A Warrior’s Reward

Recognizing Promises Fulfilled

  And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would approach God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Hebrews 11:6

I want to share with you the fulfillment of a promise, a promise made to me, a humble unworthy servant, by an awesome and faithful God. I hesitate to share this tale because I do in fact feel wholly unworthy of the blessing it heralds knowing that more deserving people in the family of God are suffering and in need even as I enjoy what seems to me to be the riches of heaven pouring down on me, and my wife, who is without question my greatest blessing, and surely deserving if anyone is.

But, despite my reluctance to share the greatness of my blessings when I know so many are still waiting for relief, I also know that I must be faithful to give God the glory and the credit where credit is due. For it is not by my power nor by my wisdom that I have what I have. I also must testify to His goodness, as we all must, as a way to encourage others to hang on to the promises knowing that God is faithful and never forgets his promises, His word never returns back to Him void, and he never stops looking for ways to bless and grow His children.

So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth;
It shall not return to Me void,
But it shall accomplish what I please,
And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. Is 55:11

A few years after having started our church in Red Lodge MT I decided I just needed to spend a few hours seeking the Lord. So I found some back roads and drove and prayed, stopping occasionally to look up scripture and just sit quietly listening in the beautiful foothills of the Beartooth Mountains.

As often happened my thoughts and prayers turned to my desire to want to live closer to my church. But land in this part of the state is very expensive, and good paying jobs scarce. And of course paying a mortgage or rent has always been a big factor in my not being able to be full time ministry, anywhere, as I was convinced for far too long was what I was supposed to be–a full time pastor. I was still working full time construction in Billings to earn a living as I pastored our small church.

I remember exactly where I was parked on that back road when I heard the Lord say to me; “I will give you a piece of land.” Afraid I had not heard that right, while at the same time knowing that I had, I questioned the Lord; “Why? Why would you give me land?” while thinking surely there are those more deserving and I can’t imagine how I could just be given some land… The response I got was “Land is a warriors reward.”

This is true, it is and has been in many cultures. Back to Roman times many of those who fought in the legions and faithfully served out their enlistments were rewarded with land and farms. In more modern times US soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary, Civil, and all wars in between, were granted land as reward for their service. So I knew exactly what this meant.

So I stopped arguing and questioning. I had always identified as a soldier in the Lord’s army, fighting against the enemy to rescue those taken captive to the enemy’s deceits and claimed as his to destroy. I was after all, as I have often said, just a barbarian with a bible.

Well, almost a decade later, as much as I looked for, prayed for and patiently waited for– I was not getting any free land. I was still living 25 miles from the church and still working in Billings, 25 miles the other way. But, after having fought some of the most intense spiritual battles I could imagine with their devastating consequences and manifestations in the natural, some battles won, others merely survived, and some sadly, seemingly lost–for now, I recently found myself in a place where I feel blessed beyond measure.

In my job, in my marriage, and especially in my family, I was content, except for the painful realization that my ministry in Red Lodge was coming to a close. The Lord was moving me in another direction, and offering me a chance (more like coercing me) to take a breather in the meantime.

Still…no land. Oh well, maybe I misheard, and there is always my fall back–maybe in the millennium–reasoning. But what I was hearing now was (and had been for a while) “You need to do something in Bridger. There is a harvest to be had for Me in Bridger.”

Bridger is a small town east of Red Lodge in the Clarks Fork River drainage. On the dry side of the mountains where land is cheaper, simply because there is more sage brush than pine trees. The necks are a little redder and the tourist dollars not so abundant. And best of all, two of my daughters and five of my grandchildren live over there.

A few of years ago the Lord had put it on our hearts to buy a piece of land near Bridger, perhaps to build on and retire to, eventually. But last year we decided it was time. Long story short, we found a twenty-acre lot just outside of town and just a few miles from family. The land had been for sale for several years, but Bridger, like many small Montana towns a little too far from the mountains, was a dying town—until recently.

Suddenly, with Covid, riots, crime and politicians out of control, people began fleeing the big cities and looking to Montana. Land and home prices doubled, tripled… Land and houses were, and still are to some extent, sparking bidding wars and selling the very day they hit the market.

But, we found our land, at a reasonable price and got locked into a buy sell agreement just before the land market went totally nuts. In fact, we found out later that the owners were hoping we would back out so they could relist at a higher price.

We borrowed money against the equity in the home we had bought nine years earlier, and had equity to spare. Within a few months of closing on the property we discovered that our humble home was worth MUCH more than we had paid for it. So we decided we had to sell, it would be foolish not to. We could pay off the land and still have money to put towards building our new homw.

So began a hectic time of fixing up and getting the current house ready to sell. Upon listing it took five days to get an offer, (we were worried that it was taking so long), but the offer we got was for more than we were asking–much, much more than we had paid for it–we took it.

We found a place to rent near where we were building (a last minute miracle in itself in a market where everyone was selling their rentals or turning them into Air BNB’s) paid off the land and put the rest in the bank.

This spring we started building a house and are now about halfway done (if you figure in all the site work) and we haven’t borrowed a dime—so far. I am literally framing it myself on weekends, with help from family, which is why I haven’t had much time for blogging.

