Echoes From the Campfire

A real man finishes a job he takes on, and he doesn’t expect to be nursemaided along just because life throws a few potholes in front of him.”
–Douglas Hirt (The Kid)

“And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before.”
–2 Peter 2:20 (NLT)
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Mom would bring it up sometimes to chide me, “Why didn’t you go to school here; there is a university right here in your hometown.” I can hear her today. I don’t know, I really didn’t want to go to the University of Colorado. I did have some inclination to attend Colorado State as I thought I might pursue a degree in forestry or breeding. However, instead I took off for Missouri, to a private school, no less, that cost much more than I would have paid if I had gone to CU.
But there were two factors really guiding me. First, I believed that this was the direction that the Lord wanted me to travel. Second, for eighteen years my family raised me to make it on my own. I wanted to go and see if I could do it. It was the right decision! I never went back home to live. I never went back to depend on them again. I just don’t understand those who, even in their thirties are still living at home and not making anything of themselves. I have a problem with Christians who say they will serve the Lord as long as it is at home. Thank the Lord there are still those with a missionary mindset, and listen to the words of the old song, “I’ll go where you want me to go dear Lord…”.
Maybe they are scared of what lies out there. If they serve the Lord… They may be of the mindset that it’s not safe and when hit with a circumstance they don’t like they seek a safe shelter. Crazy! There is no safe shelter in this world except in Christ Jesus. One of the problems is that so many do not have a solid base on which to live their lives. “To move into the world we must have a base. Our base is freedom, freedom from self-seeking and self-serving; freedom from living on our own resources; freedom to turn to God.” (Orris E. Kelly, Chaplain) We hear that clamor for freedom, but when you hear what is really being said, people are actually clamoring for slavery. To be truly free, God will become more and more the focus and center of our lives. This will help us meet the world and free us from self-anxiety. Our lives gain momentum, focus, and thrust. We are willing and able to complete the task the Lord has for each one of us to do.