Photo for 09/01/2011

Looking down on the road we’ve just come up...from the Red Mtn. overlook at the summit of Corkscrew Gulch...near Ouray, Colorado...

Points To Ponder 09/01/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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One improper word or act will neutralize the effect of many good ones; and one base deed, after years of noble service, will cover them all with shame. - James H. Aughey
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 34:30-31 NIV

30 Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, "You have brought trouble on me by making me a stench to the Canaanites and Perizzites, the people living in this land. We are few in number, and if they join forces against me and attack me, I and my household will be destroyed."
31 But they replied, "Should he have treated our sister like a ___________?"
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Photo for 08/31/2011

The road to the Red Mtn. overlook at the summit of Corkscrew Gulch...near Ouray, Colorado...

Points To Ponder 08/31/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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Jesus Christ carries on intercession for us in heaven; the Holy Ghost carries on intercession in us on earth; and we the saints have to carry on intercession for all men. - Oswald Chambers
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 34:25-29 NIV

25 Three days later, while all of them were still in _____, two of Jacob's sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah's brothers, took their swords and attacked the unsuspecting city, killing every male. 26 They put Hamor and his son Shechem to the sword and took Dinah from Shechem's house and left. 27 The sons of Jacob came upon the dead bodies and looted the city where their sister had been defiled. 28 They seized their flocks and herds and donkeys and everything else of theirs in the city and out in the fields. 29 They carried off all their wealth and all their women and children, taking as plunder everything in the houses.
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Photo for 08/30/2011

At the summit of Corkscrew Gulch...near Ouray, Colorado...

Points To Ponder 08/30/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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The purpose of Christianity is not to avoid difficulty, but to produce a character adequate to meet it when it comes. It does not make life easy, rather it tries to make us great enough for life. - James L Christensen
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 34:18-24 NIV

18 Their proposal seemed good to Hamor and his son Shechem. 19 The young man, who was the most honored of all his father's household, lost no time in doing what they said, because he was delighted with Jacob's daughter. 20 So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city to speak to their fellow townsmen. 21 "These men are friendly toward us," they said. "Let them live in our land and trade in it; the land has plenty of room for them. We can marry their daughters and they can marry ours. 22 But the men will consent to live with us as one people only on the condition that our males be circumcised, as they themselves are. 23 Won't their livestock, their property and all their other animals become ours? So let us give our consent to them, and they will settle among us." 24 All the men who went out of the city gate ______ with Hamor and his son Shechem, and every male in the city was ______________.
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Photo for 08/29/2011

Headed up Corkscrew Gulch and into the clouds...near Ouray, Colorado...

Points To Ponder 08/29/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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A budget is just Planned Spending: telling your money where you want it to go rather than wondering where it went!
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 34:13-17 NIV

13 Because their sister Dinah had been defiled, Jacob's sons replied deceitfully as they spoke to Shechem and his father Hamor. 14 They said to them, "We can't do such a thing; we can't give our sister to a man who is not circumcised. That would be a disgrace to us. 15 We will give our consent to you on one condition only: that you become like us by __________ all your males. 16 Then we will give you our daughters and take your daughters for ourselves. We'll settle among you and become one people with you. 17 But if you will not agree to be __________, we'll take our sister and go."
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Photo for 08/28/2011

Rain coming in......near the ghost town of Red Mtn. Town, Colorado....

Points To Ponder 08/28/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:

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The church that is man-managed instead of God-governed is doomed to failure. A ministry that is college-trained but not Spirit-filled works no miracles. - Samuel Chadwick

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BIBLE QUIZ:  

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See Genesis 34:5-12 NIV

5 When Jacob heard that his daughter Dinah had been defiled, his sons were in the fields with his livestock; so he kept quiet about it until they came home.

6 Then Shechem's father Hamor went out to talk with Jacob. 7 Now Jacob's sons had come in from the fields as soon as they heard what had happened. They were filled with grief and fury, because Shechem had done a disgraceful thing in Israel by lying with Jacob's daughter — a thing that should not be done.

8 But Hamor said to them, "My son Shechem has his heart set on your daughter. Please give her to him as his wife. 9 Intermarry with us; give us your daughters and take our daughters for yourselves. 10 You can settle among us; the land is open to you. Live in it, trade in it, and acquire property in it."

11 Then Shechem said to Dinah's father and brothers, "Let me find favor in your eyes, and I will give you whatever you ask. 12 Make the price for the bride and the gift I am to bring as great as you like, and I'll _____ __________ you ask me. Only give me the girl as my wife."