Now, I’m a little slow sometimes in seeing things. In my thoughts I had basically given up on the free land thing, the gift I was expecting from the Lord. I hadn’t forgotten, but like Abraham waiting for his son, I just thought if it hasn’t happened by now, it probably won’t. I had better do something.

Except in my case, my doing something was being orchestrated completely by the Lord to accomplish His purpose and fulfill His promise to me. I believe the Lord seldom expects us to just sit on our hands and wait for miracles. Wait on the Lord and believe-yes, but keep following the nudges of His Spirit, and using the brain he gave you in the meantime. And I am only skimming the surface here of the depth of His hand on us through this time as we just kept taking the next step, largely in faith.

Now, the reason I said I am a little slow sometimes, is because, even though God’s hand was so evident in all of this, it was well after all the dust of buying, selling, renting and moving had settled that I realized that the Lord had  a kept His promise (Having to close a church I had poured my everything into for twelve years in the midst of this was a little distracting!) He had given me a piece of land–A beautiful piece of Montana with a view that I will never grow tired of.

I had been expecting someone to walk up to me one day and say “Here’s a title for a piece of property the Lord wanted me to give you.” Or some such scenario. But the Lord and done something even more amazing. He increased the value of what I had, exponentially, making the home I was in worth so much that I could sell it–a blessing to another family who wanted to get out of a state gone politically insane–giving us enough money to pay off our mortgage, pay off the land, and with the capital invested along with the increased property values–have money left over.

That money we made on the house, that was above and beyond what we financially invested, was free money. Plain and simple.

Let me break it down further; Free money used to buy land equals free land. GOD is GOOD! And He is faithful to those who put their hope in Him. I have received the warriors reward as promised.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, Heb 10:23-24

What has the Lord promised you? Are you still waiting, still hoping? More importantly; are you keeping your eyes and ears open for the little series of miracles that may get you there? Or are you just sitting in a lonely corner waiting for the giant miracle to knock on your door? It could happen that way, but in my experience, the Lord rewards those who keep looking for the day to day, who trust for the day to day guidance, while keeping their eyes looking forward in anticipation of THE DAY.

⁸ But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night… 1 Peter 3:8-10

Then, even if that (seeing the Lord come to take us home) is all we ever get, it will be everything! The true and ultimate warriors reward. And one that awaits us all. Indeed, The Lord is not slack concerning His promises!

All photos taken on our land -Dan Swaningson

 

 

 

 

 

I Lift My Eyes To The Hills

Chief Joseph Pass in the Clouds Swaningson

Lest any of you, my beloved friends and family, think I fell off the face of the earth, I want to share a few photos with you from our quick weekend trip into the beautiful Beartooth Mountains in our backyard.

I have been taking a bit of a break from serious blogging. As the reality of my sabbatical from formal ministry sets in, so did my compulsion to keep writing these “mini sermons” fade a bit. My soul is just weary, but at peace nonetheless. But I am being refreshed and I will continue, Lord willing, to faithfully share what the Lord teaches me in the seasons ahead.

Be Still And Know -Swaningson

Right now I am extremely blessed, living out and building on, some of the promised reward that He had whispered prophetically to my heart. Promises made long enough ago that I had given up on them—silly me. Once again He has proven faithful even as mine wanes.

Soon I will share that with you. Till then, be blessed and enjoy some photos!

Mountain glory. -Swaningson

Clark’s Fork Serenity -Swaningson

God’s Flower Garden -Swaningson

“Those who wait on The Lord shall renew their strength…” Is 40

Wave at Your Neighbor

O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
You know my sitting down and my rising up;
You understand my thought afar off.
You comprehend my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways. Psalm 139:1—3

The Lord knows us, really knows us–do we know each other?

Having been in construction all my life I have spent a lot of time working out of town. I have spent my construction career, first with a pipeline contractor and then with commercial building contractors, working in or out of Billings MT. So when we in my business refer to working out of town, that generally means somewhere in one of the myriad of smaller towns within a few hundred miles of the city of Billings, often spilling over into Wyoming.

Montana in itself is a big state with relatively few people, even the big city of Billings is relatively small, so generally speaking anyone within ten miles or so is considered your neighbor, and aside from the few places of denser populations, you most likely know all those within 10 miles of your home.

Then there is the small town dynamic. Having worked, and even lived in several different small towns, or no towns—what most would consider the middle of nowhere—I am always fascinated by the people and how each community has its own personality, often depending on how many people have spent their lives in that community as opposed to how many transplants, or tourists, there are.

I have spent the last 8 months working in the small eastern Montana town of Forsyth. Eastern MT is much different from western MT in that there are far fewer transplants, as all those who are now fleeing the big cities and the liberal chaos that has permeated those places, especially as of late, all want to live near the western mountains. Forsyth is a small town on the Yellowstone River in the heart of cattle country somewhat removed from the alpine mountain scenery that draws the big city folk who are all looking for their piece of paradise—so they can build a huge house, plant a perfect yard and put up a big fence to look over at what’s left of the paradise they just defiled, just so they can fly south when it snows—anyway I digress. . .

I have been working and staying in Forsyth long enough now, going home on the weekends, that I am treated as a local, but then; that’s not a whole lot different than how I was treated right off the bat. Driving around in small town eastern MT everyone waves at you when they pass, just in case they know you, chances are good that they do, and everyone wants to know you if they don’t.

