Thomas Trock
Mountain Cathedrals: The Outdoors From a Different Perspective
To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, …
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:13 (This is one of my favorite posts from a while back. I hope you will enjoy it. And I hope you will be thankful for the gift of freedom – Thomas). My wife and I visited a WWII Veteran this weekend. Mos (rhymes with doze) has been our friend for almost two decades. He is a former Marine who served in Okinawa, among other places. One of the things he lost while defending this country was his hearing. All the explosions and …
To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, …
To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, …
To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; A time to gain, …
“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or …
For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 NLT Recently the Governor ordered all flags flown at half-mast in my state. For those who don’t know, this is a symbol of respect, mourning, and/or a salute. A few weeks ago, a Marine from my home state was killed while battling terrorists in the Middle East. I did not personally know the man or his …
Let all that I am praise the LORD; with my whole heart, I will praise His holy name. Let all that I am praise the LORD; may I never forget the good things He does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He redeems me from death and crowns me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s! Psalm 103:1-5 (NLT) A few days before I took the picture of this eagle, a veteran told me a remarkable story about himself. For a long …
Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. ‘And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. “And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than …
Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land. Proverbs 25:25 (NIV) James, a veteran of the Korean War era, attended our annual Veteran’s Fishing Day this year. James wears a nearly constant smile, and we hit it off right away. After a bumpy wheelchair ride over the stony path alongside the pond, we commenced to fish and talk about life in general. James was in the Navy during the 1950’s. He was deployed on a Destroyer ship in the Pacific. He wears hearing aids in both ears and is on constant oxygen. James told …
And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered. 2 Chronicles 31:21 November 11 marks Veteran’s Day in the USA. This date is the anniversary of the signing of the peace agreement – or armistice – which ended the World War I hostilities between Germany and the Allied nations in 1918. On this day, which is sometimes called Armistice Day, US veterans are often thanked for their services to their country. I’ve been …
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters Colossians 3:23 NIV Last year at this time my wife and I were in Alaska working with wounded veterans. The injured military personnel and their spouses come for a week as guests of Samaritans Purse’s Operation Heal Our Patriots. At OHOP, the veteran couples find spiritual/mental refreshment and enrichment for their marriages. Many of these couples struggle daily with lasting effects of traumatic injuries and experiences that can cause their marriages and families to crumble. See Veterans Day The Beating Heart …
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” John 15:13 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8 I am humbled when I take time to consider what some people have sacrificed so that I can enjoy the freedoms I have in this country. To give my life for someone else is not a decision I’ve ever had to make. I know how I hope I would respond in that situation, but I don’t think I can know for …
He will listen to the prayers of the destitute. He will not reject their pleas. Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the LORD. Tell them the LORD looked down from his heavenly sanctuary. He looked down to earth from heaven to hear the groans of the prisoners, to release those condemned to die. Psalm 102:17-20 NLT Well it happened again – I got to go fishing with a WWII Veteran recently. It was our annual Veterans Appreciation Fishing Day in our little town. See Veterans Fishing Day WWII Vet Merlin Pictured …
We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair 2 Corinthians 4:8 I’ve been blessed to travel to many places, but Alaska was never one of them. Until now. This summer/fall my wife and I had the privilege of visiting Port Alsworth on Lake Clark. There we worked with Operation Heal Our Patriots (OHOP What We Do ) . The program strives to help wounded veterans restore their lives and marriages. My wife and I worked behind the scenes, helping with housekeeping and in the kitchen, respectively. It was an amazing experience …
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:13 My wife and I visited a WWII Veteran this weekend. Mos has been a friend of ours for almost two decades. He is a former Marine who served in Okinawa, among other places. One of the things he lost while defending this country was his hearing. All the explosions and big guns took a real toll on him. I’ve heard it said that Mos couldn’t hear it thunder. When Mos had to give up driving a few years back, we often picked …
Stand up in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD. Leviticus 19.32 NIV I’ve enjoyed some fulfilling perks working with fish and wildlife. One of my favorite days of the year happens when folks from the VA hospital come to our small community to fish for trout. I don’t remember who first thought of this idea. I wish I could claim it as mine, but it wasn’t. Regardless – somebody somewhere should reach around and pat himself on the back, because he (or she) came up with a …