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Photo for 08/27/2011

An abandoned house at the ghost town of Ironton, Colorado...It was raining when I took this photo...:0)

Points To Ponder 08/27/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:

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Asked how he reconciled God's election with human choice, Spurgeon replied "You do not need to reconcile friends".

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BIBLE QUIZ:  

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See Genesis 34:1-4 NIV

1 Now _______, the daughter Leah had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the women of the land. 2 When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of that area, saw her, he took her and violated her. 3 His heart was drawn to Dinah daughter of Jacob, and he loved the girl and spoke tenderly to her. 4 And Shechem said to his father Hamor, "Get me this girl as my ______."

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Photo for 08/26/2011

Featured today is a close up of a wild iris at National Belle Mine at the ghost town of Red Mtn. Town....

Points To Ponder 08/26/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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God never gives us discernment in order that we may criticize, but that we may intercede. - Oswald Chambers
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 33:18-20 NIV

18 After Jacob came from Paddan Aram, he arrived safely at the city of Shechem in Canaan and camped within sight of the city. 19 For a hundred pieces of silver, he bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, the plot of _______ where he _________ his ______. 20 There he set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel.
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Photo for 08/25/2011

Today we start with a brand new set of photos from a very recent Colorado four wheel drive trip to the Ouray, Colorado area. The highlight of the trip for me was the trip up into Governor Basin (we’ll see those photos later on). That would be partially due to the fact that I have never done that trip all the way to the top before...and the fact that the scenery was spectacular! Then of course there were the incredible wildflowers... they were the best that I’ve seen them in 42 plus years :0) Featured today are some wild iris at National Belle Mine at the ghost town of Red Mtn. Town....

Points To Ponder 08/25/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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In releasing deep hurts, forgiving is not an event but an ongoing experience.
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 33:12-17 NIV

12 Then Esau said, "Let us be on our way; I'll accompany you."
13 But Jacob said to him, "My lord knows that the children are tender and that I must care for the ewes and cows that are nursing their young. If they are driven hard just one day, all the animals will die. 14 So let my lord go on ahead of his servant, while I move along slowly at the pace of the droves before me and that of the children, until I come to my lord in Seir."
15 Esau said, "Then let me leave some of my men with you."
"But why do that?" Jacob asked. "Just let me find favor in the eyes of my lord."
16 So that day Esau started on his way back to Seir. 17 Jacob, however, went to _________, where he built a place for himself and made shelters for his livestock. That is why the place is called Succoth.
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Photo for 08/24/2011

Small alpine lake on mosquito pass, Colorado...

Points To Ponder 08/24/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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The surest way to raise an insecure child is to give in to his every demand.
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 33:10-11 NIV

10 "No, please!" said Jacob. "If I have found favor in your eyes, accept this gift from me. For to see your face is like seeing the face of God, now that you have received me favorably. 11 Please accept the present that was brought to you, for God has been gracious to me and I have all I need." And because Jacob insisted, Esau _________ it.
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Photo for 08/23/2011

Young fox along the road over Virginia Canyon (near Idaho Springs, Colorado)...

Points To Ponder 08/23/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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If we rationalize our problems when He points them out, we will spend less and less time meditating because we won't want to face God in that area of our lives. - Charles Stanley
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 33:4-9 NIV

4 But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. 5 Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. "Who are these with you?" he asked.
Jacob answered, "They are the children God has graciously given your servant."
6 Then the maidservants and their children approached and bowed down. 7 Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down. Last of all came Joseph and Rachel, and they too bowed down.
8 Esau asked, "What do you mean by all these droves I met?"
"To find favor in your eyes, my lord," he said.
9 But Esau said, "I already have plenty, my brother. _______ what you have for ________."
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Photo for 08/22/2011

Remains of an old truck at the ghost town of Geneva...On the west side of Guanella Pass, Colorado...

Points To Ponder 08/22/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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The grass is greener...where you water it.
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 33:1-3 NIV

1 Jacob looked up and there was Esau, coming with his four hundred men; so he divided the children among Leah, Rachel and the two maidservants. 2 He put the maidservants and their children in front, Leah and her children next, and Rachel and Joseph in the rear. 3 He himself went on ahead and bowed down to the ground _______ times as he approached his brother.
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Photo for 08/21/2011

Old miners cabin at the ghost town of Geneva...On the west side of Guanella Pass, Colorado...

Points To Ponder 08/21/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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God didn’t put you on earth just to read about what others do. He made you TO DO some things others will want to read about!
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BIBLE QUIZ: 
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See Genesis 32:30 NIV

30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." 31 Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his ____. 32 Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob's hip in the muscle that shrank.