Four way stops take much longer than they should because everyone wants to make sure that they are not going out of turn, and the other person just might be in a bigger hurry. The wait staff in the few cafés all know how you like your coffee and your eggs, the folks at the next table are familiar and say howdy even if they are not, and the folks at the hardware stores and convenience stores treat you like an old friend and are genuinely glad you came.

The only time you hear a horn honk is if someone is saying hello or a couple of the neighbors cattle have gotten out on the highway, and you need to alert them.

And crime, like burglary, random acts of violence and vandalism is pretty rare compared to many places. It’s much harder to steal from your neighbor when you know how hard they worked for something, to spray graffiti on the wall of a business whose owner coaches your basketball team, or to vandalize the property of the person who leads your 4-H club.

Besides, there’s a good chance they’ll figure out who did it, they likely know you. When people are no longer nameless strangers, it’s much harder to mistreat, harm or berate them.

Thing is, that’s the way the world used to be. Back when we had front porches we spent our evenings on watching the neighborhood kids play together, corner stores we ran into our neighbors at, and neighborhood churches where we all worshipped together and planned our next picnic or work party for the neighbor who needs a new barn, or a hand branding his calf crop.

The more we get connected the more we become faceless drones that no longer see one another. The more we digitize worship, the less real communion there is. The more we strive for our corner of paradise, the farther away we get from it—we loose the heart in our fight for the peace.

I’m not saying we should all move to small town Montana, (please don’t) I’m just looking at the lessons to be learned there. And as one who has seen the world change dramatically and become much more disconnected from reality, from one another, and especially from the God who knows us better than we will ever know ourselves, I see the stark contrast of what’s being lost. Our humanity is at stake. Much of that humanity is in our ability to connect with one another and communicate our hearts to one another in love trust, and respect.

Let’s not trade the universe and all its wonders for the metaverse. Lets not trade relationships for likes. Lets not turn inward—striving for all that we think we deserve and forget what we are here to do—to love our neighbors as ourselves, and to be a light to the world. Honestly, we all have much more than we deserve.

So wave at the nameless person you pass on your way to work. Say hi to the person next to you in line at the coffee shop. Tell the cashier thanks, and have a great day, even if they look like they would rather not be there. And go to church—real church—and get to know your neighbors. Maybe shovel their sidewalk, mow their grass, share a BBQ, meet up for coffee. You may just find your next best friend.

We, and they, are created in the image of God—and he knows us, cares about us, and is acquainted with all our ways. We are not meant to walk this world alone, we need Him and one another.

Stop hiding behind your phone, your windshield, and your vinyl fence, and be a neighbor. You’ll be amazed at what you’ve been missing.

Vexed Souls

I can relate more and more to Lot, the nephew of Abraham who thought the thriving and bustling cities of the fertile plains, would be a good place to raise his family. Not so much…

“. . . turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an example unto those that after should live ungodly;

And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:

(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)” 2 Peter 2:6—8 KJV

I am ever more grateful to live in the vastness and relatively uncluttered beauty of the (mostly) free state of Montana. (No I have not met the Dutton’s, they are a profane Hollywood fantasy of a mob family in cowboy hats.) Yet in todays’ ever shrinking world, it is harder and harder to escape the big city born insanity that seems to emanate and permeate our culture.

I find my soul, more often than not these days, vexed. Vexed by the never ending onslaught of lies and perversions that seem to threaten to pervade every aspect of our lives anymore, at least the few that are not already tarnished. How have we fallen so far, so fast? And is there any hope of recovery? Yes, as long as today is still called today, there is always hope.

Consider the words of the Psalm:

Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Who is the man who desires life,
And loves many days, that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:11—14

The Psalmist here calls us to listen to, and learn from, his words. Knowing that this Psalm is part of the written word of God gives this a much deeper meaning; “Come you children, listen to me…” listen to the word of God, listen to the Holy Spirit, listen to God speak through the words of this Psalm—and all of scripture.

The Psalm then goes on to give a nutshell lesson on how to live; ‘You want a long life full of good things? Keep your tongue from evil, speak truth, flee from the bad and do the good. “Seek peace and pursue it.”

That all sounds good, and in a simpler time it may have even sounded easy; ‘Ho hum, hokey dokey. Life is good, pass the roast beef and save room for Grandma’s pie.’ Not so much anymore. Life has gotten crazy and it seems every time we turn around, evil is attacking us from another angle, threatening and daring us to speak in kind, insisting that we repeat and pronounce its deceits as undeniable and undebatable.

To me, that is the scariest part of where we have suddenly found ourselves as a society of free men whose greatest freedom was the right to openly express our views and challenge those we disagreed with. We are bombarded with lies and branded as socially unacceptable human beings if we dare disagree. With more and more of our discourse taking place over digital platforms, monitored, meted out, and evaluated by faceless entities we never see or meet, this is growing to be ever more grievous and alarming.

Seeking peace and pursuing it seems to be an unattainable endeavor. But we must. Our Lord asks this of us.

Truth be told, we hold in our hearts the only true peace there is—the word of God, made alive in us by the Holy Spirit of the Living God—the Prince of Peace himself. It is not where we live, it is who lives in us, that matters, that keeps us safe from evil.

