, a day often filled with family, feasting, and football; it is a time to celebrate. But, amidst all the hustle and bustle, it is really a day set aside for us to pause and reflect on all the blessings God has bestowed on us over the past year. In addition to the obvious things for which we give thanks, though, we should also remember to give thanks to our God who is the ever present, sovereign God, the one who is there with us even in the ordinary times and places of our lives.

Take time today, and every day, to look for God’s presence in all of his creation. God is there…he is calling out to you through his creation! Listen to him, seek him, and give him thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving 2013!

Yours in Christ,
Todd the Hiker

Read more about my “God is Revealed…“ category of posts