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Photo for 08/20/2011

Alpine lake and Santa Fe Peak near the ghost town of Geneva...On the west side of Guanella Pass, Colorado...

Points To Ponder 08/20/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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God was thinking of you long before you ever thought about him.
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 32:27- NKJV

27 So He said to him, "What is your name?"

He said, "Jacob."

28 And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but _______; for you have struggled with _____ and with men, and have prevailed."

29 Then Jacob asked, saying, "Tell me Your name, I pray."

And He said, "Why is it that you ask about My name?" And He blessed him there.
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Photo for 08/19/2011

Waterfall in Geneva Basin...On the west side of Guanella Pass, Colorado...

Points To Ponder 08/19/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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Your wisest moments in life will be those when you say yes to God.
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 32:22-26 NKJV

And he arose that night and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of Jabbok. 23 He took them, sent them over the brook, and sent over what he had. 24 Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. 25 Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. 26 And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks."
But he said, "I will not let You go unless You bless me!"

[Who was it that Jacob wrestled against?]
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Photo for 08/18/2011

Another one (of three) of the Alta Lakes near the ghost town of Alta, Colorado...

Points To Ponder 08/18/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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To be like Christ is to be a Christian.-Daniel Webster.
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BIBLE QUIZ: 
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See Genesis 32:19-21 (NIV)

19 He also instructed the second, the third and all the others who followed the herds: "You are to say the same thing to Esau when you meet him. 20 And be sure to say, 'Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.'" For he thought, "I will _______ him with these gifts I am sending on ahead; later, when I see him, perhaps he will ________ me." 21 So Jacob's gifts went on ahead of him, but he himself spent the night in the camp.

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Photo for 08/17/2011

A small lake at Gold King Basin near the ghost town of Alta, Colorado...

Points To Ponder 08/17/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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Our lives are not destined by the stars but by the SON.
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 32:13-18 (NIV)

13 He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, "Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds."
17 He instructed the one in the lead: "When my brother Esau meets you and asks, 'To whom do you belong, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?' 18 then you are to say, 'They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a ______ sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.'"
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Photo for 08/16/2011

One (of three) of the Alta Lakes near the ghost town of Alta, Colorado...

Points To Ponder 08/16/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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Those who live by faith in faithless times are the true heroes of our day.
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 32:7-12 (NIV)

7 In great fear and distress Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups, and the flocks and herds and camels as well. 8 He thought, "If Esau comes and attacks one group, the group that is left may escape."
9 Then Jacob prayed, "O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, O LORD, who said to me, 'Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,' 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two groups. 11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. 12 But you have said, 'I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the ______ of the _____, which cannot be counted.'"
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Photo for 08/15/2011

A shot of the boarding house at the ghost town of Alta, Colorado with Lizard head peak in the background (near Telluride, Colorado)...

Points To Ponder 08/15/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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Whenever the insistence is on the point that God answers prayer, we are off the track. The meaning of prayer is that we get hold of God, not of the answer. - Oswald Chambers
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 32:3-6 (NIV)

3 Jacob sent messengers ahead of him to his brother Esau in the land of Seir, the country of Edom. 4 He instructed them: "This is what you are to say to my master Esau: 'Your servant Jacob says, I have been staying with Laban and have remained there till now. 5 I have cattle and donkeys, sheep and goats, menservants and maidservants. Now I am sending this message to my lord, that I may find favor in your eyes.'"
6 When the messengers returned to Jacob, they said, "We went to your brother Esau, and now he is coming to meet you, and _______ __________ men are with him."
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Photo for 08/14/2011

Another shot of the buildings at the ghost town of Carson, Colorado (near Lake City, Colorado)...

Points To Ponder 08/14/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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Whenever I think I understand it all, I realize I haven’t been listening.
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 32:1-2 (NIV)

Jacob also went on his way, and the _________ of God met him. 2 When Jacob saw them, he said, "This is the camp of God!" So he named that place Mahanaim.
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Photo for 08/13/2011

Another shot of the buildings at the ghost town of Carson, Colorado (near Lake City, Colorado)...