It is obvious to me that this whole exercise of squashing free speech under the guise of woke-ism, tolerance, social justice and ever evolving enlightenment is nothing less than the enemy of our souls creating an environment where the ideals and morals espoused in the gospel of our Lord become less and less palatable, even outright unacceptable.

If right is wrong, sin is not sin, and there is no freedom or healing from our addictions, disorders and disfunctions, than those of us who “teach the fear of the Lord” are nothing short of shortsighted intolerant haters who must be silenced.

The paradox is; the very reason we are in this storm tossed boat is because too many have stopped speaking truth. If truth were known and the God who sets us free by that truth—recognized and received— then those deceits would not have the power they are currently reveling in.

What can we do? I have said it often here and will continue—keep speaking truth, do not be silenced, and do not allow the loud voices of the deceivers to cause you to fear. Your God is bigger than all of them and He will not be mocked—remember that. No matter what it may look like today, in the end, He has the last word.

And in that day, when all must give a reckoning for the words they espoused, may his word to you be—Well done good and faithful servant, well done.

And teach your children truth, that is our greatest and best hope going forward to reclaim this world for Jesus. No one else is going to do it, quite the contrary.

Just Drink

I want to share with you, whom I consider part of my family in Christ and dare I say, my church, another part of the final message I gave last week to my church in Red Lodge. After 11 years of ministry there I am taking a sabbatical, the first in 20 years, to rest and seek the Lord for my next assignment.

I will continue to blog. . .

This message is based on the letter of Christ to Laodicea as found in Revelation chapter 3.

Pure Water

A few years ago I went fishing with a young friend on Deer Creek. It’s in the Beartooth Mountains west of here a ways. The creek runs real fast and cold through a narrow canyon where there is little place to walk along the shore in the places we wanted to fish so we left most of our stuff on the bank down low and started wading in the water. Although the water was ice cold the day was real warm. And after the long hike in, and a few hours of fishing, my canteen was empty.

So, after taking a good look up the mountain and discerning where the water was coming from and seeing the clean gravel creek bottom I scooped up some water up with my hands, tasted it and it was wonderful. I then refilled my canteen from the creek.

I knew it was run off straight from the glacial snows just above us and as cold as it was and as fast as it was moving there was little chance of it being contaminated–it was liquid ice splashed over some rocks, and it tasted like heaven. There is nothing more refreshing than pure high mountain creek water.

After fishing for several hours I worked my way back down to where we started and came across my fishing partner sitting on a rock playing with some test tube looking contraption. He was swirling water around in as he held it up to the sunlight. I asked him what he was doing, and he told me he was purifying water because he was really thirsty. This contraption he had was supposed to radiate the water using sunlight.

“Do you want some? I can make some more after this.” I pulled out my canteen, took a swig of the water I had gotten from upstream and said, “No thanks, I’ve already been drinking the water straight from the creek all day.”

Her looked at me like I was a crazy and said—aren’t you worried about Giardia? I said, “No, I’ve been drinking the water from these mountains for decades, you just have to know what to look for.” “Well, what about the cows? I saw cow manure down there.” “I didn’t get my water down there, there are no cows up here!”

And I went on my way while he kept swirling his little test tube for his few ounces of lukewarm water.

Guess what, I didn’t get sick—much to his amazement.

Simple and Pure

Pure and simple is always best in my book.

 That’s all I have tried to do here over the last decade and more, share the pure water that I freely drink from straight from the source and to continually fan the flames of love and passion for Jesus in the hearts of those who have tasted and seen that he is good.

To encourage and challenge those who have drank straight from the streams of living water, and know that all the complications and paraphernalia of religion and ritual and programs only slow down and hinder the life that comes straight from a relationship with Jesus Christ, and to give them opportunity to worship him without fear of judgment.

I strive to bring you to that life giving water to drink deeply —unfiltered, unhindered, unafraid and unapologetic. I have been drinking straight from Jesus’ stream since the day he offered me water from his well and I don’t intend to stop, nor will I do anything to prevent others from drinking it as well.

And if your water is stagnant, well, start the fires a burning and boil that brine, Jesus is not going to live in your swamp. He will come wading in their after you, invite you to leave the swamp and drink again from the living streams, and he’ll lead the way out—whether you choose to follow is up to you.

Too many people just stay behind thinking their stagnant swamp quite comfortable. I have all I need right here! Smell? What smell? The smell of death and decay hidden beneath brilliant green cattails, Lilly pads and moss. It might look great from a distance, but you’ll die of thirst in the middle of it and become fertilizer for more toxicity to thrive.

¹⁷ Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— . . .

Rev 3:17 

Apart from Jesus we are nothing and have nothing.

I said earlier that my love for Jesus is manifest in my love for his children, That has often tried many, as many that I have loved were the unlovely. And if you have a church full of those who may be hard to love, you are going to chase away those who’s love is lukewarm.

But those who have been a part of this ministry for a season have been a big part of that loving atmosphere that has allowed Jesus to heal hearts here. I have heard just that over and over again from so many.

Some have thought me too tolerant of those they deemed unclean. But I love from a heart of honesty and understanding. I understand your failings because I too am a sinner saved by grace, and afforded much grace. But I love you, and the Lord too much to not preach the hard truth. But when I do I let Jesus speak through his word and I let the Holy Spirit deal with your heart.

Rebuke?

