Doug Rutter @dougrutter - Tumblr Blog

The simplest way to change your life is to begin today with a deep sense of gratitude for the things you took for granted yesterday.

#gratitude

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The Stories Scars Tell

Hiking a canyon in western Montana, my brother-in-law pointed out a particular tree that set, majestic and alone, along the trail. Its size indicated that it had stood in this spot since long before the founding of our nation. Appropriately, the trail jogged sharply around the tree, so every hiker would be forced to give deference to this mountainside sentinel.

Aside from the height of its branches and the width of its trunk, the most notable feature of the tree was the black scars in its bark from the fires that have raged thru this dry canyon. Each of these purging burns have razed this canyon, repeating a cycle of growth, burn and regrowth.

But thru it all, this one particular Ponderosa Pine has managed to survive. And each black char, seared into its bark, represents a moment of its history when it was under extreme stress, with the forest all around it ablaze and its chance of survival extremely low. But despite its circumstances, it endures. The fires have died out. The only evidence of the fires that remains is the burnt scars that blacken the tree’s bark.

At first glance, one might be tempted to assume that the burns in the tree are evidence of its fragility. And think that they reveal the tree’s susceptibility to fire & the fire’s power to damage & destroy

But the truth is that scars are evidence of the tree’s resilience. They show that the fires which cleared this mountainside of all other vegetation couldn’t consume this one tree. They bear witness that time and again the fires have raged and yet this tree was not destroyed. This tree endures.

We all bear scars. Some on our skin, others much deeper. And we often make the mistake of seeing our scars as evidence of our injury. We remember (or relive) the hurt and damage which caused them and we again feel vulnerable and exposed. But these scars tell a fundamentally victorious story. They tell us that the thing which tried to kill us, couldn’t. They tell us that despite the pain that we endured…we ENDURE. We are still here. It is a reminder that we were (and are) stronger than whatever it was that tried to kill us.

The fire is gone, we are still here...scars and all.

These were the views for my runs this week so far. Loving this... #beautifulcountry #Goddonegood #notmissingcorn

#notmissingcorn #beautifulcountry #goddonegood

Beware when your religious system is in conflict with the obvious movement of the power of God. #biblejournaling #luke13

#biblejournaling #luke13

Transformation always inspires proclamation. #biblejournaling #mark7

#biblejournaling #mark7

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When we choose legalistic justice over gracious mercy, we are not on Jesus' side. #biblejournaling #mark3

#biblejournaling #mark3

We want connection with God to be effortless & spontaneous... But often it requires intention, discipline & focus. #biblejournaling #mark1

#mark1 #biblejournaling

It is not always our sin that brings us into the wilderness. Often we are driven there BY God because it is ONLY there that we can receive what He has for us. #biblejournaling #mark1

#mark1 #biblejournaling

I love that Matthew ends by reminding us what this has all been about. God doing whatever it takes to make it possible to BE WITH his people forever. #biblebigidea #biblejournaling #matthew28

#biblebigidea #biblejournaling #matthew28

In these three words is an horrific & brutal act of torture... We cannot take lightly the price that Jesus paid for our salvation... #biblejournaling #matthew27

#matthew27 #biblejournaling

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"Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars." -MLK #biblejournaling #matthew26

#matthew26 #biblejournaling

Jesus came to make it easier for people to come to God. Beware when we make it harder with our dogmas & our legalism. #biblejournaling #matthew23

#biblejournaling #matthew23

When you are focused on picking apart someone's words, you have stopped listening for their heart. #biblejournaling #matthew22

#matthew22 #biblejournaling

Our true conversion happens when our submission to God confronts the one thing we truly value. #biblejournaling #matthew19

#matthew19 #biblejournaling

We fail to forgive when we fail to remember that we have been forgiven. #biblejournaling #matthew18

#matthew18 #biblejournaling

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Good will welcome warriors & scholars & leaders who come to Him with their own power... But He wants children who come in humility. #biblejournaling #matthew18

#matthew18 #biblejournaling

"Deny yourself" It is infinitely easier to promise to die for Jesus than to actually live in submission to Him. #biblejournaling #matthew16

#matthew16 #biblejournaling

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