Points To Ponder 08/13/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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God wants to turn your test into a testimony; your mess into a life message.
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 31:51-55 (NIV)

51 Laban also said to Jacob, "Here is this heap, and here is this pillar I have set up between you and me. 52 This heap is a witness, and this pillar is a witness, that I will not go past this heap to your side to harm you and that you will not go past this heap and pillar to my side to harm me. 53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor, the God of their father, judge between us."
So Jacob took an oath in the name of the Fear of his father Isaac. 54 He offered a sacrifice there in the hill country and invited his relatives to a meal. After they had eaten, they spent the night there.
55 Early the next morning Laban kissed his grandchildren and his daughters and blessed them. Then he ______ and _________ home.
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Photo for 08/12/2011

Looking through one of the buildings at the ghost town of Carson, Colorado (near Lake City, Colorado)...

Points To Ponder 08/12/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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Only in our culture of idolatrous individualism do believers think they can follow Jesus without belonging to His Body.
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 31:43-50 (NIV)

43 Laban answered Jacob, "The women are my daughters, the children are my children, and the flocks are my flocks. All you see is mine. Yet what can I do today about these daughters of mine, or about the children they have borne? 44 Come now, let's make a covenant, you and I, and let it serve as a witness between us."
45 So Jacob took a stone and set it up as a pillar. 46 He said to his relatives, "Gather some stones." So they took stones and piled them in a heap, and they ate there by the heap. 47 Laban called it Jegar Sahadutha, and Jacob called it Galeed.
48 Laban said, "This heap is a witness between you and me today." That is why it was called Galeed. 49 It was also called _______, because he said, "May the LORD keep watch between you and me when we are away from each other. 50 If you mistreat my daughters or if you take any wives besides my daughters, even though no one is with us, remember that God is a witness between you and me."
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Photo for 08/11/2011

The hospital at the ghost town of Carson, Colorado (near Lake City, Colorado)...

Points To Ponder 08/11/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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Manage things but lead people. People don't need managing. They need love, training and permission.
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 31:36-42 (NIV)

36 Jacob was angry and took Laban to task. "What is my crime?" he asked Laban. "What sin have I committed that you hunt me down? 37 Now that you have searched through all my goods, what have you found that belongs to your household? Put it here in front of your relatives and mine, and let them judge between the two of us.
38 "I have been with you for _________ years now. Your sheep and goats have not miscarried, nor have I eaten rams from your flocks. 39 I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for whatever was stolen by day or night. 40 This was my situation: The heat consumed me in the daytime and the cold at night, and sleep fled from my eyes. 41 It was like this for the twenty years I was in your household. I worked for you fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks, and you changed my wages ten times. 42 If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, you would surely have sent me away empty-handed. But God has seen my hardship and the toil of my hands, and last night he rebuked you."
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Photo for 08/10/2011

The ghost town of Carson, Colorado (near Lake City, Colorado)...

Points To Ponder 08/10/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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"Let no one excuse evil conduct on the grounds that one's evil is useful to the world." - St. Origen
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 31:33-35 (NIV)

33 So Laban went into Jacob's tent and into Leah's tent and into the tent of the two maidservants, but he found nothing. After he came out of Leah's tent, he entered Rachel's tent. 34 Now Rachel had taken the household gods and put them inside her camel's saddle and was sitting on them. Laban searched through everything in the tent but found nothing. 35 Rachel said to her father, "Don't be angry, my lord, that I cannot stand up in your presence; I'm having my period." So he searched but could _____ ______ the household gods.
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Points To Ponder 08/09/2011

Yankee Girl Mine at the ghost town of Red Mtn. Town...

Points To Ponder 08/09/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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Leaders are self-critical. Losers are critical of others.
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 31:31- (NIV)

31 Jacob answered Laban, "I was afraid, because I thought you would take your daughters away from me by force. 32 But if you find anyone who has your gods, he shall not live. In the presence of our relatives, see for yourself whether there is anything of yours here with me; and if so, take it." Now Jacob did not know that _______ had stolen the gods.
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Photo for 08/08/2011

Just below Bridal Veil falls at Telluride, Colorado...

Points To Ponder 08/08/2011

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POINTS TO PONDER:
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To become a master communicator: shut your mouth and listen first.
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BIBLE QUIZ:
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See Genesis 31:25-30 (NIV)

25 Jacob had pitched his tent in the hill country of Gilead when Laban overtook him, and Laban and his relatives camped there too. 26 Then Laban said to Jacob, "What have you done? You've deceived me, and you've carried off my daughters like captives in war. 27 Why did you run off secretly and deceive me? Why didn't you tell me, so I could send you away with joy and singing to the music of tambourines and harps? 28 You didn't even let me kiss my grandchildren and my daughters good-by. You have done a foolish thing. 29 I have the power to harm you; but last night the God of your father said to me, 'Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.' 30 Now you have gone off because you longed to return to your father's house. But why did you _______ my _______?"
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