I don’t need to rebuke or chastise, I am not discerning enough nor wise enough, I do not know the big picture, have full access to your heart to make the call whether you deserve to be publicly shamed, rebuked, excommunicated or whatever—maybe there are some that are, but I was called to love, to only love, and to allow the Holy Spirit to do any convicting that needs to be done.

If you think you are perfect and discerning enough to judge and condemn others for God, then you go have fun with that, your fruit will bear witness to your wisdom in the end.

I prefer to let God do the judging— he will and does.

That said, if he asks me to speak a word to you I will, in private, and only what is necessary for restoration while assuring you that you are still part of the family, and loved. And the very few that I have taken serious issue with are those who saw it as their job to correct and rebuke me or you, who decided that they were the Holy Spirit.

They are not, and neither am I.

Conclusion

I am a follower of Jesus Christ, a born again, Spirit filled disciple who has been called to share the gospel and to love and feed his lambs. As a follower of Jesus Christ, who strives to live in obedience to his Spirit, I am taking a break from formal ministry for a season, but not from loving with all my heart and soul, my God and his people.

So I urge you as we ultimately go different directions, while it may seem that we are living in Laodicea, and worse, as we look at the state of the world and much of his church around us, know that in your heart you can choose to keep the fire burning bright and God will always lead you to the proper hills from which to let your light shine.

For the very word we swore that we would die for, must not be forgotten, and fear the world become a friend.

So while we’re living in Laodicea
Keep the fire burning bright, don’t let it grow dim
For the very Word we swore that we would die for, it must not be forgotten
Fear the world become a friend

For the very Word we swore that we would die for, it must not be forgotten

–Steve Camp, Living in Laodicea

I am a Jesus Freak, and this may be my last sermon here, (In Red Lodge as Hope Chapel) but I am far from finished.

Stop, and See the Trees

Every tree has a story to tell, if we’ll stop and ponder—try to understand.

“Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand;
And seeing you will see, and not perceive;
For the hearts of this people have grown dull.
Their ears are hard of hearing,

And their eyes they have closed. Acts 28:26-27

Swaningson Lone Cone

There’s an old saying—“I couldn’t see the forest for the trees.” It has to do with not being able to see the big picture because you are focused on the one or two things right in front of you. And those things  become your overwhelming concern. But I think it works the other way as well, we often can’t see the trees for the forest.

When I’m hiking down a mountain trail in my beloved Beartooths, surrounded by majestic trees, brush and undergrowth where it all seems like one or two large brush strokes of shades of green and grey have just been tossed onto a canvas just to block the view of what’s behind it, I am often struck by the sight of a single tree that may stand out to me for one reason or another. I like to look at the trees.

It may be a huge ancient looking Ponderosa that seems to be so much larger than those around it, and I stop to ponder how this tree survived when all its contemporaries apparently did not.

Was it the sole survivor of a fire? Or was it just a lone tree, a seed from a pine cone that a now long dead squirrel had for lunch one day, that took root here in a high mountain meadow that became the nurse tree of what would eventually become a forest?

Or I’ll puzzle at the strange kinks and bends in what should be an arrow straight Lodgepole pine and try to imagine what traumatic event this tree survived to be twisted such as it is. Or the great Douglas fir that seems so full and sturdy that turns out to be two trees that have grown so close together that they appear to be one.

Or the stand—offish Quaking Aspen that, with numerous others of it’s kind, has taken over a bare spot that seemed fit only for rocks and wildflowers otherwise, creating a quivering spectacle of shimmering leaves as the breeze makes the copse come to life in brilliant contrast to the stoic still pines beyond.

I love the high mountain trees because the extreme environment they grow in creates such unique and interesting configurations in many of the trees, in what from a distance just appears as a uniform carpet of green waiting with outstretched branches to receive their yearly blanket of brilliantly white, crystalline snow.

Every tree has a story to tell, if we’ll stop and ponder—try to understand.

Such is God’s word, and the ways of the Holy Spirit and his prophets. We, as God’s people can become so immersed in the forest of his word, the lessons, the promises and the warnings, both written, spoken and impressed on our hearts, that we no longer see and hear the import of the things that are spoken to us, and for us, as individuals and as a people.

Things that we need to focus on here and now. and not just say, “well isn’t that something”, and move on, forgetting what we just heard or saw as we just keep blundering ahead, blissfully ignorant and unmoved by the majesty around us. Or perhaps even annoyed at the obstacles of deadfall and rocks or the discomfort of dew dampened shoes and the maddening whine of mosquitos and deerflies, hoping to get through the forest to wherever it is we think we need to get to on the other side of this woods.

“I know where I’m going. I don’t need to be bothered by any of this, or wonder if I missed a turn somewhere. There’s a quiet lake and a fishing pole waiting for me up ahead. Don’t distract me!”

“What, did you say something? Who are you anyways? Get out of my way!”

The Lord warns against this dangerous attitude:

“The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah,

 ‘Go to this people and say,
You will indeed listen, but never understand,
    and you will indeed look, but never perceive.
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
    and their ears are hard of hearing,
        and they have shut their eyes;
        so that they might not look with their eyes,
    and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn—
    and I would heal them.

Acts 28:26—27 NRSV

“I’ve seen it all and heard it all, and I’m fine.”

