Page 22
WisconsinChristianNews.com
Volume 26, Issue 1
Healthy Homes & Families Natural, Biblical, Healthy Living Unexpected Beauty By Chris McMahan April 2025
on our hope that there is truly a light at the end of the tunnel. But God gives us hope through Scripture. In Isaiah 35, He speaks of the harshness of a desert instead of a winter tundra, and of His transforming ability to not only restore something to its former state, but to redeem it into something more.
We should always hope for unexpected beauty; even in the desert or winter seasons of life. Our God is a God who restores, but He also goes beyond that – calling things that are not as if they were (Romans 4:17). He restores, He redeems, and He reveals life in circumstances that seem void of that possibility.
Isaiah 35:1-2, “The desert and the parched land will be glad…like the crocus, it will burst into bloom.”
I’m a southern girl now, having lived in Georgia for since 2011; but I still remember fondly this time of year in Wisconsin. The snowy blanket not wanting to peel back its cover over the earth which is itching to burst forth into bloom. And perhaps my favorite part of seeing Spring make its long-awaited en- trance in the north is the crocus. This tiny little flower, so dainty and deli- cate in appearance, but with the heart of a lion; pushing its uninvited way through the snow cover,
Where do you need to see the power and glory of the Lord sweep through your life today? He is mighty to save, to restore, to redeem and to reveal! Trust Him in the winter season. Ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to push forth the blooms of hope through life’s bleak snowy blanket. Rejoice at the work of our Lord! Dear Lord, we thank you today that You never leave us or forsake us, that You walk through the valleys with us, and join
giving hope to all that Spring will indeed arrive and as the snowy blanket is pulled back, the world will burst forth into bloom. If you have gone through a winter season in a state where crocus bloom, the first sight of them always puts a smile on your face and fills your heart with joy and hope. Winter will not last forever – spring is com- ing! Unexpected beauty replaces the drabness that you’ve become accustomed to.
us on the mountaintops as well. We thank You that no matter how dry or difficult the season of life we are in might be, You not only don’t abandon us to the sanctifying wasteland of the desert, but You are the God who comes and restores vitality and color to our lives. Join us where we are today and come with Your unexpected beauty to our lives! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Chris McMahan,
“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. Say to those who have an anxious heart, ‘Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with ven- geance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.’” (Isaiah 35:1-4, ESV).
Email: Happy1970@icloud.com Please email me if you would like to receive monthly ministry updates.
Life can be like this. We go through seasons that seem brutal, bleak, and unending. We start to wane
This is What I’ve Learned...
...From My Life In the Woods
By Layton Howerton April 2025
Now, you and I have this self-same internal com- pass! We always know where we are from the point of where we began, in everything do. For this inter-
left of our center point, who is Christ himself, and how not to get lost, stumped or tripped up....no matter how difficult the terrain may be. The Bible says, “ The Lord grants success to the one whose behavior He finds commendable. Even if he trips, he will not fall headlong, for the Lord holds his hand.” (Psalm 37: 23-24, NET). So what’s the lay of the land look like in the tra- verse you're making through the woods of your home, business and relationships today? Are you feeling lost, stumped or tripped up, in the thick of thin things that may be hindering your suc- cess in any of these areas of your life? Could your internal compass, the Holy Spirit be indicating to you, the need to circle back, so you can get to where you’re going in the center of God’s will? So, whether you’re going right or left in your trek, trust your internal compass — the Holy Spirit. He’ll help you navigate and circle back, through the toughest terrain.
The first year my youngest son was old enough to start mule deer hunt- ing, I set my “Stormy Kromer” cap in a direction for him to not only fill out his deer tag, but to share with him
some of the life lessons I’d learned from my “Life In the Woods,” that hopefully he’d carry with him throughout his lifetime, as I have in mine. One of those life lessons was this… After many morning and evening attempts to- gether, when my son and I had returned to the truck, he remarked, “Dad, how do you always know where the truck is and how to get back to it?” In the mountains of Wyoming and Montana this can be dif- ficult at times, in traversing the lay of the land. So, I replied, “It’s easy son, I always make a circle! Wherever I start from, if I go right, I keep bearing right, if I go left, I keep bearing left, so I always circle back to where I began…through the use of an in- ternal compass!”
nal compass is the Holy Spirit of Christ within us. We know the direction we’re going, either right or
Made with FlippingBook Converter PDF to HTML5