No, you’re not. You were supposed to sit on that rock back there under that big Ponderosa and let the Spirit of God reveal to your heart just were it is you’re supposed to be going next, and what it is you might need to be letting him work on in your heart.

Swaningson Be Still

You need to stop, and remember why you started walking through this forest in the first place. And while you’re here, ponder why that lodgepole is bent like a bow, and how it survived the crushing snowfall or the wind sheer that nearly broke it, and how it managed to keep growing and pointed back toward heaven again.

You need to understand how that Doug fir is stronger because it is paired to another and what made all those trees lying on the ground— that you have to keep stepping over—fall. Seek to understand why are they dead and fallen in the first place.

And consider what makes that Aspen tree unique even though it seems lost in a crowd of others who all seem to be trying to get noticed. Yet for all their efforts look just like the trees next to them. And notice the treasures that grow among the broken granite beneath their quivering limbs, the short lived Columbine, the delicate mountain daisy and the glorious Indian Paintbrush.

Swaningson Mountain Daisy

Look at the trees and consider that our God knows the story of each and every one and the richness of the life they influence, enrich and even enable. And be encouraged.

Because, says the Lord, when I look out at my blessed creation and see all my beautiful children, I don’t see a sea of humanity, arms lifted to me for uniform blessings, I don’t see a distant sick forest of trees being overtaken by dying Pine beetle infested trees slowly dying off. I see you.

I see you striving and reaching, seeking the sunlight as the shadows threaten to overtake, clinging to the precious and thin top soil as the winds threaten to uproot, and desiring to be one who is strong enough to nurse others along into straight healthy individual creations, whom together are a beautiful sight.

I see you as the beautiful and unique creation that you are even when you feel like you are invisible, lost in a delirious blur of shining leaves that you think you must be an integral and conformed part of to be accepted.

I see you as beautiful, says the Lord. But never more beautiful in my sight than when I see you looking back at me—when it’s just the two of us—you seeking understanding and actually hearing what it is I would say to you. Just—

Be still, and know that I am God… Psalm 46:10

When you do that, says the Lord, then you will turn and find your healing, then you will be as an oak of righteousness planted by streams of living waters. Then you can see the forest again for what it is, a beautiful living kingdom of which you are a precious and essential part.

When you look into my eyes, unashamed and unhurried, then you will understand. Then your despair will turn to joy.

Swaningson MN Woods

A Bruised Reed

Back in the 1970’sthere was a Norwegian named Thor Heyerdahl who built a boat out of reeds that he named Ra, and tried to sail across the Atlantic. But it sank. On his second attempt, in RA II, he succeeded, sailing 4,00 miles from Morocco to Barbados.

 He was trying to show that it was possible that ancient man could have crossed the oceans. I don’t know why a Norwegian wouldn’t have been more interested in building a Viking ship, maybe he just wanted to go somewhere warmer—who can know the mind of a Norwegian? (I’m married to one.)

 I just remember it because they made such a big deal out of it, even making a movie about it. I guess they still make reed boats in some parts of the world. So they are still seen as strong and durable.

But a single reed—especially if it is still green and growing—if it is crushed in the middle, or bent too far, the fibers separate and a weak spot is created and even a slight wind or a passing animal can break it off and it will not recover, it’s toast. Think of a Montana wheat field nearly ready for the harvest suddenly struck by a massive hail storm—it’s devastating.

The beautiful full heads of grain cannot be harvested if they are laying on the ground on the end of a bruised and broken stalk, and they do not stand up again.

I just want you to get that picture in your mind, a semi crushed—bruised─stalk, still managing to stay upright but barely, or a lantern wick fresh out of kerosene, the flame gone but still an ember glowing as though just begging for a little more fuel and a gentle breath of wind to reignite the flame that can burn clean and bright.

That’s the human heart, it can be strong, upright and flexible, burning bright and pure, but in reality, especially if standing alone, can be a thing of great fragility. If it gets whacked just right, pelted by a few too many hailstones, all it takes is one good gust of wind and it’s broken. Or like a tiny smoking ember where once there was a flame, deprived of the air or fuel needed to revive, snuffed out and left to grow cold.

Jesus came and saw a world of bruised reeds, of smoldering wicks. He came to bring healing and life. He didn’t come seeking his own glory as so many who claim to speak for him do. Jesus came to bring healing and proof of his Father’s love.

Jesus, instead of blowing through life, trampling hearts on his way to the heights of glory, seeking the strong, the articulate and the righteous who could help him get out his message, to advance his agenda of being the conquering Messiah, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords─—he stops and gently touches the bruised, he speaks life, he looks into the eyes of the hurting, he hears the cries of the heartbroken and grieving, he feels the pain of the sick and wounded— and he heals them.

Beggars, prostitutes, hardnosed—get out of my way I’m busy— working men; the crooked I hate you and you hate me tax collectors. Drunks, homeless, lepers reeking of rotten flesh—it didn’t matter— he loved and healed them all.

Not after they repented, not after they got straightened out and got right with the synagogue and God—he healed all who came to him. And then he taught them about the love of God and the power of Heaven and they believed it, and they received it, because they had experienced it. They experienced it and it changed their lives.

They were no longer bruised and broken, no longer smoldering wicks leaving smudges of soot on the walls of the Temple, they were changed forever and they found strength in one another. They were bound together like the reeds in an Egyptian boat ready to face the storms of even the mightiest seas. They were healed and could now be healers.

Compelling

That’s why the Gospel of Jesus Christ is so compelling and powerful; because wounded and broken people, the castoffs and scorned, the hopeless and forgotten, suddenly shining brightly with new life, standing tall and strong, fearless and unwavering, they— the ones no one paid any mind to before─ they were, and are, the messengers of the Kingdom.

No one can deny the power of God available in the words of Jesus Christ when a Leper who now has the skin of a new born baby, when a blind man is now looking you in the eye, when an uneducated fisherman is leaving the theologians frustrated and foolish looking, when a scorned street walker or a demon possessed mad man is now commanding respect and dignity and shining like the sun with a radiant undeniable joy—when they are the ones sharing the good news of the Kingdom of God, the gospel cannot be denied. 

I will put my Spirit on him,
   and he will proclaim justice to the nations. Mat 12

Swaningson Bible Memes

The gospel is healing, the gospel is alive, the gospel of Jesus Christ will continue to heal, will continue on as he, by his Spirit living in and speaking through the redeemed, carry on the message of healing, proclaiming justice until all the nations have heard, and all the bruised reeds and smoldering wicks, all those who desire to hear, who long for healing, for relief from their brokenness and unbearable pain, have heard the message of hope.

We the scarred and redeemed are the standard bearers. We are now the healers, bringing the message of hope, bringing the power of God to a world of bruised reeds and smoldering wicks. Let’s make sure we are not just blowing through the fields and trampling the bruised into the dirt or ignoring the smoldering until the ember fades.

We have the hope.  And if you still need healing, you need to bring it to Jesus, he will set you free and then he will set you on a mission because nothing helps bring your healing to completeness, nothing helps you live in the victory, like sharing with others what we you received.

No one can speak healing better than those who have been healed. No one can encourage the prisoners more than those who have been freed.

Swaningson Bible Memes

Stay on Task

now available as a podcast

This nasty cold subzero weather we have been enduring lately has me praying often for ranchers who are calving. I used to calve in February and remember well the struggles of keeping calves alive and well when these cold fronts hit. You just did what you had to do, no matter the cost in sleep, comfort or resources. The life of every calf is precious, not just for money but because you love your animals—the money could never be enough to motivate all that you endure for these critters.

If you visit or talk to any rancher who is calving in weather like this, if they had time to talk, you would find that they have or have had brand new wet calves in the cabs of their pickup trucks, in their kitchens, even in their bathtubs, sometimes all at once and at all hours of the night and day. While the ranchers themselves are emanating the pungent aroma of old and new afterbirth, manure and sour milk as they guzzle coffee and try to thaw out their feet in time to go catch the next calf.

I have an old black and white photo hanging in my church office, counting my years as a children’s pastor it has been in my office for almost 20 years now. I found in at the big museum in Cody WY years ago and instantly fell in love with it because it so captures that spirit of doing whatever it takes to care for your animals, staying on task no matter the cost.

Charles Belden circa 1920-1930

It’s a picture of a Cowboy taken in the 1920’s near Meeteetse Wyoming. The cowboy is on a horse in a blizzard, bundled up as best he can against the cold, and he has a new Herford calve draped across his lap as his horse struggles up a hill against the wind driven snow. It hangs in my office as a reminder to me that ministry is not always easy nor fun. That reaching the lost and caring for the flock is seldom convenient nor is it a part time, yeah, I think I’ll stay in tonight, everyone will be just fine without me kind of assignment.

What does that have to do with end times? Everything. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 

No matter what you hear, no matter the forecast, the rumors or the challenges—you need to keep trusting in me and the strength that I will give you to complete your task of reaching the lost.

If you read through all of this chapter 13 of Mark and catch the heart of what and why Jesus is telling the disciples of the storms to come, it is so that they are not caught off guard, that they know he expects them to keep seeking the lost, to stay on task and no give up no matter the struggles and difficulty of the times and places they find themselves. And that goes for all of us who follow Jesus and are called according to his purpose.

Every life, every soul, is precious and worth facing the storms for.

Are you ready to face the storms? How have you been holding up in the storms? These are important questions and are exactly why Jesus warns us of them, so that we do not get discouraged and thinks it’s all over, that this is our end. It is not, remember, there is no past tense for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Mark 13 is an entire chapter devoted to Jesus’ warnings of the tribulations to come.

The big scary end times, death and destruction, persecution and tribulation, desecration and desolation, Jesus is coming and the angels are going to gather the elect from the four corners of the world chapter.

“For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. ²⁰ And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.” Mark 13:19-20

It’s scary both to read and to try and teach on because Jesus gives us just enough detail to let us know scary big events are coming, but not enough detail to know exactly when and how they are going to happen. And Mark, as per his usual style, just records the facts and leaves the commentary and analysis to the many generations of preachers and scholars to come.

It’s not scary to me personally, I actually love that Jesus gives us these words of warning and encouragement, detail wrapped in mystery. An eternity altering mystery whose clues will not entirely be understood until they all fall into place as they happen and we who knew the clues say, “yes, yes, yes,—that’s it, that’s what it all meant, the prophecies were true and God is in control!”

But as a pastor it’s scary to teach on because so many have such strong opinions as to what it all means and will argue it as though their salvation depends on it.

That’s just wrong. Your salvation does not hinge on how you interpret end times prophecies—on when you think you will be whisked away, from bliss to bliss or from tribulation to bliss. Nor does it depend on where you think we are in the timeline of God’s plan for the last days. Your salvation depends on one thing, or one person rather, and that is Jesus Christ and whether you have accepted him as Lord and Savior—period.

Jesus is not concerned with how good we are at solving prophetic riddles, he is concerned with how seriously we take the need to stay on task no matter the chaos and challenges around us—Chaos and challenges we were promised and warned would come.

But he also promises to ride the storms with us, giving us the strength and the passion to complete our mission. Don’t give up cowboy, the big roundup is still to come.

On the Mountain part 2

And now, here we are, on the doorstep of another year—wondering, praying and hoping that the new year is better then the old, forgetting that we can only live one day at a time anyway and that every one of those days is a gift from our creator until the day when we step into eternity, where a day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day. Where we will be reunited with those who have gone before us, as has been the way of man since the beginning— pandemic or no pandemic.

So, since we insist on looking at individual years as somehow being a cohesive and cosmically manipulative unit—what do suppose the new one holds for us? I can just about guarantee you it will have plenty of both—mountaintops and valleys. The real question is; what are you going to do in those valleys?

We have all echoed the cry of the frightened father as he helplessly watches his son being tormented by evil—“Lord, I don’t know how you can fix this but I want to believe that you can! Have mercy!”

Yellowstone Park Dan Swaningson

We all believe. But when the valleys seem darkest, it’s hard sometimes to feel like you have enough faith to get out. And that’s when we can count of the faithfulness of our God.

I have prayed that prayer many times for myself—”Lord I believe, help me in my unbelief!” and the valleys are suddenly not so dark.

But you know, there are no true valleys for those who believe because Jesus is with us no matter the elevation or the obstacles in the path. Some places are just more challenging than others. Each day is what you make it. And if you pay attention, sometimes the valleys are the places where the real learning happens, where you truly see God at work.

I’ve spent a lot of time in the valleys, the low swampy parts of the valleys it would seem, and I have to be honest—2020 was not a valley for me, compared to some. And because I spent the year or two previously, fighting my way through some pretty dark valleys, seeing the enemy wreak havoc and attack my family and my church—if you think you know me—I can guarantee you, you do not know even a half of it. 2020 was a victory dance in comparison.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

But the lessons I learned and the bonds that were forged in those fires are priceless, indestructible—and eternal.

⁴⁹ “For everyone will be seasoned with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt. ⁵⁰ Salt is good, but if the salt loses its flavor, how will you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace with one another.” Mark 9

And I am stronger and more appreciative of every day the sun rises and I am still walking with my Lord no matter what happens, because my God has proven himself faithful and present time and again. And that’s all I really need—Jesus.

Anything and everything else good in my life is just a bonus that I am immensely grateful for. Even the scars and aches are just reminders of battles I’ve survived.

On The Mountain

‘Should I be running in terror or kneeling in awe!?’

In the ninth chapter of Marks gospel we see the disciples go from a mountain top where they literally get a glimpse of God’s glory, to a crowded valley where the enemy is wreaking havoc on whom he wishes. They had to be asking, as we all have–Can’t we just stay on the mountain?

We know that on the day of Pentecost the Kingdom of God would indeed present with great power, as it came blazing into their lives by way of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. But more immediately, just six days later, three of them did get a glimpse of the Kingdom as it descended onto Jesus so he could have a brief conference with key players of the Old covenant of law, presumably about what it would take to usher in the New Covenant of grace.

The disciples must have had their heads spinning. “I don’t know if I’m coming or going, if I should be scared or thrilled, running in terror or kneeling in awe!” One minute I’m on a mountaintop with the very Son of God shining like the sun and the next I’m in the valley being derided by an angry Scribe and a desperate father while we battle a demon and a crushing mob.

Life

Sounds a lot like life—doesn’t it? Sounds a lot like this past year. Are we coming or going, suffering the attacks of the enemy or the judgements of God? Are we blessed or cursed; finished or just beginning? ‘Is it right for me to feel so blessed when the world is in turmoil? Is it right for me to be afraid of the turmoil when I know I am so blessed? I am blessed— right?’ Should I be running in terror or kneeling in awe!?’

We don’t even know how we should feel anymore. This generation of Americans has never been forced to face the battles we have faced together lately just to live as a free people who love God, one another, and an honest day’s pay for an honest day’s work. Yet here we are today, fed, clothed, carrying Bibles and still breathing the clean air of the most beautiful place on earth—Montana. (At least for those of us who aren’t in the shut down states)

So feel free to be happy and blessed. Every day is a gift.

And you know what? We are not being set upon in any new and unprecedented way. If you take an honest look beyond your own bubble, all the world for most of human history has lived this way; mountain tops to valleys,with the mountains being steep and difficult to climb and the valleys being deep, long and immersed in shadow.

But one thing we all share and have in common, around the world and thru the ages, at least among those who put their trust in God, is that we can always see that light just ahead of us, guiding us, beckoning us and calling us home. No matter the difficulty of the trail, with every step we take in faith, we are always one step closer to home.